Beginner/intermediate rider looking for entry sporttour/or adv ride. Duc St3? vstrom?

[ninja250vt]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this NESR. I live in burlington vermont, have been riding on and off for the last 5 years.

Bikes I have owned:
1967 Vespa sprint: used it for riding within a 20 mile radius of country roads for commuting to school when I was living in thetford VT. Bought it for 1k, sold 2 years later for 2k. Should have kept it as a collectors item in my living room but I needed the cash.

1972 Honda CB 350: used it around town, and for fairweather commuting 100 RT from Montpelier to Milton on back roads (avg speed limit 50 mph). Never on highway. Learned how to tinker on it thanks to my friend Dave, who was living in strafford at the time (maybe he's on NESR, I've lost track of him) with this one Had it for 2 years, sold it to a girl who did a ground up restoration on it.

2005 Ninja 250: my current bike. Bought it for a song with 4200 miles here in burlington about 2 months ago. I've put 1000 miles on it. Mostly rides to middlebury and down to strafford. This is the first bike I've ridden on the highway. In all, I am totally pleased with it except:
-it gets blown around a bit in cross winds on the highway. I try to avoid the highway now unless I have a good tailwind.
-I'm 6'2" and weigh about 190. The bike feels really small when I am trying to tuck behind it's tiny windshield at highway speeds. Below 60, I don't tuck. Past 60 it's pretty neccessary to avoid the wind. My back and shoulders burn like crazy after 20 minutes or so.
-the tires (or maybe it's the shocks) seem small to me at moments when a) I hit things like expansion cracks on overpasses at 75 mph, b) riding on various back roads parallelling 89 with their tar snakes, bumps, cracks etc. To be fair, the roads are in pretty bad shape since the hurricane. Actually, I've only had one or two bumps or longitudinal cracks where I really felt like, "oh shit, I'm gonna die." That said, I feel every little imperfection in the road. I don't recall having this experience on the CB 350 which had an enduro wheels on it.

Some of the above is less of an issue as I get comfortable riding longer distances ie. the 160 mile trip to and from strafford. Still, I can't stand more than about 40 miles at a time on the highway in the current setup, due to lack of comfort described above.

Also, when you live and ride the back country of Vermont you inevitably will stumble onto dirt roads. I have ridden a few on the ninja, and actually it bike handled it fairly well. That said, there were a few bumpy moments...

So, in short, I am looking to upgrade to a sport touring or dual sport for my next bike. I begin my 3rd year of medical school this march, and my first rotation will be down in west palm beach. My plan is to buy the new bike before I leave and ride it down to West Palm 2 up with a friend of mine who wants to make the trip. I am considering the vstrom 650 or the ducati ST2. My budget is between 4-5k.

Vstrom 650: from what I've read, it will handle anything I throw at it. Actually it seems like a great bike for me considering my riding and my size. My major beef with it is that it's pretty freaking ugly. Looks better outfitted for touring but still, resembles an ant eater.

Ducati ST2: in my opinion, one of the nicest looking bikes I have seen. Ride reports are all seem to glow. Good reputation for reliability considering it's a ducati. My major concern is it's ability to handle the sort of crappy backroads and ocassional hard pack dirt roads that are all over my fine state.

I am not an agressive rider. Acually, I would like to be a little more agressive, and if I can find the time, I may sign up for a track day somewhere (are there any in the burlington area btw?). I probably push the speedlimit by 10 or 15 max, when safe, but I am generally not in a rush. Admittedly, the ninja has made me love high lean angles...

Any opinions? Displacement and max HP are a huge step up. Maybe too big?
Thoughts about handling the road conditions I face in VT?
Also what about a KLR 650??

[Ray-Ray]

Holy intro!! Welcome!

[OreoGaborio]

Buy the one that matches your undies

[khuygie88]

tl;dr

Welcome anyway!

Obligatory: get a 'busa.

[ninja250vt]

yeah I am avoiding studying by dreaming about my next bike.
Oreo-- you mean a naked bike? Ha!

[Tricklidz]

Welcome. ScottieDucati commutes on a ST2, he should pop up here shortly. I've got one too, but I don't ride it, oh, it's NOT for sale.
The track you'd be doing your trackday at would be NHMS.---you'll get there!!

