Topic: What's your "other bike?" ISO a good SOHC4 stable mate

[JBMorse]

I posted a topic about this on the advrider forums a while back, https://advrider.com/f/threads/3000-sporty-standard-st-or-road-going-adv-bike.1447531/ and thought the SOHC4 community would be a good resource for this question, since not every bike can live up to the SOHC Honda.....

Sometime in the next year I plan to spend around $3k on another bike to go with my much beloved CB500k. I've had it for over 10 years, it was off the road for 4 or so years before I finally did a rebuild and a bunch of work a couple years ago. It's a great machine. Great balance, plenty of power, good riding position with CB400F bars, great noise, great looks, it's such a freaking blast. And it's so well put together and easy to live with.

But it's old and I ride a lot. You all know how much maintenance these are. I want to take it off the road again and redo some stuff in the engine and suspension, and not have to rush. I'd also like to take a little of the commuting pressure off and save the old girl for nicer days and leisure rides.

 So I'd like to get something slightly newer, a slightly roomier and capable of touring. Here are the bullet points I came up with:

Requirements:
-Sporty standard, Sport Touring, or maybe road oriented adv bike
-I'm 6'2, so it has to fit or be easily made to fit.
-good for 2 up. I would like something slightly bigger than my little old 500 so I can more comfortably bring my gal along.
-Good luggage options. I want to commute so I would bring a couple clothing layers, work boots, lunch, etc.
(PS I hate top boxes, good looking side bags are my preference)
-SPORTY. No dirt bikes, cruisers, etc. But I don't need huge power. I stick to back roads.
-Not too pedestrian. The sensible person would by an older Versys 650 and be done. But I just find them boring....
-around $3000.
-my favorite rides are rarely more than 60mph, so I don't need or want 160HP

Here are my favorites:
-VFR800 5th gen: My favorite VFR.
-Ducati ST2: Easier than ST3 or 4 to maintain, 2v engine character, beautiful looking and great handling
-Triumph Sprint (900, 955i, are my favorites)
-Suzuki Bandit 1200: air cooled, old school, not bad looking, a little roomier than my old CB, easy valve adjustments and lots of aftermarket goodies

and some others I've considered:
-Yamaha FZ1: ticks all the boxes but soooo much power I'm afraid I'd never use gears 3-6
-any Moto Guzzi: usually not available for 3k but I love 'em
-Kawasaki zrx1100 or 1200: Great looking, not common in my area but there happens to be one near me right now for $3k.....
-BMW R1100/1150r or R1100RS: Great bikes, I can't get into the style of the nakeds but I bet I would love riding one. I'm afraid of that stupid shaft drive scariness (probably overblown internet hysteria)
-SV650: awesome bikes, maybe slightly too small for what I want

Anyway, you get the point. If you made it this far and have any input, advice or ridicule please send it my way!

[FourUsTry]

Talk about timing... I'm in a similar situation and I just snagged a 5th Gen VFR800 a few days ago (for under $3k). I think it ticks all your boxes with a few downsides:
- Hard luggage options are limited although I've read that the 6th gen OEM side cases can be adapted to a 5th gen
- While they are reliable and lower maintenance than an old CB once fully serviced some of the service procedures seem to be pretty complex mostly due to the shoehorning of the V4 into the frame.
- If you don't do your own work on it you may have trouble finding a competent mechanic.
- Puts out a lot of heat on the rider when stopped -- not sure if anything can be done about that.

My VFR needs some love to bring it back to smooth operation but I'm confident that I'll love it when it is set up. The sound (gear-driven cam whirrrrr!) and looks are pretty sweet.

Have fun shopping. And let us know (with pics) what you get.

[andy750]

I was there in 2010: had been riding a CB750 for 18 years and discovered modern bikes while in Japan in 2005 and met a girl with a VMAX. That changed my life (in more ways than one) and in 2010 bought a 2003 VStrom DL1000 from ADV rider (fly and ride from Green Bay, WI). It does all the things you want in a bike (I am 6`4 and its big enough for me, great 2-up and easy to work on).I use it for commuting here in Boston and for weekend trips in the NE area. Its been a great compliment to the 750s in my garage. A little boring compared to the 750s but good in other ways. I love those VFR800s....and the Bandits are great bikes in the UK - very popular. Good luck with your search and let us know what you go for - what about the FJRs? They are good sport tourers.

