Which 6XX should I buy ?

[Z50a]

I am cleaning up and looking to trade in a cruiser (of a certain) variation.  
I recently did a trip and on the return leg, did 520+ miles and wasn't sure if I had internal organ and / or nerve damage !  
I originally bought the cruiser thinking it would keep me from getting tickets and I would be able to sell it easier, should the need arise. Well, after this recent run..., I'm over that, now !    
I would be looking a at FZ1 / Bandit or other liter type bike, but budget is a factor.
I am looking to just ride - commute / weekend runs / longer touring type trips, went possible.  In other words, not need X amount of time and money to make it ridable.

Any thoughts, comments or whatever, regarding the above listed bikes would be cool !    

THANKS !

btw,  Hello ALL !!   New to the board.

[Sport-Touring]

[garry]

All the bikes you list are fine rides. Just a matter of really deciding what you want out of a bike and how well it fits you. The Wee Strom is a fine do-it-all bike, but it's special talent is being better on unpaved roads than the rest due to its 19" front wheel.  The nearly 300 mile tank range is pretty cool too. It's also tall and top heavy (not good if you're short of leg). I'm kinda tall and lanky, so the physically smaller bikes aren't as likely to be comfortable for me. Might come down to which dealer you want to do business with. The I4 engines tend to want to rev, which may seem really weird (or nice) coming off a cruiser. The twins will be tuned for better midrange.

[Z50a]

All the bikes you list are fine rides. Just a matter of really deciding what you want out of a bike and how well it fits you.

Thanks, for the post !    The fit and comfort .....type stuff, I will make sure it's right.  
It's all the "other" details / comments / lessons learned / watch out for this / advice, that's what I'm looking for.     Keep on posting, people  

[spinalator]

Test rides will tell you a lot, there are no bad bikes in your list, but some people are cheerleaders for their bike and hate the others for personal and subjective reasons. The versys and babystrom are nice well rounded bikes, but some people really do much better on the sportier ones, depending on how much mindless commuting you have to do, how straight the roads are, how much wind/rain/mountains you have in your region, etc.

[OrangeSVS]

What kind of budget are we talking about here?  Plastics up the cost of a bike.  Triumphs can be had for cheap.  I see plenty of nice speed triples going for around 4 grand.  Triumphs don't hold their value for nuthin.  

The Baby Street Triple is kinda cool... or go for the Daytona to get a fairing...     But Bandits can be cheap too.  Exactly how little are you looking to spend?  I see Bandits from time to time under 3 grand with pretty low miles.  How much cheaper can you get?

[Z50a]

 Triumphs don't hold their value for nuthin.  

That would be one reason, not to get one......

Trying to buy new, that's why I am looking at 600s or 650s.
I don't have the time or the funding (although I have the tools and the skills AND it would be fun) to buy used and / or re-build one, should it be necessary.
I know people that have bought used and never had a problem, but also know people that bought used and had major failures !  Not what I want to deal with, right now.....
I have come across more squid-ly types, lately...... I don't want a bike that somebody beat the crap out of !  Never mind a couple of bad service departments in the area, that might have screwed something up.
I am just thinking that I need to take my chances with a clean slate, as opposed to something someone else messed with...  

So, did I post this question in the wrong spot ?  Should I have just posted the question in another section ?  Not many replies ?????  

[spinalator]

A lot of the regulars do not post in the "what bike should I buy?" threads. If they do,  they sometimes dogpile the newbs, so be careful what you wish for!  

If you want attention,  then bash VFR/Harleys/BMWs, then they will attack you in droves...

You should change your title to "I rode the XXXXXXX and it sucked!!!" (What bike should I buy?)

