Best "Stop and smell the roses bike"?

[2006FJR]

This is true.  I get off on my Vespa all the time.

I would agree with this too. We love ours.  

[Desmo]

Mine is another vote for the Triumph Bonneville.

[shawn and gwyn]

the guzzies and triumphs are all realy cool.  how is your dealer network for those bikes out there.  for parts and repairs .  where i live it is prety fair..  my vote would be for an old honda CB 750.  there are some great ones out there realy cheap. fairly easy to work on. lots of parts around.  and those old single cam 750s. love to run at 55 to 60 all day long.  and you can get on the interstate with no problem.  ohh and another good one for that kind of ridding would be a Ural.. bring the mother in law along for the ride.. LOL.. although not an interstate machine.  very cool machines.


shawn

[wibornz]

Versys.... comfy upright riding position.



light, quick handling, will handle back roads and fire lanes, and it is zippy.

[bikerstarfjr08]

The FZ1 isn’t, for me, a whole lot of fun to just poke along at 55 on straight two-lane blacktop.  It’s not really my thing.  However, there are a lot of people that are close to me that enjoy that type or riding (dad, future step-mom, step-dad, mom, father-in-law, et. al.).  So what are the best “stop and smell the roses” type of bikes?  KLR650?  V-Strom 650?  A cruiser?  Give me some suggestions.  And try to keep it cheap(ish).

PS – Like any and all of my bike suggestion questions, this isn’t a replacement for the FZ1.  I really dig that bike for what it is.

Blackbird, F650CS, Rebel 450. They all poke along just fine.

[TuffguyF4i]

I look to may "fun to ride fast bike", the xx when i know i'm going to be traveling at speed for a while.  It's the perfect bike for the northeast.  Not lots of really good twisty roads that are in your backyard.  

[rfulcher]

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom. Happy at any speed, comfy, good wind protection with different windshield and Madstad bracket, very reliable, minimal vibration.

[Trent in WA]

I'll plump for the Suzuki Gladius (SFV650).  Great bike, good fuel economy, zips along happily at any sane speed.

[kevrider]

you describe what i have in mind when i dream of these....

[SpitfireTriple]

If you're looking for a forced "stop" to smell the roses, an AMF Harley is best.  But any Harley will do.    

I too was thinking along these lines.  I'm surprised it took so long for someone to suggest it.  But my flavour of an unreliable bike would be something older - 1950s or earlier.  Then there's no shame in breaking down.

[Bounce]

While true that you can get some (long) day rides in that have some sport riding, I suppose 1/2 the point was these aren't the types of rides that the people I'm interested in riding with will be going on.  This was about a bike that will be comfortable/fun while riding with cruisers/scooters/tourers on the straight flat roads of central Oklahoma.  Not how to get some sport riding in on a Saturday.

look again. one part (text) was some ways to have fun on your current bike. the other part (graphic) was the bike that would be appropriate for those rides.

[skippy69]

I always liked my 2002 Honda Valkyrie for cruising around. You can putt around at 25mph in 5th gear if you want to,and it has enough torque to accelerate away without a hicup or lurch. It has power to spare and it is smoooooooooth!

[CLAY]

Last night whilst screwing around on the XR down a country road I saw a dude parked along the road with one of these:


He was waiting for the perfect angle of the sun at sunset to get a picture of an old tire swing in a tree.  He loved it- said it was great for mobility and carrying his camera gear.

[coho]

That is a really nice custom Ruckus.
Understated & classy.  

[Papa Lazarou]

you describe what i have in mind when i dream of these....

Either would do nicely.  

[atadaskew]

I always liked my 2002 Honda Valkyrie for cruising around. You can putt around at 25mph in 5th gear if you want to,and it has enough torque to accelerate away without a hicup or lurch. It has power to spare and it is smoooooooooth!

I had the Interstate version of that bike.  Valks are great bikes, but defintely not stop and smell the roses bikes as those should be smaller.  A whole heck of a lot smaller.  Otherwise you might as well recommend a Goldwing 1800. Which is what I replaced my Valk with because it handled a lot better and was easier to ride..

[Castaway]

Versys.... comfy upright riding position.



light, quick handling, will handle back roads and fire lanes, and it is zippy.

The Versys occurred to me, too. But the bike that I often think about regarding mellow, but fun, riding is the Triumph TR6 from the late '60s. Maybe you don't want something that'll require tinkering, but they sound great, look great, and have torquey punch - IOW, lots of character.

[luvtoride]

or a big-bore I4 that is also lopey... akin to the FJR, etc.

Pewwwweee, I smell some really stinky bait!

[skippy69]

I had the Interstate version of that bike.  Valks are great bikes, but defintely not stop and smell the roses bikes as those should be smaller.  A whole heck of a lot smaller.  Otherwise you might as well recommend a Goldwing 1800. Which is what I replaced my Valk with because it handled a lot better and was easier to ride..

Like you I've also had a 1999 Valkyrie interstate and a 2003 GL1800 also. I'm just saying that "I liked my Valkyrie standard for cruising" I didn't say anything about a Valkyrie interstate or a GL1800. I don't even know why those two were mentioned. The Valkyrie standard handles nothing like the interstate and the GL1800 is a whole different breed altogether.  
As for a smaller bike,the Valkyrie standard is not that big of a bike (IMHO). I guess it depends on what you idea of backroad cruising and stopping smelling the roses is.  

[Flyer]

After I lost my license on one o' these, there would be lots of time to smell roses up close and personal.