Background
These random thoughts are the bits and pieces of the selection process of my first bike. I'm 32 years old, promise neither coherency nor rationalism and will compare apples with oranges. Reader discretion is adviced.In the hunt for motor cycles I came accross the Kawasaki ER6, Yamaha MT-07, Triumph Street Triple, Honda CB650F, Suzuki SFV650 Gladius and BMW GS 700.
Getting the first bike is challenging with a lot to take into consideration apart from experience of learning to drive. Even more so when trying to figure out purpose, preference and ambition. Living next to the office eliminates the need for a commuter bike and there's no other scenario which requires a bike apart from giggles. Without a clear purpose I set up a few criteria to myself
- Inspire confidence in driving, safety first ladies and gentlemen
- Fun and engaging to drive
- Multi-purpose, easy to get around town but also capable of mini weekend tours
- Appealing to beginners and advanced riders
- Needs to (subjectively) look and feel right
- Decent backseat
- Cost of ownership (insurance)
On the shortlist were Kawasaki ER6, Suzuki SFV650 Gladius and the Triumph Street Tiple. Both the Suzuki and Kawasaki made me feel lika a giant being 192cm tall. Pity, both motorcycles have good reviews on the net. The street triple being quite attractive was ultimately disqualified by being slightly too naked for highway routes and with an engine tempting to be pushed slightly more than I was comfortable with. Combined with a relatively high price tag it'll be a while before I revisit this otherwhise nifty machie.
Honda NC750S vs Yamaha MT-07 vs BMW GS 700 vs Honda CB650F
Apples and oranges, you've been warned. The Yamaha MT-07 is an agile, playful surprise capable of wheelines and a true a natural lane splitting machine. In a competitively priced package it leaves little doubt to its popularity. The relatively powerful engine, balance and compact size makes it exciting and really easy to ride both at crawl speeds and around tight corners. Inspiring maneuverability, almost vibrationless engine and low balance makes it great in urban environments. Quite frankly the agility, relatively powerful engine and throttle response not only encourages play but also adrenalin; both undersirable from a defensive driving standpoint. It can allegedly do wheelies on several gears which I don't doubt given the jerky throttle. Powerful bikes don't scare me but returning the bike after the test ride isn't supposed to leave a feeling of being slightly scared of it. I have no intention of ever doing wheelies and this bike inspires more playful than safe driving. Nice ride, but not for me. |
| Picture borrowed from yamaha-motor.eu |
In the opposite spectrum to sporty stands the street adventure ride BMW GS 700. It's been my companion throughout the days of learning to drive. It's aesthetics reminds me more of street bike than an adventure ride, though unconventional in looks. Completely upright, narrow seating, wide bars, predictable engine response and a windshield appealing for mid-range distances makes it an interesting contender. With great brakes and predictable performanc theree are absolutely no surprises anywhere. Great handling and maneuverability aside, the non-naked front combined with the less involved feel of an adventure bike makes it slightly less thrilling to ride on paved roads. All details reflect quality and there's plenty of tech on board as reflected by the premium price tag. As a training bike I think it's close to phenomenal with the biggest drawback of being slightly less maneuverable at crawl speeds compared to e.g., the Honda CB650F. If the nearest dirt road weren't impossibly hard to locate and the engine power on par with its price this would have been an quite interesting contender. That and the somewhat hollow mumble coming from the exhaust.
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| Picture orrowed from bmwmotorcycles.com |
In a sporty package with a comfortable upright seating position is the Honda CB650F. It does up to 90km/h on the first gear while maintaining complete control even during aggressive acceleration. Staying on a high gear causes slight vibration at some speeds but in practice pose no inconvenience. It manages everything I throw at it well with the exception of prolonged highway rides which is nothing noteworthy in this segment. At low speeds there's unprecedented stability and maneuvering around tight corners or taking on tight u-turns feels as reassuring ever. There's nothing really to dislike at the pricepoint (though the MT-07 is slightly cheaper in Sweden) and it's an excellent performer. Compared to the BMW it happily invites stepping up the rev range and though fun it is the excitement doesn't come to justice in close urban quarters. Though in sharp turns, squeezing between lanes or during swift overtakes it does. Coming from the BMW background with the GS 700 revving the bike doesn't come as second nature to me. There's just plenty of juice I couldn't defensively put to justice in urban riding though I'm sure it would easily be overshadowed when taken to the roads in the outskirts of the city. Sporty yet friendly engine. Why didn't I pick this ace? Price, practicality and preference though you're yet to find out why in my next post; review of the Honda NC750S.
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| Picture borrowed from honda.co.uk |
Discalimer: The pictures are borrowed from various locations and I'm happy to replace them upon request.
