Which direction do i go?

[neilthewolf]

Hello there, here's my story.
I'm 49 years old and i passed my full licience November 2013...1 minor on mod 1. I felt at home on a motorcycle and so i brought a 2002 vfr 800 vetec on 1st December. Because of the mild winter in the UK I've managed to do some 10,000 miles on my vfr all over the country up to now(I've done Cat n Fiddle, Snakepass and numerous trips to Wales and all popular journeys to test myself). But now i've come to a crossroads.......I feel like i need to try other 'types' of bike's.
Because of my lack of experience i don't know if I'd like to ride a cruiser, a bigger sports tourer, a tourer. What do i do? I'm the type of person that enjoys being laid back so a cruiser(Triumph thunderbird, Harley Sportser heritage) would seem the obvious choice but then i look at bigger tourer's(Honda 1300st, Vfr 1200, Yamaha Fjr) and think that would be cool for some 2 up touring. I'd love to keep my vfr because i see it as a 12 month a year bike and get one of the others but financialy thats impossible.

Soooo what direction should i take? Can i hire a big cruiser or a tourer to try? How easy is it to do that?

Thanks in advance for any comments

neil

[Fisty]

Go to a dealers and book some test rides.
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TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
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[neilthewolf]

I've heard that dealers don't want to know if you havn't at least 2 years riding.

[MC]

Heard of some dealers wanting you to of had your license for a year, but it depends.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Itchy]

TBH there is a lot of cross over between bikes, you also bought yourself an everyman bike.

VFR800 is an everyman bike most people slot onto it nicely. Same thing with the CBR600.

Also a lot if marketing spiel.

Me I categorise bikes by how they make my blood feel, the engine configuration as well as seating position.


An early ZX10R made me think wow, IL4 screamer flame throwing exhaust, chiropractor needed after each ride.

CBR6 IL4 screamer, handled well, not too sporty position.

XT600E narrow seat, single thumper which riding too long made your hands shake.

SV650, twin made me fall asleep by how bland it was.

CBF1000 felt like a more torquey fazer.

Pan European ST1100 felt like a very very fast moving arm chair.

Gold wing felt like a fast moving sofa.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Northern Monkey]

[Busa1340R]

www.superbikerental.co.uk
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Current: 2010 Suzuki GSX1340R Hayabusa, 2013 Yamaha YP250R X-Max Sport - Previous: Triumph Sprint ST1050ABS, Honda XL600V Transalp, Honda NT650V Dullsville (don't ask!), Kawasaki ZX9R E1, Honda NX650 Dominator, Suzuki GSX1300RKZ Hayabusa, Honda CBR1000FM, Kawasaki GPZ500S, etc etc

[Wonko The Sane]

Are you still happy with your current bike or does it feel like something's missing / not quite right for you.

My ZZR felt not quite right for me in that I didn't feel fully in control of it
Turned out it was the shock not set up correctly and adjustment had seized and it's now lovely to ride so I'll be keeping it until it dies.

If it's not something you can adjust on the bike to make it feel better for you then perhaps you actually do fancy something different and not just something new
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[Supermoto_Fan]

I think you'd massively regret getting a cruiser style bike, coming from a VFR which do handle well, it's obvious you enjoy the art of riding from where you say you've toured and rode, nice technical twisty roads.

I don't think you will get the same enjoyment out of such roads if you bought a cruiser style bike. Unless you've had enough and I've totally misunderstood what you was saying, in that case get a cruiser!

How about same sort of thing, but with a bit more poke? VFR1200? RT1200? FJR?
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Yamaha MT-09 - Triple powerrrr

[Itchy]

[map]

By all means do try other stuff. Enjoy

Except do not be too surprised if you keep coming back to the vfr as an all rounder.
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