Stumped for a new bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

Stumped for a new bike

adrisen

adrisen

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Hi everyone.

It’s that tome for a newer ride. I am stumped on where to begin.

I am looking for a more upright position and min of 600cc. I all also 5’2.

I have had a Suzuki Sv650s and hated the position.

I was going to look at two triumph street triples. I have been informed that I can safely lower the bike with no Issues

I was also contemplating looking at the aprilia shiver.

What else would you suggest. I want to keep my budget under 10g so new or used.

My goal is a two week road trip from Toronto to West Palm Beach leaving the last week of aug within the first two weeks of September when the weather is still decent.


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Is the idea for the new bike specifically for this trip or multi purpose?
 
adrisen said:
Hi everyone.

It’s that tome for a newer ride. I am stumped on where to begin.

I am looking for a more upright position and min of 600cc. I all also 5’2.

I have had a Suzuki Sv650s and hated the position.

I was going to look at two triumph street triples. I have been informed that I can safely lower the bike with no Issues

I was also contemplating looking at the aprilia shiver.

What else would you suggest. I want to keep my budget under 10g so new or used.

My goal is a two week road trip from Toronto to West Palm Beach leaving the last week of aug within the first two weeks of September when the weather is still decent.


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Click to expand...

You can look at the MT's

Do you regularly do longer rides or just once in a while?
If its regular then also look at adv bikes maybe
 
Jampy00 said:
Is the idea for the new bike specifically for this trip or multi purpose?
Click to expand...

It’s time for a new bike in general. But i do have a goal for a road trip. Taking some time for me. But mileage will be a factor. After coming off a heavy cruiser with the works worst mileage. Ok it’s also 26 years old.


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For a trip that long, look for something with wind protection either as standard equipment or as an addon (if you want to remove it for daily riding)
Seat height and *riding position will also be very important (*more so for the long trip).
I can't provide any models (I ride a HD) but wanted to aid in your selection by asking some questions you may not have thought of.
I am sure you'll get some good advise from other members who have more "multi-purpose" motorcycles.
 
Might want to try a BMW F650GS or F700GS. The newer F750GS is $12K brand new, so might be a bit more than what you would like to spend, but the older 650/700 models in good condition can be had for much less.

I've seen some shorter people (5'0"-5'2") ride a F650GS, they've either stuck a lowered seat on it or lowered the suspension or done both. Although, if you can handle the height of a SV650S, then you can ride a stock F650GS no problem. The bike has good power and is comfortable for long distances.
 
Jampy00 said:
For a trip that long, look for something with wind protection either as standard equipment or as an addon (if you want to remove it for daily riding)
Seat height and *riding position will also be very important (*more so for the long trip).
I can't provide any models (I ride a HD) but wanted to aid in your selection by asking some questions you may not have thought of.
I am sure you'll get some good advise from other members who have more "multi-purpose" motorcycles.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I definitely want to look at a more standard upright position.


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Lightcycle said:
Might want to try a BMW F650GS or F700GS. The newer F750GS is $12K brand new, so might be a bit more than what you would like to spend, but the older 650/700 models in good condition can be had for much less.

I've seen some shorter people (5'0"-5'2") ride a F650GS, they've either stuck a lowered seat on it or lowered the suspension or done both. Although, if you can handle the height of a SV650S, then you can ride a stock F650GS no problem. The bike has good power and is comfortable for long distances.
Click to expand...

I actually struggled with the sv650s. It could have been the overall height or even the riding position. I sold it 3 months after I bought it. I found the bike just size wise out of my comfort.


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adrisen said:
I actually struggled with the sv650s. It could have been the overall height or even the riding position. I sold it 3 months after I bought it. I found the bike just size wise out of my comfort.
Click to expand...

Doesn't hurt to sit on it and see if it's a good fit. The BMW carries its weight a lot lower than the SV, which I've always found to be a little top-heavy. Also the SV650S has a very a aggressive seating position, whereas the F650GS is more up-right.

I have a couple of friends exactly your height and they ride a F650GS. They love it.
 
Since OP mentioned a streetie and an italian, I assume she wants something with more pizzazz
 
bigpoppa said:
Since OP mentioned a streetie and an italian, I assume she wants something with more pizzazz
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But also something that she can buy and a month later take on a many thousand km solo adventure without issues. Slightly conflicting priorites.
 
GreyGhost said:
But also something that she can buy and a month later take on a many thousand km solo adventure without issues. Slightly conflicting priorites.
Click to expand...
if GTAM has taught me anything, its internet reliability rumors are never accurate(Unless its royal Enfield)
 
bigpoppa said:
if GTAM has taught me anything, its internet reliability rumors are never accurate(Unless its royal Enfield)
Click to expand...
I'm not saying italian is bad, but in general, picking a boring popular bike makes for a better long-distance ride than an obscure bike with character. Trying to find MVA, MG or Aprilia parts in some random place in the US will be an order of magnitude harder than finding the same parts for a Honda/HD/yamaha/etc.
 
Last edited:
GreyGhost said:
But also something that she can buy and a month later take on a many thousand km solo adventure without issues. Slightly conflicting priorites.
Click to expand...
nothing wrong with street triple reliability, comfort on a long trip though is questionable. I've been able to ride my STR R to NC and Tenn a couple of times and the rider triangle can be a little cramped after 500km. At 5'2 you may not have the same knee and upper back ache that i did. I used a MRA deflector on the standard flyscreen and wind blast was tolerable. Once at a decent twisty, i wouldn't want any other bike.
 
canw650 said:
nothing wrong with street triple reliability, comfort on a long trip though is questionable. I've been able to ride my STR R to NC and Tenn a couple of times and the rider triangle can be a little cramped after 500km. At 5'2 you may not have the same knee and upper back ache that i did. I used a MRA deflector on the standard flyscreen and wind blast was tolerable. Once at a decent twisty, i wouldn't want any other bike.
Click to expand...
Nothing against the street triple here. Buying any used bike and wanting to set off very shortly on a long-distance adventure can be rough (or painless if you're lucky). You haven't had time yet for a thorough shakedown/getting all maintenance to a known point (eg. is the clutch marginal and starts slipping when it gets really hot, how old is the brake fluid, valves in spec, chain/sprockets good enough to last the trip (without lots of km on it already trending wear is hard), etc etc). Less popular bikes make it harder to solve some of those issues on the road.

FWIW, I bought the mini, put 300 km on it driving around and then set off for huntsville (ontario not alabama). On the way home, the bottom end let go and I finished the trip 12 hours later on the back of a tow truck. Replaced the motor and haven't had major issues since.
 
GreyGhost said:
FWIW, I bought the mini, put 300 km on it driving around and then set off for huntsville (ontario not alabama). On the way home, the bottom end let go and I finished the trip 12 hours later on the back of a tow truck. Replaced the motor and haven't had major issues since.
Click to expand...

Took my brand-new Eye-Talian motor-sickel down to Deals Gap and it was spewing coolant by the second day:

DSCN9818-XL.jpg


Always do an extensive shake-down of your vehicles before taking them on a long trip.
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