Moto Guzzi makes a sweet moto. It’s a shame they are so hard to find and their dealerships are so few and far between. I feel the same way about Aprilia and MV Augusta. Maybe I should just convince my family to move to Italy or maybe Spain. Their moto culture doesn’t seem like it’s slowly bleeding out like it does here...

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

.....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.

I can see the SV1000 (sort of a sporty standard) making a nice all around motorcycle. Probably the closest I had to that kind of bike was a 2007 Honda 919, which of course I wish I hadn't sold!

I don't believe I could select my "perfect motorcycle". It'd be liking asking a golfer to pick his perfect golf club. How does one do this when they all do different things? Currently I have a Road King, 790 Duke, XT250, and a few others that fit in between. I guess the closest I could come to that is to try to choose what one motorcycle would I have if I could only have one. This one would have to accommodate the type of riding I enjoy so it'd have to be capable on dirt roads (heck I live off one) and poor pavement because I find riding on small roads to be fun and interesting. Enough power with decent handling to be fun riding briskly on curvy paved roads. Also be able to carry clothes, gear, camping stuff, etc. for extended rides. I sometimes end up wanting to cover some distance for days on end which puts me on highways and Interstates so I'd want a bit of protection from wind, bugs, and rain..... but not so much as to take away the enjoyment of riding a basic motorcycle on a warm afternoon. I also want the bike to be reliable and have tubeless wheels for ease of dealing with punctures on the road.

Of all the motorcycles I've had, the one that was the best of doing everything I want in a motorcycle was probably my 1991 BMW R100GS.





If choosing now it'd probably come down to a Tenere' 700 because even though it has tube type wheels it does everything else so well. So if I had to go down to one motorcycle now it'd be the T700, which is similar weight and power to my old R100.




With honorable mention going to CRF1100 Adventure Sport and R1250GS even though they're a bit heavier than my ideal.

1979 saw a new RD400F in my life. Rode it every day until around 18000 miles I got hit from behind sitting at a red light (read many square inches of road rash) and sold it after a rebuild. It was insanely light and quick.
Fast forward almost 40 years to a 2009 KLR 650, it did nothing great but did everything well. Put 10,000 miles on it. In 2020 I Bought a 2018 Africa twin with 1 mile on it and sold the KLR. The AT was a huge technology improvement but just too tall and top heavy. May this year I sold the AT and bought a 2021 Rebel 1100 (manual). It’s 100 lbs lighter than the AT, 5 inches shorter and has the AT engine w waaay more power than one really needs.
So, I am all set for bikes……….until The Sportster S gets to our local showroom.
Billy

This message has been edited. Last edited by: p113565,

Looking good Stick!

Here's my old fart bike. It's a 2012.

Nice bikes everyone!

Snapping twig, is your BMW geared to the moon? My big ole R1150GS doesn’t like to be in 6th gear unless she’s going in excess of 75 mph. There are few occasions when I’ve even felt the need to use its 6th gear.

For such a large bike I am amazed how nimble and flickable the big bike feels once it’s going. It’s such a unique riding machine!

After I bought my 2016 Ducati Diavel I stopped looking for other motorcycles. It is by far my favorite bike to ride. About the only thing I cannot do with it is off road type stuff, but given where I live that probably isn't a big deal.


It has power, speed, agility, and is surprisingly comfortable. The more I ride it the respect I have for the engineers over at Ducati.

I will say that my buddy recently bought a 2021 BMW F900 R and he let me ride it a while ago. I would say that anyone looking for a good allrounder, might want to take a good hard look at one of those. It is quite a bike and smooooooth.

If I could get anything, it would be this brand-spanking new, old-school Triumph Street Twin (Bonneville) 900.



I'm not willing to part with the money, so I'll just have to make do on my 1977 XS650.

You have EXQUISITE taste Sigcrazy7!

I’ve always wanted a Triumph Bonnie or one of the older Retro styled Scramblers. They are the epitome of cool.

