Bikes you didn't like nearly as much as you thought you would.

Tiger 1050. I really wanted to like it, but didn't.
Victory Hammer. I'd been seriously considering buying one until the demo ride.

As am I. And I have my own opinions/experiences to share.

NT700V - On paper, this was a perfect move-up bike for me, a mid-sized ST. So much utility, so little enjoyment. The motor had all the NVH of an agricultural device, suspension was wallowy, and it was top-heavy. I really *wanted* to like this bike, for all its practicality, but I just couldn't. It was also ugly and very, VERY overpriced.

2011 Ninja 650 - I went to a Kawi demo event, and got three rides scheduled, the 650, the ZX-6, and a C14. I was really going to this event to try the 650 and consider moving up from my '09 N250. I rode the ZX-6 first - LOVED the throttle response, hated the bar position (felt like they were under my chest, would have loved them further forward). Then I rode the C14, and was in love. A 688 lb bike shouldn't feel that nimble and stable at the same time, period. Then came the 650. It damn near fried my right leg (and I was wearing jeans, 60 degree day), the mirrors were completely unusable (if not seizure inducing) below 7-8k, and the godawful HONK of the intake sounded like a flock of geese had surrounded me and somehow found their way inside my helmet. It also didn't handle anywhere near as well as my 250. For the first time in my life, I couldn't wait to get off a motorcycle. I've never been so happy to get on my 250 to do a 50-mile interstate ride as I was that day, although I would have preferred the C14 for that task....

2005 XL12r....looked great, ran great, but didn't do anything else well.

2008 Fatboy....looked great, felt nice, bought it. After 30 min of riding, my ass would be screaming at me to get off the bike. No soul either. Sold it.

CBR1000RR....sweet looking, but totally useless and uncomfortable around town. Glad I never bought one until after I rode a friend's.

The Truth About The ST1300

I've only owned one bike that I did not like. My current 09 KLR650. I bought a 2000 model new at the end of 1999 and traded it for an SV650 six months later. I should have known better.

Brakes- crap
Suspension- crap: the forks twist to the point of bad stiction entering corners
engine- crap: lots of vibes with a great lack of power
Ergonomics- so so.


Totally uninspiring. I actually putt around at the speed limit most of the time.

pretty much every bike I've bought but don't still own.

v-strom 650. my first bike. completely reliable, but completely boring to me. it got me from A to B, but it was just another mode of transportation to me.

Triumph Sprint ST 995. great engine, but I could not ride more than 100 miles on it without feeling like I was being tortured.

Honda XR650L. Every time I rode it for more than 40 miles, I had to stop, take my migrane meds and lay down for two hours before I could ride it home. Seriously.

R1150RT. It was like riding in a car, with no windows. I didn't feel like I was on a motorbike.

Many people live in areas where test rides are difficult to arrange, and thus base their purchasing decisions on what they
read in bike magazines or on web forums. For example, this was my situation with my first bike. I lived in a remote northern region in Canada and it was difficult to arrange a test ride. Thus I turned to the forums and to magazine reviews. At the time the Suzuki DL 650 was one of the most raved about bikes, and so I just bought one -- no test ride. Since I had committed to buy it, and didn't want to go through the purchasing process again I just rode it and rode it. I owned it for five years and put 50 000 kilometers on it. In hindsight, I think it was a bit over rated. The suspension was really poor, and while it had bullet proof reliability it wasn't very exciting to ride. So, here is my point. Bike forums tend to be filled with people who have 'committed' to a bike and thus protect it to some extent ie. don't emphasize how bad the suspension really is. Bike magazines often have certain biases as well. They are marketing tools, and thus tend to favor bikes which are pushing boundaries/categories or bikes which are pushing the market forward technologically. In the case of the DL 650, in 2004 and 2005 it was pushing the 'adventure/touring' category. I remember Cycle World running an article in 2005 or 2006 proclaiming the DL650 as possibly one of the best bikes ever. They had someone jumping rail road tracks with it, going on and on about how well it corned, and noting its off-road capability. It think this really was an overstatement, and would have appreciated a thread just like this which highlighted bikes that people wanted to like, but having tried them, just couldn't go with the hype of the moment.