 

[seanbarney41]

Well, I can tell you about a couple of those bikes...if you don't want to go fast, forget about the Bandit and the ZRX...those things are monsters.  But other wise you have  a good selection of solid choices there.  I dont think you could go too wrong with any of them.

[JBMorse]

Talk about timing... I'm in a similar situation and I just snagged a 5th Gen VFR800 a few days ago (for under $3k). I think it ticks all your boxes with a few downsides:

Thanks! My brother has a gen4 VFR and I really like it. The riding position is more committed than I'm used to, but I could adapt. The engine is soooo sweet. Power everywhere without biting my head off. I think I like the 5th gen even more. And I'd do my own maintenance, which would be more difficult than the CB but much less frequent.

I was there in 2010: had been riding a CB750 for 18 years and discovered modern bikes while in Japan in 2005 and met a girl with a VMAX. That changed my life (in more ways than one) and in 2010 bought a 2003 VStrom DL1000 from ADV rider (fly and ride from Green Bay, WI). It does all the things you want in a bike (I am 6`4 and its big enough for me, great 2-up and easy to work on).I use it for commuting here in Boston and for weekend trips in the NE area. Its been a great compliment to the 750s in my garage. A little boring compared to the 750s but good in other ways. I love those VFR800s....and the Bandits are great bikes in the UK - very popular. Good luck with your search and let us know what you go for - what about the FJRs? They are good sport tourers.

I remember learning about your buying a STrom! I didn't think you'd ever give in to a modern bike FJRs are awesome. I don't know if I want that much weight but I'd have to try one. As for the stroms, I've never been excited by them, but more importantly it might be a bit too close to my Transalp (which is also off the road for an eventual rebuild...)

Well, I can tell you about a couple of those bikes...if you don't want to go fast, forget about the Bandit and the ZRX...those things are monsters.  But other wise you have  a good selection of solid choices there.  I dont think you could go too wrong with any of them.

Thanks! I think the Bandit may be my top choice right now. But really it will come down to which of these (or similar) I can find for the right price when I'm ready to plunk down the cash.

[ekpent]

 If shopping for a Bandit 1200 might be wise to shy away from the 2000 and early 2001 bikes as some had problems with the pistons and rings on the model change over and were oil burners. Lots on the web about it. I've got a gen 1 1999 and enjoy it.  http://forums.banditalley.net/suzuki-bandit-600-650-750-1200-faq/bandit-1200-'oil-burning'-issue-archive/
  My son a week ago picked up a 2007 Honda CB900F aka the 919 Hornet. He is really liking it so far. Good low end torque and plenty of steam up top for him. I'm looking forward to taking it out for a ride.

[MauiK3]

My other bike is a 2009 Ruckus.
Great little scooter. I run it on ethanol free fuel, it did not like ethanol fuel.

[Stev-o]

Since you are asking us what is our other bike:

1975 Kawasaki Z1



Checked off all the boxes for me but no way anywhere near $3K.

[Kelly E]

My friend and I pooled our resources and have 10 bikes with 7 now up and running. We have to finish up the 74' CB550, get the Interceptor running and do a ground up on the 80' Suzuki GS1100E.
It's a blast having several bikes to choose from.
I currently have the 84' Sabre, 79' CB750F, 90' Moto Guzzi and the 94' Kawasaki Concours.

[andy750]

What about the Honda CB1100 in all black - a guy up my street has one and every time I see it I want one.

[Scott S]

 Triumph Tiger sounds like exactly what you're looking for. Triple power!

 I've had a Tiger Xc and two Scrambler twins. Love the modern Triumphs!

[BenelliSEI]

FOr low bucks, nothing beats my 2009 Kawasaki KLR650. Been everywhere, never let me down.

[rb550four]

  My favorite bike to ride is my fave 500, now sporting a 550 engine. just a tiny bit faster but not fast by today's standards.

The one next to the fave 500 that I ride , by choice , is a 1980 cb 650. once you get rid of those crappy factory handlebars and replace them with a set of 550 bars you'll find that you are on all so familiar , better handling, and quicker machine . I like to have machines as similar as possible so I don't have to think in an emergency, just react. The seat is a  bit more comfortable, I find , than the flat seat of the 500 , fanny is firmly planted in this seat and though I love these 500s I feel more connected to the ride on the 650. All that and I never have to leave the sohc family of fours. The price for a 650 should be well in your budget and I've been seeing some nice 650 s out there for less than 2k.

