I own the bike you want. A 2019 Indian scout in red and thunder black. It's stage 1 with a 24" dean speed sissy bar and a set of mustang seats with backrests. Absolutely the best motorcycle for the money! Highly recommend! 10/10!!! It'll dust up nearly any Harley.
I don’t know how old you are but I’m now 73 and for the past 15 years I’ve ridden a Kawasaki Vulcan VN 900 and in all that time I couldn’t fault her but at 700 lbs + with the bags,spotlights ,crash bar etc I was finding harder to maul her about and after looking around for something that I could ride that was not a sports bike I narrowed it down to a W800, Royal Enfield , Vulcan s or the Rebel ,I can see by your name that you are into Harleys the same as I was the VN 900 classic but you’ve got to face it as we get older we can’t ride a bike brand and there’s lots of lighter bikes out there that won’t give you a hernia if you drop one
Morning Alan - I agree completely. I'll be 60 next year and when I got back into riding (2016) I was stunned (stunned, I tell ya'!) at how different my riding needs had become after 35 years away. Stunned. I've never likes sports bikes but big cruisers always seemed too unwieldy and just plain impractical (on busy, poorly maintained British roads). I was right too. But a Sportster fit nicely in the middle - heavy, but not unmanagable. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to manage a 600lb bike, but for now it's fine. When I'm 73, I hope I can still ride. A W800 would be wonderful - I sat on one at the dealership last week. Seems lovely! We'll see, I suppose. For now, my Speedmaster is perfik. Cheers Alan, Chris
I like the SpeedMaster's looks for most part, handsome, but ..can't abide a car radiator. Had the 08 Bonnie Black, budget suspension and brakes were its weaknesses, needed perfect pavement and no hard charging. Suspect both are improved on the new SM. I think the quest really ends in an M8 Softail Heritage.
I hear you Barry. Indeed, if the Heritage had RDRS, it would be (nearly) perfect. But softails don't have it, so I went elsewhere. (I never 'see' the 'car radiator' as it's so sympathetically inserted in the Speedmaster.) I assume RDRS is scheduled for softails, but when? Cheers, Chris
Great choice with the Triumph. I think your weight limit was a bit off and really limited your all around choices. My Victory is heavy but it feels light. I could not believe how heavy it was but it rides great and I found myself scraping the pegs. My Sportster was 150 pounds lighter but feels heavier and takes more effort to push through turns. Being a guy pushing sixty I have all of the same concerns you do with the exception of weight limits. I seriously wanted a Rocket three but they do not make it in a bagger model with a fairing. You should have rode the Indian. My next bike will be an Indian.
Morning Semper - I completely agree about the Rocket. It's a travesty that Triumph have never offered a proper touring version of the Rocket. (Same with the old Thunderbird.) Those bikes are tailor-made for touring but Triumph never developed them properly. The Rocket, especially, is an amazing platform with the most incredible engine; surely it's a deadringer for massive touring rides? I really believe that a properly decked-out Rocket GT is the only bike with the genuine potential to be greater than a Goldwing. (And if the Rocket was £40k, it would have a broader appeal than a Harley CVO.) As for the weight issue, I suspect that has to do with location. Here, Great Britain is a 'crowded isle', so the roads are narrower and busy. A heavy (wide) bike is just not practical as you can't filter in dense traffic, or maneuver through gridlocked cars. So, here, smaller & lighter works better. (I did try a Chiefain.) If your next bike is an Indian, will it be Roadmaster? They seem gorgeous. (For me, it'd be a Scout. The utterly beautiful Thunder Stroke engine is awesome and glorious - but it's just so wide. The Scout engine is titchy!) Cheers mate, Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 nice video Chris-I have had my 2014 Rocket III Roadster since i bought her in 2014 April- overall awesome motorcycle has been very good to me with minimal maintenance issues (valve cover gasket) but its a lot of fun to ride- not a distance long leg bike with the riding position lack of 6th gear. Styling is an acquired taste I can understand why people think it's ugly but to me it looks awesome. The newer Rockets are impressive, and you get a lighter more powerful motorcycle but for me I like the rawness of the original Rocket. But Triumph certainly understands what the folks want and are doing a great job with their new offerings- One bike I'm looking really hard at is the BMW K1600B wow what a bagger. I'm with you on the R18 that fish exhaust is a killer also the heads on the sides are too much out ehh?
