Bikes you didn't like nearly as much as you thought you would.

[JeffPM]

'03 SV650 naked. Lots of great reviews and I bought it without a test ride. The motor was fine and the brakes 'ok'. But the suspension was terrible and because of the ergonomics I was in pain after less than an hour. Made some mods but it never really helped. Sold it after a couple of years. Oddly, I now have a Triumph Street Triple R and just love it even though according to some reviews the ergonomics are very similar to the SV.

'84 Guzzi SP1000. Found a nice example and thought, "Cool, a touring bike and vintage to boot." Took a test ride with I thought realistic expectations, but it vibrated much, much more on acceleration, the front brakes could be described as wooden (and that's being kind) and having to jerk my leg violently upward, and taking my foot off the peg, to attempt to change gears was too much. I felt bad, but walked away.

[FlowBee]

I'm slowly coming to realize all bikes I had in the past were worse than I remember. Nostalgia and all that. But ...

97 CBR1100xx. Flawless build, incredible top-end surge, super smooth engine, moderately comfortable on the highway at 70mph..... gutless midrange, bars too low /pegs too high for around town, steered like a truck.

97 Ducati M900. Great sound, beautiful bike. But ... Did Surgio actually bother riding this POS at any position other than WFO when he was setting it up? A carb jet kit and TBR pipes helped not at all except give that unburned gas smell at stops. No matter how lean or rich the setup it surged and bucked at 1/3 throttle.

09 DR650SE. TBD - in process ... takes a butt-load of money to make it into a decent reliable 3rd world travel bike. Then if you equip it for touring for more than 4 weeks it's slow and awkward because of it's paltry 37hp. Parts vibrate off, even with Loctite blue, when you ride many hours at 70mph. .... I'm still coming to terms with it. Maybe it'll redeem itself on the next trip.

[wrecked'em]

Originally Posted by wreckah

aprilia dorsoduro 750...it was everything i wanted on paper: middleweight 90° V-twin supermotard, good hp, good sound, good brakes,good suspension, beautiful, reliable...
but it lacked punch, the engine felt totally flat, dreadful throttle action, total disappointment.
( I bought a 990 SMT a month later. )

the other way around for me was the 2012 R1200RT. I expected a steamboat, a huge boring barge, but it was relatively fast, flickable and most of all fun on track! I embarassed a lot of sportsbikes on it, even dragged a knee

yes a little more power would have made all the difference. and i was in sport mode. beautiful bike though.

[Bueller]

This is a great thread. I'm particularly interested in the posts that include dimensions of the rider and thorough descriptions of the issues they had with the bike. I've owned somewhere around 50 bikes, but currently own only two. Considering the fact that I didn't wear any of them out, that sort of says it all

For me it's been a fairly common theme to enjoy something on a test ride, then later on after purchase and some real time in the seat start to realize the shortcomings. Then a long list of mods usually ensues - bars, risers, or sometimes even entire upper fork bracket replacements, seats, peg kits, and on & on, all in the name of comfort. I'm not a tall person at 5' 8" with a 30" inseam, and I think my arms are a bit on the short side too. This makes most bikes inherently uncomfortable out of the box for me when coupled with middle age, arthritis, and other issues. Even the one motorcycle I once considered to be as close to perfection as I was ever going to find - the BMW RT (oil heads and hex heads - I've owned 4) now feels uncomfortable to me due to knee bend. With all of the mods I've made to my current ride - a 2012 Tiger 800 - I've finally accepted the fact that it's me, not the bike.

I'm always on the lookout for that perfect combination of performance, economy, comfort, ease of service, light weight, and touring ability with lots of luggage room, but I also know it doesn't exist. Every motorcycle is a compromise.

[jon_l]

Originally Posted by Bueller

With all of the mods I've made to my current ride - a 2012 Tiger 800 - I've finally accepted the fact that it's me, not the bike.

I'm always on the lookout for that perfect combination of performance, economy, comfort, ease of service, light weight, and touring ability with lots of luggage room, but I also know it doesn't exist. Every motorcycle is a compromise.

Because we expect and desperately want so much more from a bike. Even a guy who could drive a Camry, wants THE bike that rocks his world.

THE perfect bike doesn't exist, but, let's keep looking.

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by rufus

The 990 grabbed my attention the first time I saw one. I wanted it, but talked myself out of it.......THEN, several months later I went to the dealership to pickup parts for my dirt bike. On the way out the sales manager (a friend) says "look what we got in " , while pointing at the 990. At the same time he handed me the keys and a helmet. A couple of hours later it was in my garage.

It is a fantastic bike when ridden hard. It is uncomfortable to ride slow. Cruising down the HWY at 70 or 75 was never comfortable. It was a little top heavy and got moved around by the wind, unless the pavement was smooth the steering was a little twitchy. And it was noisy as hell. I could never really relax on it. Riding hard at 70 or 75 on a dirt or gravel road was completely comfortable, no problem, put a big smile on your face.