Yam FZ6 Fazer... So much to like: fast, smooth, decent-looking, comfortable riding position, well-equipped including centrestand, underseat pipes, good finish... But it camber-steered thanks to the over-wide rear tyre and had the most awful gearbox I have ridden since a 750 Super Tenere. Wayward steering and a rough gearshift are cardinal sins in my book. Might give another one a go, though.

Triumph Sprint RS 955i. Bulk torque, handsome looks and a reasonable riding position thanks to the fitment of ST 'bars meant it was mostly enjoyable to ride but for: too close a gap between 5th and 6th gears, so I was never sure which I was in without attempting a shift; such a flat torque curve that there was nothing to play with - apart from that 75ft/lb; would not pull 5th smoothly below 35mph, so town riding required 3k revs or more; minimal steering lock; annoying single-sided swingarm arrangement with rear hub that needed a 3/4" drive 46mm socket and 3ft tommy bar to remove the wheel; non-user adjustable idle speed; front brake that worked well but lever came almost all the way back to the bar first. Fast, mind, and with rock-solid high-speed handling.

I liked most stuff about my 1100RT; lower the screen and there's plenty of wind blast. The gearbox was dire either way between 1st and 2nd, it was a bit breathless at full throttle and it drank fuel fast.

Honda Pacific Coast.

I bought an '89 in the spring of last year after wanting one ever since I saw the spy photos way back. I have not owned or ridden many bikes but dreamed that bike was the one for me. Unfortunately wrecked it after a couple months but fixed it and am still commuting on it. It is reliable and practical, but a bit dull, with bothersome engine heat in hot weather but which is no help heating in cold weather. Buffeting from the stock windscreen and I'm too cheap to spend money trying different ones until I find one that works. I've left most of the bodywork off it in case I need to put a wrench to it sometime. Too big a bother when you need to reach anything. The trunk is great but I'd rather it had a key lock than the hidden-under-a-locked-flap remote release. Stuff like that. The stepped seat is a necessity due to the trunk but limits movement to adjust for comfort.

Thought about selling it and getting another early KLR but rode one since and had forgotten how agricultural they feel so that is probably out.

I only have room and time for one bike so will likely sell this and buy the first thing that appeals to me. Who knows what that one will be...

Wow, I really liked the HyperMotard, they stopped the big demo ride and told me to quit wheelieing out of corners on it. Big time fun. The Multistrada 1200S also did it for me. Fast as ass, and real fun to ride. If they weren't $23,000+, I'd buy one.

Someone gave me a Ninja 250 one time. What a piece of crap. I gave it to someone else.

I read how great GS500Es were, as far as little commuter bikes go. Worst carburetors and front forks of anything I've ever ridden, before or since.

I've owned over 40 bikes. Some are memorable, like the Daytona 955, lots of personality, not particularly comfortable, a little primitive as far as throttle effort and clutch pull, but a pretty good bike.

I had an XR650L Supermoto, big bore, Carillo rod, ported and polished, titanium valves, HRC Cam that I thought was going to set the world on fire. The big bore, high compression piston overpowered the stock electric starter, sometimes that bitch just wouldn't start, usually if it stalled sitting at an intersection. Or just coming home from a store or something. When it started, it was fun to ride. When it didn't it was a bitch to push start, Which was about 1/2 the time. I traded it for a Sportster, another hunk O'crap. It ran like it should. It was in good shape. But the brakes sucked, the handling sucked, it shook like a paint shaker, and just wasn't a pleasant bike to ride.

09 F800GS. Very well farkled, powerful and high-tech, but completely soulless. Much prefer my low-tech, funky KLR for the same duty.

Of course, let's just ignore the fact that every human out there has slightly different anatomy from each other. You guys seem to forget that humans are not assembled in a factory to a set of specifications.

So while one person says "It is the single most uncomfortable bike I have ever been one" another will say "It is the MOST comfortable bike I have ever been on."

For me I CAN NOT ride feet forward bikes bikes due to a back injury yet I can ride most super sports all day long as the weight is off my spine. Some people have bad hips/knees and can't ride with their feet underneath or behind them. I think this may be one reason there are so many different kinds of motorcycle son the market and they all get a piece of the pie.