Thunderbird (1600cc) or Thunderbird Storm (1700cc). Production began in 2009. More than 109 Fig Newtons worth of torque…and ground clearance superior to Every Other cruiser…and with a way comfortable saddle, Pardner !
@@chrisoftheot6272 Thunderbird (1600cc) or Thunderbird Storm (1700cc). Production began in 2009. More than 109 Fig Newtons worth of torque…and ground clearance superior to Every Other cruiser…and with a way comfortable saddle, Pardner ! (Oops, there I go repeating myself !)
Morning Riz - yip, I confess this didn't make the cut. In fact, I saw a picture of one of the Janus bikes and was very curious. They look so wonderful - but the Chinese engine seems to get almost universal critisism (and they're expensive), so I blanked them. Did you buy one? Cheers, Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 Hi Chris, Truth be told, I stumble upon Janus few days ago. I had no idea about this small company, and thought you should know. Recently I traded my 1998 Fatboy for a Street Glide. Cheers, Riz
Thanks for the heads-up Riz. I would have loved a Street Glide but they're a bit pricey - and large. Filtering ('lane splitting') is a staple in Britain these days and a big Glide is just too wide. Such a shame! I am quite certain you'll enjoy yours though Riz. Cheers :-) Chris
Morning Frank - that's a tad pessimistic mate! I saw your (numerous) posts with my Sportster Identity Crisis video and was stunned that you: 'have a 1999 Sportster 883 [and] I have put three hundred and seventy thousand miles on her on original engine.' Wow! 370,000 miles: is that correct? How did you get the engine to last that long? I imagine re-bores & crank bearings and stuff, but still, that's mighty impressive. It's also a lot of miles per year - where are you going all the time?! For you more than most Frank, I wish you safe riding! Cheers, Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 I don't have cars or trucks I use my bikes for everyday transportation and as I have had the Sportster over 20 years I have put a lot of mileage on it going to work looking for work going to temporary job assignments I would get $10 in gas money when that was two tanks of gas. I had purchased the Sportster one year old and I used it for everything. Used it as it was intended not as a chrome phallic symbol but as regular everyday Transportation as you was in the old days. I get roughly 10,000 miles out of a tire and I have put 37 rear tires on the bike. The bike had 20,000 miles on it when I bought it. I bought it because I wanted a bike that people could work on people can get parts and people wouldn't turn it away there's lots of people that work on Harleys. Now that the doctors won't cut off my left foot I can go back to using a two wheeler over my sidecar rig. I have put three belts on it, wore out the front end from going up and down replaced it with a front end from a 2009. Have worn out four seats. It is my first Harley and it may not have monetary value but it has value to me. I treat my motorcycles like I treat my dogs if they get sick I take them to the vet. I knew some Old World War II guys in the Train club and I would listen to them talk and they called the B-17 a flying coffin because there were not many Escape Routes to get out of the plane. They improve that on later planes. Yamaha called their V-Twin a Virago. One definition of a Virago is a mean tempered bitch. I like doing day trips because at night in Florida you have to deal with the drunk drivers the wild pigs running loose and people texting on their phones when they should be concentrating on what they're doing so for me riding at night is something I do not do anymore unless I absolutely have to. My Sportster has been more reliable than in my wildest dreams it has all of the original engine parts except for the little bearing in the quest primary that goes out every 50 60,000 miles and I've done that five or six times. When it starts grinding you have two or three miles to go before it gives out all together and one time I rode right into my friends Harley shop and it gave up the ghost in the driveway and I had to watch his shop while he went to Harley to get the parts kit which is only like about $6 for the bearing in the bracket but you have to tear down the primary in order to put it in. If you saw my Sportster you would have no doubt in your mind that this motorcycle has almost 400,000 miles on it because it looks it. We have lots of nice two laying back roads in Florida once you get away from the interstates and when the orange blossoms are in bloom we have the sweetest smelling air on Earth. I have sold six Sportsters at the Harley shop simply by going up to people and raving about the quality of my motorcycle and the reliability of it as well and they take it that well if this guy's had that bike 20 plus years and he's got that many miles on it he must know what he's talking about. Since I don't have a car I put much more mileage on it than somebody who has a car available. Being on Social Security I really can't afford the expenses of car entails hell I could barely afford gas. When Norton rubber mounted the atlas it lost 30 lb, when Harley rubber mounted the Sportster it gained 80 lb. I just saw on the interweb the Chinese are making a knock off Harley Sportster. With Sportsters going for such low prices on the second hand Market I really can't see Chinese Sportsters selling over here. One thing about having a 20-year-old Sportster the parts are very very cheap because people don't think they're ever going to get rid of them and then you come along and you buy them and they can't wait to see the cash in hand.
