nweaver

For the guy in portugal:



Why not the Fazer 600? It's reported to be a nice Seca II (diversion)/Bandit 600 successor, and they sell it in europe.



The BMW is nice, especially for the tall if you get a Dakar, but the windscreens SUCK and it is far too pricey and a fair bit buzzy which would be especially annoying for distance. If you want an actual 650 trailbike, get a Japanese one, a lot cheaper, same functionality. And the real trailbikes (650 singles) really aren't that great for passangers.



For the guy in canada:



I'd say Giant Trailie: They are designed to be comfortable, generally have good range, available luggage, and can handle cruddy asphault without flinching at all.



A real good bet, in budget, is the Suzuki V-strom: Lame name, but awfully comfortable sitting on it in the showroom, pretty darn bulletproof engine (TL1000). 5.8 gallon tank gives an >200 mile range if you are able to run at 40 mpg, >150 mile range if you run at 30 mpg. (mileage really depends on how you ride).



Are you sure it isn't 150 miles round trip to the gas station, I hope?

KPaulCook

I'll bet this was hard to do for you. I have to agree with you on this one. I almost bought a used one before I got my Ninja. Great bike low maintenance Honda bullet proof reliability. Beats an SUV anyday.

Eric

Although my transmission imploded after ~10k miles. I don't know how rough the previous owner was on it, though.

GogglesPaisano

1st guy: KLR650 or similar big trailie.



2nd guy: ZRX1200R does everything, never gets old.



Of course I also agree with the Bandit 1200S and FZ1 suggestions for #2...

cota

Renato:



Range, twisty, comfort, 2 up, 155+ range, 80 cruise, high reliability and not a starter.

- 750 down reliability suffers with the 80+ long cruise range, they do it, but long term? If your remote, go big for security.

- 2 up and comfort = sport touring, touring

- 155+ range = touring, or sport touring

- My pick list: Concours, Bandit 1200S, ZZR1200, ST1100/1300, FJR1300. All have nice fairings, all reliable, all get 155+ per tank, all pretty good in the twisties, good bags for all, all good 2 up, none for starters, all have umph over 80. Where your at,, I'd do the Concours, been around for years, reliability matters, price is very reasonable, handles well, reliable beyound belief.



I ride a Bandit 1200S, 8 hours is a long time, 6 ain't bad though.

dirtyd

that's wierd, I've never gotten much more than 150 miles per tank. I must just have a higher rageahol content.

dirtyd

Forget that nonsense, the real question is what is a verb for the action of having an alien burst forth from your stomach? Splaploid?

Small

BMWs are near bullet-proof, the GS was touring bike of the year for several magazines when the 1150 was released. It provides you with the ability to ride both on and off the road. They are the veritable SUVs of motorcycles. Does that make them an SUM? I have put over 30K Miles on BMW bikes in the last 2 years without any glitches. My current bike, a R1100S is pretty expensive, but I can afford to ride any bike I want, and I chose the R1100S. If I ever found one I liked better, I would own it.

Small

10 to 15 horses and 10 lbs of torque for less than $500. LIAR!!!! That would be more than a 25% increase in engine power. To get those kind of gains you would have to do some serious engine work to include new pistons, rods, and lots of time in the machine shop. An exaust system alone would cost $500 and the best gains you could hope for with that would be in the neighborhood of 3 to 5 hp. Go dyno your bike sometime, I bet it still is not even making claimed power at the rear wheel.

Grappelli

Writer 1: sounds like more upright bike for you.. the SV650 will be cramped at your height. But it depends how much zip you want.



Writer 2: you sound like the ideal candidate for a Yamaha YZF600R. (Note: Not the r6) Able to do long distances, and sporty enough to be a lot of fun on road and track, it's also not got a spiky power band to catch you out. I think you'll find it fast, comfortable and fun. And a year old one should be easily in your price range.