Does my dream motorcycle exist?

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Well I stumbled on a bike I never knew existed

The CBF1000 - a detuned Fireblade litre motor in a light sport touring package with good ergos, exceptional brakes, 490 lb with circa 100 HP and a hilariously good torque curve and decent factory bags.

http://www.cbf1000.com

It's fun around town as it's got bags of torque at any rpm so you don't have to thrash the shifter and yet I put 8000 km touring on mine between end of Sept and mid November.

Feels and looks like a mid-sized ..until you wind it out.....nice rush - no sense of losing it.

lean for local riding
honda-cbf1000-2009-8.jpg


and dressed for touring



Never brought into the US....extremely popular in Europe.

There is a few on kiji

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-ontario/honda-cbf-1000/k0l9004

I'd buy this in a heart beat if I didn't have one....Honda inline 4s are good for hundreds of thousands of miles...let alone KM.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-tourin...0a/1147393473?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

this is a fun read ...as they learn to love the machine over time.

http://www.visordown.com/road-tests/living-with-a-2006-honda-cbf1000/15631.html

snip

Is it 'sporty'? Yes. Well, no, well sort of. I'll go into this next time. So far, I can tell you the CBF is shaping up to be one of those great all-rounder models, which stays in Honda's range for decades. Its softened Fireblade engine and optional ABS/dual-action brakes give it cred and a talking point in the pub, but what will really win it a place in the world is its price: £5999, or £6299 with ABS. No wonder it's the UK's top-selling sports tourer.

CBF1000: It's French for 'flippin' good bike'. And make no mistake, this is a French bike, I can see Honda selling thousands of them to the Froggies. Already I feel the urge to don the proverbial corduroy jacket, open face GPa and Ray Bans. The CBF is the ultimate street sleeper: looks dull as
dishwater, sees off Porsches.

And really, what's not to like? Suspension that's as plush as a Citroen's Hydractive self-levelling set-up. An engine that makes wonderful yet progressive power from zero to 10,000rpm. A gearbox that's so slick you swap cogs just to repeat the experience. Brakes do the job just fine, and if you had to have ABS - I'm no fan - Honda's version is as sorted as anyone's.

And boy but it handles too. Natural instinctive, assured. The suspension is a bit soft, but ground clearance is the only issue - eventually.



.......


my point wasn't that CBF owners would go track day riding, simply that they could. The CBF1000 is so good I'm looking for new measures of its abilities. So far it's consumed some 6000 miles without so much as a murmur. No oil, no tyres, just fuel. Tim has meanwhile been fussing over Bridgestones, Akrapovics and Power Commanders in trying to get his FZ1 Fazer on the money, so's Jon over his GSX-R6. Even Army John was putting pipes and bars on his now late GSR. But the CBF has just been getting on with it.
Yet when Jon hightailed off on his GSX-R one night it was the CBF that went with him, showering sparks mid-roundabout as the pegs dug in deep, but it was there in his slipstream.
And when ad' boyo Barry blipped his R1's throttle at the lights it was the CBF that wheelied away, top-box waving in the wind, then got the holeshot into the sweep before the roundabout.
Yeah, it goes like the clappers, as it should, but it commutes 100 miles a day without so much as a sniff too. No nonsense, just getting on with the job.
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Read more: http://www.visordown.com/road-tests/living-with-a-2006-honda-cbf1000/15631.html#ixzz43IulTUIM
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I can finally keep up with my kid's FZ8 ....something that you might consider if you are looking lighter that can still tour.
The 2013 was very highly rate

2013 Yamaha FZ8 Test

Compromise is not a very attractive word. It conjures up a wishy-washy image and implies that the subject in question isn’t very much good in any way at all – but it will do.

So, when I say the new Yamaha FZ8 is the perfect compromise, I think you will expect the worst. That would be a shame, because I have had more fun on this brilliant little motorcycle than I can remember for a long time.

The FZ8 falls neatly between Yamaha’s upright novice-friendly FZ6R and the potent FZ1. As a horsepower snob, it was easy for me to assume that the smaller engine would be a disappointment. Boy, was I wrong.

The 779cc four-cylinder mill spins up incredibly willingly to its 11,500 redline and feels more like a liter-bike with the crazy edge taken off than a peppy 600. The motor is uncannily smooth, and the few vibes it does produce are well insulated from the rider.
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https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2013/06/07/2013-yamaha-fz8-review-unexpected-magic/

you want a bike that does everything well - solo touring towards the sport side a 2013 FZ8 should be considered.

2015-Yamaha-FZ8-EU-Midnight-Black-Studio-001.jpg

Fazer I think is just the faired version

Damn the used ones are going for more than he paid new

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-sport-bikes/ontario/yamaha-fz8/k0c304l9004

The FJ9 seems to have cut some of the rough edges off the FZ9 - kid tried both and liked the ergos on the FZ8 better and it's been an excellent choice for him
 
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I can't hold it in anymore. I left something very important off the first post, something so critical that it would have altered the course of the thread. My dream bike does not have sliding calipers, damper rod forks or a non-adjustable shock on it. We're not animals. This is the 21st century.

But, you say, the ZX-11 has two of those things. Well, I had "invested" in a full Racetech setup front and rear. It was less easy than I imagined it to be, and I didn't even do most of the work. Also, expensive. Am I whining about work and/or spending money? Do I even know what I want? Actually, yes - for the purposes of this edifying discussion, we are largely talking about bikes as they came from the factory. All the Ninja 1000 stuff would have taken a few hundred bucks and maybe twenty minutes.
 
