Roadsters Meh. Not my thing. The 660 appeals to my cheep self, but these are ugly motorcycles, and I don't do ugly. Special Editions Not sure I get it, probably don't. I like chrome better than black. Is that why they make so many black motorcycles? To force you to upgrade? Adventure Looks good, but I don't see the advantage over a similar BMW. The 900 GT has promise. But it is still ugly. Classic Now, we're talking. I've owned many old school Bonnevilles. Great bikes, but manual start and boneshakers. The T120/ 79 hp, 77 torque. That's sweet. Chrome edition looks pretty. Speed Twin has better numbers, but doesn't look as pretty. Hmm. Thruxton is the bike, but I'd have to modify it with higher handle bars... Rocket 3 Not my thing.
This is an east one for me. The 900GT is a great Swiss Army knife. Great motor and not as fat as my GS1200. the Thruxton is one of the best looking bikes that’s been made. Ride one though. You’re going to have to add a seat too. Comfortable to me for about 15 minutes I’ve got a speed twin and love it. Good power. Good brakes. Comfortable for 100 miles or so and better looking than the T120 IMO.
Never been on one, but none of the classics look comfortable - what are you planning on doing with it ? MDS
I love my Tiger 800xcx. I took it on some stuff last year that you would have to see to believe, with my friends who were riding their KLRs. The Tiger handled it with no issues at all, and was so much more pleasant on the road. If I could only own one bike, this would be it. I also recently purchased a BMW 1200GSA. The GSA will be better for long trips, I think (although honestly the Tiger is pretty darn good!), and has more room, a larger gas tank, etc-- and is still very capable. But it is big. I also love my Triumph Spring ST, which of course they don't make any more. But what a fantastic bike! All the power, cornering, and braking you could ever want, and it has bags as well! The big thing about Triumphs is that amazing triple motor. That motor is so smooth and flexible it makes any bike great. In comparison, the BMW boxer twin feels old and lumpy.
I don't think you should buy a bike. The time has passed. I'm 64 and had owned bikes continuously from 18 to 55. I took 5 years off and bought a BMW RT at 60YO. It took me almost 6 months to really be comfortable with my skills. Now I ride most days when the weather is nice and every other week even in the Asheville winter. I stay sharp but I would want to start after a multi-decade hiatus. Just too dangerous.
Depends entirely on the person. I ride with some guys in their late 70s (one just turned 80) and we are doing a 4 day ride in a few months, including some off-road), and these guys are great riders. One of them had never ridden a motorcycle at all until his 50s. He bought a big GS brand new, had a friend ride it to his house, and taught him how to ride! But some people, sure, they shouldn't be riding. I think Dale will be okay if he takes it easy.
I started riding when I was 14. I road all kinds of bikes in all kinds of weather. To this day, I can do right or left hand shift without thinking. I get a hip replaced next month, and I need to lose 30 pounds. I'm hoping I'll be good to do. Ps. I'm an early morning, back road guy. I avoid traffic.
One of my riding buddies got a new hip about 3 weeks ago. His second one, so he's all set. He's been back on his bicycle already, and thinks he'll be ready for our bigger rides in the spring. We're going to Alaska together in a few years.
I was looking at the 1200 speed twin today. Next to it was a thruxton r. Apart from the handlebar and resultant comfy ergos the speed twin lacks the good suspension of the thruxton, a strange omission. The bmw r9 t I always liked the look of but they do t for right. Like the Kawasaki z900 RS se but whe. You look close it does not have the attention to detail of the bmw or triumph. looking for a bike to take on a. 4 day ride with soem Freinds through Carolina hills They’re riding everything from speed twins to r9t to multistradas to a super duke R.
I owe you for CPA advice. The offer stands- Come to Asheville. I'm storing the bikes in the Church I'm restoring. You can take the Speed Twin out on very friendly roads that turn into some of the best roads of the country IMO. As safe as it gets.
A good friend of mine has a Triumph Scrambler 1200, and I've gotten to ride it a bit. It's a nice bike, although a bit too old school for me. Kind of reminds me of a naked GS. I wouldn't own one, but I'm happy to ride his when he offers it to me. I think he feels the same way about my Triumph Sprint.
Apparently, the Scrambler has a different timing than the street bikes. I dunno if you can really tell the difference.
I had a 2014 Thruxton. Beautiful bike, and a lot of fun, but I decided I just didn't want to lean over that much. When they updated the Bonnevilles in 2016 (liquid cooled, 1200cc, etc...) I thought that seemed to be more like what I was looking for. And I was right. I have a T-120 Black, and I can't express how much I love this bike. It fits how I want/like to ride perfectly! Perfect blend of vintage styling and modern tech. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It's a Dart Marlin Flyscreen. I like it, but it is not a radical difference from having no screen. You definitely still know you're on a naked bike. https://www.dartflyscreens.com/collections/triumph-bonneville-t120
Alaska was fun and the day trip from Fairbanks to the Circle and back was fun but the best part of the trip to me was the Northern half of B.C. Best roads and scenery of the trip. Trip was planned for a couple of lesser riders so Deadhorse/Prudhoe was not planned. I really regret that. Should have done it, may never get another chance. If you have decent off road mud riding skills go to Deadhorse. If deep sloppy mud is an issue the Haul Road to the Circle is not a good idea.
I'm trying to improve my off road mud riding skills in anticipation of going! Not great at the moment, but working on it.
If mid is like sand, loosen your shoulders. Don’t try to over control the bike. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
One spot on the Dalton Highway called "the roller coaster". Maybe 1/4 mile down and 1/4 back up. The day we were there it was thick sloppy mud. Steering was as much as anything balance control. You had a vague sense it contributed to direction. Rear brake all the way to check speed but it would lock every few seconds and rear started dancing around. Got faster than I really wanted but no real control over situation. Get near bottom then thoughts change to "Oh crap, I have to get back up". Let brake go and go faster than you really want until hill kills speed. Barely walking speed back up working throttle to decide which level of wheel spin creates greatest thrust . Constantly reciting mantra "Just balance the motorcycle" over and over. Then it dawns on you while doing everything you can to keep bike between edges of road what happens when one of those big SOBs of a semi with oversize load comes over that crest? Also thinking if I drop this thing its sliding back to the bottom. And we it on 2 Harley dressers with highway tires. Probably far less terrifying on a GS with proper knobbies. This first picture is from internet. Not the day we were there. Most of the road that day road was great. There were a few really terrible patches. Mostly hard packed dirt, some gravel and even some pavement. Bad idea to pave any of it. Winter freeze destroys it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I remember you talking about this. I can’t imagine doing this on a big Harley. You guys can ride. Seriously, you guys are good. From what I remember about sand, you need to get your speed up. You don’t want the front tire to get sucked in. Balance is important, but you can’t over control it. You learn to read sand, hard pack v quick sand, This is on a dirt bike. A Harley or a GS is another story. Weight is not your friend. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
