Spend $10,000 of my money.

[KodiakRS]

Hypothetical question for ya'll.  You recently moved from Arizona out to Chicago.  You hate it.  You miss the mountains, lack of endless corn fields, warm weather, and curvy roads of your homeland.  You also severely miss riding because you had to sell your motorcycle when you moved.  You happen to have 3 weeks of vacation in May and think that the cures to all your problems would be to buy a motorcycle and go on a multi week trip back to the west.  

So you start looking for a bike.  You're 6'4 so it has to have a lot of legroom.  You enjoy being "one with nature," and plan on camping a bit so it has to carry a bunch of gear.  You make next to nothing but enjoy living on top ramen so you've saved $10,000 to spend on the bike plus farkles.  Most importantly you enjoy sporty rides on twisty roads, so the bike has to be at least somewhat sporty.  

You realize there are multiple categories and hundreds of types of motorcycle to fill this roll but can only pick one. What do you buy?

[mugwump58]

It was the 650R that you sold?

[KodiakRS]

It was the 650R that you sold?

Yup, sold out of necessity.  Would have kept it if I had the option.  Wouldn't be too opposed to a second one but would rather try something else unless it turns out the 2012 is a colossal improvement or I find an incredible deal.  

[SummerLove]

For 10k..

I would do a sport tourer and a fun standard.
For me that would be an ST3 or Futura and a Street Triple or Tuono. I'd also consider something the Norge and a Street Triple or Tuono.
My housemate just picked up a new old stock 08 Norge GT and she loves it. She's also 6'4" and has a 34" inseam and it fits her very well.

[mugwump58]

Look what's in Chicago

[wibornz]

buy an 08 or 09 C-14.  Should be able to get one for 7500 or less, pull the flies, add buel footpegs to it so you have the leg room you want if it is needed.  Then take off.  

[DogBoy]

Buy Jeff's Sprint http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,65747.0.html

You can do your big tour, have a blast in the twisites (look good doing it) and still have a few thousand dollars left over.

[Rockin SV]

I'm a little biased, but I'd go for a Gen 1 FZ1 (01-05) . You can get a really good one for around $4k and have one heck of a vacation on the remainder! If you want to spend more then the Connie is a great bike.

[staedtler]

 

http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2010-Honda-VFR1200F-97289065

[Fourstring]

2nd on buying Jeff's Sprint- he's got an awesome ride there.

Or borrow my ZX9 for 3 weeks and live large on the vacation.  Seriously.

[jsanford]

Find an old Superhawk? I suppose I suggest it as I know someone your height who looks comfortable on one.

[keepergale]

What endless corn fields. Did you really live in Arizona?

[bassjones]

Come spring, head north to Wisconsin for a few day trips. LOTS of good roads not too far from you... For $10K used FJR and used FZ1...

[Rogue]

2006-2009 VFR800.

BMW F800ST.

[Mac]

A Ninja 250. Ridiculous amounts of legroom, just ask Bluepoof!

[squeezer]

How about atadaskew's ST4s? That bike inspired serious lust in me. You could do the fly and ride and only have to haul through the cornfields once, on your way home.

You'd even have enough money left to pay for the valve job.

[Frankienuckles]

For $10000 there are alot of possibilities.
How 'bout a Buell Ulyses or a Ducati ST2 or ST3 or ST4. All these bikes have "personality" and reasonable leg room and nice luggage.  Spend the rest to travel in style!

[Jeff]

2nd on buying Jeff's Sprint- he's got an awesome ride there.

Or borrow my ZX9 for 3 weeks and live large on the vacation.  Seriously.

I 3rd that!   Thanks for the suggestion Steve and Nate.
Here's the link again: http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,65747.0.html

And welcome to Illinois. If you want corn fields, head W/SW out of Chicago. You'll find them when you're out of the burbs. And there's even a few curvy roads around the Ottawa area.

Jeff

[stromgal]

He misses the lack of endless cornfields, dudes.     Get the Sprint.  

[KodiakRS]

Guys I'm saying that I miss the LACK of endless cornfields.  The three types of terrain in this part of the world are cornfields, a giant lake, and urban sprawl.  None of which make for exciting riding.*  

As far as the ST is concerned, I need to investigate the leg room issue.  If it's anything like the legroom on the GT it's a deal breaker for me.  



*The notable exception being attempting to ride on the lake.  That becomes exciting very quickly.

[Jeff]

Well, there are soybeans too.  

Illinois is ugly, that's a fact that can't be denied. BUT, you aren't that far from southern WI which has some really nice areas. Galena area is very pretty too, and around Starved Rock State Park is very nice as well.

As I'm not 6'4" I cannot speak about how you'd fit on the Sprint. I'd imagine it's pretty much the same as the new GT, if not even tighter.

[stromgal]

Big guys fit well on Stroms. Bargains abound, and off-pavement becomes your friend.

[Kootenanny]

Quite seriously--Buell Ulysses.  It's tall, and there should be some great deals out there (more money for ramen...).

It's a great bike too, BTW!

