what bike ?

hi , i am thinking of treating mysel to a newer bike for the start of the season, but not sure what to try . i have tried a hornet didnt like the seating ,cbf 600 seemed fine ,but i have enjoyed the dullville as its shaft driven , no chain to look after ,so i am asking is there any bike that you think i should at least consider whilest i save my pennies

Test ride as many bikes as you can to see what you like. Personal preference from experience is better than someone steering you towards a specific bike. Riders can vary in taste as to what suits them.

Shaft drive is good, but a chain driven bike with 'Scot-oiler' or similar saves a lot of messing with chains, so don't immediately discount chain drive. I know someone who fitted one to VFR 800 and had 25,000 miles out of chain and sprockets and the chain did not need much adjustment during that period.

As far as I'm concerned shaft drive has got to be better than chain for those that haven't got the time or the inclination to be tinkering with dosing units on a weekly basis. I used to be a member of a bike forum when living down in London. A core group of them used to compare miles per pint when talking about Scott oiliers and their usage! After riding both chained and shaft bikes I'd go for a shaft drive every time. But then that's my personal preference

I won't steer you towards any particular bike - we could all post our "fav" bike here and no two posts would be the same.
I will give you some advice - as you've asked for it
Do your research - find out as much about the bike(s) you are planning to test/buy.
Take your time - you'll probably have the bike for a few years so don't rush into buying one.
Set yourself a cc range to look at maybe? That would reduce your choices but also give you a more focussed set of bikes to test. (Is is one or two esses in focussed?)
Pick a bike that's been around a little while to give you something to research. New bikes may be exciting but why be part of the manufacturers testing process? Many things that were deemed "bad" about the 1400 GTR were rectifiied in the 2010 model! Who found all that out I wonder? Not Kawasaki

Hope this helps

About six of our club members had Deauvilles away back on 2000/2001.
I had mine for 3 years until I traded in for a "shaft-drive" with a larger engine.
Since then Deauvilles have appeared with GMC members over the years.
Deauville has improved tremendously since then. I had a test ride of one
about 18 months ago and was suitably impressed.
One of our committee members has one.
Everyone's taste is different but there's not really a choice of shaft drives
in that size of engine.

Try a BMW F800, nice bike, good fun and not too heavy. Belt drive so no lubing required and lowered seat option if necessary.

I took the new F800 out on one of BMW's open days. Despite the steering damper I found it as flighty as hell. Really light and easy to throw around (and do u-turns), but after it shaking its head with little provocation (on an overtake) I didn't trust it.
As to the Deauville - my opinion is well known - EVIL MONSTROSITY OF INSTABILITY!!! May have been a dodgy one we owned since it had had 2 previous owners, who totalled 2000 miles between them. Wonder what they didn't like? However, I was given another of these as a courtesy bike. It too tries to sit up and pulses back on sweeping left handers at any decent speed. No one has mentioned how impossible it is to keep on your own side of the road in the wind either. Also not a pleasant experience.

Maybe I don't weigh enough to hold the bikes down on the road like some of you somewhat heavier guys!

I learned a lot about riding on Kawasaki's Z750. Stable, comfy, well fast enough, wind protection, not too heavy to park, but I outgrew its limits of suspension and there was nowhere to keep your handbag.

Bandit 600 worth a thought? A few of the Suzukis seem better proportioned to females. Maybe they are GIRL bikes after all!

Triumph's street triple seems to get great write ups. It is a tiny bike but I haven't actually ridden it. Their speed triple has to have one of my all time favourite engines, but it is naked and you get blown off backwards if you go slightly over the speed limit.

This could be a great thread - every one of us will have our opinion, all different. I would suggest you try out as many as possible and on one of the test runs you'll not want to go back. That'll be the one for you.

I thought I hated shaft drive after the Dullsville experience, but my dream bike currently is BMW's new K1300(and some other letters) and it is a shafty. Can't afford it though.

Hi Kaz

I dont know you or your riding style/preference but have learned over many years not to recommend a particular bike for others even I have spend ages discussing what they need.
The thing with bikes is its often not we need but what we want that gets us to dig deep into our pockets !

What I would suggest is that you have a think about what you like and dont like about your present bike and then have another think about what you want your new bike to do.

Then have a trawl through the local dealers for ideas / test rides.
Once you have a possible candidate then ask around for comments (even try and find an internet forum as most have their own and the depth of knowledge is huge and very valuable in deciding).

Shaft v Chain - They both have their advantages and disadvantages and it is for you decide which suits your needs best.

That way you get what you want not what others think you want (No disrespect to anybody meant by this comment).

Then have fun looking !

Hi Kaz,
I bought my first bike about two years ago. I bought a 650cc machine which I really enjoyed. I found it by going around some of the shops and by asking for advice, just like you are, but when I rode it for the first time, I knew it was the bike for me. Last year, after about 12 months riding I decided I wanted more umph out of my bike, so I asked around and got tons of advice and I went round the shops again. I just couldn't decide, until that is... I sat on my current bike and took it out for a ride. Within 1/4 mile of the showroom, it was sold. I knew it was the next bike for me, and so I bought it.

You'll know you want it, as soon as you ride it! Always works for me! My 10p worth, get out there and ride as many as you can. Don't worry about the riding a bike and not buying it syndrome, the tester bikes in the showrooms are there to be ridden. Go for it and enjoy some free riding.

Mike.