[j4eric]

Welcome.....I 've got no Suggestions for ya since I only ride sport bikes...
But a lot of members here will have suggestions for you I'm sure.

[TheIglu]

If you would like to try a KLR 650, come on down and give mine a whirl.

[fineout]

i would a versys, but then again you said the vstrom may be out because its ugly, and the versys is very ugly too

[rice_rocket]

What about the Fz6 and Fz1? I thought mine was rather comfy in comparison to the sport bikes.. but now that I only ride my bike once in a while, I like the supersport style...

[Father Ribs]

If you're sitting on it, you can't see what it looks like, unless you happen to ride in front of mirrors all day. Isn't ugly the new sexy anyway?

As for highway wind...750 lb between me and my ride wet, and still the wind wants to toss me all over the damn place. You get used to leaning into it. :S

[Trouble]

What about the Fz6 and Fz1? I thought mine was rather comfy in comparison to the sport bikes.. but now that I only ride my bike once in a while, I like the supersport style...

I have a FZ6 and have taken it as far as the Jersey shore. It's a good all-around bike. It's pretty comfortable (I'm shorter than you), handles pretty well when you want to throw it around and my wife likes riding on the back. I'll be putting it on the market in the spring but if you want to come by and check it out at any point this fall/winter just let me know.

[HanktheTank]

+1 for an FZ-6, I was about the same riding level 2 seasons ago when i bought one. I had my sights set on an SV-650 when I was walking around a dealership one day and decided to sit on an fz, about a month later I bought one. The ergos are pretty good (I am 6') and it still has the sport bike look. Its great as a cmoommuter and I've done a few trackdays on it as well. It is definitely a fun, practical bike.Be warned... trackdays can be addictive, I now have an SV as a dedicated track bike.

[DucDave]

I had an ST2 that I put 72,000 miles on before I traded it. Great bike. VStrom's a great choice too. You might want to look at the variety of 'Monsters' from Ducati as well!

[nhbubba]

I probably push the speedlimit by 10 or 15 max, when safe, but I am generally not in a rush.

In my [limited] experience riding with people that post on this forum, < 10-15 over is not really that aggressive!

My early bike list sounds a little like yours: Started on a Puch moped my dad borrowed for a summer. Then stepped up to a hand-me-down '78 Honda 400. I rode that through college, then stepped up to a nekkid Bandit 1200. I just traded that off for a nearly-new V-Strom DL650.

I love the 'strom, a lot. My B12 was unfaired and kinda horrible on the Interstate. I have a 1 hour ride to 'slab ride to work, so the B12 saw no commuting love and so it sat a lot. The 'strom has what I think is nearly the perfect sized fairing to hide behind. Compared to the B12, it is heaven on the highway. The B12's ergos were also just a bit to aggressive for me; my back and wrists ached a lot. I never spent any money trying to fix the ergos, which was a mistake on my part, probably. But the 'strom is much better on that front right out of the box. I'm 6' even and a healthy bit over 200lbs with a 30" inseam. Bike fits me well.

I cross shopped the Versys. From the sounds of it you should too. Cons that turned me off the the Versys were the rumors of vibes out of the inline twin (most claim the 'stroms 90-degree V is smoother) and the slightly inferior fit and finish. Pros are it is a more sporting ride and generally can be had for less $$.

My 'strom is my take on a cheap, light sport-tourer. I had my heart divided between an SV650 and a big ST bike; an ST1300, FJR, Connie, etc. Couldn't justify the cost of the bigger bikes, nor was I down with the weight. Couldn't stand the ergos of the SV-S. Wanted factory plastics unlike the nekkid SV. Then I discovered the 'strom.

I don't dual-sport ride. Word has it the 'strom is kind of a bad choice for serious dirt work, despite what Suzi's marketing team might say.

I've slapped some affordable panniers on it and ride it for fun, for commuting, and for errands. My garage and budget only have space for one bike and so this multi-tool fits well. Really happy with it.

I'm also really impressed how hard I can ride it. Got a compliment on how I could keep up with some sport bikes recently.