Morning Frank - thanks for that comprehensive reply, awesome. There are many bike-related points I'd like to talk to you about, BUT! They wanted to 'cut off my left foot'?! What's that about? Crickey - I trust it's medical and not that you REALLY upset the wrong person...?
I started to fully agree to fully disagree ;) I would like to change my Suzuki Intruder C800, because I already turned 100 000 km in 6 years. My conditions are: New, power cruiser, comforable, good handling to city and to long trips, thick front wheel, good brakes, modern assistants, shaft drive, no parallel-twin. My top candidate was Suzuki M109, but it is not possible to buy new one and has no modern assistants. Moto Guzii - nice at pictues, but in real not so much. BMW - absolutely agree! Beautiful, but impossible to seat there. Honda - almost agree. I only think, that looks much worse than the BMW R1200C. Rebel is really ugly bike. Kawasaki - almost the same bike as I have. Yamaha - not produced anymore. Triumph Rocket - I like it from each view. Except the TFT screen, I would put there 2 gauge. Speedmaster - has chain and is small. HD - just no. I don't like it at all. Indian - is too small to me.
Morning Martin - thanks for the reply. Interesting points you make, and your 'conditions' are very similar to my own requirements: 'New, power cruiser, comfortable, good handling to city and to long trips, thick front wheel, good brakes, modern assistants, shaft drive, no parallel-twin...' (Although I was never aiming to buy new, that's just how it turned out.) A comfortable, good handling cruiser (fat front tyre), with decent brakes & electronics. (You're also after shaft drive - but no parallel twin! Well, it takes all sorts.) The shaft drive reduces the options hugely - and you discount the two most compelling: R18 & California/MGX21. What are you looking at Martin? I can't think of anything else. Goldwing? Is that shaft? If so, it's very expensive. Let us know what you're hoping for Martin - I'm extremely curious. Cheers, Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 Hi Chris, before I bought my motorbike, one foamous czech stunt rider said: Do you know, what is better than motorcycle? The new motorcycle! I had offer to buy (as my first bike) driven for little less price than new. I decided for new and it was good choice. Now is time to buy next. to GW: I don't like it. Design is strange. I don't like windshields, not the huge fairings. I ride almost alone, so no backseat is needed nor wanted, I don't want to climb over it every time. Ok, GW is also as bagger. But then: GW in EU is only with automatich clutch. It is great in cars, but to pay 30 000 for obese scooter? Next big minus, start-stop. Top stupidity, before each ride you must click on display, that yo are not idiot. At final, during ride are all the buttons locked and you cannot use it. They killed the GW completely. What remains? Surprisingly R3GT. Expensive, but maybe long-life. Engine has surely huge power reserve (if 800ccm engine is relatively ok after 100000km, this one must last 300000), looks good (except the display, but is is still beter than no room for legs in BMW). I would remove the windscreen and backrest and that's all. It has only few minuses. There is no room for raincover and disc lock (because I don't want the tankbag). Fuel consumption is not small, but as some say, it is possible to ride for 6l/100km. And before mentioned display (which is still better than ugly tablet on BMW K1600 ad other motorcycles). Maybe something else, but I don't know, becasue I don't have it.
