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Bit late to the what-bike chat, but this is roughly what I was going to say. Plus the standard reminder that most decent size branded dealers will let you take a bike out for a decent test ride, so do that a lot to work out what you want.
I'm all but settled on twin for the lower reving throaty behavior. One thing I am certain of is that I do not want a high reving sport bike.
It's going to come down to a speed twin, thruxton RS and maybe even a Bonneville bobber. Shop also has a z900rs Cafe but that's a 4 and I don't want that. I'm going to test the rninet as well, but I doubt I want that bike in my life.
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One thing I am certain of is that I do not want a high reving sport bike.
Having spent a couple hours at 7-10k, and nowhere close to the red line... you're missing out.
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You might want to do some projections on the cost of insurance and repairs. The risk of binning your first bike is very high. The risk of it falling over because car drivers nudge park, or you don't park it optimally, is very very very high. If you have fully comp insurance you'll want to replace every scratched part with a new one. The insurance company will pay but your premium will double and it will remain high for 5 years. Lots of people give up biking because their insurance becomes unaffordable or they simply can't get a quote for the bike they want.
Another strategy is to buy a bike which is already a little scruffy, get TPFT insurance and pay for repairs yourself, perhaps with second hand parts. You don't report crashes and you build up a precious NCD.
When choosing a bike, find out the price of the parts you'll need after binning it - bars, tank, levers, exhaust, headlight, clocks, seat and tail unit...
What about theft? If you park a nice new bike pretty much anywhere it's likely to be nicked. So you need a Bike Trac tracker.
P.S. If you claim on your bike insurance, maybe you lose your car NCD? Worth checking.
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Not a BMW fan at all but I have two mates with both R9T and Thruxton and I found the bimmer way more charming to ride.
pdlouche
nick_h.
Jung
Bit late to the what-bike chat, but this is roughly what I was going to say. Plus the standard reminder that most decent size branded dealers will let you take a bike out for a decent test ride, so do that a lot to work out what you want.