Back in 2005 it was a toss up between an old Fazer 600 and the TDM 900, went with the TDM and never looked back. 13 years together, never would have thought I'd keep a bike that long. It's been brilliant and has never let me down. It's frugal, having great tank range, it's comfortable and is just made for the sort of touring I've done over the years. The only niggling things for me were the handling and the seat height and both were getting me in trouble more and more. I like to have the small amount of weight I carry to feel the front, that wasn't so bad in the early years, because I weighed a fair bit more and had more strength, but now I just feel like a shrimp captaining a barge. Also not having ABS was coming into play more and more, I just felt it's a safety feature that I need as I get older.
So now I've sold it to Fixitsan, who'll likely make it look much more presentable that the state I sold it in. Though the engine was as good as ever, I'd been neglecting looking after it and that meant I'd sort of lost the love. So what now?
Tried both Tracers and have mixed thoughts. The 900, though a great ride, is too busy and urgent. The 700 was really good, I like that a lot, but it felt cheap and the build quality is shabby in my opinion. It just feels much less well put together than the 9er and it's bigger brother (or is that sister?). But I haven't ruled it out. The new Tenere looks tempting, but I don't buy new and probably couldn't afford it now anyway as things are tightish. Tried the Honda NC750 earlier in the year and though it was fine, I just didn't really like the engine character much, so that's out. At the moment I'm thinking CB500X as it ticks most boxes but I will miss the torque and top end roll on of the 9er. It's useful to be able to just open it up at 80 on a motorway and squirt past dodgy drivers quickly. I think the Tracer 700 will be fine with that, but not the CB500X. The beauty of the Honda though is it's frugality and tank range. I like to know I can just ride all day and not have to pull into a petrol station. Then there's the 650 Vstrom, which is a great bike, but I view it as a TDM with less power, but owners love the thing just as we love the TDM and quite a few ex-TDM owner have them, so it's another one I'm looking at.
Well I've got the whole winter to ponder and plot. Any other bikes that deserve a look, feel free to make a suggestion.
Edited by muddy, 29 November 2018 - 04:30 pm.