  So there was this old man who was after me to be the next home for his machine a few years back, he had a 2001 American edition 750 , aero I suppose. Well he finally hornswaggled me into buying it , it's different than the sohc , low center of gravity, has really wide bars that are great for control. Bags for carrying stuff, no more back packs .Lotsa chrome and a windscreen. Low center of gravity , easy and predictable to ride, easy to be comfortable on if you get an other than factory seat I got a Corbin seat makes a big difference in rider comfort. Has enough power to get you were you want to go at reasonable speeds and you could fiind a decent one for around 2k or a great one if you're a good shopper. The only problem is that everybody wants to talk to you about it, but you should be used to that being a 500 owner.

[Desert-SOHC]

Hell, I need about 20 bikes....lol

[The Sovereign Man]

I’m a Honda owner through ’n’ through. I currently own 8, have owned 35+, and have ridden hundreds whilst working for Honda.

BUT ...

Today I rode the Triumph Speed Twin and wow, it’s a great bike. It really is a good compromising all rounder IMO. I see one of these in my immediate future.

EDIT: I didn’t see the $3k budget from OP. This bike definitely does not fit.

For that money here in Oz I’d probably buy an ~05 CB1300. If I wanted something more sedate for around town I’d look at the 600.

[Terry in Australia]

I love anything with an engine in it, and it doesn't matter how much power a bike has, how fast you ride it depends on your own will power. My current garage horde includes:

2019 Royal Enfield 650 Continental GT
2007 Triumph Rocket III Classic (2300cc of ground pounding stomp that scares sports bikes and Harley riders alike)
2006 Honda VTR1000F
2000 Honda VTR1000R SP1 (RC51 in the US) x 2 (1 complete, 1 track bike build)
2000 Yamaha FJR1300 with 146,000 miles and engine never had any repairs (bulletproof? probably)
1997 Honda VFR750 (the last, and best of the VFR750's, and still gear driven cams, unlike the last of the camchain tensioner fail prone VFR800's)
1994 Harley XLH1200
1989 BMW K100RS SE ABS1
1980 Yamaha XS650
1980 Honda CX500 (lovely engine, but horrible bike)
1978 Honda CB750F2
1978 Honda CB750K7 (we didn't get the K8 in Oz)
1977 Kawasaki KZ1000/Arias 1428cc beast
1975 Kawasaki Z1B 900 (1100cc Moriwaki, ported head, GPZ1100 cams, 33mm smoothbores, etc)
1973 Harley Sportster 1000 "Iron Head"
1972 Honda CB750K2
1971 Honda CB750K1 (future project)
1967(?) Honda CL90 (just bought, awaiting collection)
1960(ish) Puch 250 "Twingle" x 2 (gift from my cousin, awaiting collection)
1953(?) BSA C11G 250

I love them all, and it's nice to get off a cruiser and jump on a sports bike, or get off a sports bike and jump on a fast tourer, or get off that one and hop on an old classic. In not too long I'll have to thin the herd to just 3 or 4 as I'm 60 now and considering retirement in not too long, and need to reduce my outgoings, but for now I just like looking at them. All bikes are great, in their own ways.

 

[Kelly E]

I'm like Terry, I love almost anything with an engine in it. Paul and I have 10 bikes between the two of us. We decided that is enough bikes although one of my friends is giving us an 04' FJR1300 after he gets his newer FJR in a few months. His son turned rotten so he can't have it.  We have 7 now running and it is fun to jump from one bike to another and see how different they are. It's also fun to share bikes with our good friends when we go on Rust Bros. rides. 

[The Sovereign Man]

I love anything with an engine in it, and it doesn't matter how much power a bike has, how fast you ride it depends on your own will power. My current garage horde includes:

2019 Royal Enfield 650 Continental GT
2007 Triumph Rocket III Classic (2300cc of ground pounding stomp that scares sports bikes and Harley riders alike)
2006 Honda VTR1000F
2000 Honda VTR1000R SP1 (RC51 in the US) x 2 (1 complete, 1 track bike build)
2000 Yamaha FJR1300 with 146,000 miles and engine never had any repairs (bulletproof? probably)
1997 Honda VFR750 (the last, and best of the VFR750's, and still gear driven cams, unlike the last of the camchain tensioner fail prone VFR800's)
1994 Harley XLH1200
1989 BMW K100RS SE ABS1
1980 Yamaha XS650
1980 Honda CX500 (lovely engine, but horrible bike)
1978 Honda CB750F2
1978 Honda CB750K7 (we didn't get the K8 in Oz)
1977 Kawasaki KZ1000/Arias 1428cc beast
1975 Kawasaki Z1B 900 (1100cc Moriwaki, ported head, GPZ1100 cams, 33mm smoothbores, etc)
1973 Harley Sportster 1000 "Iron Head"
1972 Honda CB750K2
1971 Honda CB750K1 (future project)
1967(?) Honda CL90 (just bought, awaiting collection)
1960(ish) Puch 250 "Twingle" x 2 (gift from my cousin, awaiting collection)
1953(?) BSA C11G 250

