Even since I moved to the UK I have missed one thing riding my bike. I am now considering buying a bike and I am torn between three options. Buying the smaller more efficient F650 or to go for the bigger ones the R1200GS or the Harley V-ROD
I plan to use the bike to commute to work every day which is about 12 miles or 20 KM one way and use it once in a while for touring. The best fit for my requirement is the F650, powerful enough, efficient, cheaper to insure and I can leave it parked anywhere easily. Since I do not have any no claims bonus and since I have been living here for only 3 years the insurance costs are pretty high on most vehicles and I do not have a garage so parking is a bit of an issue. The bike probably has to be parked in the front lawn.
But then on second thoughts the F650 is not all that cheaper than the other bikes i.e. the R1200GS and the Harley VRod. I have my heart set on the V Rod at the moment but the only issue is I am not sure if I can use it every day to travel into the city, I have heard a lot of riders complain that the V Rod’s riding position is not very comfortable on long rides specially if one if short (i am 5’8″). Any comments anyone ?
Yes, the V-Rod is more of a sport bike than a touring/commuting machine and is not all that comfortable for extended periods of riding. Either the F650 or the R1200GS would be an excellent choice for your needs, with the R1200 getting the nod if you will be doing much touring.
Definitely the R1…..slim, easy to manage while standing and riding. Fits comfortably between your legs. As for safety….I feel it is very safe once you are mature and handle it in a mature manner. Once I got caught in a hell of a rainstorm returning to NY I had 3 and a half hours remaining, the worst experience in my life because I hate riding in the rain and here I am in a rain storm. I maintained a speed of about 90-100 and the bike NEVER went crazy on me. (I know that was crazy to go that fast) but just imagine big solid rain drops beating on you for 3 and a half hours and you can’t do a thing about it. Your entire body soaked and cold,, and as you ride the water has made certain parts of your body a water fall. I forgot to ad the new design is very attractive as well
Have you already thought about a Triumph Tiger. It’s an excellent commute bike (I’ve used it a lot in Brussels) and he’s great fro traveling.
I’m a short guy myself and got used to it really quickly. You can even lower the bike several inches. Just have a look you’ll be surprised and forget about the Harley
the v-rod handles fine at speed but it takes at least 2 lanes to do a u-turn. take a look at the xr1200 instead cheaper to buy and should be cheaper to insure and a lot more maneuverable. plus the bike is not available in the US.
http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/2009_Motorcycles/2009_Motorcycles.jsp?locale=en_GB&#/model/xr1200