I have more or less come full circle. I began my entry into motorcycles with a two stroke street legal dirt bike but for many reasons I took a hiatus from riding.

The last day I was in my 20’s I bought a 90° V Twin sport bike from one of our fine members here. The Suzuki SV650 S sparked QUITE a love affair with motorcycles. I am sure many of you remember my moto posts over the years.

For me and I know this sounds cliche but in many ways riding saved my sanity. It helped me adjust to some terrible changes in my life and for a while it was a tremendous positive influence in my life. The friendships and brotherhood I found over the years are priceless.

My love in motorcycles more or less peaked when I restored a first generation Yamaha YZF-R1 super bike. It was (and still is) just mental. I recently rode it having taken a nearly year long break from riding it and kept mumbling to myself like a crazy person “it’s so damn fast...I can’t believe how fast it is” over and over.

That bike managed to come way to close to killing me and scared the wimpering shit out of me more than just a few times. It causes me to get into a bit of a funk when it comes to motos.

Like a fool I sold my SV650 S. The R1 made it feel obsolete and at the time I didn’t realize just how much I would miss a V-Twin. I foolishly thought a BMW boxer twin in the form of a R1150GS would be a suitable replacement. It was not. I should mention that “big bird” does still reside with us simply because of how much fun she is to ride and that my daughter throws an absolute shit fit every time I mention selling it. There is one wildling that has been added to the circus since this pic was taken. For some reason when she says “daddy that’s MY BIKE!” I seem to lose my motivation to sell it.

Then the moto gods smiled upon me. The lady I sold my SV to told me if she survived cancer the first thing she was going to do was buy a motorcycle. I could tell she was the proper person to sell it to but there was something missing in my garage and I began to try to fix that.

Long story short I found a 2003 (my favorite year because of its one year only high tail) SV1000 in naked form. This was THE moto I wanted when I first fell head over heels in love with the idea of getting a bike. I found it in generally the same location as the person who bought my SV650 so the symmetry was beautiful.

I took forever and a day to get it street legal due to how much the R1 turned me off to riding and the addition of two more wild chirrins to our family circus.

I recently got motivated again and fixed the SV1000’s minor issues and got her legal. That feeling I first had with my SV650 has come back. The stars have aligned again and all seems to be right and proper in my garage once again.

Odd thing is, for the first time ever it has caused me to feel truly content and 100% pleased with my motorcycle. Other than a slip on exhaust and better fuel map I believe it might be my forever motorcycle. This probably seems strange coming from me but the power, comfort of the upright riding style and overall experience of riding it is just perfect.

A supermoto is one bike I might one day add to my garage if the right example comes along but I’m not really looking actively like I used to be. Maybe I’m just getting old or maybe I have finally found the perfect motorcycle.

Fellow riders, what is your “perfect motorcycle” and why? Feel free to post up a pic if you feel so inclined.

I’ll go first.

Looks great and I bet it sounds great. The naked SV1K looks better than the origami fairing one. I'm partial to touring bikes lately since I usually have a wife or kid with me and the K1600GTL is really changing my ideas of what's possible. The power is just astonishing and the refinement and smoothness and tech is amazing. I just wish the tires lasted a bit longer than 6K

For sheer grins though, nothing has come close to my H-D XR1200. Total smile machine every time I ride it.

Very nice bike.

There is no perfect motorcycle which is why you need more than one depending on what type of riding you’re going to do that day.

We all know the results of the jack of all trades.

Nice ride.

If a liter bike doesn't scare the hell out of you then there is something wrong with you and you should be riding professionally.

Haven't found the perfect bike yet. Or the perfect guitar.

I am pretty happy with my Tiger. Not enough power to constantly tempt me into doing stupid shit, fun enough to ride. Practical enough to take where I want to go and get me there with some luggage and a smile.

I do often miss having a vtwin, and will 100% own another.

As I've aged, I find my knees don't bend right to ride something like that for very long.

My current bikes are both Harleys, a 95 Road King and a 2019 Ultra Limited. Comfortable for the longer rides that I do these days.

fwbulldog,

I found the perfect guitar years ago. One of the last rosewood fingerboard examples sold when all that pao ferro garbage was entering the market. It’s the guitar that got me to stop buying guitars...well it and an American Tele that twangs.

It is funny how we circle back to what is familiar, but sometimes you have changed enough it's just not the same.

I've been luck enough to be able to enjoy several bikes over the years and just have one pony in the stable.

Last April I picked up a 2015 Ultra Limited and it's been very nice to have all of the extra storage and size it provides. So far it is working well for me and my needs.

Cheers~

I love my 2000 KLR650. I'm working now on resurrecting it from an around 12 or so year hiatus. The carb is apart and soaking now and it will get rebuilt. The gas tank will be next. It'll get a vinegar soak and a petcock rebuild.

I was pretty sure I found it in the 2016 BMW R1200 GS Adventure.

I can't really think of a single time when that bike didn't seem like the perfect answer to every question.

I hope I can own another one someday.

