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@flange Thanks, really pleased with how its turned out.
Got 5 days at Almeria to get it setup and see how I like it.
Trouble is I love the little Honda 650F EJC bike, its brought my riding on no end, worried I won't actually have as much fun on the Triumph.
Well the offer still stands, on either bike! I’m pretty certain that’s going to be amazing though!
A mate has managed to bag one of the slots for the 765 moto2 bikes. To say I’m jealous is an understatement!
@flange, if I decide to sell the Honda I will let you know. I might just keep it out in Spain with Focused Events though and do add hoc trackdays through the winter in Spain.
@weeksy, an MT-10 would do nicely.
When I was recovering in hospital a month ago, there was a chap in the birth opposite me, knee shattered in 28 pieces apparently, reading a motorbike magazine.
I've had my Street Triple R for a few months now and still love it. I thought I might regret selling my Duke 390 but not a bit of it.
cheers for the heads up YoKaiser,
Had a great two days and took a couple of fire roads in for good measure 🙂
I ended up on the road from Straiton to Newton Stewart which was fantastic.
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and also did the Newton Stewart to Clatteringshaws road before peeling off down the Raiders Forest road, you are right, that was great bit of road.
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500 plus miles over the two days and the bike didn't miss a beat 🙂
Good stuff, how was the raiders road? Every time I'm down I'm wondering about a bike for scooting about some of the Galloway forest roads.
Like the ST👍 how different from the 390? Curious about the smaller KTM especially if the do bring out an adventure 390.
It's a mystery of aesthetics how that single high pipe can turn those scramblers from the ugliest to the most beautiful bikes on the road (to my mind obviously).
how was the raiders road
Great TBH, not too rough, except some big potholes occasionally. 🙁
It’s a mystery of aesthetics how that single high pipe can turn those scramblers from the ugliest to the most beautiful bikes on the road (to my mind obviously)
That was my main reason for changing it (plus it sounds nicer) 🙂
I had a Triumph Speed Triple on a PCP which was due to end in April 2020, a lovely bike and I seriously considered buying it outright but thought I'd see what else was around. Test rode a Thruxton R (lovely) and then a Z900RS Café (meh). While at the Kawasaki dealer the Z1000SX caught my eye so I tried one of those and was sold - brilliant bike. I picked up my touring edition last Saturday and can't wait to get it run-in. Proof that I must be middle aged - my bike has panniers and my lid is a flip-front. Both of these things are fantastic, too.
I never thought I would have a topbox and a flip front lid either 🙂
Be interested in how you find the suspension on the Z1000SX, I liked everything about it other than felt the suspension was just too hard for anything but super smooth tarmac.
Interesting, for me it feels a little too soft on standard settings. I need to have a play around with it as the one I demo'd was spot on.
Oooh, there's a new Triumph Street Triple for 2020. Want!
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/triumph-street-triple-rs/
I never thought I would have a topbox and a flip front lid either
Nor me!
And I’m still in my 30’s... JUST!
In my defence, both items only get used on my Blackbird (also have a KTM RC8 and an Aprilia Tuono at my disposal) and generally with the missus on the back too (she likes the security of the top box, and I’ll usually use a backpack if I’m on my own anyway)...
Passed my mod1 today and mod2 booked for mid November. Looking to buy my first bike over winter when I can hopefully get a bargain. Been riding a hornet which I really like but am looking at a duke690 or early street triple as my first bike.
Any other suggestions of opinions?
I'll tell you millions about 690s, all of them great!
How about a Triumph Rocket 3?! 🙂
So... Got a bit carried away, this arrives on Saturday...
😀
Can't wait!
very nice
Oooooh! That’s lush.
Gurt lush.
I have always fancied the GT to replace the S1000XR, not got round to test riding one yet.
There have been some super tempting deals around on them 🙂
Enjoy 🙂
Welcome to the orange lovefest 🙂
Mboy - Fowlers? Very nice..
Love my 19 GT, seen here on Exmoor the last time I rode it at the end of November. Roll on Spring!
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I recently passed my Mod1/2 and am looking at getting my first bike but without any idea of what's hot or not i'm lost. I've got a maximum of £3k and it'll mainly be used for commutes of 20-30 miles / local bimbles with a few motorway journeys to see the family (100miles each way).
