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A coworker friend of mine who just got into riding earlier this year (I converted 3 people since I've started working here) has decided that his 05 SV650n is too small for him and not commuter friendly enough. His knee has begun to bother him on the SV due to the angle of his legs on the pegs. He is very seriously looking at larger bikes, with the idea that he will give the SV to his wife who is currently riding a small, slow and boring cruiser. Here are the stipulations:
Would like more power than the SV
Wants a bike that is decently sporty, decently practical but not goofy looking
Needs a larger bike that he can stretch out on
Wants hard bags
Doesn't want to pay a lot
Wants reliability (that doesn't necessarily mean he wants a Japanese bike)
After mulling over a few options, I came to the conclusion that his best options were bikes like the V-Strom 1000 and the Triumph Tiger. On a whim I showed him the Buell Ulysses and he fell head over heels for it, but it's a tough find, is rather expensive and doesn't exactly inspire confidence in reliability. But we also found V-Strom 1000's in the area that are seem super cheap, like for instance an 02 with 35,000 miles, hard bags for $3500.
Anyone have experience with a DL1000? How do they fit the above requirements? Any known issues with them? Any alternative recommendations that I didn't mention?