Motorcycles.

[twowheels]

The multis are ridiculously capable on real roads and as you mention comfortable as well. They just aren't "cool" because of how they look and the fact that you ride upright on them. My water cooled multi was my favorite duc and I had 5 or 6 of them. I replaced a 1098 with a multi and never once regretted doing so.

So in watching the recent pikes peak race (dear lord the VW is an absolute hoot) I thought it a good idea to check out a multi.

I've known of them and see them all the time here in the PNW. I just never thought it could be "sporty" enough.

A 2 hour test ride and I'm trying to decide which child loves me more and sell the other......I joke........

I'm going to give the older 1200 a ride as well as they made some chassis changes besides motor changes. The bike is way more capable than I imagined and hella freaking comfortable. Love the adjusments on the suspension.

I may go look at the BMW XR1000 as well. Missed the demo day here at the local event.

Yes, you can tell I have a thing for Euro bikes. Loved my Yamaha road bike and love the WR250F I have but they just don't do it for me on the road side of things and I'm a gluten for high maintenance things.

[jscottyk]

Harley just announced a long term plan that involves everything from a street fighter to a true adventure bike, to a whole range of electric bikes. Most interesting for us however is their commitment to eBikes. They really see this market at being the key to growing future motorcyclists.

That market is booming especially in Europe- and as European cities continue to grapple with congestion, pollution, and strained public transportation systems- the eBike is only going to become more prevalent. I think Harley views it as something that will make them future motorcycle customers too especially here in the States. Harley riders are dying and the company is stagnant and really hasn't done anything in the last twenty years that has appealed to anyone outside of their core who honestly would buy anything big, loud and shitty with two wheels that Harley makes.

We'll see. I'm actually a fan of Harleys. I have a Sportster 48 for a while and I could see myself getting a Harley if they brought back something like the XR1200-(Interestingly they had an interview with Harley's CEO in one of the rag sheets and they asked him what his favorite Harley was- and he immediatly said it was the XR1200. There is something very wrong when the CEO of a company says that the best product that company makes is something they haven't made in ten years.)



Anyway- it was kind of interesting.
Harley-Davidson Outlines Its Future Electric Lineup - Asphalt & Rubber

IMO, this is the most interesting thing HD has done in 30 years, and it only took Indian deciding they were going to go racing to make it happen!
Harley-Davidson XG750R – The Bar & Shield’s Next-Gen Flat Tracker, For Racers Only
Harley-Davidson-XG750R-flat-track-race-bike-03.jpg

And for the record, I'm a fan of the brand. Their new strategy is definitely interesting.

[pdxmech13]

Welp. Had the privilege of breaking my second clutch lever last night after after going over an oil leak from a car on a nice off camber round about.

Frame sliders worked as well as all my gear. 35mph sure doesn't hurt like it does in Lycra.

[rwsaunders]

My LCS (local coffee shop) always seems to have a nice moto or car parked in the lot.

[jscottyk]

Welp. Had the privilege of breaking my second clutch lever last night after after going over an oil leak from a car on a nice off camber round about.

Frame sliders worked as well as all my gear. 35mph sure doesn't hurt like it does in Lycra.

Glad you are ok. All the gear. All the time.

[pdxmech13]

Yeah. I'm a gear nut. I'm kinda more into it (especially for pedal bikes) than the actual bike itself.

Just wrapped up a nice weekend on the moto only to find out the damn thing consumed about 700-800ml of oil in 382 miles.

This triumph is on the chopping block later this fall...........

Debating between the mini multi and the big multi right now. Trying to decide if i really need/want all the do dads and whistles that come on the 1260s.

[dogrange]

Yeah. I'm a gear nut. I'm kinda more into it (especially for pedal bikes) than the actual bike itself.

Just wrapped up a nice weekend on the moto only to find out the damn thing consumed about 700-800ml of oil in 382 miles.

This triumph is on the chopping block later this fall...........

