I'm returning to biking and on the lookout for a bike. Budget of around 3k, not interested in a manic sportsbike, want something that's torquey, reasonably comfortable, half faired would be good. Would I be stupid to go for 10/11 year old 1100S beemer with FSH?

VFR800?

Another one here for a VFR800. Brilliant bikes. CBR600?

The beemer should be fine – I sold mine a couple of years ago with 45 000 miles on it – everthing was fine. The motors last very well as do the cycleparts. They last a lot longer than similar jap engines – mine was not run in unitl it had done 15 000 miles ( so long as the price is right)

Yep, VFR, or Fazer Thou, Bandit 1200, SV1000….. Beemer not a bad bet, will go on for ever.

You could pick up a nice Blackbird for that sort of money. It would be my choice.

Fazer thou all the way , bril bike . have a look at ex police bikes good value and well serviced .

Well that's thrown it wide open then. Cheers – I think….

I have A Triumph Tiger 2001,great bike but better suited to someone tall,(Iam 5"8) lots of power,great touring,and very comfortable. 😀

Fazer thou is very good- the old model at least. though to me your description does say "SV1000S". They cost fairly little, they come with a great motor, a fairly sensible riding position… TBH most of the same is true of the 650, we do seem to be going straight for the litre bikes, not sure why?

Need to know more of what you want from it I reckon. Pillions? Panniers? Cross continental touring? Bit of backroad scratching?

Firestorm should go on the list too.

Had looked at the SV650 but heard quite a few commentsabout them being thrashed a fair bit. I thought the SV1000 was a bit lairy, although not on the same level as the TL???
Would be using it mostly one up, minor A & B road scratching, a few longer trips.

Another vote for the SV1000S here – I've had two of 'em and they're great. Take a look at http://www.sv-portal.com.

Ive got a zx9r E1 with 18,200miles for sale right now.fully faired "sports tourer" as some call it. Its in good clean condition for the age although its got a few marks either side that havent been touched up after a few stationary drops,and a bit of flaking on the kawasaki green paint in the trough of the wheels.This it typical for the kwak wheels but i havent had a chance to get them powder coated yet (its not like it needs to be done,ive spent the money elsewhere doing more important stuff)

back in spring it had a K&N filter,carbs balanced,shims checked and new plugs.Its due an oil and filter change soon so thats next on my list. ive just cleaned it last week for a possible sale but the guy decided to haggle before seeing it and pulled out.Its now looking too tidy for me to use it on those dry-come wet winter days and i am half considering keeping it.Ive got pics if you want a look at it to give you an idea on its condition.

The 9r is too much a 'sportsbike', ta.

Get the Beemer! You won't regret it. At a couple of thousand you get more bike for your money than you would a jap bike as it will be far less worn

How long you been away? seriously consider doing some training – advanced or refresher as returnees tend to crash a lot

No worries oldgr.just thought id mention it.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7589434&postcount=80

just steer clear of certain bmws.the only jap horror stories that ive seen written is the headtube area of the frame failing on gsxrs?

You should consider the 9R, by modern standards it's a touring bike… Daft as that sounds. Reasonably big, quite comfy. A mate of mine has 200000 miles on his, though admittedly he has a cast iron a**e.

The SV thou's no headbanger's bike, any more than any other 110bhp machine is… The 650's often thrashed, they're very good at it and they don't really notice. Suspension's not very good, but then the same's true of any decade old bike 😉

TJ's comments about jap bikes, I think don't really hold any water these days, earlier he made a comment about 45000 miles as if that's a lot (that's exactly what my SV has on it, and it's stronger today than the day it was built), and another comment about jap engines… Nobody really knows how long a modern jap engine lasts in standard tune, with just a couple of exceptions they don't wear out in the lifespan of the bikes. Seems to be quite an outdated perspective. If anything you get more for your money with japanese bikes at this price point as they depreciate faster. £3000 will buy an absolutely mint SV thou, for instance- they could be had for £4500 brand new. Or a very nice CBR1100.

Amongst my friends.

My BMW – 45 000 miles and running sweet as a nut. ZZR1100 – 40 000 miles gearbox failure Firestorm – 25 000 miles blown engine bandit 1200, 25 000 miles camshaft failure, gearbox selector fork broke

Just off the top of my head.

