Hey all, I am new to the forum. I used to ride a 1975 Honda cb750, but I haven't had a bike in 20 years. I am just getting back into riding, and I'm trying to figure out what bike I want buy. My old bike was pretty darn old when I rode it nearly 20 years ago, so I've never had a modern bike. I'm sure I'll be blown away! I live in the foothills of Idaho so I'll have lots of opportunity for scenic curvy mountain roads. I want something with good performance, but I'm sure I'll never push the bike even near its limits. The two bikes I am most focused on are the new trident and the street twin. I've also considered the xsr700. I do like the idea of being able to customize the bike over time. Anyway, I appreciate any advice you all can offer to get me started. Obviously, test riding will be a big part of this, but I would also love to hear about some of your experiences. Thanks Cory
Welcome! Great name, BTW. I am pretty much in the same boat as you, coming back to riding after 15+ years. I went after the Trident because performance-wise it fit right between my last two bikes: 1993 Nighthawk 750 and 1998 Katana 750. It'll be interesting to see what fuel injection and ABS are like! Going to take the MSF course again as a refresher too, here in the next couple of weeks while I wait for the bike.
Welcome to the forum Cory, either of those 2 bikes would be a safe bet. I'm guessing the Trident may be a little more hooligan than the street twin.
After a 76 cb750 super sport I almost gave up riding entirely, it just wasn't much fun street riding . Inline 4 boredom. Next up 2003 sv650 twin after kids left home, holy cow sex on wheels. 50th riding aniversery I bought the 2019 765 street triple rs so another sexual revolution. I'm sure you'll love the trident or the twin and discover a fabulous blend of torque and hp from a twin or triple. Welcome from KS BTW.
Greetings from Arizona and welcome to the forum, Cory! Good luck with your choice. I'll be eager to hear what you decide and to see photos of your bike when you get it! I do think ObiCor's thoughts on taking the MSF class again as a refresher is a good one if that's available to you. Enjoy the forum!
Welcome, Bienvenue. I also been 15 years without riding. I restarted buying a similar model that I had before (a YAMAHA FZX750) to start from something I already knew. I quickly get bored, and went to something else (SPRINT ST 1050 ABS)
Welcome Cory78, try as many as you like; the main thing is to get a bike you feel comfortable in/with, you can always change once you are back up to scratch.
You pretty much can’t go wrong with any modern bike. Buy the one that touches your soul. Ignore practical (that’s for car drivers). If you fall for a particular model you won’t stop thinking about it until you own it!
Last bike I had was a '83 CB650 and stopped riding around 1988 when I got married. Every year since around 2005 I threaten to buy a bike and finally did Jan '19. I got a 2015 T 214 which is similar to a T 100 865 cc air cooled Triumph. I live at the edge of Pennsylvania farm country with lots of country roads and hills. The bike is perfect for that. Last week I traded it in for a 2018 1200 T 120 used with very low miles. I wanted more power for highway cruising plus the features the T 120 gives you. I am barely 5'10" and feel the bike fits me perfectly. A taller adventure bike would be better on highways but at my age (66) I do not foresee long distance touring. I probably will stay within a 400 mi radius of home. Perhaps the ST and Yamaha can get you back into riding. In a year or so you may wish you had the bigger bike. Also you can grab a garage queen barely used bike and save. I would never buy new. Good luck.
Hi and I agree that test riding is the best way to get the bike that feels just right... if you’ve got lots of curves and back roads the 900 uprated street scrambler is brilliant.. plenty of power, but not too much to catch you out if you’ve been off bikes for a while...the handling is fab with the more upright seating position and higher wider bars and I noticed I’ve not had any cramp in the legs that I found with the lower bonnevilles. Possibly because it was so comfortable the bike gave me far more confidence riding as soon as I took off on a test ride as all seemed to fall into place... so good luck with the search and it’s what feels right, not what you think looks right that is the key to the best fun and enjoyment on your bike
Definitely sign up for the MSF Rider Course to get your inner "electrics" up to speed. New bikes are both faster and brake much harder than your last ride. Plus the 4-wheel drivers are more dangerous than ever. You need to prepare your brain for all the new data its got to handle. This has been my standard response for decades whenever I hear this. Too many of the "I'm back" riders have accidents in the first few months. WAY too many. It's an actual statistic recorded by the traffic safety folks.