[JReazor]

You could outfit a gently used (or leftover) Wee-Strom and have plenty of gas and motel money left over or you could get a brand new, factory farkled Wee-Strom Adventure and still come in under budget.

[Rincewind]

Used Triumph Tiger 955i for about $5-$6k, then spend the rest on the trip.  The 955i Tiger has a huge gas tank, plenty of comfort, yet it's still ok for "overland" back-to-nature wanderings.  

[alphabet man]

 

So you start looking for a bike.  You're 6'4 so it has to have a lot of legroom.  You enjoy being "one with nature," and plan on camping a bit so it has to carry a bunch of gear.  You make next to nothing but enjoy living on top ramen so you've saved $10,000 to spend on the bike plus farkles.  Most importantly you enjoy sporty rides on twisty roads, so the bike has to be at least somewhat sporty.  

You realize there are multiple categories and hundreds of types of motorcycle to fill this roll but can only pick one. What do you buy?

 Are you kidding me ? there is only one answer got to ADVrider and buy a fully farkled 990 or 950 KTM Adventure, if it's mostly road work with a few trips into nature then stick some continentals on it and have a blast in the twistys, there were a few there for the 7 to $8000 mark last time I looked

[vulcanbill]

Quite seriously--Buell Ulysses.  It's tall, and there should be some great deals out there (more money for ramen...).

It's a great bike too, BTW!

I have an 08 XB12XT w/ <5K miles for <$6K.  Plenty of leftover coin.  Plenty of sport and plenty of legroom.  Of course, I have stubby little legs so you'll want to verify the legroom thing w/ tall people but my very leggy wife had no issues w/ it and she smacks her knees on the tanks or frames of many bikes.

[Fourstring]

Of course, I have stubby little legs so you'll want to verify the legroom thing w/ tall people...

Verified.  My inseam is 36" and the peg height was quite nice.

[CosmicCowboy]

Agreed on the Strom. 6'4" with 36" inseam and the seating is really comfortable.

[expatbrit]

Guys I'm saying that I miss the LACK of endless cornfields.  The three types of terrain in this part of the world are cornfields, a giant lake, and urban sprawl.  None of which make for exciting riding.*  

As far as the ST is concerned, I need to investigate the leg room issue.  If it's anything like the legroom on the GT it's a deal breaker for me.  

6'7, 34" inseam, did 20K miles on a 2006 Sprint ST. I found it was ... OK, but only barely in the leg room department. I found I was doing better for miles on a KTM 950 SM with a Renazco saddle than on the Sprint, even with the compromises and decided that I should sell and move on.

I'd recommend one of the giant traillies, whatever you can find inside your budget. KTM Adventure would probably be fantastic, as would a Tiger 1050. (If I'd bought in 2007, not 2006, I'd have got the Tiger over the Sprint for sure). 1st gen Multistrada might be interesting as well, or even a Wee-strom.

[expatbrit]

(I should read the whole thread before replying, or just go /me too/ to all the other recommendations)

[Dan K]

So many options...

Jeff's Sprint has been calling for quite some time.  You should make sure you aren't compatible before turning it down.

Otherwise, if size really is the issue, get a big trailie like a used 1200GS.  Sounds to me like you need a road bike as opposed to an "adventure bike" so I'd personally go a different route - the Sprint, VFR, FZ1 route.  The V= Strom isn't a bad call either given your size.

Good luck, can't really go wrong, just stay away from the cursed bikes.

- Dan

[expatbrit]

So many options...

Jeff's Sprint has been calling for quite some time.  You should make sure you aren't compatible before turning it down.

Otherwise, if size really is the issue, get a big trailie like a used 1200GS.  Sounds to me like you need a road bike as opposed to an "adventure bike" so I'd personally go a different route - the Sprint, VFR, FZ1 route.  The V= Strom isn't a bad call either given your size.

Good luck, can't really go wrong, just stay away from the cursed bikes.

- Dan

How many of the big traillies are really road bikes? Mine is! Tiger is. Off-road pretensions or not, they do make really, really good road bikes for someone taller.

[Dan K]

How many of the big traillies are really road bikes? Mine is! Tiger is. Off-road pretensions or not, they do make really, really good road bikes for someone taller.

Yes, they are all basically road bikes - we discussed this in another thread - but a 'road bike' for longer trips will likely have better wind protection and a better suspension for any twisties the OP can find.  I've ridden the 1200GS and 800Gs and they handle fine, but the wind especially at speed on the highway is something I can do without.  Entire reason I sold my old FZ1 was for full fairings for those times I got caught in the rain on the way home from work...Sprint is at least 100% better in weather.  With the touring screen, if I'm always moving, I barely get wet, even my legs, which was a bog problem in the FZ1.

- Dan

[Hardware]

...She's also 6'4" and has a 34" inseam...

Enough about bikes...we'll need more info on her...

 

[Ulynut]

You can get a good condition Buell Ulysses with hard bags for around five grand. It's an incredibly fun bike with tons of tourque and excellent handling. I'm 6'4 with a 34" inseam and it feels like it was made for me.