I'm a function over form kind of guy, so the looks don't bother me much. The thing does kinda grow on you a bit. And as has been said, you don't care so much when riding it. The view from the saddle is pretty nice. (There's another ding against the Versys: digital speedo. I'm not much for digital gauges.)



G-man (on this forum, as well as all the V-Strom ones) pointed out that the 19" front offers an advantage on our shitty New England roads. I think he may have a point.

The aftermarket for 'strom parts is very nearly bottomless. Just about anything you can imagine in terms of upgrades is available. I kicked around finding an old EX500 but vetoed on this front; didn't look like anyone offered pannier/hard bag kits.

It isn't liter-bike fast, not even close. But it'll dust a Corolla, like almost any other 600+ cc street bike. My cruiser friends kept insisting that 650 was too small for a street bike. You ride a 250, so you probably already realize how ridiculous that is.

Oh, and it's a frickin' Suzuki, so it is just this side of bulletproof. I didn't (seriously) cross shop anything European because I didn't want to deal with high part/maintenance/repair rates. I know the Euro bikes aren't as bad as they used to be, but I still think the Asians have them beat on that front.

[mzdagrl]

I'll throw another vote for the FZ-6. My husband has one and really enjoys it - good for all around riding, and he's even brought it to the track (NHMS) a couple times in the past few years. Not to mention, it is fairly comfortable 2-up. I am personally not a fan of the half-faired bikes (my SV has lowers), but those who have them love them, and there is a pretty good community of FZ riders out there for help with maintenance and questions and whatnot.

[markbvt]

Given the riding style you describe, I'd definitely recommend going with an ADV-style bike over a sportbike or sport-touring bike.

The V-Strom 650 is a great choice in your price range -- for $4-5k you could pick up one in excellent condition. I put 40,000 miles on a Wee-Strom in a little under three years of ownership; it's a very easy bike to ride long distances. It handles well, it's versatile, it's extremely reliable, and it's powerful enough to be fun without constantly endangering your license. It's a pretty ideal Vermont bike.

That said, it's not a dual sport. It will do fine with the occasional dirt road, but if you start wanting to ride anything more aggressive, the V-Strom will quickly become quite a handful. In this case, a KLR650 would do better -- but on the road the KLR would be underpowered. Badly.

My advice would be to avoid the Versys, primarily because of its 17" front wheel, which means you can't easily fit more dirt-oriented tires should you want to go dirt-road touring or something. And as a street bike, the Versys won't be as good as a sport-tourer. It's sort of neither fish nor fowl.

Another bike you could consider is an older Triumph Tiger, one of the 955i versions. Preferably a 2001-2004. Ought to fall in your price range, and you get a lot of bike for the money. It'll be a lot more powerful than a Wee-Strom, but has a similar upright riding position and the same size wheels (so you can fit tires with more of a dirt-oriented tread). And the Triumph triple engine has a ton of character and is just fun as hell.

By the way, since you're in Burlington, come to Bike Night at Donny's Pizza in Winooski Tuesdays, 5:30-8 or so. There's a group of us there year-round, and we'd be happy to go over potential bike choices with you.

--mark

[korndogg]

Two-up to FL. Crazy. And for med school... don't you two bring anything to college?
No mini-fridge, I guess..

Anyway, Mark has great advice in this area and I just wanted to throw in another vote for sitting on an FZ6. You can get one for much less than your budget.

[OreoGaborio]

Isn't ugly the new sexy anyway?

Yup! Too bad the V-strom got it wrong It's ugly ugly, not sexy ugly

[Mike Qube]

Yup! Too bad the V-strom got it wrong It's ugly ugly, not sexy ugly

The new isn't as bad as the old one.

[OreoGaborio]

ehhhhhhhhh... it's a little better.

[markbvt]

The new V-Strom...


...looks like Toothless.


--mark

[bstnsboy]

Try and find a v-strom 1000 or buell ulysses. The larger motors will help two-up on the highway.

[j4eric]

The new V-Strom...


...looks like Toothless.


--mark

LOL!! it does!! Go Toothless!!

[OreoGaborio]