Adventure Bike Rider Forum

I'm in the market for a new bike having sold my Fazer Thou and so far I've tested 5 new bikes . These are Just my initial impressions (and no offence meant to any fellow forumites who might have one that I didn't like)...

MT 09 Tracer - stonking engine but didn't like the suspension or the ergonomics . Dare I say it wasn't as fast as I was expecting? That was a shame because I wanted to love this bike.

MT-09 naked - stonking engine as above but too supermoto like in it's riding position for me

Z900 - the new one . Lovely comfort for a naked bike and lovely suspension. A screamer of an engine and a bit of a hooligan tool as I was regularly the wrong side of 120 on the test ride (not big and not clever, but fun) too impractical overall as I'm trying to slow down .

Vstrom 650XT - didn't like it all, can't put my finger on why but it didn't feel good and was a bit lacking in grunt

Vstrom 1000XT - loved it . Stonking engine, plush, and ticked all the right boxes for me so far.

Anyone got any other suggestions, sub £10k probably, as I'm going to do a PCP deal.

XSR900, more comfortable riding position than the MT09, if the difference between the MT07 and XSR700 is anything to go by. Naked, so you feel the speed.

It's £1000 over your budget but my Ducati Multistrada 950 is proving to be very good.
Get a test ride.

I'm biased but a Yam Super Ten is right on budget, not dynamic but ultra reliable and more than comfortable enough for hours in the saddle. Worth a test ride but try and get a long one, the more you ride the better it gets. If the budget will stretch to an ES model then do it, it comes with enough extras that if you add them to a standard bike it'll almost come to the same price.

I get what you say about the tracers suspension but there are very few bikes out there are much quicker in real world riding in terms of speed outside sports bikes, I think.

Thanks for the comparisons, it's nice to see how they stack up together.

What about the Versys? The four cylinder 1000 should be plenty quick and the riding position is upright and hopefully comfortable. Also the Z1000 was always getting good write-ups for being a fast tourer. And not forgetting the Triumph Sprint and Tiger, the three cylinder engine is a hoot

I've had a 1050 Speed Triple so fancy a change from that engine, good as it was. I didn't realise that the 1000 Versys was an inline four until a few days ago so that definitely floats my boat .

I have to say that the new Vstrom 1000 is a belter of a bike and in my opinion looks very good as well. The only thing I didn't like was the wind blast from the screen but I guess that's fixable.

I hadn't thought of the super ten, I'll check out the pcp on those as well...thanks .

I had an old Strom thou and test rode the new one against the Super Ten, it seemed lighter and quicker than the old one and the brakes are something else, the deals Suzuki do are fantastic (48 months 0% at the time). The buffeting is easily fixed with a screen lip and different mirrors. As good as it was I found the S10 more comfortable and to be honest I'd already decided but the Strom surprised me with how good it was.

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hayabusa, cause live is never dull and every ride is an adventure cause you never know where you will end up

steve

Scott_rider wrote: ↑Fri Aug 18, 2017 11:30 am I've had a 1050 Speed Triple so fancy a change from that engine, good as it was. I didn't realise that the 1000 Versys was an inline four until a few days ago so that definitely floats my boat .

I have to say that the new Vstrom 1000 is a belter of a bike and in my opinion looks very good as well. The only thing I didn't like was the wind blast from the screen but I guess that's fixable.

I hadn't thought of the super ten, I'll check out the pcp on those as well...thanks .

I came from a 1050 Speed Triple to the Tiger 800XC and I'm now on my second, an 800XCx. The engine cannot be compared to the 1050 (other than the fact that it's a triple) as you have to work harder with the 800. The brakes aren't as good as the S3 and the riding is totally different: more relaxed. With the S3, I felt that I had to go everywhere at warp speed, rarely getting 100 miles before the fuel light came on. With the Tiger, I don't worry about my licence any more as I enjoy getting over 200 miles from a tank of fuel. Having cruise control is also a bonus when you just want to relax.

I also test rode the Versys 1000. It was a first generation model and I just didn't get on with it: it felt like a sports bike on stilts but my legs were cramped. And, by god, it was ugly.

I preferred the V-Strom 1000 over the Kawasaki. The motor was strong (similar to what I had in my Cagiva Raptor 1000) and the screen could be adjusted as you rode. The big downside for the Suzuki was the vibrations: even though I didn't really notice them, my pillion said that it was rattling her teeth at anything above 50 mph.

Test as many as you can while the sun is out: there's nowt like having fun on a demo bike!