jwal90

I do like the idea of BMW bike to match the car but with a budget of £6k max I don't think I'm going to find much. I think I've narrowed it down to a few models - the Yam MT-09, Triumph Street/Speed Triple and Honda CB1000R. Luckily I've got dealerships all within a 30m radius. The Yam seems to be the best bang for buck and the only one I have ridden. Power is aggressive and seems pretty comfortable for the 2 hours I was riding. From what I can find online, Triumph seems better built and power is more linear and not as aggressive as the MT. Suspension and brakes are better. Higher cost, I would have to get an older model to fit my budget. I did take a Street Triple out in 2016 and really enjoyed it. No experience of the CB1000R. I like the looks good and reliable Honda build. From what I've heard, it's nothing special and doesn't really excite those who review it. Anyone here got any experience of any these?

Hey @Stu thanks for the response, much appreciated. Don't get me wrong, I love the FJR1300 but it's just a whole process to get it out on the road. I have it stored in my garage and I find myself choosing not to go for a ride because it's such a hassle getting it out I will certainly try upping the tyre pressure though, thanks for the tip. Yeah a few people have suggested similar bikes like the Tracer 900 etc as a sort of compromise but I don't really want a bike that does everything average and don't have a BMW budget! I think I'm going to take out a CB1000R and street/speed triple to see how they compare.

Hey everyone, new to the forums and this seems to be the most active one for UK riders so thought I'd give it a go and ask for a bit of advice. I'm currently riding an 02' FJR1300 which is a superb bike and recently got me and the girlfriend round Scotland for a 2 week trip without any issues. I love the bike, it's powerful, it's comfortable and with panniers and a top box there's loads of space for all our gear. The one problem I have with it is that, at 300kg loaded with a pannier, it is an absolute tank. Perfect for long trips but for B-Road blasts, which is what I spend most of my time doing, there are much better bikes out there. That's got me thinking I might either trade it in for something I'm going to find far more usable. Or keep the FJR for the odd long road trip and get something smaller for the type of riding I do 90% of the time. I went to my local Yamaha dealership today and took out the MT-09 and what a machine that is. Compared to the FJR it's a feather, the power is far more usable and taking on the local twisties had me feeling like I was flying. I very nearly signed up for a new one at £9,100 but I thought I'd take some time to have a think as this is far more than I wanted to spend. My question for you guys is this: Do you thinking that the ride of the MT-09 (or any more modern naked sports) is that much better than older, similar, models or did I just fall in love because the bike is so much more different to what I'm used to riding? To put it another way, would I get the same thrills from riding an older Street Triple or CB1000R as I would from the MT? The problem I have is that you can test ride all the brand new bikes but not older ones so I don't have any frame of reference.