Afternoon Martin - your Czech stunt rider friend was quite right: new is ace! Interesting assessment of the Goldwing: 'obese scooter'! I bet every Goldwing rider in the universe will look, wide-eyed, at that comment. So you're going for Rocket 3? Wow. Loads-a-money. But, what a machine! (I think Triumph do a rider backrest for the Rocket - a must have for me. You're very fortunate not to have to worry about it.) The GT is soooo comfortable, but I'd have to get a fairing & bags and only Corbin seem to offer that. Still, worth the huge outlay as it'd be cheaper than a Goldwing and on-par with a Harley Glide. I find I'm slightly jealous of you Martin! I don't think I'd go for the Rocket, but with you specific requirements, I believe it's the only choice left: and what a choice that would make! Enjoy it Martin. Thanks for the comment mate. Cheers, Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 GW was surely perfect heavyweight cruiser, no doubts. But last "enhancements" did from it really only the obese scooter. Everything os lost, remains just future design, maybe good riding, but lot lot restrictions and feeling, that the rider is complete idiot. Corbin did from the perfectly looked motorbike one heavyweight american monster. With their fairing, seat and saddlebags it looks absolutely ugly. All the elegance of R3 is out, remains the american uniformity. I will see, what will be and if it will be, how it will be. ;) But thanks, I hope, everything will go well and my hopes will be fulfilled. I would be very happy, if there will be somethong similar, with smaller engine, and cheaper. But, it is not. I don't know, where are all these bikes gone. Or they weren't yet?
Morning Martin - it looks like you're in, what we call, 'a bit of a quandary' (confused & undecided). You're obviously not getting a Goldwing (!), and, from what you say, while the Rocket is appealing, it's too big, expensive & a bit impractical. Tricky. Since you love your Intruder, maybe you'll have to keep hold of it for a while? If you could be persuaded to go with belt drive (or even chain), your options would increase greatly. Suzuki do still list the the M109 new, as the R BOSS version: suzukicycles.com/cruiser/2022/boulevard-m109r-boss. That looks pretty awesome - and seems to meet your needs. It's also less than $16,000 (USA), so even in Europe, it may be afordable. Looks good! Have you considered it? Cheers, Chris
Good on you man, I’ve had 4 Thumpers, ‘69, Bonnie, ‘71 Tiger, ‘72 Bonnie! ‘95 Thunderbird. Now, ‘14 XL1200C.
Hard choices!! Love the anticipation,,, i just had to see the end result!!! And you made a good choice! Congratulations bravo well done!!
Morning Éric - thank you for you kind comment. It was a good fun video to make, and I'm glad you liked watching it.
Cheers,
Chris
I own the bike you want. A 2019 Indian scout in red and thunder black. It's stage 1 with a 24" dean speed sissy bar and a set of mustang seats with backrests. Absolutely the best motorcycle for the money! Highly recommend! 10/10!!! It'll dust up nearly any Harley.
I don’t know how old you are but I’m now 73 and for the past 15 years I’ve ridden a Kawasaki Vulcan VN 900 and in all that time I couldn’t fault her but at 700 lbs + with the bags,spotlights ,crash bar etc I was finding harder to maul her about and after looking around for something that I could ride that was not a sports bike I narrowed it down to a W800, Royal Enfield , Vulcan s or the Rebel ,I can see by your name that you are into Harleys the same as I was the VN 900 classic but you’ve got to face it as we get older we can’t ride a bike brand and there’s lots of lighter bikes out there that won’t give you a hernia if you drop one
Morning Alan - I agree completely. I'll be 60 next year and when I got back into riding (2016) I was stunned (stunned, I tell ya'!) at how different my riding needs had become after 35 years away. Stunned.
I've never likes sports bikes but big cruisers always seemed too unwieldy and just plain impractical (on busy, poorly maintained British roads). I was right too. But a Sportster fit nicely in the middle - heavy, but not unmanagable. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to manage a 600lb bike, but for now it's fine.
When I'm 73, I hope I can still ride. A W800 would be wonderful - I sat on one at the dealership last week. Seems lovely! We'll see, I suppose. For now, my Speedmaster is perfik.
Cheers Alan,
Chris
I like the SpeedMaster's looks for most part, handsome, but ..can't abide a car radiator. Had the 08 Bonnie Black, budget suspension and brakes were its weaknesses, needed perfect pavement and no hard charging. Suspect both are improved on the new SM. I think the quest really ends in an M8 Softail Heritage.
I hear you Barry. Indeed, if the Heritage had RDRS, it would be (nearly) perfect. But softails don't have it, so I went elsewhere. (I never 'see' the 'car radiator' as it's so sympathetically inserted in the Speedmaster.)
I assume RDRS is scheduled for softails, but when?