Debating between the mini multi and the big multi right now. Trying to decide if i really need/want all the do dads and whistles that come on the 1260s.

Curious to see where you end up with this. Planning on going to a KTM demo day tomorrow or the next day - want to try the Super Duke GT if they have one, and maybe that Super Adventure S (although I would never go on dirt, I don't think). Fantasizing about something with bags that would be fun to ride. Yamaha Tracer 900 GT is in the running as a sensible choice.

[maunahaole]

There’s a Duke 390 that parks next to me in the garage. That thing looks like a blast and well suited to riding here. No real need for anything meant to gobble up tons of miles.

[David Tollefson]

I have lusted after a KTM RC8...

[jscottyk]

Just wrapped up a nice weekend on the moto only to find out the damn thing consumed about 700-800ml of oil in 382 miles.

This triumph is on the chopping block later this fall...........

WTF?? This is the Speed Triple, yes? I'm not seeing that sort of consumption on the 765. That f'ing sucks. I'll keep an eye on my incoming 675R and report back. It was run-in on a dyno and the rings should be SET. At least that's my hope!

Regarding all road motos, I'm totally digging my F800GS. I have recently finished optimizing the stock motor. Arrow headers and LV muffler, modified airbox, and remapped ECU. Gained a LOT of RWHP, torque, and better fueling. The suspension is fully dialed too. I love surprising squids on sportbikes with an oversized dirtbike!

[pdxmech13]

Curious to see where you end up with this. Planning on going to a KTM demo day tomorrow or the next day - want to try the Super Duke GT if they have one, and maybe that Super Adventure S (although I would never go on dirt, I don't think). Fantasizing about something with bags that would be fun to ride. Yamaha Tracer 900 GT is in the running as a sensible choice.

Yeah, that Yamaha 900GT is a really, really nice machine. Way to practical with no maintenance issues though for this guy : )

My biggest gripe with the 950 is the lack of cruise control which I think it just stupid not to have with any bike that has a RBW system these days. Also for the 950 only to be 11lbs lighter is kinda lame. 30-40lbs would make it a no brainer between the 2 I think.

The Speed Triple and I have a love/hate relationship at the moment. I've got word into the dealer and Triumph. Hoping they can help a brotha out but in reality I'll probably cut my loses and move away from them.

[dogrange]

So I went up to a KTM demo day today. I rode the Super Duke GT, an RC390 and a Super Adventure S. I went just to get some experience on different bikes (have mostly had Ducatis) and I’m sort of interested in the GT because it has bags and I needs to carry things and all that.

The GT was unbelievably good. The (active) suspension felt perfect, firm with good road feel, handled bumps without feeling jumpy at all. The seat is perfectly flat, so no ball smash! The brakes were super strong with great feel. It actually felt a lot like my Streetfighter if someone refined everything about it. It is super powerful, but very easy at low speed, no lugging or chugging, which really surprised me as it is a 1301cc superpower twin. Getting up to speed on the freeway the acceleration was phenomenal. was very surprised at how awesome and low stress to ride it was at any speed. Plus it has bags and heated grips and all that.

The RC390 was fine for what it is, but after riding that GT it felt like sort of a toy. You really need to shift aggressively to keep up with traffic. The suspension is OK, but not very confidence inspiring, kinda wallowing a bit. It is totally fine, but I ain’t gonna run out and buy one.

After the GT revelation I was really excited to try the Super Adventure S. It also has the electric suspension and is supposed to be a really good touring bike. I hated it! It felt like a couch, no road feel at all, the seat hurt my ass and it featured a ton of buffeting off the windscreen. I didn’t like the tallness either and the throttle was snatchy all over the place. I guess I’m not adventure bike kind of guy!

Lusting after a GT, but is $$. List for $20k, could get one for $15k esily as they seem to be getting closed out and maybe won't be imported after this year. Still, $1k is a lot! Yu could buy like a new R1 or ZX10R (I think). Still, thinking about it . . . Thoughts, anyone?

[pdxmech13]

How's the KTM dealer?