(No don't do that, I was kidding)

[maccrash]

Get the wee you won't be dissappointed it is a do it all machine.   Get some luggage and a cheap atv seat pad and the bike is ready to go.   I can easily do 600+ weekends and I commute every day and in northeast pa.   My wife had a cruiser that we bought the same day as my wee, I thought I would ride it once in a while but we traded it last month and it only had 300+ miles on it in 2 seasons, my wee has 30k and runs like a bear.    Btw some people complain about the windscreen and buffeting so an aftermarket screen might be neccessary but I have no such complaint.  The only maintenence I do on my bike is routine ie. brakes, oil and chain (clean and lube).   Valves were dead on after 28k and have never done a tbs.     If a wee is a serious contender for you try lurking at stromtrooper.com.


Art

[fatphil]

I'm 6'4" and have put about 1500 miles on my wee strom in the last few weeks, and it's a pretty comfortable fit for me. very upright, but if you're shorter than me, especially with shorter arms, then I'd imagine it would be easier to sit more forward. I did take the sv650s (not the sv650, I'm not exactly sure how the two compare) for a ride last week and there's no way I'd be comfortable on it for more than a few miles. If you're tall and lanky, the Wee Strom is a really nice fit.

[OrangeSVS]

So, did I post this question in the wrong spot ?  Should I have just posted the question in another section ?  Not many replies ?????  

What bike should I buy threads pop up a couple times a day around here.  They're so common that they just become boring.  Everybody always recommends whatever bike they own and think is awesome, so they get repetitive too.  So yeah, the elders tend to ignore them.

As for your question, if you're looking to buy new, the first thing before you even ask for advice is to go out and sit on all the bikes.  You will definitely find a few that will get ruled out after a few minutes on the bike... and there will be a few others that you will want to take a second or third look at.  You'll narrow it down to 2 or 3 bikes pretty easily.

And that's how it should be.  A lot of people get locked onto a single bike and pay the dealer through the nose because they want a particular bike.  Other folks walk in and say, "Well, I'm looking at this this and this and if I don't buy from you, I'll just buy something else from somewhere else..."  And those guys get better deals.

So I say go try on some bikes.  See what fits you.  Then, once you've gotten it narrowed down to a couple of bikes, look to see where the deals are at the moment.

[Z50a]

Now this is more like it......    some real comments......WooT !

I probably wouldn't post "I rode the XXXXXXX and it sucked!!!", although I still need to go see a chiropractor after doing that 530+ mile day on said cruiser.

I have ridden and worked on bikes since '72, top end / bottom end / complete re-builds....., but what do you mean by; "Valves were dead on after 28k" ?
btw, I have done a little lurking @ stromtrooper.com, cool site.

the SVxxxS has lower bars and plastic, while the non-S is more upright and naked...., I would definitely go with the non-S, just because of the bars.

[Rincewind]

I'd probably buy the Versys.  The Monster 696 is really nice but the fuel range isn't so great.  If you would have had the Triumph Street Triple 675 on there, I'd have voted for that one regardless of slightly lower resale (none of these other options are going to hold value great either).  

Imo:
Most fun: Street Triple, SV, Monster
Best tourerers: V-Strom, GSX
Best compromise of fun and touring: Versys
YMMV

[Windblown]

Nice list of choices. FWIW: I'm considering a Versys or Wee-Strom as my next do it all bike.  I'm hoping it will offer the magical mix I'm looking for in one machine.

[maccrash]

I have ridden and worked on bikes since '72, top end / bottom end / complete re-builds....., but what do you mean by; "Valves were dead on after 28k" ?
btw, I have done a little lurking @ stromtrooper.com, cool site.




I had my valve clearance checked at 28,000 miles and they were in spec.

[Z50a]

I had my valve clearance checked at 28,000 miles and they were in spec.

Cool !  Thanks, I thought that might be what you were saying, but the way it read, just made me want to double check......





Sat on a Versys, today !  Just a hair too tall, for me to feel comfortable.  The sales dude was trying to convince me it would be fine, once the battery was installed and there was gas in the tank.....  I was way more comfortable on a Ducati Mutlistrada and that's not that low either.  Then sat on a GSX650F....., I think the Versys just got removed from the list of possible options.  

