Honda dominator as second bike?

[ram_doom]

Just as summer begins properly, I start thinking toward next winter. Wouldnt mind selling the car due to it costing so much to run/insure, and considering a cheap, tough dependable upright bike for commuting and general winter/rainy stuff. Are the dominators any good? Never ridden a single cyl bike before alternatives?
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TL1000s, KDX200

[Sephiroth]

Bus? If you work in town I highly recommend the 110/111/112 to get you there quickest. The 17 goes through waunarlydd (I haven't a clue how to spell it!) and Gowerton and so does the 404 and 400.

Have a nice day.

[colin1]

i like them
when i had done my das, i wanted a bike for country lanes, and one for in town

the dominator was best in town, but lousy on the motorway so i got a 250 scooter that was good in town and ok for comfy motorway cruising

now, i dont mind using my sports 600 for tyre flattening motorway cruising, so maybe i should have got the dominator instad of the big scooter

the dominator handled really well at filtering past standing traffic speeds. It soaks up the bumps and has a great comfy riding position. The one i tried had a bit too much vibration for my taste I dont know if they are all like that or if this one had a problem with the balancer shaft. I also tried a freewind which is a more town oriented bike which was smoother but didnt handle as well. I preferred the dominator.

An annoying thing was it cutting out at traffic lights. Apparently this is common on big singles. The big low rev torque is great for pulling away and staying at legal speeds tho.

I think a transalp might be a good idea, as it would be smoother cos its a twin, and also had a bit of a fairing so would be ok on the motorway.

I never tired one tho so Im just guessing.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[ram_doom]

Pfft bus my arse, I refuse to share my personal space with pee scented old people and get coughed all over and catch something horrible like... nappy rash.

Thanks for the insight colin, the points on filtering and torque are precisely what I want to hear. The single cyl thump is what attracts me to the dominator, seems to have some character I hear their superb for arsing about on too perhaps a spot of greenlaning could be done on one.
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TL1000s, KDX200

[colin1]

a bit big for greenlaning really

if you want to go green laning it would be better to have something lighter like a 450 or 350

i forgot to mention, that the big wide bars on the dominator make it a joy to steer as its so easy cos of the extra leverage

I nearly bought this serow, which would be ideal for greenlaning and a bit of commuting

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4636010679&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

fast roads wdnt be so effortless on that tho
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Sephiroth]

Buy my 125 off me

[mr.z]

[stinkwheel]

Dominator is getting pretty long in the tooth. I reckon you would get a more modern, powerful and refined big single for the same or less money.

I've never ridden one but they seem pretty heavy and underpowered by todays standards while retaining a top-whack price tag.

Alternatives in a similar vein: Yamaha XTZ660, Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650, MZ Mastiff/baghira, BMW F650.

I Owned an MZ baghira which is the taller version of the mastiff, it uses the XTZ motor but assembled in germany. The chassis is very trick and the finish and cycle parts are top notch. I toured on it, it rules on twisty B-roads and in town but is a bit of a hard slog when it comes to doing serious miles.

I reckon that the dominator would be even worse for this, the MZ/XTZ has a pretty modern, 50hp, liquid cooled, five valve, twin carb single. The Honda has an 18 year old, 45hp, air cooled motor.

I've ridden my mates F650. It is a very substantial motorcycle, not as nimble as the MZ but a very solid and capable machine with a comfy seat and the build quality/reliability you would expect from BMW. It seems very heavy to me but people seem to offroad them quite a lot.

I now have a KLE500 which is a 500 twin in an enduro style. It isn't as much of a 'full bore roar' hooligan bike as the MZ was and I have no delusions about its offroad ability (ie, very little). Being a twin, it is smooth to ride whilst retaining all the desirable characteristics of riding a big, tall bike. In an urban environment, it would be a very handy tool. Also has the advantage of being under the magic 600cc for insurance purposes and comparatively very cheap to buy. It is a good bit faster than my MZ was and will sit at reasonable speeds on the motorway without feeling like it is having the arse ragged off it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ram_doom]

Thanks Z for the info on transalp. Not my cup of tea to be honest not after a twin and I heard the seats were cack Like the look and sound of the baghira stinkwheel, the kle may be in the running also. I've seen some dominators for 500 quid around 1998 though
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TL1000s, KDX200