You all remember that I got my first first gen XJ600 right before I got my license:
Then I sold that and got myself a Honda Transalp:
That really got me more into motorcycling with its upright seating position etc.
A month or so in, I received an XJ550 as it was in someones way and I had -very little, but some- space in our garage. It has been a long journey, but it is slowly coming back together. Obviously, without blinkers, front fender or mirrors, I just had to take a picture of it next to a police bike.
And then, at the end of the summer, I sold the Transalp as I really wanted to look for something a bit bigger with more power. It took a while before I could make a move on that and I am now slowly looking around to see what I can do.
I have a couple of requirements:
- Upright seating position
- Adventurous bike
- Nice to play with on the small roads
- Good for long road trips
- Able to venture off the beaten (or paved) track
- A bit more oomph than the old Alp
The downside is that I have a pretty tight budget. I would love to just run out and get a BMW 1100GS, but the budget doesn't stretch as far. I also appreciate Yamaha's XTZ750 Super Ténéré and Honda's XRV750 Africa Twin. Both sometimes turn up within reach, but are often over budget and even in the 1100GS range.
In the meantime I have ridden:
Aprilia Pegaso F650
Kawasaki KLE500
Suzuki DR650 (tuned to have 7hp more)
And I still have a Suzuki DR800 DRBIG on my list. I am interested to see what that is going to be like...