I need some help picking a bike for everyday use and touring..... 6'3, 225lbs | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

I need some help picking a bike for everyday use and touring..... 6'3, 225lbs

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I am getting ready to sell my 2003 Triumph Tiger 955i solely because it is built more for a person your size, than someone 5'8" with a 30" inseam. It only has 20,000 miles on it (brought it up from CA with me when I moved back). Love the bike, very upright, comfortable riding - just too damn tall for me.

Price should be $5K, maybe a bit less.
 
Triumph tiger 1050. Tons of power. Tall bike. Whole day comfort and still light. With good windscreen and luggage you can tour all you want...
 
I had the same problem years ago. I found a back rest was the answer. I would bungie cord a bag behind me on the long trips, I could ride for 2 - 3 hours without a break no problem. My hands would give out before my back. Give the bag idea a try, a new seat with a backrest option may solve your problems.
 
IV. said:
Please consider the Yamaha Fz-6 model years 2005-2008 I think.
They are for tall people and very comfy. They give you that sport bike feel too. This model uses the same engine as the R6.

The other bike is the Kawasaki Verysy 650. It is for taller riders. The FZ6 is more powerful.
Both bikes can be had for cheap. The insurance is also cheaper than most bikes.
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+1 for FZ6 - plenty of power (rated at 98HP stock), great ergos, great mileage.
One correction - it is not same enginer as R6, it is based on R6 engine. Look for 2007+ if you decide to get one.
Its most direct replacement is FZ8. Also check out FZ1 and Bandit 1250.
 
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Just picked up '12 Concourse from North Carolina for $5000 less than Canadian retail. So comfortable. Rode 1000 km a day through the Tail of Dragon and back. No probs 1000 km/day. Sportcycles of Rockingham (google it) has nice used ones too. PM me if you want details on importing but the sticky here is excellent and that's what I used to import. Easy!
 
Forgot to mention a newer member to the Canadian market, the Yamaha Supere Tenere. Great bike, good price, and receiving great reviews from the ADV crew. If they had a GSA competitor I would be looking at it for sure.
 
zozie - interesting, i'm the same height, on a 919 and can run roughly the same times as you until I need to give my knees a break. I'm wondering if i'd be "outta the frying pan and into the fire" going to a Virago.

You have a P.M. coming. :)
 
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You can do some things with the Virago. I have a '97. The biggest issues for me have been wind buffeting and holding my arms up to reach the grips. (Same problem as typing at a computer all day, if you have to hold your shoulders up your back is going to kill.)

Change the angle of the bars so that your shoulders are loose when you ride. There have been several different styles of bars on the Virago over the years. Not all are great. I found tilting the bars forward slightly from the stock position made a straighter angle for my wrists and I can relax my shoulders.

Also if you use a windshield be aware that buffeting will make your neck and back hurt as well. I'm still playing with the position of my shield to get the most protection with the least amount of buffeting.

A back rest is another good option on any bike.

Check out the Yamaha Venture... or the Raider
 
I know what you mean about the windshield. I had it one for a week, kept playing with the height and angle, then took it off. The buffeting and noise was horrible. At a certain angle, it also introduced a nice wobble at 110 km/h.
 
zozie said:
Thanx for all the suggestions. I'm gonna go look at an fjr1300 tomorrow. No versys 650, had the luck of trying one recently. Though it is comfortable, it felt very under powered compared to the virago 1100.
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There's a 1000cc version too. I'm really happy with the Versys and would consider the 1000 when I'm ready to shop again.
versys_1000.jpg
 
when you experience back pain.. how quickly do you feel this? i am 6'1 and have done up to 3 hours straight riding on a tiny 250 sports bike and thank GOD have never experienced this. on the other hand my butt cheeks gey numb from the vibration!
 
I don't think it's the size of the bike, but the posture. Interestingly my 250 virago wasn't as bad as the 1100. On that my butt went numb and my tailbone gave up after one hour. I looked at a bandit today at the dealer and didn't like it at all. I thought it was small for a 1200 bike. The Vstrom 1000 on the other hand is now really exciting me. I'll look at some BMWs this week as well. I like the F650GS but I wanna take it for a spin first.
 
Do take a look at the vstrom 650 as well. Ergo's are very similar to the 1k. After many years or riding cruisers and sports bikes on the street, I'm now firmly in the adventure tour camp for every day commuting and touring. I'm 5'11" 195lb. I have a DL650 (wee-strom) with the factory gel seat (lowers the seat height so I can touch with both feet). I average 150km/day commuting during the week and then around 400~600km touring most weekends. The bike handles Toronto gridlock, construction sites, back roads and farm lanes without any fuss.
 
I might look at the 650 as well but I would like to try one of course. I don't really want to downsize displacement as 90% of the time it would be 2 up riding with the wife.
 
Took the new 650 out on a demo day couple weeks back (2up).
Passenger loved the comfort, my only 2 complaints were terrible wind protection (seamed to funnel wind up into your legs and lap) and lack of power.
The 1k model may take care of the power issue but ergo's are the same so wind buffering on the lap would drive me nuts ;).
 
Jenerator said:
zozie - you and SLIM need to talk. He's been eye-balling a Virago for ages and would like more of your input. I'll advise him of your thread.
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wow have not seen you online in a while !
 
zozie said:
I might look at the 650 as well but I would like to try one of course. I don't really want to downsize displacement as 90% of the time it would be 2 up riding with the wife.
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I weigh more then you and I had full luggage on a tour in europe ... I was still able to do 195kph on the AutoBahn and keep up with all the big bikes in the twisties so I wouldn't worry about it ...
 
I'm a total Tiger 1050 fan now after the past week. I knew when I got it that it was for more on road shenannigans than off but I made the mistake of trusting my GPS on a trip from Ottawa to Kingston and vice versa and ended up on 30 kms of dirt track and gravel track going and on the way back an unassumed road that turned into a few kms of a deeply rutted, rock and branch strewn track with some steep inclines.....the Tiger did it all with ease and on reasonably worn street tires. I'm now actively looking for ****** roads just to go down.....I may look into getting a sump and radiator protector first though. I love this bike on the road and off. It feels amazingly steady and surprisingly light for a big bike. Open the throttle on the highway and the thing sings and flies.

If you get one with the accessory high seat you'd be fine.
 
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