Cheers,
Chris
Great choice with the Triumph. I think your weight limit was a bit off and really limited your all around choices. My Victory is heavy but it feels light. I could not believe how heavy it was but it rides great and I found myself scraping the pegs. My Sportster was 150 pounds lighter but feels heavier and takes more effort to push through turns. Being a guy pushing sixty I have all of the same concerns you do with the exception of weight limits. I seriously wanted a Rocket three but they do not make it in a bagger model with a fairing. You should have rode the Indian. My next bike will be an Indian.
Morning Semper - I completely agree about the Rocket. It's a travesty that Triumph have never offered a proper touring version of the Rocket. (Same with the old Thunderbird.) Those bikes are tailor-made for touring but Triumph never developed them properly. The Rocket, especially, is an amazing platform with the most incredible engine; surely it's a deadringer for massive touring rides? I really believe that a properly decked-out Rocket GT is the only bike with the genuine potential to be greater than a Goldwing. (And if the Rocket was £40k, it would have a broader appeal than a Harley CVO.)
As for the weight issue, I suspect that has to do with location. Here, Great Britain is a 'crowded isle', so the roads are narrower and busy. A heavy (wide) bike is just not practical as you can't filter in dense traffic, or maneuver through gridlocked cars. So, here, smaller & lighter works better.
(I did try a Chiefain.) If your next bike is an Indian, will it be Roadmaster? They seem gorgeous. (For me, it'd be a Scout. The utterly beautiful Thunder Stroke engine is awesome and glorious - but it's just so wide. The Scout engine is titchy!)
Cheers mate,
Chris
Looking at the Challenger or Pursuit for next bike.
@@chrisoftheot6272 nice video Chris-I have had my 2014 Rocket III Roadster since i bought her in 2014 April- overall awesome motorcycle has been very good to me with minimal maintenance issues (valve cover gasket) but its a lot of fun to ride- not a distance long leg bike with the riding position lack of 6th gear. Styling is an acquired taste I can understand why people think it's ugly but to me it looks awesome.
The newer Rockets are impressive, and you get a lighter more powerful motorcycle but for me I like the rawness of the original Rocket. But Triumph certainly understands what the folks want and are doing a great job with their new offerings- One bike I'm looking really hard at is the BMW K1600B wow what a bagger. I'm with you on the R18 that fish exhaust is a killer also the heads on the sides are too much out ehh?
Thunderbird (1600cc) or Thunderbird Storm (1700cc). Production began in 2009. More than 109 Fig Newtons worth of torque…and ground clearance superior to Every Other cruiser…and with a way comfortable saddle, Pardner !
@@chrisoftheot6272 Thunderbird (1600cc) or Thunderbird Storm (1700cc). Production began in 2009. More than 109 Fig Newtons worth of torque…and ground clearance superior to Every Other cruiser…and with a way comfortable saddle, Pardner !
(Oops, there I go repeating myself !)
Good luck 🍀
Thank you, Ahmed. 🙂
I buyed a speedmaster!! Nice!!
I agree!
You left out Janus 450
Morning Riz - yip, I confess this didn't make the cut. In fact, I saw a picture of one of the Janus bikes and was very curious. They look so wonderful - but the Chinese engine seems to get almost universal critisism (and they're expensive), so I blanked them.
Did you buy one?
Cheers,
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 Hi Chris, Truth be told, I stumble upon Janus few days ago. I had no idea about this small company, and thought you should know.
Recently I traded my 1998 Fatboy for a Street Glide.
Cheers,
Riz
Thanks for the heads-up Riz.
I would have loved a Street Glide but they're a bit pricey - and large. Filtering ('lane splitting') is a staple in Britain these days and a big Glide is just too wide. Such a shame! I am quite certain you'll enjoy yours though Riz.
Cheers :-)
Chris
Define fortresses for nickname by the Flyers who flew them flying coffins I don't know if I'd want to call that for a motorcycle
Morning Frank - that's a tad pessimistic mate!
I saw your (numerous) posts with my Sportster Identity Crisis video and was stunned that you: 'have a 1999 Sportster 883 [and] I have put three hundred and seventy thousand miles on her on original engine.'
Wow! 370,000 miles: is that correct? How did you get the engine to last that long? I imagine re-bores & crank bearings and stuff, but still, that's mighty impressive. It's also a lot of miles per year - where are you going all the time?!
For you more than most Frank, I wish you safe riding!