I prefer the classic looking bike but nothing too ott and my back is telling me i'm too old for anything racer-ish.
the ones that I keep coming back to when searching are the Street triple, SV650 naked or 600 hornet
Can anyone help with a few suggestions I should be looking at or avoiding? any help is appreciated
cheers
Any of those three would suit you fine. The Triumph or the Suzuki would be my choice. I got an SV 650 when I got back into bikes 20 years ago and loved it. However, I've had 7 Triumphs (and a BMW) since ..... Have a look at BMW F800Rs, too. Should be just about in your budget. Really good handling and plenty quick enough. Amazing economy too, if that matters. I've had mine about 18 months now and can't really see the point of changing it (yet...)
Can you stretch the budget a smidge?
I’ve got a really nice Street Triple 675 looking for a new home - ‘08 plate so classic round headlight model, only 12k on clock serviced annually and oil changed every 6 months. I’m the 2nd owner from new and had it 6 years. It has uprated suspension, barely worn Michelin tyres, Arrow Lowboy exhaust lots of nice subtle upgrades and all the original parts too. I’m looking for nearer to £3500 for it though...
After passing my test I had a Honda CBF600 which is basically a detuned Hornet. Really was ideal as a starter bike, stable, neutral and no big surprises. I've ridden it for 2 years and have at the tail end of last years bought a Street triple, I'm sure I would have handled the ST but I'm glad I earned my spurs with the Honda. Anyway my recommendation would be the CBF or the SV, if you are confident enough the ST and the Hornet are great but I'd say a notch above the SV (and the CBF I mentioned).
Street triple
I had an SV650, was nice but then went to a street triple. What a cracker of a bike. I had the R but the non-R is still good. Now on a fireblade but I'm happily have my street triple back
Thanks all, it's good to know I wasn't looking at complete lemons based on looks alone. given the amount of saddle time I've had both during learning and post licence I think I would like to build up my confidence on a "starter bike" also one that isn't going to be overtly expensive should I earn my stripes and drop it.
thanks for the offer Blazin, I think that's over what I can afford for a starter ride. of the ST's that I've seen advertised they all seem to be at 12 or 24k miles. is this just coincidence or do they blow up around then? (not suggesting yours would by the way)
I've got a Street triple R,lovely bike but I would be wary of recommending it as a first bike.
Have a demo on a Yamaha MT 07,they get good reviews,although they're a bit above your price range.
they all seem to be at 12 or 24k miles.
They are the expensive service intervals on the Street triple
No bother! As above, they need a service every 6000, and major at 12 & 24K. Mines been done.
I’ve got a Street triple R,lovely bike but I would be wary of recommending it as a first bike
Nah, they're fine. the R is only better suspension and brakes. you don't have to open the taps to the max and redline it everywhere!
is that wary of the ST generally or ST-R? and that's good to know re the service, cheers for that.
Thanks again for the replies
The ST is no problem as a 1st bike. They're ok if you're not caning them as a Newby and it'll grow with you as you progress as a rider. Only possible downsides, an old one won't have ABS or traction control, it will however teach you to ride properly without relying on gizmo's.
i'm trying to stay away from anything canable as I don't want to run before I can walk...and after that i'd still like to be able to walk!
hopefully I can update you all on my own mid-life purchase soon
Also from your post you mentioned comfort/position, the ST is definitely more sportish than the Honda for instance.
You can’t go wrong with an SV as a first bike, I’ve had a couple and with some simple mods they make a very effective track toy too. £2k will get a nice injected one leaving some money for mods and track time
Just don’t leave an SV650 anywhere wet, they go furry if you ride through a puddle in winter.
Have a demo on a Yamaha MT 07,they get good reviews,although they’re a bit above your price range.
I'd recommend this also - I'm a fairly new rider and my first bike was (and still is) a Yamaha MT-07. Very easy to ride, nice and light and the parallel-twin engine gives loads of low-end torque. Pretty certain you could pick one up within your budget.
But nip to some dealers to try some out first to see if it's the bike for you.
At the moment I am very tempted to treat myself and get the latest 2020 ST RS 🙂
At the moment I am very tempted to treat myself and get the latest 2020 ST RS 🙂
Do it! I’m on a 2018 and it’s a hell of a machine, the 2020 should only be better!
