New old rider from Burlington | GTAMotorcycle.com

New old rider from Burlington

410001661

410001661

New member
Hi All,
I am a old/new rider from Burlington. Had a bike for most of my life but took a break over the last 20years to have kiddies and am thinking about getting back into it and get another bike now that I have more free time and friends are getting bikes again so I will have someone ride with.

Looking at new bikes I am all over the place but I would like a sport touring bike that is big enough not or bore me and one that I can 2 up for short distances on.

Cheers - John
 
welcome back, take it slow, the drivers have gotten worse.
 
Welcome back. A lot has changed in 20 years!

Sport touring 20 years ago was relatively new, you had ST1100s, VFR, FJ1200, Concours and a few Euro bikes like the RT1100, ST4 -- almost everything in the heavy category. The ST world has evolved, the heavy ST are still arguably the Kings, bit there are a plethora of lighter options as well as the ADV category that lures in a lot of ST riders.

The January bike show at the International center is a great place to see and sit on the current stuff. You can also also start you own lively debate here -- any time a new rider ask for bike advice you can expect pages and pages of debate and fodder for thought.

Hope to see you on the roads next spring.
 
Welcome to GTAM.
 
Hi John :) good plan.
No mention of budget, you thinking used or new?
 
Check insurance too. You are mature so that helps, but you may decide that a smaller bike makes sense for a few years to get insurance premium under control.
 
Thanks guys......I am planning on going to the bike show but I was told by guys at the bike dealerships that the Jan show is just a crappy flea market and if I want to see the new bikes to wait until the TO show in Feb - what is your thoughts on this.

I have a loose budget $7,500 - $12,000 and ideally would like a demo bike or a 1yr old with low kms.

As far as bikes go I have been looking at:
- Yamaha FZ-09 / MT-09 / XSR-09
- FJ-09 / Frazer 900
- Monster 797 (but I hear maintenance is troublesome on Ducati's)
- Triumph Street Triple
- Triumph Bobber (but cannot 2 up on it)
- Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe
- Versys 650 & VStrom 650 (but I think I would tire of them quickly - thought of the 1000 but they are tall machines)
- HD Roadster (I think just because it's a Harley)

Presently I am leaning towards the FJ-09, FZ-09 and a Z900RS Cafe......but who knows what next week holds.
 
20 years is a long time to not be riding...sure you want to go with an fz09?

Fun bike for sure, but also a torque monster

Insurance is also high, but your old enough so that probably wont be an issue...in A mode I found it was hard to ride in the city...as small bumps made it want to come up on 1 wheel unless your real light on the throttle


If I were in your shoes i'd get a nice used bike for a lot cheaper than your budget..perhaps something a bit more forgiving till you get back in the groove of things again.

Also the suspension is pretty soft on those so I dont know how the 2 up thing is going to work
 
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Start pricing insurance because I have a feeling they are going to be hard on you for not riding in the past 20 years. My brother-in-law ran across that problem a few years back, he ultimately ended up on a 500cc bike to make it affordable.
 
Even in the spring i feel like a newb rider.....so after 20 years.... I'd also say start out again on something smaller for a season or half. Even a GS500 or SV. Get used and sell for what you paid....and way under your budget.
 
410001661 said:
Thanks guys......I am planning on going to the bike show but I was told by guys at the bike dealerships that the Jan show is just a crappy flea market and if I want to see the new bikes to wait until the TO show in Feb - what is your thoughts on this.

I have a loose budget $7,500 - $12,000 and ideally would like a demo bike or a 1yr old with low kms.

As far as bikes go I have been looking at:
- Yamaha FZ-09 / MT-09 / XSR-09
- FJ-09 / Frazer 900
- Monster 797 (but I hear maintenance is troublesome on Ducati's)
- Triumph Street Triple
- Triumph Bobber (but cannot 2 up on it)
- Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe
- Versys 650 & VStrom 650 (but I think I would tire of them quickly - thought of the 1000 but they are tall machines)
- HD Roadster (I think just because it's a Harley)

Presently I am leaning towards the FJ-09, FZ-09 and a Z900RS Cafe......but who knows what next week holds.
Click to expand...
The Jan bike show has 2 halls of new and late model used bikes. For the most part it's very large dealers attending -- all the bikes you listed should be available for viewing, prices will be better than the spring show. I'll bet the dealers you are talking to are not planning to attend the show, smaller dealers man the factory booths at the spring show, the bigger guys do both.

As others have said, check insurance on the bikes you like before pulling the trigger -- there can be significant differences in cost based on the make and model. There are plenty of insurance agents that specialize in bikes at the show, there are also lots of riding schools that offer spring classes and discounted courses (recommended for new and riders coming off a long hiatus - chances are the course cost will get you an offsetting discount as most insurers will classify you as a new rider).
 
410001661 said:
Hi All,
I am a old/new rider from Burlington. Had a bike for most of my life but took a break over the last 20years to have kiddies and am thinking about getting back into it and get another bike now that I have more free time and friends are getting bikes again so I will have someone ride with.

Looking at new bikes I am all over the place but I would like a sport touring bike that is big enough not or bore me and one that I can 2 up for short distances on.

Cheers - John
Click to expand...

Fjr1300

One bonus to being an old guy...
You dont really need to worry about what bike you're going to get...
I too had 20 year hiatus...
Bought a new GSF1250 Bandit... ins was $900.

The FJR currently runs me about $1k for full, excellent coverage.
 
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I love my FJR -- except for urban riding. In the stop and go of the city, or anytime you're running below 50kmh it will feel like riding a wood stove.
 
Hack likes to mount his wood stoves.
 
GreyGhost said:
Was he talking about handling or heat output?
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Heat output.

FJR's are only second to ST1300s. Not only do they pump a ton of heat, the fat gas tank and fuel sinks heat from the engine and eventually gets warm too.
 
GreyGhost said:
Was he talking about handling or heat output?
Click to expand...

I totally missed that angle... duh. Lol.

I've never really been bothered by the heat coming off my FJR.
I mean it's to be expected... You're sitting on top of an engine.

My hottest ride was 40° C out on the prairies a couple if summers ago... the engine heat wasnt even an issue... it was that ball of fire in the sky.
 
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