I love them all, and it's nice to get off a cruiser and jump on a sports bike, or get off a sports bike and jump on a fast tourer, or get off that one and hop on an old classic. In not too long I'll have to thin the herd to just 3 or 4 as I'm 60 now and considering retirement in not too long, and need to reduce my outgoings, but for now I just like looking at them. All bikes are great, in their own ways.

 

We’ve had similar rides Terry, and I still have an SP2 I bought new.

My wife wants the RE 650. We’ve been to have a look but she’s not ridden it yet. What’s your honest opinion on it?

Although I won’t be the one riding it, I will be the one spinning the spanners over its lifetime.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

My "other" road bike is a BMW K1200GT to save my 79 CBX, 83 1100F, and the 2 CB750F's.

[Terry in Australia]

I love anything with an engine in it, and it doesn't matter how much power a bike has, how fast you ride it depends on your own will power. My current garage horde includes:

2019 Royal Enfield 650 Continental GT
2007 Triumph Rocket III Classic (2300cc of ground pounding stomp that scares sports bikes and Harley riders alike)
2006 Honda VTR1000F
2000 Honda VTR1000R SP1 (RC51 in the US) x 2 (1 complete, 1 track bike build)
2000 Yamaha FJR1300 with 146,000 miles and engine never had any repairs (bulletproof? probably)
1997 Honda VFR750 (the last, and best of the VFR750's, and still gear driven cams, unlike the last of the camchain tensioner fail prone VFR800's)
1994 Harley XLH1200
1989 BMW K100RS SE ABS1
1980 Yamaha XS650
1980 Honda CX500 (lovely engine, but horrible bike)
1978 Honda CB750F2
1978 Honda CB750K7 (we didn't get the K8 in Oz)
1977 Kawasaki KZ1000/Arias 1428cc beast
1975 Kawasaki Z1B 900 (1100cc Moriwaki, ported head, GPZ1100 cams, 33mm smoothbores, etc)
1973 Harley Sportster 1000 "Iron Head"
1972 Honda CB750K2
1971 Honda CB750K1 (future project)
1967(?) Honda CL90 (just bought, awaiting collection)
1960(ish) Puch 250 "Twingle" x 2 (gift from my cousin, awaiting collection)
1953(?) BSA C11G 250

I love them all, and it's nice to get off a cruiser and jump on a sports bike, or get off a sports bike and jump on a fast tourer, or get off that one and hop on an old classic. In not too long I'll have to thin the herd to just 3 or 4 as I'm 60 now and considering retirement in not too long, and need to reduce my outgoings, but for now I just like looking at them. All bikes are great, in their own ways.

 

We’ve had similar rides Terry, and I still have an SP2 I bought new.

My wife wants the RE 650. We’ve been to have a look but she’s not ridden it yet. What’s your honest opinion on it?

Although I won’t be the one riding it, I will be the one spinning the spanners over its lifetime.

Thanks mate, well don't buy a new set of tools to work on it, you won't need them, the new Royal Enfield 650 twins are a quality build for a bargain price. We (my youngest son and I) first saw them at Moto Expo in Feb last year, and we were blown away by how good they looked, so booked a test ride a few weeks later when our local dealer had both models (The Interceptor and Conti GT) in stock.

They were so new at that time the salesman I spoke to hadn't ridden one, and as my son was a bit nervous, I volunteered to test ride both bikes back to back. I rode the Interceptor first and loved it. Royal Enfield pulled out all stops with this bike, they bought Harris Engineering in the UK, arguably the best frame builders in the business, and poached some of Triumph's top engineers and test riders to design and test these bikes, had Brembo supply the brakes, and even got Pirelli to start making their famous "Phantom" tyres again, after a long absence, one of my favourite tyres back in the day.

