New Bike Recommendations

Help & Advice
1

I’ve killed another one. Okay, that’s a little dramatic but it’s not at all happy. It was misfiring badly on Thursday, you know one of those ones where you pin it so it doesn’t die and hold on for dear life because you know in 5 seconds it’s going to suddenly stop its lumpy idle and fly off into oblivion.

Specific model is notorious for deteriorating HT leads and in 20k miles of ownership I’ve never had the plugs out, so those two are the obvious choice but if its timing related (and it may well be, I opted out of valve clearance checks) it’s going in the bin.

Quite like the bike as far as cheap and cheerful commuters go, and it took me on a great holiday round the Picos and Pyrenees, so I don’t feel guilty about considering future bikes.

I like a large sports tourer but having now killed a vfr1200, gtr1400, fjr1300 you’d think I’d have learned my lesson. These were maintained properly in my ownership

I’ve craved a Blackbird since before I ever saw one, the name was enough, but I love everything about the idea of owning one. Rightly or wrongly, they are quite expensive especially post 2001 ULEZ compliant out the box, garish mod free, sub 30k mile options.

4.5k was by far the most I ever spent on a bike (vfr) but again it paid for itself, I like to stick on the lower side so if it’s gone missing when I get out of work I can just get the train home and move on with my life. Do occasionally convince myself the low mileage, 3 year old, KTM super adventures for sub 9k are pretty good value, but seems a shame to just run one into the ground on what is quite a taxing year round commute on a bike

What’s everyone else riding these days? Can’t say there’s all that much that inspires me in the way of new bikes - I’d ride pillion on a Harley before I buy a NT1100, that just can’t be all there is to life

2

Reading around the motorcycle forums I see nothing in the way of new machines that I’d be comfortable with to get up and go when I want to get up and go. They seem to spend extended periods in the dealers waiting for manufacturers to give the nod on £1,000’s in replacement parts that may or may not have the machine running as it should.

You mention the NT1000 and I’ve read of Honda replacing TFT screens, camshaft covers, throttle bodies and then some across their entire 1100cc model range. Latest from Honda is the transferable 10 year extended warranty on the Garmin manufactured TFT screens, £2,500 to replace outside of warranty.

If The 250 dies before my riding days are over I’ll be looking around for a 5-10 year old Honda of a similar stamp or maybe even a lower mileage like for like replacement, sadly they’ve been out of production for over 10 years now.

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3

That’s where I am with bikes too, which is a shame.
Maybe a younger version of the same thing. Superbike Factory have several clean looking VFRs for £4k-£4.5k.

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4

Annoyingly, I fixed it. It was indeed the HT leads arcing to the frame. A judicious application of self-amalgamating tape and it’ll be good for a while yet

I thought about treating it to some new plugs as a precaution but indulgences must be earned.

A real shame, had sold myself on the idea of a gsx1400 bored to 1550cc and tuned to 150hp. A man can only dream

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