which bike

[shawy]

Hi all im chris wife bought me my intensive course for my xmas present.
not sure on what bike to get as we have always wanted to do a bit of traveling so i need a bike to carry 2 people i am big built. so will be me and the wife and boxes on the back. is a 600 powerfull enough or do i need bigger which model?

[P.]

So have you passed now?

600 isn't all that once you get used to it

Looking for luggage and doing touring? Triumph Tiger or VFR800 would be nice (my opinion anyway)

[salty21]

vfr800 as paddy says, sounds ideal. hard luggage easily available, plenty of power, reliable and sounds nice with race cans
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04 NSR 125(sold) ---- 03 CBR 600rr(sold) ----90 pan euro ST1100 '' ----02 CG 125
94 CB400 Super Four ---- 2000 VTR SP1 (sold) ---- 08 ninja p8f(sold, meh) ----05 CBR600rr

[shawy]

thanks for replies paddy no i have not passed yet but need to start looking as it wont be long hopefully two weeks.

have seen a cbr 600 quiet nice and also seen an thunderace 1000 which is very nice but do likethe bandit 1200

[Matt B]

You now have 3 votes for the VFR Big enough to cope well 2 up and not a bad choice for a first big bike.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[thepuma]

ITM
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YBR125 (SOLD) - CBR250R(SOLD) - CBR650F(SOLD) Current - Street Triple
765 RS

[cimbian]

What kind of travelling?

To/from hotels etc. on good roads or camping with some less than perfect roads?

If the former look at the Deauville or Pan or maybe a Divvy 900 if the latter the TransAlp or F650GS.
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22PlusY
Current: Moto Guzzi 1100 Breva. Previous: Honda XL650V TransAlp
Bearded, Balding, Born again Buddhist Biker

[shawy]

I would mainly be doing south france spain portugal maybe but alot in this country.

[Dilyan]

Go to a dealer and sit your fine ass on as many bikes as possible. Compare looks/comfort. ANY modern 600+ can take 2 up and go to Transilvania and back, depending on your skills and mechanical condition.

If you can handle the weight, I'd go for a Deauville for comfort and VFR for excitement
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Current: 2007 VFR800; Ex: 2001 YZF600R Thundercat
Škoda Octavia (yes, a taxi driver)

[Polarbear]

After many years of out and out tourers I am now quite into the adventure bikes with luggage as tourers. I find I ride a bit slower and enjoy the countryside a bit more than I did on fully faired mile eaters. Adventure bikes are so comfortable as well

On the other hand I might just be getting old.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[_Troy_]

So, umm, budget? Probably the most important factor in your decision making.
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Current bike: ZX6R J1
Previous bikes: CLR 125 | GS500 | ZX6R G2 | SV650

[J.M.]

[Clanger]

[Rogerborg]

License first, then bike. There will be many more on the market as spring sprungs anyway.

Now, are you really planning to do a 3 or 4 day 'crash' course, get licensed up, then pop the missus on the back of an unfamiliar bike and tour the continent?

You may want to dial those aspirations back a notch, get something like a Fazer, Bandit or SV650 and put some miles under your tyres. It's not hard to switch bikes if you fancy something bigger later.

If you're going full mid-life and fancy something new and big, then I'd mention the Suzuki GSX1250FA which currently offers a lot of bike for the money, including hard luggage and Euro-GPS.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[johnsmith222]

[j.silvs]

[salty21]

what is ITM?
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04 NSR 125(sold) ---- 03 CBR 600rr(sold) ----90 pan euro ST1100 '' ----02 CG 125
94 CB400 Super Four ---- 2000 VTR SP1 (sold) ---- 08 ninja p8f(sold, meh) ----05 CBR600rr

[Polarbear]

[robbieguy2003]

What Roger has said is about spot on I think, I've been riding since ~2005 now, and it's not 'that' long in the grand scheme of things, some on here have 20/30+ years under their belts. Touring on a bike is something quite different to that of a car, and getting miles under your belt first is a good idea. Having said that, you still need to get miles under your belt.

I'd be tempted to hammer around locally and see how you get on. Engine size - don't be put off by bigger engines, it's all about the bike. Long and short of it, any bike can bite if you're silly with it.

I've a Bandit 1250 and would recommend it, the handling hardly changes when you have a pillion and it's not bad to get on with. It's a lot of bike for the money, and without doubt is more forgiving than my sports 600 - short of being stupid with the throttle on cold/wet days, but that's just down to the torque the engine kicks out. I'd liken the difference in car terms as something like a Caterham to a large engined BMW/Mercedes Diesel, both are quick, but in very different ways.

I'd get your test passed, see how you get on, and maybe find some destinations that aren't too far from home - gradually increase them, learn your gear, learn what you can comfortably walk around in, but is safe to ride with, what feels good on the bike, what you need to charge phones etc etc... Basically, it's a different way of traveling and requires different planning to a car journey.

Anyway, I hope you have fun with it, It's a fun thing, but take the time to get used to it.
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Current Bikes: Honda CBR 600RR - '07, Suzuki GSX1250 FA ST '11
Old Bikes: Suzuki Intruder 125 LC - '2001, Honda CBR 600F - '92, Honda CBR 600RR - '03

[shawy]

hi all thanks for your replies.
cheers roger great advise but i aint a novice have been riding for a while aprillia 660 but not legaly silly me. but doing the right thing now.
Have actualy just been to look at a vfr750 which seems ok a mate recomened a vfr 800 but found a 750.
also will be touring this country before i take on the continent.
any feedback from you guys on the vfr?

[Zen Dog]