Ever get the itch for a "modern" bike?

I think I'll always have something vintage in the garage. And, unfortunately, I like projects....something to do.

However, lately, I've REALLY been kicking around the idea of thinning the herd and getting something a few years old to really pile on the miles.

Don't get me wrong....I LOVE my CB550's, and I've always had an XS650 in the garage ever since I started messing around with motorcycles. But after a recent trip to the North Georgia mountains (in my cage), I really started wanted something.....else. Something modern, not needing constant tweaking, something that I could really put some highway miles on....

Trouble is, I don't know what I'd get rid of. I LOVE my '71 CB500, but with the 400F bars and rear-sets, it's not good for 300 mile days. The '78 550K is super comfy and fun to ride, plus I just finished it about 200 miles ago. The XS is down right now with an undiagnosed engine noise, but I don't want to get rid of it, either. An XS was my first bike and it's getting hard to find nice examples for a decent price.

Then.....what to get?
- A Triumph Bonneville or T100? LOVE the Thruxton, but I already have a bike with low bars.
- BMW GS? Not quite my style and a little spendy.
- Kawasaki Versys or ER6N? A little odd looking.
- SV650?
- V-Strom?

If you were in the market for an affordable standard style bike, what would you look at? Something with handlebars, NOT clip-ons. Preferably a twin of some sort. Something, say, less than ten years old. Has luggage or can be fitted without much trouble. Something not quite "dual sport" like the Tenere', etc. And semi-affordable....~$5500-6500 range, max.

Hands down, Id pick up a modern Triumph "Scrambler 900".



I also love the SV650. Would make an excellent sport tourer with some soft bags and slightly less agressive foot controls.

Get a Honda RC-51...

I had an '02 Hayabusa for about eight years. I sold it just a couple of months ago, and I can tell ya that I miss having a bike I can basically just get on and ride anywhere.

Hopefully that feeling will change when I get the CB750k finished. As of right now the only bike I have registered/running/rideable is my 40y/o 250 2stroke.

After the frustration of wrenching this afternoon... I am thinking new Triumph Bonneville :-0


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To be honest, I don't even own a 'vintage' bike anymore...my pursuits of performance with the vintage stuff ultimately led to owning modern stuff. Not that there isn't something to be said for performance upgrading the older bikes, but for me personally, I have benefitted from the new stuff far more than I ever did with mods too my old.

However, I don't necessarily work on my modern stuff much less...there is still plenty to be modified, tweaked, adjusted, and repaired. It just seems that I get more result from my work now.

Ultimately, it guess it is all in what end you are going for!

After working on a 68 Honda, then working on an 83 Suzuki, I would take vintage any day. They obviously require more work, but everything is easy as heck to work on. Like T71 points out, there is stuff to do on modern scoots, but they usually have more "obstacles" to clear first.

I've always kind of toyed with the idea, but the "itch" didn't really hit me until this week. I rode my Dad's FJR for the first time and I am all kinds of impressed.

The problem with so many modern bikes is there is nothing unique about them. You can really strip all the plastic off and expect to have a good looking bike.

I've I was gonna spend $3000-$4000 on something it'd be on a cage with power. Sure the MPG isn't as nice, but for that $4000 it can haul me and my girl without helmets, rain or shine, and gear, and likely be fixed more cheaply than a modern motorcycle.

Only a few modern motorcycle tickle my fancy and that's because they defy the genre...Gregg's R1 Tracker, RSD Demso Tracker and similar bikes that combine vintage style with modern performance.

To some extent, Harley Davidson still makes very simple bikes that now (after years of fixes) start every time, are still air-cooled, and very simple and easy to fix. Downside? All the merch to wade through and likely everything has already been done.

i've got my girlfriends fathers SV650 parked out front my house right now... I have it for the week to do some minor work to it.

now, modern bikes are great... they are nimble, stupidly fast, reliable, and comfortable. I'd love to have myself a good 650 in my stable one day for longer rides. Nothing pretty; something I can beat the heck out of, drop, and not really care to much about. Something that will expand your abilities as a rider since you wont be worried about dropping it all the time.

But nothing really beats the soul and feeling you get with a vintage bike. something about being able to go WOT for more than 3 seconds without being past the speed limit is just exhilarating. You really feel that you may possibly be better than the machine, which is rarely the case with a newer bike unless if you are valentino rossi or a REALLY skilled rider.

As far as maintenance goes, although new bikes are more complex, they are still really straightforward to work on if you know what you are doing. If you are buffer happy like myself, you get tired of cleaning and polishing all of your nice unprotected aluminum fairly quickly; especially on those days when you spend hours cleaning only to have it start pouring down on you.

Truly though its hard to draw a line. Many of us know how addictive bikes are... but personally if I could afford it I would have a nice classic (or a few...seeing as how cheap they are... hehe), A mechanically sound but beat up 650 street bike (anything larger is just stupid IMHO, unless if your riding on the autobahn all the time or cross country with a lot of weight), a beat up but mechanically sound dirt bike with studded tires for fun winter riding, and maybe a little 250 ninja for popping around the neighborhood; A 650 is just too jerky and the clutch is too tiresome in a busy city.

i have been sussing out the w800 anyone rate them??? or the little tu250x ???

If you want a more reliable bike but don't want full out modern, get a 90s bike. Cheap, undervalued, carbureted and parts readibility.

One of each, salon and saloon.

No itch here, I prefer modern bikes. The overall performance can't be beat. My involvement in older bikes mostly stems from the cool/different factor. Might piss a few people off but you asked!

A nice rip on a newer SV650 certainly put that thought in my mind. I'd like to get a newer bike someday for doing some distance riding. SV, BMW, or some sort of other sport tourer. I do love my 40 year old bikes for ease of service though. Being able to fix minor road side problems with a Gerber tool has it's advantages. Over the years I've pretty much developed a "ride anything" mentality.

I have been looking at the new honda nc700x. I would really like something to ride everyday and could take on a long weekend without breaking the bank.

djelliott said:

Over the years I've pretty much developed a "ride anything" mentality.

Click to expand...

Yep, this.

Yes but the modern bike I want is 20k. Although I did kinda like the Kawi that the Bostoms built on the show.

I've been a fan of gixxers and zx's since I started riding sport bikes in the mid-90's. Even though I have my resurected Buell, I always dream of having a ZX10R or another gixxer 1k. Lately, I've been thinking about an RC8! For those who have never been on a full on race rep liter bike, GET ONE - before you get married and have kids. You will never be on a road machine like a race rep. If you're anything like me, you won't look at cars the same way ever again. They become laughable... Werd!

P.S. To say modern sport bikes are all the same is Hardly crowd bullshit. Ride them and see if all the brands are the same. Ha!

When my personal "stable" is complete, I will have my vintage two-stroke, a dual-sport/ADV bike, and a Harley. ;D
Our local dealer had an open-house and I just "felt right" on a Night Train. 8)
Kelly has decided on a Sportster for her first bike, of course it won't be a new one.

I would love a sportbike, but I just don't bend that way anymore. :