I am going to pick this up tomorrow. A 2005 GSX-R750 front end. I FINALLY got a Gixxer...sort of.

It’s going to look great on the SV though I might swap the clip ons out for taller versions.

My first street bike was an 03 SV650. I bet that 1000 screams.

My perfect street bike is a intermediate naked. Something like an MT09 or a GXS-750. I don't do track days or ride super aggressively but I still like the performance those give as well as being comfortable of longer rides. I've never been interested in the slightest in cruisers.

My first and truest love will always be dirt bikes though. I've been riding those since I was 8 and have done everything from hare scrambles to motocross. Right now I have a WR450F that's been tuned to YZ specs. It's an absolute joy to take up to the mountains and moto parks.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
My first and truest love will always be dirt bikes though. I've been riding those since I was 8 and have done everything from hare scrambles to motocross. Right now I have a WR450F that's been tuned to YZ specs. It's an absolute joy to take up to the mountains and moto parks.

Dirt bike prices are currently >>INSANE<<!!

I've had a 2006 yz250f laying around since 2014 with the head off. The PO had over tightened the cam bolts and wrecked the bearing journals in the head. The engine would be around $1200 to rebuild.

A few years ago I tried to sell if for parts for $500 with no takers. My boys left it out in the weather for a year, so it looked worse than ever. Just last week I sold it for $1300 without blinking an eye. The guy acted like he was stealing it from me. I don't know what the deal is. I guess I'll rebuild the forks on my 2006 yz450f and see if I can not break every bone in my old body.

Stickman, you're right about the British twins. I'm currently in the middle of a love affair with that style of bike. I've even considered getting a Royal Enfield interceptor, mostly based on their looks and price. They seem to be a lot of bike for six grand. I do wish Royal Enfield had designed their new twin with a 360º crank instead of a 270. I don't want my British bikes to sound like a HD.

When I was 18 I bought a CB750 SS. I had never piloted a street bike before. I had a Honda 175 Enduro for a couple months that I rode on some trails a few times. Being 18, I rode the street bike around the parking lot two or three times and paid for it. Three laps on the bike, I’m a professional now.
I thought I was the coolest guy in town. Mind you, this was a 1978 bike, and this took place in 1992. But this bike was fast. I didn’t think it was fast because I had never had a street bike, I thought it was fast, because it was really damn fast.
So I rode this thing around for a couple months. I was having the time of my life. Young, dumb, cheap gas, fast cool bike, chick magnet. The world was my oyster.
Then I stop at a four way stop. It’s February. There is a girl that is so damned sexy. She’s wearing a short skirt, tube top, in perfect shape. What better way to impress her than to show off what a badass bike I have. I turn left and as soon as I straighten out, I lay into the throttle. Keeping the front time on the ground, I rocket from zero to 60 in the blink of an eye.
Now my plan was to circle the block and come back to say hello after my offering of horsepower and exhaust to this beautiful young lady. THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
About the time I hit 60, I was looking at the girl. She was looking at me and smiling. I was smiling (not that she could see with my helmet) and we were looking at each other, and I was planning what I would say. She waved and her smile disappeared. It now had a look of terror. I look back in the direction that I and this steel rocket are traveling. Well shit. The road turned. I did not. I’m now in an ocean of pea gravel headed toward a guardrail at 60.
I dumped the bike. Somehow I managed to slide and flop around and came to a stop without hitting the guardrail. The bike slid into the guardrail and was wedged under it.
I was able to walk away. The bike was able to be ridden home, bent bars, broken cover on the stator. Pretty banged up bike.
The girl came over and made sure I was okay. She did give me her number, but I never called her. I was too embarrassed and stupid.
The police showed up. Wrote me a ticket for “failure to control speed resulting in an accident”, as well as no MC endorsement.
I rode that bike home and sold it. That was the last time I ever rode a bike.