Cheers,
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 I don't have cars or trucks I use my bikes for everyday transportation and as I have had the Sportster over 20 years I have put a lot of mileage on it going to work looking for work going to temporary job assignments I would get $10 in gas money when that was two tanks of gas. I had purchased the Sportster one year old and I used it for everything. Used it as it was intended not as a chrome phallic symbol but as regular everyday Transportation as you was in the old days. I get roughly 10,000 miles out of a tire and I have put 37 rear tires on the bike. The bike had 20,000 miles on it when I bought it. I bought it because I wanted a bike that people could work on people can get parts and people wouldn't turn it away there's lots of people that work on Harleys. Now that the doctors won't cut off my left foot I can go back to using a two wheeler over my sidecar rig. I have put three belts on it, wore out the front end from going up and down replaced it with a front end from a 2009. Have worn out four seats. It is my first Harley and it may not have monetary value but it has value to me. I treat my motorcycles like I treat my dogs if they get sick I take them to the vet. I knew some Old World War II guys in the Train club and I would listen to them talk and they called the B-17 a flying coffin because there were not many Escape Routes to get out of the plane. They improve that on later planes. Yamaha called their V-Twin a Virago. One definition of a Virago is a mean tempered bitch. I like doing day trips because at night in Florida you have to deal with the drunk drivers the wild pigs running loose and people texting on their phones when they should be concentrating on what they're doing so for me riding at night is something I do not do anymore unless I absolutely have to. My Sportster has been more reliable than in my wildest dreams it has all of the original engine parts except for the little bearing in the quest primary that goes out every 50 60,000 miles and I've done that five or six times. When it starts grinding you have two or three miles to go before it gives out all together and one time I rode right into my friends Harley shop and it gave up the ghost in the driveway and I had to watch his shop while he went to Harley to get the parts kit which is only like about $6 for the bearing in the bracket but you have to tear down the primary in order to put it in. If you saw my Sportster you would have no doubt in your mind that this motorcycle has almost 400,000 miles on it because it looks it. We have lots of nice two laying back roads in Florida once you get away from the interstates and when the orange blossoms are in bloom we have the sweetest smelling air on Earth. I have sold six Sportsters at the Harley shop simply by going up to people and raving about the quality of my motorcycle and the reliability of it as well and they take it that well if this guy's had that bike 20 plus years and he's got that many miles on it he must know what he's talking about. Since I don't have a car I put much more mileage on it than somebody who has a car available. Being on Social Security I really can't afford the expenses of car entails hell I could barely afford gas. When Norton rubber mounted the atlas it lost 30 lb, when Harley rubber mounted the Sportster it gained 80 lb. I just saw on the interweb the Chinese are making a knock off Harley Sportster. With Sportsters going for such low prices on the second hand Market I really can't see Chinese Sportsters selling over here. One thing about having a 20-year-old Sportster the parts are very very cheap because people don't think they're ever going to get rid of them and then you come along and you buy them and they can't wait to see the cash in hand.
Morning Frank - thanks for that comprehensive reply, awesome. There are many bike-related points I'd like to talk to you about, BUT! They wanted to 'cut off my left foot'?! What's that about? Crickey - I trust it's medical and not that you REALLY upset the wrong person...?
Harley Heritage 👌
Any of the Harley Softails are great bikes, light for a cruiser and great handling + it's a Harley!
I started to fully agree to fully disagree ;) I would like to change my Suzuki Intruder C800, because I already turned 100 000 km in 6 years. My conditions are: New, power cruiser, comforable, good handling to city and to long trips, thick front wheel, good brakes, modern assistants, shaft drive, no parallel-twin. My top candidate was Suzuki M109, but it is not possible to buy new one and has no modern assistants.
Moto Guzii - nice at pictues, but in real not so much.
BMW - absolutely agree! Beautiful, but impossible to seat there.
Honda - almost agree. I only think, that looks much worse than the BMW R1200C. Rebel is really ugly bike.
Kawasaki - almost the same bike as I have.
Yamaha - not produced anymore.
Triumph Rocket - I like it from each view. Except the TFT screen, I would put there 2 gauge.
Speedmaster - has chain and is small.
HD - just no. I don't like it at all.
Indian - is too small to me.
Morning Martin - thanks for the reply.
