Let's say you unexplicably have some amount of money burning a hole in your pocket, namely 3-ish thousand euros. You live in America, but love riding in Europe enough to warrant putting that money towards a bike there, permanently. What bike do you get? My train of thought started with low maintenance and reliability. Has to be rock solid. No one wants to spend half their vacation adjusting valves, and the other half waiting for a tow truck on the side of the road. Has to be handle well and be fun. I'm not flying in to ride a POS on glorious euro roads. Must be able to handle the occasional passenger. With that in mind, a few bikes have come to mind. Gixxer. 750 keeps the cost down, still has more grunt that 600. Year 2000-ish. Less taxing than other sportbikes (R6 comes to mind), 2-up riding would suck. But on a good day on a clean road ... oh baby. KTM Duke II. Sort of within budget. Fun factor through the roof. Possibly better for the pillion than a stupid sportbike, I fear the lil' thumper would struggle a bit. Maintenance certainly is more demanding. Alternatives would be Yam XTX, or Honda 650 FMX ... but they have a reputation of being straight up dogs. ZRX. In my mind handles better than the XJR, Inazuma and CB1000. Great everywhere except I wonder "wouldn't it be too much bike on smaller roads" ... aka "I'd rather be on a Duke right now". FZ1 is a (pricier) alternative. Versys. The sensible choice. Nails all the requirements ... except fun, maybe? That engine isn't famous for being super interesting. TDM or Transalp are similar, and has the same exact "but really, isn't it going to be a bit boring?" I'm overlooking the FJR, Concours ... etc of this world since I'm more into fun than comfort. Feel free to jump in ...
Harley Sportster XR1200. Most stupid fun looking bike Harley's made in years, maybe ever, and it'll let everyone know you're 'Mercan. David B.
If I was going to be there to ride it several times a year, often enough to keep it mechanically fresh, I'd probably go with a Ducati ST, or maybe a 900SS or Monster. If it was going to be a more rare or unpredictable thing, I'd probably get some sort of Honda -- a CBR or a Hornet; those are competent and fun, yet stone reliable and nearly indestructible. PhilB
I was in the same boat til some health issues cropped up that will keep me in the states for a bit longer. One day I will do this tho! I had pretty much the same criteria as you, and I also wanted something that we couldn't get in the US. Why go to the EU and buy a V-Strom? I want some of the forbidden fruit that we will never see. Since you posted in Road Warriors I'm guessing you are thinking pavement only. Not that the ADV bikes aren't great pavement bikes too but you'll have to narrow the choices sometime. I like smaller cc bikes for handling so my suggestions are skewed towards that end. Cagiva Raptor 650 Honda Hornet 600 or 250 Bandit 400 Honda VTR250 Yamaha MT03 Honda VFR400 Honda CB400SF Yamaha XJR400 Kawi ZZR250
Done Deal in Ireland is where I was looking for mine. http://www.donedeal.ie/find/motorbikes/for-sale/Ireland/
Depends on the part of Europe you're primarily going to be riding in. I made several trips from the Netherlands to Riva Di Garda Italy on a 93 GSXR 750 two-up. Several 10 hour day trips through the Eifel region of Germany, and several multi-day trips around the Netherlands, Germany, Lux, and Switzerland. If I had to do it again, I'd go with a VFR 800 circa 2000-2002.
Euro or Non North American model would be mandatory. Ride the forbidden fruit while in the Euro-zone, son.
Aprilla RSM Mille, loads around in the UK for your price with low miles and it's a great bike for most types of road riding. Does pillion well too with it's proper sized rear seat. Insurence is low at group 15! Goes like a fucking rocket too, i overtook a Ducati Panigale the other day on a private road of course doing over 130mph! cracking piece of kit for the money now the RSV is.
My vote goes to the Gxxer. Plenty of fun, even on tight switchbacks & enough for blasting down the Autobahn to get to them. Also, IMHO, it's easier & cheaper to "up" the comfort factor on a sport bike than to do the same to the "fun" factor on a tourer.
hey, greetings from the alps. it sounds like you´re looking for a VFR750/800. maybe the perfect compromise between sport and touring for you.
I totally agree with the euro-only bike ... but I see more as a perk than a main criteria. I'd rather have a dead stone reliable bike that I could buy here vs a euro bike broken down on the side of the road. Offroad is not a consideration, mostly because I might be riding alone most of the time, there are PLENTY of roads to discover, and I believe you can take most bikes off the beaten path anyways. If it wasn't for the sketchy reliability (maybe I'm wrong?) and poor 2-up (again, maybe I'm wrong), I'd love a Tuono. I suppose a naked SV1000 would be moderately similar. I can't start looking at Ducatis ... I'll end up with a 749 before I know it. And maintenance will be a beyotch. If budget wasn't an issue, I'd have Multistrada or Streetfighter already. VFR is a sensible option ... but I keep hearing all these people going "eeeeeh got rid of it, too boring". TDM is a sensible euro only bike. I'd rather that than a VStrom, which I've never liked for some obscur reason.
did they sell the honda africa twin and transalp in the states? or the cagiva elefant with the ducati motor?