Now I want to build a cafe racer out of an old CB750. I won’t ever ride it, but it would be a blast to build.

Anyways, if there was a perfect bike for me, I’d have to go with the one I have such fond memories of, and it would be the CB750SS.

I took off 30 yeas from motorcycles and am now 70. Last year I bought a 2015 Honda CTX700 DCT with only 75 miles on it (replaced all fluids and tires) and am getting many smiles per mile riding local country roads. I watch MCRider.com every week for riding instruction. It is great to ride again.

First bike was a new 1979 Honda CB 750, had her juiced up a little, it was just scary fast. A buddy laid it down and lost his arm. I sold what was left of it. Next bought a new 1998 BMW R1200C, cruiser but I still have it and like it. Having it so long it has just become a part of me. (Not like the commercial).

Oh hells yes!! My SV1000 is well on her way to absolute PERFECTION.

A 2005 GSX-R 750 complete front end is now mine.

My "perfect bike" is typically the one I own at any one time, but *this time* I really do believe it's true.

After decades of mostly cruiser-style bikes (though I suppose more standard style in the '80s, e.g. Honda Magna, et al), I went with a 2016 FJR1300 in '17, a sport-tourer and my first non-cruiser bike, thinking I'd be doing a good deal of touring. But my riding preference -- evening and weekend rides on mostly familiar roads -- didn't change, so I never quite clicked with that large, top-heavy bike. It did, however, free me from the default mindset of a cruiser owner, and introduced me to a type of performance riding that was new and exciting.

Then in the spring of '20, I finally traded it on a type of bike that is perfectly suited to the type of riding that I like to do (but does have the pannier brackets in place if I want to do some light touring as well), and I couldn't be happier. It's a 2020 BMW R1250R, their naked roadster, and the power, handling, tech, and comfort makes it the perfect bike for me.

I really should just completely and totally stop looking at motorcycle manufacturers websites.

58 mpg, 414 lbs wet, 270° Crank, a body like a GP bike and a color scheme to match it. Quick shifter available and surprising power and torque.

I wanted to hate the R7 when it first came out as it more or less replaced the R6 but the more I learn about it the more I like it.

Apparently they won’t be available until January 2022. Plenty of time to convince myself again that I already own the perfect bike. it looks like a R6, but is damn skinny and damn did Yamaha put it in some amazing colors for next year.
2020 YZF-R7 60th anniversary edition

On paper it’s slower than my SV but I can see this bike revitalizing the racing twins class in the future. I went to Yamaha’s website to see if they still made that retro 400 and now I find myself wondering if the honeymoon phase with my SV is ending nearly as soon as it began. I must ban myself from Yamaha and Suzuki’s power sports websites.

Sorry, my perfect bike is made of steel, not plastic.

Bob

My only bike, 2015 FJ-09

RBert0005, What is your favorite bike? Steel eh? Seems a bit antiquated, though KTM has had good luck in Grand Prix racing with their steel frame.

Is the plastic comment regarding the Yamaha or the Suzuki? The Suzuki is mostly aluminum alloy. That R7 has plastic fairings sure but it also makes almost identical torque and just slightly less power with 300 less cc’s than my 1000cc V-twin. The R7 gets 58mpg and has performance rivaling a sports car. To me it’s how you achieve Prius MPGs and still have fun.

The twins class of racing is achievable for most serious riders who don’t have deep pockets but want to race. I think Yamaha was pretty smart to make the R7. It sucks that it’s at the cost of the R6 however.

I added the OEM tall windscreen and center stand yesterday to go with the Barkbusters, Denali D4s and Outback Motortek crash bars. I'm still waiting on the Eastern Beaver 4 Circuit wiring.
The tall windscreen made a huge difference. I can once again listen to music/phone calls through my Sena.
Installing the center stand was a pain in the ass. Everything was going good until I got to that second spring. I ended up using the smallest ratchet strap I could find and a piece of wire. Once the spring was in the right spot, I cut the wire and bingo.