Interesting points you make, and your 'conditions' are very similar to my own requirements: 'New, power cruiser, comfortable, good handling to city and to long trips, thick front wheel, good brakes, modern assistants, shaft drive, no parallel-twin...' (Although I was never aiming to buy new, that's just how it turned out.)
A comfortable, good handling cruiser (fat front tyre), with decent brakes & electronics. (You're also after shaft drive - but no parallel twin! Well, it takes all sorts.) The shaft drive reduces the options hugely - and you discount the two most compelling: R18 & California/MGX21.
What are you looking at Martin? I can't think of anything else. Goldwing? Is that shaft? If so, it's very expensive. Let us know what you're hoping for Martin - I'm extremely curious.
Cheers,
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 Hi Chris, before I bought my motorbike, one foamous czech stunt rider said: Do you know, what is better than motorcycle? The new motorcycle!
I had offer to buy (as my first bike) driven for little less price than new. I decided for new and it was good choice. Now is time to buy next.
to GW: I don't like it. Design is strange. I don't like windshields, not the huge fairings. I ride almost alone, so no backseat is needed nor wanted, I don't want to climb over it every time. Ok, GW is also as bagger. But then: GW in EU is only with automatich clutch. It is great in cars, but to pay 30 000 for obese scooter? Next big minus, start-stop. Top stupidity, before each ride you must click on display, that yo are not idiot. At final, during ride are all the buttons locked and you cannot use it. They killed the GW completely.
What remains? Surprisingly R3GT. Expensive, but maybe long-life. Engine has surely huge power reserve (if 800ccm engine is relatively ok after 100000km, this one must last 300000), looks good (except the display, but is is still beter than no room for legs in BMW). I would remove the windscreen and backrest and that's all. It has only few minuses. There is no room for raincover and disc lock (because I don't want the tankbag). Fuel consumption is not small, but as some say, it is possible to ride for 6l/100km. And before mentioned display (which is still better than ugly tablet on BMW K1600 ad other motorcycles). Maybe something else, but I don't know, becasue I don't have it.
Afternoon Martin - your Czech stunt rider friend was quite right: new is ace!
Interesting assessment of the Goldwing: 'obese scooter'! I bet every Goldwing rider in the universe will look, wide-eyed, at that comment.
So you're going for Rocket 3? Wow. Loads-a-money. But, what a machine! (I think Triumph do a rider backrest for the Rocket - a must have for me. You're very fortunate not to have to worry about it.) The GT is soooo comfortable, but I'd have to get a fairing & bags and only Corbin seem to offer that. Still, worth the huge outlay as it'd be cheaper than a Goldwing and on-par with a Harley Glide.
I find I'm slightly jealous of you Martin! I don't think I'd go for the Rocket, but with you specific requirements, I believe it's the only choice left: and what a choice that would make! Enjoy it Martin.
Thanks for the comment mate.
Cheers,
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 GW was surely perfect heavyweight cruiser, no doubts. But last "enhancements" did from it really only the obese scooter. Everything os lost, remains just future design, maybe good riding, but lot lot restrictions and feeling, that the rider is complete idiot.
Corbin did from the perfectly looked motorbike one heavyweight american monster. With their fairing, seat and saddlebags it looks absolutely ugly. All the elegance of R3 is out, remains the american uniformity.
I will see, what will be and if it will be, how it will be. ;) But thanks, I hope, everything will go well and my hopes will be fulfilled. I would be very happy, if there will be somethong similar, with smaller engine, and cheaper. But, it is not. I don't know, where are all these bikes gone. Or they weren't yet?
Morning Martin - it looks like you're in, what we call, 'a bit of a quandary' (confused & undecided). You're obviously not getting a Goldwing (!), and, from what you say, while the Rocket is appealing, it's too big, expensive & a bit impractical. Tricky.
Since you love your Intruder, maybe you'll have to keep hold of it for a while? If you could be persuaded to go with belt drive (or even chain), your options would increase greatly.
Suzuki do still list the the M109 new, as the R BOSS version: suzukicycles.com/cruiser/2022/boulevard-m109r-boss. That looks pretty awesome - and seems to meet your needs. It's also less than $16,000 (USA), so even in Europe, it may be afordable. Looks good! Have you considered it?
Cheers,
Chris
👌