06-01-2020, 11:43 PM
Thanks for all your input guys. The situation is evolving. I'd been considering the merits of either getting a newer, higher tech bike to share my garage alongside the CB so that I could stop using the CB for commuting, or simply upgrading the CB to make it safer. the truth is however that no amount of upgrading i can do to the CB is ever going to make it even a fraction as safe as a more modern bike, so it looks like i'm locked into getting a stablemate. Here's the lay of the land:
The Triumph Sprint i found is now a no go. I'm discovering that there's potentially some mechanical gremlins with this bike. It's been sold by a Car dealership, (some questionable trade in they accepted) so i'm doubly worried about the support and potential problems i'll have with it. I think there's a chance it might be a really great deal but there's also a chance it could go sour on me. considering it's the only bike i have to look at in Wilmington, i'm inclined to just strike it from the list.
The concours 14 is still on the list but i'm starting to believe that it's just too darn heavy to go about my daily life on it. riding it is great. sweeping around on and offramps and flying down the highway is fantastic, but putting through parking lots and stop and go traffic is just arduous. it may be an amazing deal but i'm probably just going to have to pass. we'll see.
Some new entries into the pool of possibilities: A Vstrom DL1000 (post 2014 redesign). i'm finding a couple examples of this bike and it shocked me in that it's lighter than it looks, comes with ABS, Traction control, heated grips, loads of comfort and a bang on suspension. This is one to look out for in the budget.
A Tracer 900/FJ-09. I think if i added a Corbin heated seat to this bike it would be a really capable tourer and long mile bike. There are many examples of these for sale in the area on budget with very low miles.
A Tiger 800 XC. I'm finding a few examples of these around with surprisingly few miles on them in very good condition, sporting a similar triumph triple power plant to the Sprint that M in SC gave praise to. I'm reading a lot of good things about this bike, but my initial reaction is that it's just too tall and too "off road" for my purposes. Still comes with ABS, traction control, heated grips, and some examples even have cruise control!
A VFR800F DLX. It's white. it's lean. it's around the same speed as my CB, and it's available in town. this is the one bike I don't have to travel for. I'm going to test ride one tonight and see if it's a real contender. It does come with ABS, traction control, quick shifter, storage, heated grips, and all the creature comforts you can imagine. Once again the addition of a heated Corbin seat might make this a really capable universal bike. This is probably the "slowest" bike i've looked at, except maybe for the Tiger.
The Triumph Sprint i found is now a no go. I'm discovering that there's potentially some mechanical gremlins with this bike. It's been sold by a Car dealership, (some questionable trade in they accepted) so i'm doubly worried about the support and potential problems i'll have with it. I think there's a chance it might be a really great deal but there's also a chance it could go sour on me. considering it's the only bike i have to look at in Wilmington, i'm inclined to just strike it from the list.
The concours 14 is still on the list but i'm starting to believe that it's just too darn heavy to go about my daily life on it. riding it is great. sweeping around on and offramps and flying down the highway is fantastic, but putting through parking lots and stop and go traffic is just arduous. it may be an amazing deal but i'm probably just going to have to pass. we'll see.
Some new entries into the pool of possibilities: A Vstrom DL1000 (post 2014 redesign). i'm finding a couple examples of this bike and it shocked me in that it's lighter than it looks, comes with ABS, Traction control, heated grips, loads of comfort and a bang on suspension. This is one to look out for in the budget.
A Tracer 900/FJ-09. I think if i added a Corbin heated seat to this bike it would be a really capable tourer and long mile bike. There are many examples of these for sale in the area on budget with very low miles.
A Tiger 800 XC. I'm finding a few examples of these around with surprisingly few miles on them in very good condition, sporting a similar triumph triple power plant to the Sprint that M in SC gave praise to. I'm reading a lot of good things about this bike, but my initial reaction is that it's just too tall and too "off road" for my purposes. Still comes with ABS, traction control, heated grips, and some examples even have cruise control!
A VFR800F DLX. It's white. it's lean. it's around the same speed as my CB, and it's available in town. this is the one bike I don't have to travel for. I'm going to test ride one tonight and see if it's a real contender. It does come with ABS, traction control, quick shifter, storage, heated grips, and all the creature comforts you can imagine. Once again the addition of a heated Corbin seat might make this a really capable universal bike. This is probably the "slowest" bike i've looked at, except maybe for the Tiger.