[zedo]

You can pick up low mileage zx14's all day well under 7k. Another $1,500 on bags, gps and risers, lowered pegs and you're off to the races.  I've put ~16,000 miles on mine and all its needed is basic maintenance oil and tires.

[KodiakRS]

You can pick up low mileage zx14's all day well under 7k. Another $1,500 on bags, gps and risers, lowered pegs and you're off to the races.  I've put ~16,000 miles on mine and all its needed is basic maintenance oil and tires.

I've thought long and hard about this option, basically a lighter more powerful connie.  I would need to do something with the exhaust as well.  With the balls of my feet on the pegs my heels rest on the top of the stock exhaust cans.  

I went to a local BMW dealership today that has a very substantial used bike selection in their backroom to check out a ST. In it's stock configuration it's a non starter due to lack of leg room. Dropped pegs MAY help but I'm not going to hold my breath.  I think part of it is the way I have to shift my legs to get my giant feet in the proper position.  The massive scoop in the seat ensures that my twig and giggle berries are smashed right up against the tank.  A tall seat without such a dramatic "scoop" my solve both the legroom and nut crunch issue.  

But not all hope was lost!  Sitting right next to the ST was a grey low mileage 2010 tiger.  The ergonomics were about 50X better than the sprint's.  The leg room was just fine and the bars were darn close to perfect.  It was a little bit pricey but in darn near mint condition.  Luggage + center stand + a couple other farkles would likely take me over budget but I may be willing to do it for whats almost a brand new bike.  Basically it's a V-strom with more power, less weight, less UJM factor, and to be blunt, less ugly.  

[rgbeard]

Most importantly,

when are you getting out of Illinois??

hahahaha.... Stay too long and you may Like it.  And you'll begin to consider Iowa a fun day-trip.

 

[alphabet man]

I have to tell you I have owned and put a substantial number of miles on a V-Strom DL1000, a 1050 Sprint ST, and KTM990

 The V-Strom is a fine bike and would suit your needs  fine, but after 50,000km I realized it was OK and did everything OK but there was no love lost when I traded it for  the 1050 Sprint. The stock saddle on the Sprint definitely gave the boys some trouble, but the Corbin solved that, I doubt you would want to lower the pegs for leg room it was  relatively easy to find the road with the peg feelers with the pegs in stock form. I put over 40,000k on the Sprint it was very comfortable for me but two up with a bunch of luggage it was just to small, I am around 6' tall with a 34 inseam. The 990 I don't find windy at all and it loads of fun but it will never be comparable to any of the more sporty ST bikes, yes they are fun in the twistys, and if you use it a lot off road as I do then it is a perfect bike. But once the roads open up and speeds increase forget it, you are not keeping up and the sort of vague felling the front end has after 140 kmph takes some getting used to.

I haven't had a tiger but the best thing about the Sprint was the 1050  I loved that engine, that in itself would sell the Tiger over the strom for me. The only issue I had with the Triumph was the weak suspension, especially the rear shock, figure in some cash for some suspension upgrades if the tiger has the same quality shocks the sprint had, but my I loved that engine and I do regret selling the Sprint  And yes the Tiger is somewhat prettier the the Strom if that matters to you
Just my $.02  hope it helps

 Now let me tell you how great Moto Guzzi's are    

[stromgal]

The Tiger 1050 is a great bike, a $3000+ better Strom. I would own one if not for a) it wasn't available when I bought, and b) new, it's too expensive for me. Don't look only at dealers.

http://craiggers.com/#!/search/all/mca/tiger%201050

[DrD]

R1200GS?  

I hear you about the leg issue.  I have a 34" inseam and old knees.  Heck, I lowered the pegs on my K1200GT.  

When I ride the S1000RR, the rest of me starts to hurt before my knees give out.  

[Jeff]

My ST has a Rick Mayer saddle, for what it's worth. Might help with the twig and berries and also the leg room.

Jeff

[Cheddarhead]

I have an 08 XB12XT w/ <5K miles for <$6K.  Plenty of leftover coin.  Plenty of sport and plenty of legroom.  Of course, I have stubby little legs so you'll want to verify the legroom thing w/ tall people but my very leggy wife had no issues w/ it and she smacks her knees on the tanks or frames of many bikes.

  (of wife....astride Uly!)

[vulcanbill]

  (of wife....astride Uly!)

How about wife astride her bike beside the Uly...  

 <--------  Picture fail.  Oh well.  

[ConPilot1]

but my very leggy wife had no issues w/ it and she smacks her knees on the tanks or frames of many bikes.

Legs are a lie without pics.  

[vulcanbill]

pictures of both can be found here...

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,39780.0.html

[bomber]

Give me your 10 large, and I'll buy you a bike, a Zumo, and load it up with tasty Wisconsin routes . . . . .

Not a deal I'd make to just anyone, mind . . .. .

[ConPilot1]

I have the best deal of all for him.

Give me the 10 grand, to do what I want with, and I'll give you a Free Concours as a bonus!

BUT WAIT! If you act now, I'll include the GIVI E45 case as a special bonus! (Just pay seperate handling and processing.)