The Continental GT is the same bike, albeit with lower clip on style bars, a sportier looking tank with knee dents, and a race bike style seat and rearset pegs. While no power houses at 46 BHP off the shop floor, they're a beautifully balanced bike, handle as well or better than their contemporaries (Triumph Bonneville, Kawasaki W800 etc) and are very reasonably priced. We bought the top of the range Conti GT, which was $10500.00 (around $6500 USD) ride away, no more to pay.

The Interceptor was my pick because I like the more upright riding position, so would prefer it around town, but as it's my son's bike, he wanted the sportier looking Conti GT. It will eventually be mine as he has his eyes on my XLH1200 once he's on his full license, but I believe that the Interceptor parts will bolt straight onto the Conti's frame, so if and when we do the trade, I'll buy all new Interceptor parts and swap them out. For a first bike they're great, very easy to live with as they have EFI, electronic ignitions, ABS, excellent handling and brakes.

Build quality is great, it kind of reminds me of when the CB750 was first released, it was a quality build for a very reasonable price, and the RE's closest competitor, the Triumph Bonneville is 70% more expensive, for a whole lot of nothing. If Triumph want to keep selling their entry level Bonny, they'll need to totally revamp it, and drop the price by $7K here in Oz.

We've had the RE since May last year and as my son has two demanding jobs and is doing a university course (not to mention that we've been in lockdown since March) he's only done a couple of thousand kilometers on it, with absolutely no issues. On our first ride together he dropped it at walking pace when he tried to do a U turn and the front wheel dropped into a pothole and he lost his balance, but the only damage was a bent clutch lever. I bought a new genuine clutch lever assembly for $35, which was a quarter of the price I paid for a new one for my Triumph Rocket III. He said he thinks the ignition switch might be suspect, but he'll take it in for a warranty replacement once the lockdown is over.

The RE 650 aftermarket is in it's infancy, but already there are big bore kits, hot cams and freer flowing exhaust systems and air filters available, and so if you want a little more out of your new Royal Enfield, you can. If it wasn't for the fact that it'll eventually become mine, I would have bought one too.    

[gpzkat]

Triumph Tigers are pretty good for a tall rider, sort of blobby and horrific graphics styling in years I'm thinking of, but I rode one and liked it, at 6'3" tall it fit me well and I loved the triple. I had an '82 GPZ1100 at the time and it had similar power/delivery Had a '95 and '05 VFR and they were fine with bar risers (I'm not into crouching) but a bit smallish.  Love the V4 and sophistication though.   Currently riding a Ducati Multistrada 1200S among others, but it's over your range of price.  ZRX and Bandit are good bikes in a UJM way. That is a good thing for parts I expect.

[Just John]

I have two garages full of motorcycles with no "favorite".  My latest purchase is a 2019 CanAm Ryker 900.

[Just John]

Also just bought this little bike. 1969 Triumph Trophy 250 (rebadged BSA).

[JBMorse]

Thanks for all the input! Thought I'd update the group with what I've decided on:




It's a 1998 Ducati ST2! This popped up on my local CL for a decent price. The owner has had it for 10 years and has done all the common upgrades, including a Corbin seat, Ferraci exhaust and chip, updated regulator and headlight.  It's been well maintained by a Ducati shop and is generally in great shape. There's some patina, scratches and scuffs, but this thing has been all over the East coast on camping trips so that's expected. I also like the discreet anthracite grey color.

It runs great, handles great, is comfortable (wife appreciates the backrest), doesn't feel heavy, sounds sinister and is generally a blast to ride.
What I love most, though, is that it's not THAT fast. I'm used to my old CB500 and stick to the back roads. The 2v engine only makes 82 HP or so, which is perfect for my style of riding. I can cruise along at 50-60 MPH happily, but still have plenty of grunt to wick it up when I want.

So far I am thrilled with the bike. It's not nearly as refined as my brother's VFR750, but the power delivery is intoxicating and I think it would outhandle the VFR. This winter I plan to replace the belts and adjust the valves, so I can take my time and learn to do it properly. It all looks pretty simple and I think this bike will actually be easy to live with.

People keep asking me if I am getting rid of my CB500k, and the answer is a resounding NO!. Although this Ducati seems like a great bike, it's no replacement for a Honda. Now the Honda will get used on nicer days for more leisurely trips and the Duc can take me to work on 40 degree wet mornings.

[Kelly E]

It's hard to beat a good handling bike with a fairing and bags for general use. My commute is to the shop out back but I can go to the grocery store on my 84' Honda Sabre 700 and get three 12 packs.