My point is a 10 yr old 50 000 mile beemer is a better buy than a jap bike of similar age and milage

Edit – all I was trying to say is don't be scared of a 10 yr old beemer with FSH – it will be fine unless it has done mega miles

North,its got a seat as comfy as my car as standard.(ok i lied a bit there:O)) but its a bit diffrent to an R1.the pegs seem to feel lower and the position isnt racey at all.like folk have said over the past 13 odd years – more of a sports tourer.the engine hasnt dissapointed,puffed spluttered or done anything out of the ordinary in 11 thousand miles.this brings a grin to my face as all the bikes i have taken an interest in, i read about them lacking in diffrent point in the rev range, niggles about gear boxes,etc. all the bad points mentioned on the bikes i took a liking to never seem to crop up on my bike.

The engine and gearbox on the zx9r compared to the new street triple R is also good enough to make you think twice about the triple R.its just made me think twice about buying one as the useability of my engine power and gearbox compared to the 2010 str is better. the easiest way to describe it on singletrackworld.. is the diffrence between deore shifters and mechs.. compared to xtr! its that good!

and north, tj just likes to phrase things to wind me up.in a real world,one bmw engine could be hammered with poor oil levels/changes,the jap with the same miles could have had the same life but by going what one of the top engine builders has commented on in a recent ninja supplement as far as kwak engines go compared to everything else.. i wouldnt put any money on any euro stuff being superior. (hell,read the above link regarding other parts of the bikes lol)

Thanks for all the thoughts – and yes, I'm having some refresher training (inc having to take my test cos I got my licence years ago overseas and have just found out it's no longer recognised here – hope I don't fail the b*gger!)

The thing with motorbikes, like mountain bikes and much more so than cars, condition is everything. A Beemer with high miles can be a brilliant buy if it has been looked after properly and had no expense spared when it comes to maintenance.

There are exceptions, but when it comes to reliability you can pretty much rank these makers in this order…

BMW
Honda
Yamaha
Suzuki
Kawasaki
Aprilia
Ducati

Within each manufacturers lineups there are good and bad bikes though too when it comes to reliability… Honda VFR's (especially the older non VTEC ones) are notorious for going on and on and being mega reliable, whereas the VTR-SP1 had loads of issues. Similarly air cooled Ducati's are usually very reliable, whereas water cooled ones often less so (I say this as a Ducati owner by the way).

For what you're after, the BMW you mention would be a good bet I suspect. BMW Boxer engines go on and on as they're very understressed. You do get a torque reaction when you gun it though as the engine is mounted lengthways in the bike!

Other bikes to consider? Well definitely the Suzuki SV1000. Not a loony bike at all, quite sensible actually. But quite an agile bike, and 120bhp with lots of low down torque make it quick and easy to ride no doubt. I'd also have a look for a mint pre VTEC VFR800 too… Or possibly a 1200 Bandit.

Then again you could go leftfield and look at a Ducati Multistrada, or even an ST4… Ducati's do need looking after but modern ones are much more reliable than their bikes of old.

Looks about right, from Ride:

1. BMW (90%)
2. Honda (89.2%)
3. Yamaha (85.5%)
4. Triumph (84%)
5. Suzuki (83.2%)
6. Kawasaki (82.8%)
7. MZ (81.3%)
8. Harley-Davidson (80.1%)
9. Aprilia (77.1%)
10. KTM (74%)
11. Buell (72.2%)
12. Cagiva (70.5%)
13. Ducati (69.1%)
14. Moto Guzzi (68.8%)
15. CCM (63.8%)

I'm amazed BMW rank highly, their new bikes have a reputation for being unreliable (to the extent BMW are spending a fortune on trying to fix their QA/design issues).

Martin – I do not phrase things to wind you up. I just see them differently as a thrasher of bikes for decades.

I don't think I really explained myself very well.

a £3000 big jap bike or a £3000 bmw – there will be nothing much between them in terms of reliability as the jap bike will be newer and have done less miles at that price point – but a 50 000 mile beemer will be more reliable than a 50 000 mile jap bike – on average.

I wouldn't want to buy a 50 000 mile jap 4. Id happily buy a 50 000 mile beemer

Certainly amongst the folk I know the 50 000 mile jap bikes are tired and worn, the Beemer isn't

5th Element's post is pretty good. Thing is, BMWs do tend to get good TLC, because of the market they target. I remember a funny comment in a bike mag which said that Aprilia RS125s must have cheap chains because they're always worn out and rusty- it was highlighted as a parts issue. Or alternatively, RS125s are owned by kids who don't maintain their bikes 😉

TBH TJ your sample's just too small to mean anything, particularily since you were comparing a 20-year-old design (on the one hand) and one of the most reliable motorbike engines ever made (Bandit 1200) which just happens to have an issue with camshaft failure if the oil's allowed to run low…

For sure northwind.

The point I was trying to make is a 10 yr old r1100 is not a bike to be afraid of from the point of view of reliability.