At the moment I am very tempted to treat myself and get the latest 2020 ST RS 🙂
Honestly, I’d pick up a new 2019 model and pocket the difference. By all accounts last years model is every bit as good a bike and you should be able to pick up a bargain. Probably the best all round bike on the road.
I actually spotted a 1000 mile old 2017/18 one for £6500 the other day. That’s a hell of a deal.
Honestly, I’d pick up a new 2019 model and pocket the difference. By all accounts last years model is every bit as good a bike and you should be able to pick up a bargain. Probably the best all round bike on the road.
Yeah, I've heard that advice from other folks as well. The latest model looks a bit better and has a quick shifter, but if the old model can be grabbed for a bargain it is also very tempting...
Honestly, I’d pick up a new 2019 model and pocket the difference.
Have spent most of the last hour or so trying to reply to this, but a browser issue (laptop keeps automatically going back to previous page after certain amount of time!) has been annoying the hell out of me! Anyway... Have fixed it now with another browser I hope!
So... Bought my 2018 SuperDuke GT for £5200 less than RRP, brand new on a 69 plate! The 2019/20 model is another £500 on top of that too! So for a £5700 saving, I can deal with the lack of TFT screen and a slightly less nice cockpit. That saving buys a lot of fuel and tyres! Anyway...
I actually test rode quite a few bikes, forerunner amongst which was the Ducati Multistrada 1260S. Superb bike, better all round than the SuperDuke GT for certain if not quite as brutally quick. But they're staggeringly expensive! A 2yr old high mileage one is still £14k or so, a new one is £19k now before any extras! It's a bloody good bike, but that's a huge amount of cash! Same with the BMW R1250RS, which is £12k, except it's not... It's £12k before you add the electronic suspension package which you need, cruise control, and various other things that are standard on the KTM and the Ducati. Then you get to luggage etc. and it's well over £17.5k, and good as it is, it's nothing like as involving or as much fun as the Ducati or even the KTM!
What I think I'll do is keep the SuperDuke GT for 12-18 months, during which time it will be relatively depreciation proof (there's literally 2 2018 bikes left unsold in the UK now, they'll go in the next 2-3 weeks, and when there's only the 2019-20 bikes left new for £17k, 2nd hand prices will firm up nicely), I'll do probably 6-8k miles on it in that time, then start looking for a nice 12-18 month old Multistrada 1260S GT in similar condition (but still with 2-3 years warranty remaining, as they now have 4yrs from Factory on all 2020 Multi's) and PX my SuperDuke GT in against it for around a £5k upgrade cost (and save the difference in the meantime).
Mboy – Fowlers? Very nice..
It was the only photo I could find of the bike in the same colour scheme that wasn't a stock website photo. I'm actually getting mine from Redline in Loughborough, they did the best price and I have heard very good things about them as a dealership (not so much my local which is AMS in Tewkesbury, who have a terrible reputation!), and I was passing that way with work one day anyway, so I popped in and did the deal... I pick it up tomorrow morning!
Something to think about when considering the SV and the ST as a first bike.
The ST has 140 bhp. That can get you into trouble real quick if you’re not used to it.
The SV is approx half that. It’s still fast (when having just passed your test you still don’t really know how to actually ride a bike) but it’s a lot less likely to kill you.
I had a toss up between the Tiger 800 and the DL 650. My artificial max budget meant I went for the DL (v-strom, same engine as the SV) and really glad I did. It took me approx 5000 miles to learn how to ride properly. And I felt that I was really pushing the bike (rather than the other way round). It forced me to learn how to overtake, etc. As it all had to be planned. A vee twin is a really nice configuration, engine braking is also useful. Sounds decent too. Only then did I succumb to the lure of more cubes...
A lot of people buy stupid fast bikes after passing their test and scare themselves shitless over cooking a corner and it goes into the shed/garage to moulder.
Also, it’s much more fun riding a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.
By all means get a ST, but wait until you actually know how to ride it...
Just my tuppence worth.
The ST has 140 bhp. That can get you into trouble real quick if you’re not used to it
Nah it hasn't! the RS only has 123bhp. the older ST's are 97.6bhp as stock.
Nah it hasn’t!
