Best Value ~1,000cc Adv Bike (New): 6'+ Rider Friendly & Highway Commuter?

You could get a Givi rack and a set of Caribou cases for well under a grand. 30K miles on a 1st Gen T12 is nothing. Get your checkbook out and get to riding!

Already has the racks!

You can get a Givi rack and Givi cases directly from Motostorm in Italy for around $700.

True but my concern in using Givi’s as side cases are durability and can they take a tumble offroad once in a while. No worries when using the Caribou cases.

Define "best value"? In reference to what? Buy-in cost, future hopeful resale value, comfort, fun, image projected, amount used, power, top speed, hwy/dirt capable, maint/tinkering requirements, ease/cost of maint/repair parts??? Lotsa considerations.

To me...best value = best bang for my buck. Comfortable for a 6'+ rider, fun to ride, cruises well at highway speeds (better manners than a KLR), won't fall apart whenever I decide to run it off-road, low cost of maintenance, reliable, etc.

I settled on getting an S10. I got to ride a Gen 1 this past weekend. It was a blast to ride, it was comfortable, etc. At this point, I don't really care whether I get a Gen 1 or Gen 2.

@Ron_Luning ...sent you a PM over on the other place.

Good choice! The Super Tenere is rock solid and all day comfortable. Good luck finding the right one!

https://asheville.craigslist.org/mcy/d/asheville-2014-yamaha-super-tenere-1200/6958659633.html

+1 for a Gen1:
I am 6' 2" and I picked up a super clean, low mileage, nicely farkled, flashed ECU '13 S10 last Summer and I have since put close to 4K completely trouble free,
ergonomically comfortable miles on the odo and I absolutely love the bike. Happy hunting, be patient as the right S10 is out there for you somewhere.

Changed my mind.. It matches the truck, lol.

I REALLY like the panniers. The exhaust has a nice low growl and it putters along nicely. It fits like a glove, too.

Nice Strom!

Thank you.

I’ll have to come up with somewhere to take off to tomorrow morning.

where in VA are you? Could meet up and have a strom get together. I’m near Zions Crossroads

I’m up in Northern VA. I’d be game to meet up sometime.

Some european bike dealers have loaner bikes when you drop your bike off for service, which for a commuter without time, inclination or a space to do their own service can be really handy.

And at least for my version of BMW (hexhead), service couldn't be simpler. Consider e.g. the easy access to the valve and plugs. It's less frequent but not as simple on later models. I do most of the service on my BMW. I don't do much on my Africa Twin.

Pretty hard to get the best deal when you want the latest and greatest new model. Deals abound on older ones. Whether that price is realistic or not probably depends on your local tax rate, and desired options. Definitely depends when you want to buy. As soon as they're available, I'd expect MSRP plus fees. In a year when there are holdovers, I'd expect deals. That's how it worked for the first edition.

If you did get an older one, the rear wheel is easy to seal to make tubeless, and commuting anyway that's where flats are far more common. Over my bikes, I've had lots of rear flats, none in front. I sealed the front once, then went back to a tube there. Considering doing it again.

If you do get an AT, get or at least try DCT. There's nothing better for commuting.

As far as service, access to valves, plugs etc is a lot of work. OTOH the valves seem pretty stable based on my experience and the forums. First valve check on the AT is the only time I remember a valve check on any bike where everything was mid range and nothing needed adjustment.

As far as the Versys 1k and pricing, they're available used too.

I loved the Versys 650 for touring and for fun rides. Mine was a 2nd gen and it really was more than the sum of it's modest parts. For commuting, I'd rather have a bike with 4-piston calipers. They say brakes have improved in the current models though, and that bike is on my list if I need a new commute bike.

You should really just get the multistrada if you want one. The maintenance costs are reasonable on the new ones and they have decent reliability. However, when the warranty runs out be sure to know a guy that knows his way around desmo engines or learn to do it yourself. If you give a Ducati the proper loving it needs they're really worth it.

MABDR!

I gave the European bikes some more consideration. I got to test ride a Multistrada and I did some looking at BMW’s. At the end of the day...I was going to bust my budget to get one setup the way I wanted it.

I looked used too. All of the used BMW’s and Ducati’s in my area were WELL over NADA. I saw a few outside of the area on the forum that looked like good deals, but a 500+ mile trip to buy a bike is not practical to me at the moment. Shipping is out for me...I’m not dropping that kind of money without seeing the item firsthand.

Along that line of reasoning (my brother motivating me to just sack up and buy what I want)...I went and got a test ride on one. I went out with the mindset that if I really liked it, I was buying it...service prices be damned.

My two cents on the Multistrada 950:

-The engine was everything that I thought it would be. It sounded great and had plenty of power.

-It looks great/classy.

-The balance is amazing. It’s difficult for me to describe just how nice it was at speed. In turns...it was an absolute pleasure and a blast to ride.

The negatives:

-It’s not setup for a guy my height (6’3”). The pegs sit up too high to be comfortable for me on a long ride (removed the rubber inserts). I woke up the next morning after and my hips were sore from my legs being contorted up at a funky angle. That was after a test ride that seemed to be not much longer than it would be to take a piss.

-The navigation of the riding modes menu was confusing. The salesman was not able to get it into touring mode, so I took it out in sport mode (the default setting).

-The shifter (fishing for Neutral)...I don’t think that I can accurately describe my thoughts on the shifter without using language that would violate the forum terms of service. I’ll just say that I’m at a complete loss as to how they consider that to be acceptable on a premium brand motorcycle. It’s part of the “personality” or “charm” of these bikes, from what I’ve heard.

That being said...I ALMOST BOUGHT IT!

If the dealer had been willing to come down on the bike a bit and/or budge/reduce their laundry list of $400+ charges (ex. Assembly, delivery, etc.)...I’d have that thing in my garage at the moment and I’d be spending my time researching how exactly I’m going to modify my new motorcycle so that I can ride it for more than five minutes without being in pain.

I put a sh$t ton of miles on a 2010 Mustistrada commuting for a few years. It had the SW Motech lowering pegs and the bike fit me perfectly: 5'10" tall with 32" inseam.

Anyone even considering this bike needs to test ride. Like @Barnaby'sDad says what you experience on this bike's test ride is hard to describe in words on a forum. And with "Best Value" in the title of this thread, a used Multi has to be considered here. I can't think of a better bang for the buck bike than the low mile used Multi, especially if like mine, Ohlins semi-active suspension and de-catted, remapped for smooth low rpm running.

No, the crappy shifting is not IMO charming and part of the character. It just proves how good the rest of the bike is, for owners to be so happy. I would describe the shifter as being in the lower part of the acceptable range, not horrible at all.

After one or two tiny adjustments, the valve service becomes checks, not adjustments, but the timing belt service is a PITA, once a year for my use. But on the topic of service, gotta agree with the @Deathsoswiftly statement, "totally worth it."