[twowheels]

Why not look at used dukes? You will lose some new doo dads but you will retain a wad of cash.

[dogrange]

How's the KTM dealer?

Good. Probably best of any local motorcycle shop, long-time Euro shop (Ducati, Triumph, KTM, MV).

[dogrange]

Why not look at used dukes? You will lose some new doo dads but you will retain a wad of cash.

The GT has just enough changes to make it sort of un-Duke like - it is physically larger and all the electric stuff seems to really work. A regular Duke/SD is just like my current SF848 (fun, but less than practical). Whatever, 1% problems, I know. I'll hang on and see if the desire fades. The $15k is really making me pause.

[pdxmech13]

You got me looking at one. Unfortunately all the KTM dealers here are mainly dirt bike (See See is cool and they have a good reputation) so I don't know what that means on the road side of things.

Couple around here going for $15-16K which is a killer deal for that level of bike.

[rwsaunders]

Someone just got their temporary tags...on a side street in Capital Hill, Seattle.

[jerk]

i really need a bike for two up riding. Kate keeps bugging me about going for some day trips and camping trips and I feel bad when I disappear for a day without her on my RSV4.
The question is how much off road am I really going to do- I don't mind ADV bikes in terms of position at all so there is that.

Here are the bikes that I'm considering in no particular order:

Moto-Guzzi Stelvio: I borrowed one of these for a day and really liked the ergonomics. It's big and crude and I've got a great dealer- and I can score one if I act fast for probably around 12k. I don't see myself riding to Patagonia so dealer support locally is all I need. Shaft drive and the weird Guzzi engine is appealing. But it is going away there are no new ones.

BMW R1200 GS: This is on paper the right bike. It will go forever, it is great for two-up touring, it's reliable, they hold their value really well, i love my local BMW dealer, it's just that they are stupid expensive and even the used ones are pricey and ridden hard. You can't get a decent one for my budget- I really don't want to spend more than 12k on a second bike. I wonder if the F800 would be enough bike for comfy two up riding?

Honda Africa Twin: I am in love with the way this bike looks and I'm actually super into the automatic transmission which I think makes alot of sense for a big bike off road. The question is, is it enough bike for two up touring? The dealer in town sucks- won't let you test ride anything, but they do have a left over for $11,000

Yamaha Super Tenere: This thing clicks all the boxes. It's well priced, super reliable, shaft drive, and good for two up touring and moderate off road dirt road stuff. The issue again is that the dealer sucks and the bike just doesn't excite me at all.

Ducati Multistrada 939: The smaller Multistrada is in my budget and has the same engine as my SuperSport which I really liked. I think it would be enough bike for two up touring. The bigger ones just start getting stupid expensive. I love my Ducati/KTM/Aprilia/Guzzi dealer here in SD and I know I could get one of these for a good price.

KTM 1090 Adventure. This thing is alot of bike for the money. It's certainly the most off road capable of the bunch. I'm a bit concerned with KTM's reliability though. My dealer is awesome- but I know he has the most strained relationship with KTM.

The other option is to get a dedicated road touring bike like a Gold Wing or a leftover F6B. My old man has one and loves it. He says it handles like a sports bike, holds its weight really low and he could not be happier. But that bike does not speak to me at all. It looks stupid. The BMW R1200T looks better to me and is probably a better fit- but it's stupid expensive too.

I'll probably just get nothing for a while until I'm able to actually start paying myself. But it's fun to think about!

[jscottyk]

i really need a bike for two up riding. Kate keeps bugging me about going for some day trips and camping trips and I feel bad when I disappear for a day without her on my RSV4...

I wonder if the F800 would be enough bike for comfy two up riding?

IMO, no. I'm sure there some out there in the F800GS crowd that will disagree, but it's underpowered for long (or multi) day two-up trips. Great for the occasional one, but this bike is designed for solo purposes.

So, which one? All you list are good options. Get the one that moves you and has not only a good local dealer, but a good network too.