Huh, well, that’s what googling does for you (wiki says 133-140, triumph website 148). Duh street, not speed. FFS, what a numpty!
Based on your figures (i .e. accurate) it’s still ~70 vs ~100 which is a significant jump. A third more power... which was the point I was trying to make...🤪
I'm curious about where you can ride all the behemoth bikes with phenomenal power.
Most roads have a natural limit well below the capabilities of them, and motorways and dual carriageways look like honey traps for fast bikes, and it's pretty boring going fast on a road like that until you're well over 120mph.
I'm trying to remember the last time I was passed by a motorbike going warp speed, most are going probably only 10-15mph faster than me in my car.
I always regarded tight winding roads with consequences (eg ditches, fences, drops, potholes etc) as more fun.
That said, I could easily be sucked in by one of those Rocket 3 ads. 🙂
I’m curious about where you can ride all the behemoth bikes with phenomenal power.
The only time mine gets properly pinned is over the mountain in the Isle of Man,it's unrestricted.
The rest of the year the bike is more than fast enough for the roads & their speed limits where I ride.One of my workmate's has a BMW S1000R & I asked him how does he manage to keep hold of his licence,he said he goes out on it in the middle of the night,he's still in trouble if he goes past a speed camera...
The next bike I'm looking at buying is a Enfield 650 Interceptor & modifying it into a scrambler.
Most roads have a natural limit well below the capabilities of them, and motorways and dual carriageways look like honey traps for fast bikes, and it’s pretty boring going fast on a road like that until you’re well over 120mph.
I’m trying to remember the last time I was passed by a motorbike going warp speed, most are going probably only 10-15mph faster than me in my car.
That's why bikes like the Street Triple are popular at the moment. Not silly powerful but sublime handling so it really shines on twisty but not silly fast roads, which is most. It's probably why sportsbike sales have fallen from 38,000 units in the UK in 2000 to less than 8,000 last year.
Yep, the bikes may have silly amounts of power, but the way they’re designed to exploit it isn’t at the top end. Where they excel is whizzing along a quiet b-road in third, hovering around peak torque making the corners come alive. Even a 1290sas, with a ludicrous 160bhp, is pretty useless above 110mph. But between 40 and 80 it’s the most sublime way to waft along annoying the power ranger brigade.
OoooOOOooohh. I'm interested, tell me more!
That's nice TTP - nearly got an xsr700 before I found my Guzzi - yours a 900?
Yep. XSR900. Just fitted with the Akra pipe so sounds amazing.
Best bike I have ever ridden.
The plan going forward is a Velocity Moto 900LC conversion to look like this:
Just a cool vid.
I picked this up at the weekend 🙂
Grr why does the embedding not work !!!
Street Triple is a fantastic first big bike.
I have a 765RS in track trim, with a SC Project full titanium system it makes 132BHP at the rear wheel on the Powertech Dyno in Blackpool.
Ummed and ahhed about a SMR for a while but saw sense and I'm collecting this beauty on Sunday:
Took a while to find a decent one but I'm well happy. Low mileage, full Akrapovic system, all crash bungs and bobbins, remapped to get rid of the alleged rubbish KTM FI throttle response, lots of orange KTM bling. Just need the weather to perk up now.
Nice bike Flying Ox. They sound lovely with Akra’s (mine pops and bangs gloriously on overrun, it’s a carburettored 950 SMR).
Nice nice nice love that!
Yeah, can't wait to get out on it. Picking up from near Derby, was going to ride back to St Andrews via the Peak District, Pennines, A66, A7/703. Instead the weather is utter pish so it's going in the back of the van and I'll probably not get to use it until I get back from work in April 😔
I haven't read all 12 pages of this thread but passed my cbt last year and bought a 125 scooter and loved it but now I am looking to swap it for a geared 125 bike as my commute jut got longer and I want to re-practise my gears. I don't regret the scooter and twist and go has been a no brainer but its time to progress ahead of the A test in the summer.
I admit to not 'passing' the first CBT I did and am happy they didn't, as a cyclist I didn't get the fact a brake lever was a clutch, got it sorted second time but hence now wanting to get some miles in on a geared bike. I've now done the theory test so am slowly slowly, at my pace, progressing and staying safe. and loving it. 🙂 I hope the OP got sorted, haha.