Bikes you liked more than you thought you would

[motorat]

the vstrom650.
i took me about 5 years to get use to looking at it. i couldn't imaging going out to the garage and seeing it there.
then in 2009 my commute changed from back roads to the super slab and my klr650 wasn't workin for me.
a 2008 with 8k miles on it came up on craigs list and i got it.
now the bike has over 38k on it and it has really grown on me.

[eatpasta]

I bought an 1150GS simply because I was going to get a smoking deal. The guy that was selling it, sold it for about as much as he had into it for farkles so I had no choice but to go buy it.
When I test rode it, I stalled it in his driveway about 100 times before I finally got out onto the street. The test ride felt akward, the bike was tall and I wasnt used to the pulse of a parallel twin. I really didnt like it - it felt weird, it's buttfuc*king ugly and I didnt really have a use for a Adventure Touring Bike. Then something strange happened - I started to ride it.

It never impressed me......but what I found over the years is that it (to this day even) continues to surprise me.... which is a big deal by bike standards because if you cant find a bike to continually surprise you after 10 years, you'll sell it.

This bike has taken me to all the western states, 3000 miles through Baja and has given me totally reliable service for 80,000 miles. I love this bike and how it's changed my life.

[gastone]

Originally Posted by Pantah

How is that? My moderns mixed with my antiques? Exactly what is your category? I thought the question was about motorcycles that exceeded expectations? I listed them!

Jeepers...Gestapo is everywhere.

Godwin's Law in under 10 posts. Nice.


On topic I had a 98 triumph t-bird. Brakes sucked, suspension sucked, but the engine, oh the engine. How she sung. If I could afford more than one bike at a time I'd have another Hinckley triple in a heartbeat.

[SmithSwede]

2012 Ninja 250. I commute about 500 miles a week. Figured I'd keep the miles off my "good" bike by getting a cheap to buy, cheap to run, reliable "commuter" bike. Just for tooling back and forth to work.

The Ninja stunned me with how freaking fun it is to ride. How capable it is (e.g. 1000 mile weekend trips; perfect bike for Arkansas fun roads). And how comfortable--I never would have thought such a small bike would fit me so well. Surprisingly good on fire trails too. I've learned a lot about riding too since I can't compensate for errors with raw horsepower. My BMW F800 doesn't get much use anymore.

How much do I like it? Two comments. I'm considering an iron butt in the spring---will probably take the 250, not the BMW. And if the 250 were stolen or totaled tomorrow I would get another one; if I lost the BMW, I would get something else (Moto Guzzi V7 or Ducati Monster)

Maybe a nostalgia thing to some degree. My formative years in the late 70s were largely spent on an RD350 and a KZ200.

[bbagwell]

I would say my DR650. I started on a TW200 which I still own and love too. I thought the seat would suck on the DR, and it would be too tall, and I would probably hate it. I took one test ride and loved it. I did replace the seat three days later with a Corbin I found on craigslist. Coming from a TW200, the DR650 has plenty of power, and has been comfortable for longer rides. I think it is a good compromise for longer pavement rides but still hit some trails. My girlfriend has an older Honda 400 streetbike and my little TW was having trouble keeping up so I needed a bigger bike! I really didn't consider the DR650 as an option either. I had only been looking at Vstrom 650's and KLR 650's. I found my DR650 with super low miles for a good price. Glad I went and test rode it now.