Let me start off by thanking each one of you. The stuff you share goes a long way for people like me who are looking to take the plunge. You guys rock.
A bit about me:
I've been around the sun 42 times and ridden for more than 25 of those. Had a variety of machines over the years but I think they've all followed a pattern - The Modern Classic is where it is at for me. In the past I've owned and ridden 50+ bikes including the Yamaha RX100, Yamaha RD350, a litany of small Indo-Jap bikes ranging from 100cc to 150cc, the 1996 Vespa Cosa and finally a Harley Davidson Street 750. I bought it, hated it, fixed it, loved it and finally gave it away to a friend. Someone who I know will take care of it for years to come.
How did I get to the Speed Twin:
Owning the Harley was an affair filled with mixed emotions. Here I had the most un-Harley Harley - Liquid cooled, high revving V-Twin that was fast, agile and thoroughly good for Indian roads. One thing that kept nagging me was how heavy it was. And unnecessarily so. 225kilos dry is a bit too much. Anyways, having saved up some monies, I was looking for something sportier but more importantly something with a lot of polish. It was a toss up between 4 machines from different parts of the world. Shortlist was:
- Triumph Speed Twin
- Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC
- Honda CB1000r / CB650r
- BMW R Nine T
- Kawasaki Z900rs
- Suzuki Katana (the new one)
This is what happened to each one:
- Triumph Speed Twin - Bought it. Cost me US$ 17.5k
- Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC - Found this to be a bit too mechanical, raw and rough
- Honda CB1000r / CB650r - the 1000 was manic it's power, wide and a slightly unwieldy for my liking. Also expensive (~US$ 27k)
- BMW R Nine T - Maintaining this in India isn't the easiest thing to do. Bike is very well balanced and sounds lovely. Fun to ride and does exactly what you want it to. Very expensive (~ US$ 32K)
- Kawasaki Z900rs - An amazing machine that sounds the best of the lot. Smooth as silk. Looks captivating in that maroon and orange look. Very long waiting periods as we get them only on order. Also Expensive (~ US$ 29k)
- Suzuki Katana (the new one) - Far away from India.
So yeah... Here I am with a 3 day old bike. Hope I can inspire others to ride too.
Will keep my experiences posted.
A bit about me:
I've been around the sun 42 times and ridden for more than 25 of those. Had a variety of machines over the years but I think they've all followed a pattern - The Modern Classic is where it is at for me. In the past I've owned and ridden 50+ bikes including the Yamaha RX100, Yamaha RD350, a litany of small Indo-Jap bikes ranging from 100cc to 150cc, the 1996 Vespa Cosa and finally a Harley Davidson Street 750. I bought it, hated it, fixed it, loved it and finally gave it away to a friend. Someone who I know will take care of it for years to come.
How did I get to the Speed Twin:
Owning the Harley was an affair filled with mixed emotions. Here I had the most un-Harley Harley - Liquid cooled, high revving V-Twin that was fast, agile and thoroughly good for Indian roads. One thing that kept nagging me was how heavy it was. And unnecessarily so. 225kilos dry is a bit too much. Anyways, having saved up some monies, I was looking for something sportier but more importantly something with a lot of polish. It was a toss up between 4 machines from different parts of the world. Shortlist was:
- Triumph Speed Twin
- Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC
- Honda CB1000r / CB650r
- BMW R Nine T
- Kawasaki Z900rs
- Suzuki Katana (the new one)
This is what happened to each one:
- Triumph Speed Twin - Bought it. Cost me US$ 17.5k
- Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC - Found this to be a bit too mechanical, raw and rough
- Honda CB1000r / CB650r - the 1000 was manic it's power, wide and a slightly unwieldy for my liking. Also expensive (~US$ 27k)
- BMW R Nine T - Maintaining this in India isn't the easiest thing to do. Bike is very well balanced and sounds lovely. Fun to ride and does exactly what you want it to. Very expensive (~ US$ 32K)
- Kawasaki Z900rs - An amazing machine that sounds the best of the lot. Smooth as silk. Looks captivating in that maroon and orange look. Very long waiting periods as we get them only on order. Also Expensive (~ US$ 29k)
- Suzuki Katana (the new one) - Far away from India.
So yeah... Here I am with a 3 day old bike. Hope I can inspire others to ride too.
Will keep my experiences posted.
Welcome, from Northern California, Good for you for making a well-reasoned buying decision.
TO TT.
