07-08-2018, 08:11 AM
T120 is a nice bike, but perhaps on the wrong side of value for your money.
FJR, like you suggest, a very good bike but not fitting YOUR riding requirements (well, shall we say, not fitting all that well).
CB1100, A better choice than the two above - but you have already sold it before, do those reasons still hold?
Moto Guzzi V7ii or 7iii. You can get them at a reasonable price, in my experience they have a much higher grin factor than the T120 (I didn't get one because the CB was a better fit physically). But you'd probably have to do your own maintenance (having said that, they ARE easy to work on and many Guzzi owners buy them for that reason).
CB500X; I hear nothing but good about these bikes and if you fit them I think they should be on your short list. They tick a lot of boxes.
Royal Enfield; I consider this a bit of an outlayer, but for some people they are the bees knees. For others, not so much. If you really like a classical looking proper motorcycle then this is your baby. Newer ones have fewer QC issues.
I like 6 speeds, maybe because the Griso has 6. Typically you don't choose 6 until 75-80. So that may have something to do with it. In any event, match the tranny to the engine torque curve (and job) and see where the numbers come out.
FJR, like you suggest, a very good bike but not fitting YOUR riding requirements (well, shall we say, not fitting all that well).
CB1100, A better choice than the two above - but you have already sold it before, do those reasons still hold?
Moto Guzzi V7ii or 7iii. You can get them at a reasonable price, in my experience they have a much higher grin factor than the T120 (I didn't get one because the CB was a better fit physically). But you'd probably have to do your own maintenance (having said that, they ARE easy to work on and many Guzzi owners buy them for that reason).
CB500X; I hear nothing but good about these bikes and if you fit them I think they should be on your short list. They tick a lot of boxes.
Royal Enfield; I consider this a bit of an outlayer, but for some people they are the bees knees. For others, not so much. If you really like a classical looking proper motorcycle then this is your baby. Newer ones have fewer QC issues.
I like 6 speeds, maybe because the Griso has 6. Typically you don't choose 6 until 75-80. So that may have something to do with it. In any event, match the tranny to the engine torque curve (and job) and see where the numbers come out.