Advice sought, modernish tourer needed

[ST1100]

St1100 pan European. Superb tourers and your wife will love you for the pillion comfort. Weight disappears when moving and with two of you ok to manage shoving around car parks.

I concur, whilst my GF is quite happy with her NT700VA, less grunt though, but fine for one up...

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

budget is a bit woeful really, I can only really afford about £2k, £3k if I sell the 500.

I think you will find quite a few nice used bikes in that price band, there are a lot of decent low mileage bikes around from born again bikers who have finally given up on two wheels that have pampered & garaged them.

It's a bit of a buyers market as the days of bikes holding their value as they used to have long gone imho.

[Cb750r]

I’ve lusted after a vfr800i pre Vtec bike for a long time. It should be noted the Vtec models are supposedly expensive to service hence my desire for a 98-01 model. I owned a 93 VFR750 for a few years and it was just such a good bike. Heavy to transition but stable as a rock.

Have a friend with a sprint it’s a great long distance machine but it hasn’t weathered the test of time in the cosmetic department.

[flatfour]

For distance work in total comfort, I'd always go the BMW route. Both the twins and fours have low rear footrests, fitted luggage of the highest quality is almost universally standard, and heated grips (and seats) are normally found across the range. An R1200 or 1250 RT, or K1300 GT will offer frugal fuel consumption, the fours in particular also have huge power.

My current K1300 GT (July 2010) has 54,000 miles on it, has had one change of brake pads (no discs needed) and, except for an annual service, has wanted for nothing else of significance. In terms of running cost, both of my BMW's have needed far less spent on them than my Kawasaki 1400 GTR, Versys 1000 or Ducati ST, all of which were bought new. Tyres are lasting 10,000 miles or more on the BMW's and less than half of that on the Kawasaki's or Ducati.

As a further benefit, my GT still has a BMW warranty on it, including European - wide recovery and other benefits. This can be renewed annually or paid for on a rolling monthly basis.

[Laverdaroo]

I’ve lusted after a vfr800i pre Vtec bike for a long time. It should be noted the Vtec models are supposedly expensive to service hence my desire for a 98-01 model. I owned a 93 VFR750 for a few years and it was just such a good bike. Heavy to transition but stable as a rock.

Have a friend with a sprint it’s a great long distance machine but it hasn’t weathered the test of time in the cosmetic department.

Only if you’re doing valves in a business work shop as the engines gotta come out, everything else is not too bad really. In 20 years, I’ve only replaced the thermostat and swapped a head due to mechanical fuckwittery when it went into a shop. I just keep putting tyres on it, brakes and fuel in the tank. Oh, and an exhaust recently but that’s after the old one went through at 160k.

Yes the engines are sod to take out but it’s a V4 but once you pluck courage up and dig in, it’s rather cool to work on. Two up or on your own it’s a mega bike


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[Cb750r]

Good points about the BMW line up.  My friends dad is a retired doctor has done what sounds like a few laps around North America on his big six cylinder BMW k1600.

And Laverdaroo, good to hear regarding the Vtec models. If you’re handy it’s not too bad for service costs it sounds.

Choices choices…

[Bryanj]

In years back we always said the BMW was second at everything which made it the best bike going, that was the airhead 900's though