It wasn't just the bandit – and yes it is a reliable motor generally. Selector forks went in it as well with that one – and I don't think it was run low on oil. I think it was his habit of letting it warm on tickover that did for it

Those bike I mentioned were the bikes owned by the guys I rode with – and all had major issues in less miles than my beemer

I agree with that- but then, I'd not worry about any 10 year old bike that didn't have some specific known issue, the current view of disposable motorbikes that last 2 years, 4 at the outside then gets replaced makes me laugh. No different from mountain bikes I guess! The worst reliability issues I've seen come from underuse, not overuse. And neglect/abuse of course.

v_strom

strong motor,cheep to run,goes off tarmac.
would do 90% of what a BMW adventure would do!!
my ones a 650.

Something like a TDM 900 would fit the bill. That is unless you are a midget who is short in the leg. TDM's underated and overlooked.

Well, it might come down to the sort of people you want to ride with, be associated with and be yourself.
If you are semi-retired, own slippers, drink tea in the pub, think the 19th hole is where you long to be and look forward to bed time, value the waterproof m'cycle gear over a full set of bike leathers then the BMW is for you.

Make no mistake, your m'bike purchase probably says more about you than any other purchase I can think of.

However, if you have a large gut, a sports bike is clearly not for you – & have you noticed how many postings are about "how comfortable bike A is" – J'sus wept, are you looking for a substitute arm chair & slippers or a motorbike to set your hair on fire & put some lead in your pencil?!

Ignore everyone else. Get the bike YOU want. I've done that twice now and been very happy thankyouverymuch. 😀

Don't forget service costs. When I had my SV650 (bleary eyed looking away into the distance)the costs to service compared to the Bandit was a realy eye opener. The bandit engine is a much more labour intensive unit to service. Besides, who'd want a 4 when you could have a twin.

For a slightly different tack, considered a TRX850? should get a mint one for your cash, and they have soooo much torque (same engine as TDm but in a trellis sports bike frame a la 80's Dukes)

Well I am a bit late here, but with a few exceptions, I would stay away from jap bikes (the TRX850 being one of them).
If you are after torque the answer is very simple, twin or thumper (duck and cover).

I would personnaly go European or (duck and cover even more) Buell. To be fair if I had the cash I would slpash it NOW on a lightning 900 (I have actually hope thye would made a bike in the 600-800 range).

Plenty of people will say you need an outrageous amount of power and cylinders. All in my opinion it's balls. Unless obviously you are a professional racer or you get your kick in clocking 300 kmh on motorway (now wait for martin to flame be because he's the best rider in the whole world).

However what I says might not really matter, as the most valid point of this thread have been made buy peter. Get what you want. It's the rider that makes the motorcycle goes fast.

Be safe on the road and don't forget girls don't like footpeg grinding;)

Bmw, run for ever in a shabby tatty rattly way. Engine designed before the war and if you are less than 6'5 it will be far too big for most bikers.

I have a BMW F650 I bought for £900 its shit and poeple think I'm an old fart but I dont care, its great fun.

I have a Husaberg FS 650 E for sale if you're up for a challenge!
It's a race bike so needs lots of TLC.
Boy, does it shift , but try and keep that front end down young man! And the noise! Nothing else like it.

Amagallis: there's a very good reason why people feel this way about you!

As I said, your bike speaks volume about yourself.
Do the right thing and remove the stablisers and change up to a bike with some real personality and that isn't castrated. A 650cc weedy engine in that body. What else do you expect? You'd be better off on a moped.

with some real personality

Well even if the F650 is about the shitiest bmw it has more personnality than any modern jap bikes, you can't even tell the difference between them, all look the same.

My advice – go and sit on a load in the dealership to see what fits you comfortably. Been trying to decide where to go next summer myself, the Speed Triple is utterly epic at thrashing around the Lakes, but bollocks all use for doing a grand tour of Europe, so it has to go 😉

At 6'2" and built like a tank I found the following deeply comfy:

BMW K1200S
Honda CB1300S
Kawasaki ZXR1200
Kawasaki ZZR 1400
Triumph Sprint
Triumph Tiger (just a bit less good than the Sprint, but that may be cos my leathers have tight legs and it's a long way up there!)

So that is probably my shortlist (along with the Ducati ST3/4 which I need to look at again).

Oh aye – and also really nice to sit on and ride… Triumph Bonnieville. If I could afford/justify 2 bikes I would have one of them in the garage too (a new one that is)!

Your choice of bike only speaks volumes about you if you spent time worrying about what bike you got and what people will think of you. I couldnt care less. It does 0-85 quickly enough for me, is red so obviosuly faster and was cheap.