looking for my first *real* bike

 hi all. still seems to be a decent s/n ratio here, so i figure i'll poke my
head into r.m before trying those new-fangled web forums :)

anyway, i'm a 40 y.o. male and have not been into bikes as an adult. i had a
Honda Trail 70 back when i was like 12, a CR80 the next year. a few years
later i spent a considerable amount of time on a CR250R, but those first two
are the only bikes i have ever owned and maintained myself.

i grew up on a farm, so bikes were more a mode of transportation rather than
an avocation. i don't expect that a bit of experience on a few dirt bikes
20+ years ago buys me any credibility with my new interest...

maybe it's the so-called mid-life crisis, but i now have the bug to hit the
open road. i plan to get my ticket by the end of the summer (motor
vehicle-sponsored class through the local community college), and will start
actively looking at bikes after that. but being a geek, i'm trying to learn
all i can now.

OK, so i already know what i *don't* want: i don't want a sport bike/crotch
rocket (hope that's not taken as a pejorative :) ). and as much as i might
like a Harley, i have to be honest with myself and realize i am not ready
for an HD. being a beginner, i realize that i might be kind of poseur-ish on
on a fat boy.

i've kind of identified a dual-purpose bike as the style for me. i used to
call them enduro back in the day: is there a technical difference between
``dual-purpose'' and ``enduro'' w/r/t bikes?

i will probably ride the bike back and forth to work (20 miles each way) to
practice my skills and build confidence on the bike for a while before
venturing out more. i imagine taking weekend trips of between 500-600 miles
round trip (i'm in the Wash, DC suburbs).

i don't think i'll consider anything less than 650 cc or so, and i'm
going to budget around $6 - $6.5K for the bike (not including riding gear
and apparrel; i know that can run some $$, and i'm going to try to remain
realistic about that).

having read through the archived posts here, it seems the KLR 650 is an
excellent first choice. the common wisdom with that bike seems to be that if
you are going to spend a considerable about of time on the road, the tires
might be a bit too knobby for that application. second, some seem to
complain about the rough ride at highway speeds.

would getting different tires and a better seat be the best answer to that?

the Suzuki V-Strom seems like a candidate to consider as well. having seen
pictures of both stock bikes, the V-Strom seems to have tires more suited
for road use, and the seat seems like it might be more comfortable. and it
comes in a 650cc configuration.

but i'm sure all of those things are subjective to the rider.

no matter what i end up with i want to be able have saddle bags so that i
can carry any foul-weather gear and a basic toolkit as well, especially when
i start taking overnight trips.

BMW seems to make some nice looking dual-purpose bikes as well, but my
(perhaps incorrect) assumption is that they would be out of my price range.

i have a 30" inseam, but fairly strong legs, so i don't expect weight will
be a major problem but height might.

so after all that rambling, i'd like to hear of anything else i should be
considering...

thanks, and i look forward to hanging out here and chatting with a few of
you over the coming months...

--Sal

 I think you are on exactly the right track.  You won't go wrong with a
VStrom or a KLR.  I would lean to a used VStrom 650.

My only hesitation is the seat height.  Sit on one first and if you're
not comfortable straddling it at a standstill without the kickstand,
you'd better have modifications in mind before buying it (e.g. a lower
seat, or lowered suspension).

 timeOday wrote:

Lowering a V-Strom is fairly easy and inexpensive; raise the forks and
change the dogbones (aka "lowering" links). It's also possible to halve
the rubber bumpers under the seat or remove them completely and just
replace them with a strip of inner-tube or equivalent.

 Payne wrote:
|  timeOday wrote:
| > I think you are on exactly the right track.  You won't go wrong with a
| > VStrom or a KLR.  I would lean to a used VStrom 650.
| >
| > My only hesitation is the seat height.  Sit on one first and if you're
| > not comfortable straddling it at a standstill without the kickstand,
| > you'd better have modifications in mind before buying it (e.g. a lower
| > seat, or lowered suspension).
|
|  Lowering a V-Strom is fairly easy and inexpensive; raise the forks and
|  change the dogbones (aka "lowering" links). It's also possible to halve
|  the rubber bumpers under the seat or remove them completely and just
|  replace them with a strip of inner-tube or equivalent.

OK, dumb question.

lowering so that the bike fits me better? or are there other reasons?

thinking of all the knuckleads i see buy brand-new car and chop the springs
to slam the thing to the ground...

 

A 35" seat height means that a short rider has to scoot his/her butt
over to the left at every stoplight, in order to put a foot down.

I have a 29" inseam, so I dialed off some of the rear spring preload
to lower the bike 3".

I pulled the forks up through the triple clamps an extra inch.

Now I have to be carefully how I park, because the bike sits more
vertical and the long sidestand tries to push the bike over...