Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Stepped out for a bit of the old ultraviolence.
Full fat superbikes are fucking nuts. Especially after 800 miles on a 50 year old 250.

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11k, 4th gear, tiny bump in the road and up she comes……batshit. My eyeballs are all spun around.

GSXR1000? Yours? Looks speedy though for sure! I reckon I have a fast developing itch for something a bit mad just to have the ownership experience for a bit... I'm hoping I've reached the age where sense will add the appropriate amount of restraint 😅

I think it would have to be a Tuono V4 1100...

Yup. I’ve had 4 over the years. I don’t ride it often these days so spend the first twenty minutes muttering ‘fuuuuuucking hell’ to myself. They really are astonishingly fast. It’s an indescribable sensation.

My mate has a V4 Tuono - equally bonkers. Glorious noise.

How good a rider are you?
You would have to be decent and have some good places to ride to warrant a full Enduro bike as your onkly. Plus the extra maintenance costs and the constant risk of theft.
If you want to just do lanes get the CRF250/300. If you want to do lanes and a bit of Adventuring/touring get the Himalayan.

Yeah - a full on enduro is overkill for green lane pottering.

I go on about them ad-tedium in any off road related discussions, but also consider a DRZ400E. They're absurdly competent, same sort of weight as the CRF and more poke. Fun handling, dead reliable. Would work fine for some adventure touring too I reckon.

GSXR's - fantastic bikes - guy next door has a K6 - beautiful noise.

DRZ400E would be an ideal semi-modern but they’re getting harder to find in good condition at fair price.

Most of the time now CRF300’s plus upgrades will work out similar price to DRZ’s plus repairs/missed-maintenance.

By the way I think a proper enduro is wrong for anyone who hasn’t cut their teeth yet.

I used to have loads of fun on my F650 Funduro. Pretty good starter bike for that sort of thing imho, and appealing styling in a 90’s way

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Mate !!! Jealous AF !!! Let me know how it goes with the boyo !

Sounds like you're all covered for advice, but fairly recently bought an offroad bike so here's my 2p worth... Essentially there are 2 types of offroad bikes, the ones you want to take you to the trails (Africa Twin/BMW GS) and the ones you want to ride on the trails (KTM/Husky 250). That's the continuum, and there's various ones in between. You just have to decide where you want to make your compromises depending on where you live or how you use it.

I appreciate it's hard to figure this out as only took me 20 years! For exploring the local lanes a CRF250/300L will be perfect, but if you want to ride enduro or MX it'll be like taking a Calpol spoon to a knife fight.

That's what I was going to say.

I bet you can get a cheap GS for the price of an decent DRZ.

Pretty much

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Essentially there are 2 types of offroad bikes, the ones you want to take you to the trails (Africa Twin/BMW GS) and the ones you want to ride on the trails (KTM/Husky 250). That's the continuum, and there's various ones in between.

Or rather, the ones that people rode all the way to ABR festival and then crashed at the first hint of a rut (Africa Twin, BMW GS, aka aspiration bikes), the ones that people brought in the van that laughed at how easy the track was (enduro bikes, lightweight dual sports, aka dirt bikes), and the ones in between (T700, DR650, XT, KL-something, etc) that did the road miles with tolerable levels of pain and then didn't mind anything not-technical.

You just have to decide where you want to make your compromises depending on where you live or how you use it.

I've mentioned before the friend who did Little London enduro track on his KTM990 Adventure R and I couldn't keep up on the DR350. He's a huge South African who was on bikes on the farm before his feet touched the ground. Aside from the occasional use of the wife's SV, it's his only bike. It fits him because he's super tall and broad, it fits him like the DR fits me. He goes everywhere on it, road miles, trails, technical trails, because it's his one bike.

Me? I sat on it once and refused to take it off the side stand.

I appreciate it's hard to figure this out as only took me 20 years! For exploring the local lanes a CRF250/300L will be perfect,

It's the closest modern equivalent to the 90's DR350-era dual sports, and for all its shortcomings, it is built to a cost and it will work reliably. Just.... not fast... not wheelies... not massive hill climbs with power to spare. Basically, it's just a dual sport.

but if you want to ride enduro or MX it'll be like taking a Calpol spoon to a knife fight.

And that's why a certain member here got the very-spendy CRF450 which is a proper dirt bike, which I'm still a little jealous about!

I'll stick to my 90's Calpol.

the ones that people brought in the van that laughed at how easy the track was

I need to get on this seriously, I dream of being part of the men with ven. One day.

It's the closest modern equivalent to the 90's DR350-era dual sports

For riding off road fast there are obviously "better" bikes, but totally agree, the CRF250/300L is awesome for exploring and riding slightly further. If Austin Vince has one, that's good enough for me.

And that's why a certain member here got the very-spendy CRF450

He did get it second hand and after you add all the Rally Raid stuff to a 250/300L you're not far off, or so I hear. If you're ever down Bedfordshire way hit me up, you're welcome to give it a rip.

Although I'm still not sure I get the whole motorcycling thing, this makes me want a DR650.

Haha - I'll give you odds that went in a van from downtown to the desert. I can testify that riding a dirt bike (any dirt bike,) from Echo Park to the Mojave National Preserve is the motorcycle equivalent of being waterboarded. If waterboarding makes your arse catch fire while the rest of your body turns blue from vibes.

DR650s are alright though, bit sluggy but handle nicely like all the Suzukis do and are appealingly rugged.

This one is big fun in the desert….

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I am unendingly jealous of the situation in those photos. There's basically no legal off-road in Ireland at all, we don't even have greenlanes :(

Thanks all, going to ponder it over whilst out on this for now. Great couple of hours last night, it does sound ever so good through town

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That's a bugger mate. It is amazing here, even if you have to drive 100 miles or so for the good stuff. Too hot for it at the moment though!

Anyone got Varadero experience? Thinking of getting a bike when I've moved house this summer and have a garage for it (my last bike, a 600 bandit got stolen and I never replaced it) and someone at work has mentioned a 1000 Varadero with big miles,but well looked after, that they're looking to shift.

Got it home last night!

A blast to ride. So much torque, pulls like a train! Tyres on it aren't great so I didn't push too hard at all but it's going to be a lot of fun once it gets some new rubber!

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It’s insurance renewal time.

Last year: £189
This year: £470

No changes. Cunts the lot of them.

That's sick

Needs full rally/Dakar cosplay