[OrangeSVS]

Sat on a Versys, today !  Just a hair too tall, for me to feel comfortable.  The sales dude was trying to convince me it would be fine, once the battery was installed and there was gas in the tank.....  I was way more comfortable on a Ducati Mutlistrada and that's not that low either.  Then sat on a GSX650F....., I think the Versys just got removed from the list of possible options.  

Removed?  Or downgraded?  That's the thing about shopping for something like this.  If you say, "Nope, no way, not a Versys" you lose leverage.  Instead of ruling out the Versys, ask yourself what the price would have to be in order for you to buy one.  I'm thinking the Jap manufacturers generally discount more than the others come winter time... So would a thousand dollars off a Versys sway you?  Two thousand off?

If it's really a bad fit, then fine it's not going to work for you.  But if it's just a hair too much of this or a bit too much of that, then put a dollar figure on it.  Note, this doesn't have to be realistic for the market, it's just to give you a more realistic way of looking at it.  If you say the price would have to be 4 grand for you to buy a new one, then it is what it is... but putting a dollar figure on it, rather than a black line through it, oftentimes increases your bargaining power when you've narrowed down your options.

If you tell the salesman "No thanks", then he's got no motivation to make a deal.  If you tell him, "I hate this and this and this... and these other three bikes are much better for me... but if you gave me a good enough deal...." well, sometimes it works.  If nothing else, it doesn't hurt...

I'm just sayin...

[Z50a]

Removed?  Or downgraded?  That's the thing about shopping for something like this.  If you say, "Nope, no way, not a Versys" you lose leverage.  Instead of ruling out the Versys, ask yourself what the price would have to be in order for you to buy one.  I'm thinking the Jap manufacturers generally discount more than the others come winter time... So would a thousand dollars off a Versys sway you?  Two thousand off?

If it's really a bad fit, then fine it's not going to work for you.  But if it's just a hair too much of this or a bit too much of that, then put a dollar figure on it.  Note, this doesn't have to be realistic for the market, it's just to give you a more realistic way of looking at it.  If you say the price would have to be 4 grand for you to buy a new one, then it is what it is... but putting a dollar figure on it, rather than a black line through it, oftentimes increases your bargaining power when you've narrowed down your options.

If you tell the salesman "No thanks", then he's got no motivation to make a deal.  If you tell him, "I hate this and this and this... and these other three bikes are much better for me... but if you gave me a good enough deal...." well, sometimes it works.  If nothing else, it doesn't hurt...

I'm just sayin...

I don't generally like sales people......, but interesting way of looking at it !  I'll have to think about that, for a while.  I typically think most sales people are going to try and "move" what they have been told to move.  What ever the dealer has lots of.  
....but if they would rather make a sale (and possibly gain a customer), that might work out  

[OrangeSVS]

I typically think most sales people are going to try and "move" what they have been told to move.  What ever the dealer has lots of.  

They may be motivated to move a particular bike, but that doesn't mean they're motivated to give everyone the same deal on the bike.  One guy who really really wants a left-over whatever is likely to wind up paying more than the person who is persuaded into buying the whatever because it's a good deal.

A good salesman should be able to tell the person who really wants something from somebody who's not likely to come back onto the sales floor... and will likely start the negotiations based on his "read" of the customer.

Besides, if nothing else, it's always fun to have options!  

[ctbandit]

I don't wanna be "that guy" and recommend his own bike but price probably wouldn't stop you on getting a used 1200 bandit, I found mine cheaper for what most of these 600's were going for.

Unless, that is, if you plan on buying new. Even so, it's like the budget bike of the liter class. That said, If your like me and paying for gas actually dents your wallet, 600's will do you better anyway. Coming from a cruiser, it's a big change in seating position to the sv or the 650r whereas the fz6 or strom are a bit more upright.

Like others have said, the more you can sit on em, hear em, ride em the better. Good luck!

[Z50a]

I don't wanna be "that guy" and recommend his own bike but price probably wouldn't stop you on getting a used 1200 bandit, I found mine cheaper for what most of these 600's were going for.
.
.
.
. Good luck!

I would love a bandit, but am trying to buy new.  I new bandit is a few bucks more than an SV650, 650r or an FZ6.