Bike Suggestions

[hudson1984]

ok so lessons are due to start next month and whilst i've got a few ideas on bikes I thought i'd pick some brains..

choices choices.... So! when I pass my test i'm going to get a bike that is no problem to just get on and ride, don't want a superbike or even a sports bike my idea of riding is good sunday days out (with the otherhalf somewhat comfortable on the back) so I really would love some suggestions on what to look for if I had £7500 sitting about i'd go buy the VT750 black spirit in matt black and drool over it every night but alas! £7.50 is more like it! so looking for some suggestions on a good looking cruiser style of bike speedmaster, vt750, harley 883 or something like that but with a budget of around £2500 ish, can spend more for the right bike but it would need to tick alot of boxes plus i'd like to be able to ride it comfortably to work every-now-and-then so being able to sit at 80 without having an asthema attack is a definate must!

the second piece of advice is the project build. The whole reason i've even started lessons is for a project in the garage and this is where I fall down due to lack of bike experience. I love the look of cafe racers but also like the idea of a track bike so i'm weighing up which route to take:-

1) get a bike to turn into a cafe racer (tips on bike selection would be great can spend about a grand if needed on a half decent donor and build off that)

2) get a track day bike and have that as the project, not looking to go pro or anything like that just gives me something to do and being able to go as fast as I like without getting nicked sounds pretty good.

so please retro bods - steer me in the right direction as I really want to get cracking on a project of some sort i've no real deadline to complete it just want to complete something I can be proud of and use.

Cheers

[dungbug]

A mate of mine opted for a Honda Shadow, 600 iirc. Would you be using the bike all year as a commuter as well as a smoke around at the weekend?

[hudson1984]

Yup alp bar snow and monsoon I want to at least have the option to use it. I'll be keeping the car as I need it but the bike should be able to be used when required/needed/wanted

[dungbug]

You'll have fun keeping a cruiser shiny then. ;D What about a tourer/sports tourer type, Fazer, SV, Thundercat? I can recommend the Thundercat, often overlooked as a first 'big bike').

[hudson1984]

ah see that's why I like the new VT you can get it in matt black, i'm not a huge fan of all the chrome so the new one suits me perfick.

I was thinking of the honda hornet 600? as a starter bike, cheap to buy good alrounder - the thundercat seems a bit too sporty for me (crap back and rubbish knees - you'd think i'm older than 28!)

and then have a little project in the way of a CB750 cafe racer and use that when it's a nice day. that way i've got all bases covered - granted the mrs won't get on the back of the cafe but oh well lol

[dungbug]

Hornets are good bikes for sure, the T'Cat isn't a bad machine. Being a 'sports tourer' it's comfy and the ride is nice, I've done a lot of riding on mine and never felt achey afterwards. Best thing to do is shop around, spent some time visiting local bike sales places, have a sit on them and see what 'fits'.

[hudson1984]

yeah i'm off to MCN at the excel and the plan is to put an arse print into at least 50% of the bikes there

[xseven]

I have to say I love the look of the Honda 125 cafe racer on this site.I think these small Honda singles look fantastic as period cafe racers and you can pick them up for peanuts.
As far as a cruiser,personally if I were going for a cruiser I would go for a Harley.I know all the pitfalls and that they are a lot of money for what they are but at the end of the day anything else is basically a copy.

[hudson1984]

yeah that's true and the 883 sportster is a cool bike - sat on one last week and it fits lovely too so it is in the list for sure

[dungbug]

Jan 18, 2013 9:29:16 GMT hudson1984 said:

yeah i'm off to MCN at the excel and the plan is to put an arse print into at least 50% of the bikes there

Good call, try the stuff you hadn't really considered as well. I was sold on a GS500 when I passed my test and ended up with the T'Cat after saying I didn't want anything bigger than a 500. ;D

[TerraRoot]

but he wants to cruise at 80? no harleys like doing that. ;D

hornet/bandit/fazer best first bikes, touring, track days, poping to the shops no bother. personally big cruisers can be fun (had a vn1500 for a day, what a tractor!) but a bit of a hand full, fug all brakes, grip or anything remotely resembling chassis dynamics, can turn those "oh s**t!" moments into blacked out in terror moments.
these three are your not your only choice, some great stuff out there, like a honda bros 650, africa twin/transalp, tdm 850, trx850, srx660, suzuki goose, gs1200ss, jez i better get to sleep or i'm never getting up for work.

I'm also heading for the MCN show, decided to go yet Dungbug? only 4 weeks to go