Personally I find these kinds of threads interesting, informative, insightful, and more often then not, funny. These are the exact venues where people can really vent about how they really feel about bikes, where as in the advertisements (ahem, magazines) you only ever hear about the good things.

Personally I couldn't get along with the S1000RR. From what I read about this bike you would think that coming from a lowly CBR1000RR that I would be stepping up to a truly awe-inspiring machine. I didn't feel that way at all. Less comfortable, less usable power, annoying intrusive electronics that I just didn't need, and an engine with less character then my Japanese four. I was happy to jump back on my old hat Honda after that demo ride.

Felt the same way with the first gen Yammy FZ1. Couldn't understand what all the fuss was about? Then I rode the 2nd generation FZ1 and thought "Aha! They've fixed allthose things that annoyed me." The magazines panned the 2nd gen bike?

I am little surprised to see all the disappointment with the F800 BMW's here. I thoroughly loved that bike and was jsut about ready to buy a brand new F800S...then I lost my job. :eek1

Top of the range BMW (at the time) - the K1200LT. Just couldn't bond with the engine - I like to feel / hear a good engine rhythm and didn't get that from the K whine. Also the bike offered a bit too much protection and bodywork / bulk for my taste. Good bike if these things don't matter to you.

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I had a Hayabusa at one time (momentary lapse in judgement) and after a couple of years, advertised it for sale. A guy with a K1200LT responded and asked if I'd be interested in a trade. We met, I rode his bike, he rode mine. Besides the "box of rocks" engine/tranny noise that I couldn't quite get over, the experience riding the thing can only be described as "total sensory deprivation".

Needless to say, we didn't make a deal and I sold the Busa a short time later.

Kawasaki Versys. When I first sat on it & rode it, I liked it. The more I rode it over a couple of years on the street, the less I liked it. It did have some neat things about it, I was just never crazy about it. After riding several more bikes, including HD and others, I just concluded I liked I-4 & V-4. That's why I traded it even for a Bandit. Can appreciate those who like the twins, just not my forte'

I have to go way back on this one as I've owned a lot of bikes in recent years and liked them all in their own right and in their own elements from cruiser, sport to dirt.

Two stand out 1) 75 XL 250 Honda. I came from an SL100 as a kid and the XL was getting rave reviews but didn't have any better power to weight ratio I think than the little 100. Built like a tank and about as heavy with most of the weight over the front end. Scary on whoops. 2) late 80s (87 I think) Husky 250WR. The last of the Swedes! I always dreamed of the old red/chrome tank Huskies of the 70s. When I finally could afford one in the 80-90s it wasn't very impressive. My old 82 Yamaha IT490 was a better bike. The Husky didn't make any power and ate the Spanish electronic ignitions on a regular basis. It vibrated so bad that I had to replace the spark plug after every ride. It shock the center copper electrode out of the ceramic insulator. NKGs didn't last a whole ride I bought cheap Bosch by the dozen. It broke on trail rides but never failed to finish a race. I finally figured it was only made to go flat out, steering with the rear wheel and brake.

Sometimes objects are better left to dreams instead of spoiled by reality of not meeting expectations.

Good ones 1) old iron sportster basket case as long as you did go over 55 mph or 0 miles at a time. Real HD vibrated the walls of my garage when you started it. The wife always knew from bed which bike I was riding. 2) KTM 360- the monster tractor motor says it all. Two stroke big bores- nothing like them! 3) 906 Ducati Paso- comfortable and knew how to handle on 16 in wheels. Reliable and low maintenance with a little Prolon in the engine. 4) original Mille R Aprilia- best build quality ever. Still have it converted to Tuono for the old guy. Lastly, current GS 12- I'm hooked on the advent type ride.

I didn't think I was ready to say so because I just bought it and sold it recently, but yes, definitely the Versys. Mine was a 2011.
I only kept mine 2 weeks. I lost money on it but I still don't regret getting rid of it. Good concept, bad execution.

Eight years of enduring my painfully reliable DL1000, GREAT motor, but the rest has always felt like riding on top of a long wooden construction / traffic barricade, with next to no feeling of a connection between the bike and the road.

Rode a friend's 06 KLR650 last summer, I'd quit riding motorcycles altogether,
if that was my only choice to ride.

There, I feel better now...

996DL