I had visions of loading it down and exploring the great west. But I never did. The thought of riding from here (near Tulsa) to there (anywhere west of the rockies) took my enthusiasm for the 990 away. I had less then 10,000 miles on it when i traded it. I am not the least bit sorry that I bought it. But I didn't want to keep it either.

I had a 07 990, loved it in the dirt, absolutely hated to ride it to the dirt. I am 6'3", maybe that was part of the problem. Oil changes are a serious pain in the rear. I put a renazco and foot pegs on it to try to make it more comfy, money well spent but just not enough to want to keep it.

Finally went to the GSA and have not regretted it for a second.

[WVhillbilly]

Originally Posted by BuilderBob

Thanks. I bought it as a wreck and pretty much built it from the ground up. Tweaked the suspension and painted it myself in my garage. Took it to the track a couple of times. I would still have it except that I acquired an RC8R and felt that I didn't need two sport bikes.

So how do you like the RC8?

I have a Super Duke and looked hard at RC8s, talked to a couple guys who traded SD for RC8 and regretted it.
Great going fast, not so great when just riding.

[Mr. Canoehead]

Originally Posted by tvbh40a

I had a 07 990, loved it in the dirt, absolutely hated to ride it to the dirt.

Sounds like a serious conflict :cool:



Sent from my Droid Tablet using Tapatalk

[davidji]

Originally Posted by Bueller

With all of the mods I've made to my current ride - a 2012 Tiger 800 - I've finally accepted the fact that it's me, not the bike.

The Tiger 800 is another that disappointed on the test ride. I'd ridden the 800 XC earlier in the day and loved it. But the 800 suspension didn't work as well on the rough road, and the 1/2 hour ride made my hands tingle.

I also loved the Tiger 1050 I rode that day.

Weird how the one in between (800) didn't do it for me. But it's the one I nearly bought--it seemed most practical for my riding. Bars can be changed. Suspension can be dialed in. If the dealer hadn't asked exorbitant fees I think I would have done the deal. Sure I could have negotiated. But I had lost interest.

[orangebear]

Originally Posted by tvbh40a

I had a 07 990, loved it in the dirt, absolutely hated to ride it to the dirt. I am 6'3", maybe that was part of the problem. Oil changes are a serious pain in the rear. I put a renazco and foot pegs on it to try to make it more comfy, money well spent but just not enough to want to keep it.

Finally went to the GSA and have not regretted it for a second.

my dad go a 990adv on a 06 plate and loves it found it topes out at 130ish 2up. great on the road and he is 5.7ish so has to stand on the pegs to get on and off. the bike does not see much dirt.

[Chopped Knuckles]

After 13 pages , doesn't anybody have something horrible to say about the 955i Tiger ?

[lstehbens]

Originally Posted by Chris41483

This has been a very interesting read!

I would like to hear from someone who doesn't like the new nc700 for whatever reason. I'm interested in one of those. How does it compare to the v-storm for those of you who have ridden both?

Haven't ridden a v-storm but had a test ride of NC700. Found the seat very uncomfortable. Also found the way the tank is designed uncomfortable on the inside of thighs where u grip the seat. Engine would take some getting used to. But just too uncomfortable for me.

[DC2wheels]

Originally Posted by Forde

my 2002 ZX6R just didnt feel at home on it, yet on paper it was perfect for me.. only kept it two weeks

Who mentioned about some folks hating and others loving the same bike? Here's a good example- the quote above vs. our experience.

Our adult daughter has a 2002 ZX6R that we picked up used but in good condition. She loves it- 5'-7", 115#

If I crank up the suspension to carry my weight, I really like to ride it too- 6'-2", 180#

One of the easiest bikes to ride and FUN too.

Go figure.......

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by rufus

In 2006 I bought a new KLR 650. But the reality is that it felt like a pig compared to the dirt bikes I was used to. The brakes are horrible, suspension horrible, seat sucks, gas tank too wide, wheels and spokes are flimsy, it's slow, heavy and vibrates.

Time has tempered my opinion somewhat. If I ever start camping off a bike the KLR may be my first choice.

This is the stuff legends are made of.

[p0diabl0]

The Versys.

People always said "It's so fun, it's like a big supermoto!". Well I've owned a DRZ SM and the Versys is no supermoto. The biggest thing for me was the riding position - I like my nuts on the gas cap when slamming the bike into a turn. On the Versys, like my Ninja 650r, there's a whole lot of room that gas tank takes up that I can't move up. Luckily I only took a ride on it at a Kawi demo day. Edit: I was also dissappointed in the power - I knew it wasn't going to have as high horsepower as my 650R but I thought the midrange would be noticeably better than it was.

From the sound of this thread it looks like I'd love a Hypermotard. Too bad it's Italian.