On the fence about buying... help!

LakeFlacid said:

... It's a great bike but it is missing that *** appeal factor... It just doesn't feel very exciting and it doesn't get my heart racing when I think about riding it.

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I had a KTM Duke 690. By no means boring. But it had no charm. It did most things well. The suspension was outstanding. The engine was OK, but being a big single it was a little rough. The service needs were absurd. The brakes without ABS left me concerned that I'd buy the farm during my commute. So I set out one Saturday to do some dealer hopping. Went first to the dealer where I bought the Duke and never left. Traded them for my white 2013 Hyperstrada, without so much as a test ride.

The 650 V-Strom was on my radar, as was the Honda NC700X. But I imagined them to be about as exciting as an appliance. I figured that buying the Ducati would involve a romance with a fine Italian machine and I was right. It's been an interesting few weeks of ownership. She's got her quirks, but I'm still getting myself acquainted. I miss the ride quality of the Duke, but welcome the sounds and sensations of the Ducati. It's going to take some work to make it ride better for my NYC metro area, but on smooth back roads, she's fine. The Sport/Touring/Urban modes are great. The ABS and TCS work well. The electrical outlets are handy. The uprated alternator is a welcome plus, though there's not a whole lot of places to stash gizmos and gadgets and extra lights. The bags swallow up a lot, but will fade in the sun. They don't have locks on the zippers. But then again I take them off and bring them in the office with me. Or leave them home. Centerstand is handy. Duke didn't have one so I bought a few hundred worth of work stands.

I'm 6', 210 lbs, and don't find the bike cramped. It's a compact bike, but I feel like I'm less on top of the tank than on the Duke. Sure, not a whole lot of room to stretch out, but it's very nimble, and for navigating the urban jungle, I'd prefer nimble to long and stretched out. I spent a couple of hundred miles riding it this past weekend, and the seating and ergos were fine. I might get a screen that's a bit bigger.

As for two up, I've had my wife on for short ride, the only thing she missed was something to lean back on. Same for my 12 year old son. The bike rode well with them on it.

It all depends on what you wanna do with it, really. I'm not touring. Most I'm gonna be able to do in a day is 200 miles or so. My commute and weekend searches for twisties is what I need the bike for. To me it was a logical step from the Duke - I wanted more engine, ABS, and something that's "different" than the mainstream bikes. The screen and bags and centerstand would have been something I'd have added to any other bike, but that they come standard on the Hyperstrada was a plus for me.

I only have about 3 weeks/350 miles on my HS, so I'm not the most qualified to answer, but I can at least tell you that I'm 5' 11" 220lbs and I'm very comfortable on the Hyperstrada. I've done 2 150 mile trips and never had any discomfort or need to take a break. $12K out the door seems like a pretty good deal to me.

I know what you mean about the *** appeal factor. I considered many more "sensible" bikes and the *** appeal of the ducati kept me coming back. I really love the bike so far, it sounds great, drives great, and is a ton of fun on back roads.

I've no answer about the *** appeal factor with HS as it is a personal preference, but if you are after the adventure then you may consider either a Vstorm 1000 or the Tiger800.

You can also have a look at the Aprilia Caponord 1200, which is an Italian sexy, ok for a little bit of adventure (better than HS anyway in that aspect), perfect for a 6' tall person, 125Hp, comes with the best suspension ever made on a motorcycle (as per reviews), traction control, ABS, automatic suspension, 3 riding modes, body matching panniers etc etc...then at least 2k$ less than a multistrada which is the class leading in competition.

NurseDaddy said:

They don't have locks on the zippers. But then again I take them off and bring them in the office with me...

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You've said this before. Are you not aware the zippers have luggage lock loops? It even comes with luggage locks.

As for Aprilia, I asked my dealer if he thought about carrying their line since he just picked up MV. He said the support network for them was horrible. I don't know if he meant this state, this region, this country...Really don't have a dog in that hunt but, he's an established dealer with lots of lower-level racing under his belt.

gatdammit said:

You've said this before. Are you not aware the zippers have luggage lock loops? It even comes with luggage locks.

As for Aprilia, I asked my dealer if he thought about carrying their line since he just picked up MV. He said the support network for them was horrible. I don't know if he meant this state, this region, this country...Really don't have a dog in that hunt but, he's an established dealer with lots of lower-level racing under his belt.

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Yes, I'm aware. I am in New York's Brooklyn and Bronx for work where the little loops are not likely to deter someone looking to steal contents. And one of the included luggage locks was broken right out of the package.

I have had mine on 2 trips 4 - 5 days and 250 miles+ a day. I am 6 ft 205 and while the bike is perfectly comfortable I find myself looking at bigger machines - KTM 1190, Multi, will look at Aprilia but agree with others the dealer network is small. Will even look at a Motto Guzzi.
Nothing wrong with my HS at all - just wanting more bike. But you are looking at a very diverse set of bikes there - Tiger to me just looks top heavy but people love them. V Strom 1000 to my eye has a cheap feel to it and you already had the 650 - great bikes both but *** appeal not so much. Street triple R - cool looking bike but a naked bike very different from a Tiger.
I bought the HS because of its versatility and it has not disappointed.

I'm 6' 1", 165 lb. and have done back-to-back 450 mile days on mostly backroads with no pain. I find the riding position to be nearly perfect. For two-up I strapped a piece of sheepskin on the back, overlapping the end of the seat a couple of inches, and the wifey (5' 7", 140 lb.) had no complaint on a 900 mile ride last Summer. She did have some trouble getting on and off, as it is tall. We are old and creaky, not young and tough, heck I just got my Medicare card in the mail!

The V-strom is huge compared to the HS. The high pipe and bulbous bodywork are not needed on a street bike, and just gets in the way. If you can stand the post-industrial modern styling, the 800cc BMWs are not bad. I had a good long and twisty ride on a friend's 800GS last weekend, if were 2" lower and had a 17" on the front it would be a fine two-up tourer. But I would not swap my HS for it!

Before i bought the HS i did test ride the GS800. It has a lot of plus points over HS, but riding in highway over 100km/hr is horrible. Wind blast is very bad with the 19" front profile as it is too light which made me feel that i will fell down. but a great city bike and gud for gravel riding also.

HS big brother, the hypermotard SP might be worth a look. it's taller, has better suspension and a flatter saddle that you can slide backwards to stretch a little. just add the touring goodies including the touring seat of the HS for a couple of thousand $$ more. others have already done this. the Sp also exclusively come in white

Articrider said:

Before i bought the HS i did test ride the GS800. It has a lot of plus points over HS, but riding in highway over 100km/hr is horrible. Wind blast is very bad with the 19" front profile as it is too light which made me feel that i will fell down. but a great city bike and gud for gravel riding also.

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This one had a rather bizarre windshield that gave much better protection than the HYS one. I think it was an option. And this 2009 GS had the original, almost worn-out 90/90 x 21 on the front, took a while to get any confidence with it. But I got both tires to the edges, something that I seldom do...especially on a borrowed bike!