Hi all, bit of a newbie still here, hoping to pass my DAS soon, and looking at what to get after. Getting conflicting advice on what power of bike to get.
I have decades of car driving experience ( from cities like London , to motorways etc) and have done around 1400 miles on my 125 KTM duke. With a big mixture of roads, mostly Welsh back roads, and towns. I love the acceleration but not driving fast. I.e. within speed limits. Am also a mature responsible adult.
What are your opinions on how powerful bike I can get. In my mind as I am not light, I probably want something a bit more than a 400cc for example. Thinking maybe a new hornet 750 or KTM duke 790.
Would appreciate your thoughts, I am a safe rider, and constantly pushing myself to learn techniques and get better.
Thought a bigger bike, and put into rain/low power mode might be okay.
Am thinking I would outgrown a KTM 390 or Kawasaki 400 to quickly.
My last car has 300bhp and did 0-60 in under 5 seconds, so am not new to speed. I understand the mechanics of riding too (not braking on bends, not applying power before pointing in direction of travel, for example)
Depending on your height, a v strom 650 does everything averagely with great fuel economy, it'll cope with anything those Welsh back roads can throw at you 👍
To be honest with your experience on the little KTM, that background in bhp and a bit of common sense you'll be fine on anything. It might be worth looking at insurance costs first as that might dictate what you can afford to run. The sensible head says something 500cc from Honda, preferably second hand from a dealer. It will be reliable, fast enough (for now), not too expensive, easy to maintain and will have a ready market when you decide to move up the scale after a year or two. The non sensible head says something with nitrous 😁
Might be worth looking at Royal Enfield offerings. I've had an Interceptor 650 since they brought them out in 2019 and can't get enough of it. New ones are being sold at discounted prices (something to do with MotoGB being dropped as the RE agent in the UK, so they are discounting the stock they have left - Interceptors & GT650). There are also plenty of 2nd hand ones with plenty of mods. Easy to work on (unless you suffer from warranty anxiety for new ones), and lots of after market bits to make it your own. Plenty more in the RE range - Himalayan, Meteor, Super Meteor, Shotgun 650, Scram, Guerrilla 450. I can only think of 3 issues I've had with mine ..... 1. Steering - I always have a problem turning it round to head home. 2. Fuel tank - I might have a leak - I have to keep filling it up. 3. I can't stop smiling, grinning, and feeling smug 'cos it's so much fun - and it looks gorgeous - not that I'm biased. :-)
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