I have been thinking a lot about which bike I'll grab when I pass my full test and which ones I want to test ride and found a number of attractive bikes through my research, but wanting to learn of more or think about ones I hadn't considered, so I am looking for inspiration/recommendations. In my mind, I'd be looking at a modern cruiser bike.
But what I've looked at (and my general opinion) to get an idea of the kind of bikes I'm going for:
Honda Rebel 500. At one point, I was convinced this would be my next bike because it looks gorgeous to me and I feel has a good riding position to step into (somewhere between my current bike and a cruiser), it's a Honda and therefore likely to be reliable and I love my current Honda and my Honda dealer has taken care of me so far. The only drawback to me is the engine displacement and I'll judge how it feels when I get to test ride, but I figure after a while, I'll want something with more power (particularly for faster roads and getting acceleration...and for the fun) and don't want to find myself wanting to upgrade once I am used to it being a 500. My test will be on a Honda Hornet 600 and my practice sessions prior to it, will also be on one, so I'll already have experience riding a 600 before I upgrade, so I am hesitant to step down from that.
Kawasaki Vulcan S. This seems to tick most of the right boxes, it has a more powerful engine whilst remaining new rider friendly, ergo-fit so it can be customised to my size and riding position at the point of sale, comfortable as hell (I sat on one at the weekend), it's light, it's nimble and supposed to be good at handling, particularly corners (I'd likely be riding country roads as I live in the country, so twisties). But I don't like its headlight and would likely replace that that pretty quick, maybe see if I can get one from the Vulcan 900 Classic or something similar. And in sharing an engine with the Ninja, the general consensus has been that it's fun.
Harley Davidson Iron 883. Very similar reasons to the Vulcan, and looks great. The odd thing here is, I don't think I'd ever have put a Harley on this list. I hear they have a reputation of being unreliable but have been getting better in recent years but if it's not going to break down on me, excellent. I will be riding practically every day and want to get a lot of use out of it and not having to do more maintenance than necessary. However, if I DO get one, I know I'll get a lot of stick for it, but...if it's a good enough bike, I might take the abuse and insist it's a good ride and not some bad-ass fantasy of riding a Harley. But I judge things on merit, not what people think.
Triumph Speedmaster. The most powerful of the bikes I've looked at and has decent after-market options. My brother rides one and was his first after passing his test and it's a gorgeous bike, comfortable to sit on. If I do come to test ride it, I'd probably end up test riding his. It'd also be following the current family tradition of going Triumph. The Triumph Bobber was also an option, but it's too pricey, Indian Scout would be on this list, but isn't for the same reason as the Triumph Bobber.
Yamaha XV950R or XVS1300. This is probably sitting outside of my price range, but achievable. I don't seem to have found Yamaha Bolt in the UK, but these are perhaps the closest we do get.
Ducati XDiavel - Just kidding, I don't have that kind of money.
The kind of riding I'd be doing is country roads, so I'd need something to handle twists and turns, so I'd like light & nimble. I'll be doing town riding too, because of my work commute (and picking up shopping in town), but occasionally highway* as I'd be venturing out to visit friends & family in other parts of the country and no longer rely on a train to do that, so I'd want something comfortable at those speeds.
*See, I am learning, I am using American terms now.
But what I've looked at (and my general opinion) to get an idea of the kind of bikes I'm going for:
Honda Rebel 500. At one point, I was convinced this would be my next bike because it looks gorgeous to me and I feel has a good riding position to step into (somewhere between my current bike and a cruiser), it's a Honda and therefore likely to be reliable and I love my current Honda and my Honda dealer has taken care of me so far. The only drawback to me is the engine displacement and I'll judge how it feels when I get to test ride, but I figure after a while, I'll want something with more power (particularly for faster roads and getting acceleration...and for the fun) and don't want to find myself wanting to upgrade once I am used to it being a 500. My test will be on a Honda Hornet 600 and my practice sessions prior to it, will also be on one, so I'll already have experience riding a 600 before I upgrade, so I am hesitant to step down from that.
Kawasaki Vulcan S. This seems to tick most of the right boxes, it has a more powerful engine whilst remaining new rider friendly, ergo-fit so it can be customised to my size and riding position at the point of sale, comfortable as hell (I sat on one at the weekend), it's light, it's nimble and supposed to be good at handling, particularly corners (I'd likely be riding country roads as I live in the country, so twisties). But I don't like its headlight and would likely replace that that pretty quick, maybe see if I can get one from the Vulcan 900 Classic or something similar. And in sharing an engine with the Ninja, the general consensus has been that it's fun.
Harley Davidson Iron 883. Very similar reasons to the Vulcan, and looks great. The odd thing here is, I don't think I'd ever have put a Harley on this list. I hear they have a reputation of being unreliable but have been getting better in recent years but if it's not going to break down on me, excellent. I will be riding practically every day and want to get a lot of use out of it and not having to do more maintenance than necessary. However, if I DO get one, I know I'll get a lot of stick for it, but...if it's a good enough bike, I might take the abuse and insist it's a good ride and not some bad-ass fantasy of riding a Harley. But I judge things on merit, not what people think.
Triumph Speedmaster. The most powerful of the bikes I've looked at and has decent after-market options. My brother rides one and was his first after passing his test and it's a gorgeous bike, comfortable to sit on. If I do come to test ride it, I'd probably end up test riding his. It'd also be following the current family tradition of going Triumph. The Triumph Bobber was also an option, but it's too pricey, Indian Scout would be on this list, but isn't for the same reason as the Triumph Bobber.
Yamaha XV950R or XVS1300. This is probably sitting outside of my price range, but achievable. I don't seem to have found Yamaha Bolt in the UK, but these are perhaps the closest we do get.
Ducati XDiavel - Just kidding, I don't have that kind of money.
The kind of riding I'd be doing is country roads, so I'd need something to handle twists and turns, so I'd like light & nimble. I'll be doing town riding too, because of my work commute (and picking up shopping in town), but occasionally highway* as I'd be venturing out to visit friends & family in other parts of the country and no longer rely on a train to do that, so I'd want something comfortable at those speeds.
*See, I am learning, I am using American terms now.