My current BMW F850 GS is pretty perfect. The right amount of capability, power and tech for me.
Comfortable seat, too. That said, when I get it paid off, I am looking at a Can Am Spyder. I am now 65 so a more stable platform seems prudent. Can Am just produced an "off road" model called a Ryker. That will put me on the Yoop two tracks in style, hopefully.

OP, nice purchase!

FYI the tail section was the same on all SV models including the 650 from 2003-2007. It was the naked headlight version that was limited to 2003-2004 in the US. Having said that, by current do all bike is a 2015 Yamaha FJ-09. It's fully modded and can do everything I want pretty darn good without asking much from me.

Jondaddy82, the 2003 tail was unique. The 2004+ was lowered slightly. But the change is minimal and not enough to cause trouble with parts for the most part. Both of my SV’s have been the 2003 as it is my favorite year for both colors and looks.

I have been torn on whether to get a 2-1 full performance exhaust for my SV1000 or to bolt on “slip on carbon cans” and then add a fuel controller. I will likely keep the dual exhaust and install M4 carbon exhausts but the idea of having a 2-1 set up and slapping on SV650 stickers on a SV1000 is alluring...sleepers are fun and only the most hardcore SV fans would notice the SV1000 mascaraing as a SV650.

Either way will shed a ton of weight off the rear of the bike and only add to its performance and riding experience.

Stick,

I too regret selling my '03 SV 650. That led to a Buell XB12S which I also regret selling. That led to a GSXR-1000 that I was OK selling. I simply couldn't be comfortable in the 'tuck' anymore. So I went for comfort and now have an FJR-1300. Couldn't be happier now. But look at that, an '03 SV1000S just popped up on CL here in PHX. If only I had the room... Cheers!

I LOVE the peculiar styling of BMW with regards to the headlight. It looks like a or maybe a raised WTF eyebrow as if to say “why TF am I here in the back behind the bike that tried to kill you multiple times??”. This is what first drew me to the brand, BMW’s confident and unique styling that is truly like no other.

I was damn sad when BMW dropped the Forrest Whitaker front end on the S1000RR. It’s unique asymmetrical styling was always what made it so special to me. That is a bike I could see replacing my R1 one day. But not one of the newer boring looking examples, I want to scoop up a first generation once the market quits smoking crack and I unload a few ATVs.

Aprilia is another brand I find alluring as their V4 just might manage to bridge the gap between v twin grunt and the screaming power of an inline 4. I am a HUGE fan of their current MotoGP team.

The SV will be sporting a 2005 GSX-R 750 front end very soon!

The main thing I want to do with the bike is increase its handling and shed weight.

I bought a new Yamaha TX650A in 1974. I got married later that year and kept the bike. Shipped it to Japan and from Japan back to Florida as it followed me around in my Navy career. Finally sold it and moved on to other bikes.

30-ish years later, memories of all the fun I had on that 650 got me looking for another and I finally found a 1979 XS650F that filled the bill. Had a ball fixing it up and riding it, but there's one problem with nostalgia: Your mind makes promises your body can't keep. In 1974, that TX was a BIG bike. In 2010, the XS was tiny, slow, hard on my back and just not as much fun as I remembered.

Enter my 2016 Yamaha FJ09. Tall. Comfy upright riding position. Decent suspension. Good brakes. And Oh, My, God, that motor! Just plain ruined me for anything less. I've tweaked a few things, better seat, upgraded suspension, ECU flash, moved the bars up and back a touch, took as much of the Transformers Plastic off as I can (wind screen, hand guards, that gawdoffel hemorrhoid of a tail light).

I don't do trips any more. Long days are few and far between, overnights are a non-starter.
With a tank bag and a tail bag, it's just right for an occasional 4-6 hour day. 2-3 hours is more usual.

I'll be 71 in a month, and I can say with a fair amount of confidence that THIS is my forever bike.

2012 Yamaha R1 in red/white 50 yr anniversary colors. Liter bike with more torque as PHPaul says.
1981 BMW R65 LS for the quiet, sedate run about town.
Of course, everyone knows what BMW stands for. Before My Wife. I couldn’t part with that twin opposed 650.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Of course, everyone knows what BMW stands for. Before My Wife. I couldn’t part with that twin opposed 650.

I thought it was Bring My Wallet...

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Of course, everyone knows what BMW stands for. Before My Wife. I couldn’t part with that twin opposed 650.

I thought it was Bring My Wallet...

Bring More Wallet. The M in any BMW product means more. If you buy a BMW 'M' vehicle it's bring More squared.

That being said after 34 years of riding, six different bikes, and three beemers in a row my ideal bike is the BMW GS. I'm 6' 3" with a 35 inseam and a 37 sleeve. I need lots of room, a sit up and beg set of bars, and can't deal with even a minor sport riding position. I also like the fact that I can ride it like a sport bike or load it like a pack mule. It's nice when you find something you absolutely love to do, and a machine that does it so well.

I went through the HD stages and converted to BMW but the bike that was my end all was a Moto Guzzi Quota. Certainly not fast but the right combination to keep me interested while I could still ride.