Help choosing my first bike...

too late :wink:

(thought i'd get in before anyone else does!)
x

 

The Multi is all the bike you would ever need. It would seem perfect for what you have described and this is coming from a 1098s owner

 

Multi 1200 or the new hyperstrada 820 when it's available, older multi worth a look too but if you want new with a warranty you're limited with Ducati

 

Monster 1100 evo or the new model Hypermotard 821. Just enough power to be intersting, the low end torque is quite additive too. Safety pack (standard on the 1100evo) provides an added sense of security (ABS and DTC). Both well within your budget.

Bought a pre-reg evo as my first big bike 12 months ago, replaced front sprocket (14T), Exhaust system (Termi cCarbon cans + air filter + ECU), tyres (Michelin PR3), tail tidy (Evotech), seat (DP low seat), added bar riser and R&G crash protectors all round.

No reliability issues at all over 6k miles of week day commute and so far a pleasure to own and ride. Looking forward to try the new Hyper next month to see how it compares.

 

You need to recalibrate your expectations. You are looking for your first bike. There is a very high likelihood that you will:
a) drop it and suffer the anguish/pain of getting your P&J fixed
b) find out more about the kind of riding you enjoy doing, and therefore type of bike to match the kind of riding
c) realise that your first bike does not necessarily meet all the requirements of (b)
d) develop your own riding skills and appreciate the unique characteristics different types of bikes provide (not just Italian)
e) lust after another bike within the first 6-12 months.

Based on the above, I would recommend getting a used bike that you love the looks of but are not too precious about to let all the above points play out... then go armed with your wallet to the nearest dealership in another 6-12 months time.

 

Monster 1100 or SF848. Multistrada has different riding modes so you can limit the power to 100hp until you feel more confident.

And I agree with the above - a lot of bikes may look great on paper but when it comes to riding it may turn out that it's not quite what you're looking for... plus your opinion about a bike may change over time as you develop your riding skills and confidence.

 

My rsvr factory .......perfect .....then I can get back to red!!!!!!!! Just saying like

 

15k sounds like a used vfr800 for the commute and a new 1100 monster for weekends. 70miles a day is going to murder residuals on anything.

 

15k sounds like 4k of cat D bike by August. :wink:

 

I read that as a post from someone called 'sparepants'

Ill go get my glasses

Anyway - just get what you fancy - it's not a dog you can get rid of it '

 

Great that you know what is drawing you into biking
Now get out there, go buy the bike that you like as you can buy at least 95% of the bikes available with a 15k budget, and get some mileage under your wheels. Let us know how it goes. Part of the fun of biking is trying out different bikes to find out what you like.

 

i have a monster s2r800 that I'm reluctantly about to part with after 4 years. i have loved every minute of it. i have commuted and done the shopping on it, ridden as many good roads i can find within 150 miles of london, taken it to france and belgium and germany , taken it 5500 miles in 6 weeks all over spain and portugal, ragged it silly on lots of obscene race tracks like brands hatch, silvertone, portimao, jerez, spa, aragon etc etc dropped it repaired it , tinkered with it, tarted it up. and learned loads along the way. its almost never let me down (apart from when caused by my own stupidity) and i have met stacks of brilliant people for all walks of life along the way

buying the bike you like is only the first small step, all the other fun and games come once you get out and ride it

with 15K cash the world is your shellfish

you can get a really nice 2nd hand bike for £ 5k, then spend the other 10K on as many trackdays ride outs, extra tuition and and tours as you can

an older multi 1000 or 1100 or a bigger monster eg s4r or m1100 would be perfect, they are do-anything machines and relatively cheap to insure (the s4r might be a bit more).

love riding them, then flog them, In a year or 2 when you have loads of experience of different types of riding, go buy another bike (or Bikes that suit what you like doing most

 

One of my mates passed his test a year ago. I advised spending £1500 on a used jap 600 to learn on / fall off, etc

He bought a brand new XJ6 for £6k, now for sale at £3750... With panniers etc

He's now got a used Triumph Tiger 1100 after deciding that Touring was his thing. Slightly cursing the £3k lost on the Yam...

IF you can afford to just blow your cash then by all means go with your hunch and buy what you fancy, but I'd strongly recommend Spareparts' advice as above... Wait til you develop your own feel for biking before spending big.

Cheers,
Dom

 

Multi 1000 DS (you can still get a bling one with Ohlins bits if you want). Cheapish, do anything, fairing for long trips, luggage, plenty of power, loads of torque, looks good from all angles except the front. Low depreciation, open and shut case.