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I didn't read any other replies, but they're all WRONG! The NC700 is perfect for you. Gobs of torque for the city with a big storage compartment where the tank normally goes, lightweight with a low centre of gravity, plus great mileage and upright seating for the long rides. The one downside I can see is the seat has to come off to fill the tank, so if you have stuff piled onto or tied to the seat, it could be a real PITA. Will probably need a seat upgrade. What bike doesn't?
 
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LePhillou said:
oh well, won't be a problem anyways since they're not bringing it to N/A for some reason
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The crossrunner was at the motorcycle show in feb. That vfr1200 motor is the cat's *****! If the regular vfr1200 hadn't made my back scream in pain i'd have bought one.
 
fb95415e75b1ef75c16be63c8b92ffe3.jpg


Bike was definitely at the show but i couldn't get over the price tag

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
MacDoc said:
I can finally keep up with my kid's FZ8 ....something that you might consider if you are looking lighter that can still tour.
The 2013 was very highly rate

you want a bike that does everything well - solo touring towards the sport side a 2013 FZ8 should be considered.

Fazer I think is just the faired version

Damn the used ones are going for more than he paid new

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-sport-bikes/ontario/yamaha-fz8/k0c304l9004

The FJ9 seems to have cut some of the rough edges off the FZ9 - kid tried both and liked the ergos on the FZ8 better and it's been an excellent choice for him
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I distinctly remember how cheap they were selling FZ8s when they were discontinuing them, and also you telling the tale of your kid getting one. I wouldn't have been able to get one at the time, but I kick myself everyday because of what a sweet deal it was.
 
OK, let's get back on track. I'm looking at May 2008 Cycle Canada, pg 44. White Triumph Tiger 1050. Funny thing is, guy down the street has a Tiger not in white and, quite frankly, it never popped for me. But this white one with hard bags looks great. I would fine tune it with a very small dropped suspension fr/r and lower handle bar. Can't go wrong with 1050 triple.
 
Funny that, I just bought an '08 1050 tiger, however its black, guy before me coughed for an Ohlins fork set and rear shock and weighed within 5lbs of me so it came essentially set up.
The 1050 engine is pretty nice so far.
 
crankcall said:
Funny that, I just bought an '08 1050 tiger, however its black, guy before me coughed for an Ohlins fork set and rear shock and weighed within 5lbs of me so it came essentially set up.
The 1050 engine is pretty nice so far.
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Very nice. Am I wrong in thinking it could stand to be lowered about an inch front and back?
 
I'd agree it could be a bit lower, I'm not able to flat foot a stop. And its hard to roll back out of a parking spot if there is any incline. I'm a 32 inseam. I'm leaving it as is for now, I'll see how it feels with some stuff in the luggage. Only put about 50kms on it since it got here so I just may need to learn tall bikes.
 
crankcall said:
I'd agree it could be a bit lower, I'm not able to flat foot a stop. And its hard to roll back out of a parking spot if there is any incline. I'm a 32 inseam. I'm leaving it as is for now, I'll see how it feels with some stuff in the luggage. Only put about 50kms on it since it got here so I just may need to learn tall bikes.
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Ya, sorry, I don't mean to get weird about your new ride. The previous Tiger was a direct competitor to BMW GS1200 and similar so it appears Triumph decided to retain some of the dual/adventure flavour on an essentially sport tourer. Like the Duc Multistrata. Anyway, for what it's worth, I have never not tweaked a bike away from what the factory felt I should ride so that's just my perspective. Don't mean to insult.
 
No insult taken. Riding friend was here the other night, she couldn't get it off the centerstand. I agree Its an overly tall bike for its intended use.

I really want a sidecar rig, not for this bike. You just never see enough sidecar setups, even to T.O. police don't seem to use them anymore. Nothing more elegant than the sweet lines of a sidecar hack.
 
crankcall said:
No insult taken. Riding friend was here the other night, she couldn't get it off the centerstand. I agree Its an overly tall bike for its intended use.

I really want a sidecar rig, not for this bike. You just never see enough sidecar setups, even to T.O. police don't seem to use them anymore. Nothing more elegant than the sweet lines of a sidecar hack.
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Oh man. I saw a red Ural sidehack racer at the Mosport vintage races couple years back, gave me a boner this big. I would totally rock that on the street. Shoulda seen the look on Brian P. face when I told him that lol
 
inreb said:
Ya, sorry, I don't mean to get weird about your new ride. The previous Tiger was a direct competitor to BMW GS1200 and similar so it appears Triumph decided to retain some of the dual/adventure flavour on an essentially sport tourer. Like the Duc Multistrata. Anyway, for what it's worth, I have never not tweaked a bike away from what the factory felt I should ride so that's just my perspective. Don't mean to insult.
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Raising your scrambler, dropping your tiger, hack-boners that freak out Brian P. You just can't leave well enough alone, my friend.
Although I agree, I'd love to have a sidecar rig so I could take my dog.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
I wonder what percentage of (North American) Ural owners are dog owners.

In my imaginary 10 bike garage there's probably something like a GL1200 Standard with a sidecar on it, for dog
 
I wish I had a dog. Whenever somebody puts adorable puppy videos on FB (it's an epidemic) I get gooey.
 
My beloved Lab passed away Thursday morning, only get a dog if your ready for complete heartbreak someday.
 
Sorry to hear about that CC.
 
crankcall, there's a puppy somewhere waiting for a new "forever" home. Time helps take the edge off most wounds. Puppies and kittens help too. :)

(I lost one of my cats a couple of weeks ago to cancer so I sympathize...)
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