Which scooter?

T

Tarheelpilot

Final Approach
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Tarheelpilot
If you were 6’6”, weighed ~270 and preferred an upright riding position what bike would you buy? Mission is comfortable day trips one up and enough power/handling to enjoy riding in the “mountains” of North Carolina and Tennessee.
 
I have several bikes and they all serve a different mission. My favorite is my 2020 Road Glide Special. It is comfy and just feels right!
I have also had several different enduro/Adventure bikes. The one I have now and the best out of them all is the 2020 KTM 690 Enduro R.
Do you want just a paved road cruiser or do you want to ride highway, dirtroads, trails and whatever else you see?
Upright sportbike? I had the KTM 1290 Superduke R.. It was great!
 
Tarheelpilot said:
All paved roads. My last bike was a dyna wide glide.

I enjoyed it but want the next one to be a little more nimble.
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Not sure why I like my road glide so much but I am in love with it. I also have a Softail slim but don't like riding it far. I used to be a hardcore sportbike buy and said I would NEVER own a Harley! Well I got old and love my Harleys now. If you want light, nimble, fast and upright look at that KTM 1290 Superduke! I really liked mine! It is a wheelie machine...ktm sup.png
 
A scooter with an upright riding position?
81Ia%2BC9fAiL._AC_SX425_.jpg
 
Scooter or motorcycle? I think you're going to want at least 150cc, but if you can do a 250cc or bigger, you'll be happier (and less likely to be run over by motorists.)

I'd recommend maybe a used Aprilia SportCity or a similar Piaggio BV250 or BV350 (or 500)...
 
Just to clarify scooter is slang for motorcycle in some parts of the country. Anything under 800cc is off the list. I appreciate the humor but would appreciate serious replies as well.

anything even remotely similar to a Vespa is not a serious reply.
 
pigpenracing said:
Not sure why I like my road glide so much but I am in love with it. I also have a Softail slim but don't like riding it far. I used to be a hardcore sportbike buy and said I would NEVER own a Harley! Well I got old and love my Harleys now. If you want light, nimble, fast and upright look at that KTM 1290 Superduke! I really liked mine! It is a wheelie machine...View attachment 90507
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That looks like a lot of fun. I’ll check them out.
 
Come eat lunch some nice Saturday at BQ1...usually quite a few bikes to look at..I am also 6'6".
 
Tarheelpilot said:
Just to clarify scooter is slang for motorcycle in some parts of the country. Anything under 800cc is off the list. I appreciate the humor but would appreciate serious replies as well.
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I found a Suzuki C-50 Boulevard for a really great price a few years ago. It's s nice ride for the money. Put a good seat on anything you buy.

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I have a BMW C650 GT That has all the comfort goodies on it and is so comfortable, you can just about fall asleep while riding it.

It looks like a giant scooter, but it is a no joke freeway flyer. I bought it for my wife, but she can't handle the weight and It fits better on a full size human.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
Just to clarify scooter is slang for motorcycle in some parts of the country. Anything under 800cc is off the list. I appreciate the humor but would appreciate serious replies as well.

anything even remotely similar to a Vespa is not a serious reply.
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Yup. Scooter Trash does not reference the girls of the Vespa crowd
 
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All of the naked bikes are fun. I sat on an Indian FTR1200 at Oshkosh last year and it felt awesome, but I'm only 5'11.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
All paved roads. My last bike was a dyna wide glide.

I enjoyed it but want the next one to be a little more nimble.
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How ‘nimble’ are you looking for? If you like Harleys there are things that can be done. I’ve had two, a Dyna and a Road King. The Dyna I put some Shocks on the back, don’t remember the brand. Progressive fork springs, don’t know if they are around anymore. Some seat work that got my butt a little higher so my knees not being to much higher than my butt helped a more natural riding position. Threw the stock Dunlop’s out and put on Metzler ME88’s. I could raise a few eyebrows of the Rotch Crockett crowd.
The Road King I got one of these https://www.true-track.com/ . It lived up to it’s hype. Different shocks, once again don’t remember brand. Up front better springs and a cartridge emulator from here https://racetech.com/page/title/H-D Gold Valve Cartridge Emulator Kits . Once again they lived up to the hype. A rear brake pedal that allowed lifting just your toe to use it instead of having to lift your whole foot like the stock ones. Pirelli tires https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/motorcycle/homepage don’t remember exactly which model, but they also lived up to their hype. Don’t remember the exhaust but it was the one that gave the most clearance I could find. I could ride very unharley like with that scoot. I kept looking for pegs to replace the floor boards but couldn’t find any. But the floor boards folded so it worked. They were at one with the road often
 
Tarheelpilot said:
Those are nice. I test drove one and it was impressive. $$$$ as well. Probably out of my budget for a toy for now.
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I kind of like the Suzuki V-Strom 1000. Comfortable bike for bigger guys who aren't into the Harley knockoffs.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Sounds like a good mission for a BMW 1200GS, or whatever the current offering is.
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Tarheelpilot said:
Those are nice. I test drove one and it was impressive. $$$$ as well. Probably out of my budget for a toy for now.
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I have the R1200GS liquid cooled, the direct predecessor to the present 1250GS. The ADV bike are great, comfortable, upright bikes that do so many things well, and are quite nimble despite their size and looks. My friend John, 6'4" and about your weight, has a Yamaha Super Tenere 1200, and it is a nice big comfortable yet nimble bike as well. The nice things about the popular ADV bikes is there are nice aftermarket items to customize as you need. Things like hard bags, better seats, etc. It used to be that the Yamaha was significantly less money, but the MSRP on these is $16.2k. You should be able to find a good used Yamaha Sten 1200 that has already been farkled for a decent price.

The best things about the ADV bikes are, first and foremost, they offer upright roomy comfortable seating, and second, they're super versatile. You can explore dirt roads that time forgot in the morning, and slay corners like a sportbike in the afternoon. Two pics from some recent rides:

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i-RTxC7vH-X3.jpg
 
Tarheelpilot said:
Just to clarify scooter is slang for motorcycle in some parts of the country. Anything under 800cc is off the list. I appreciate the humor but would appreciate serious replies as well.

anything even remotely similar to a Vespa is not a serious reply.
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Ya learn something new all the time. I have never heard anyone refer to a motorcycle as a "scooter", and I have lived in all four corners of the country. Scooter brings an entirely different image to mind and will lead to an entirely different discussion.
 
I’ve got a MultiStrada and love it; they depreciate fairly quickly and don’t usually rack up a lot of miles so there’s a lot of value for the performance in a three year old bike.

Other bikes to consider are the VStrom, FJ1300, Kawasaki Concourse, Super Tenere, and the GS.
 
Right now I'd give the Suzuki GSXS1000 the nod for best naked street fighter. Fast, with good looks and fairly comfy. Those KTMs are nice, I rode one and loved it. But they're also expensive as all get out, and good luck if the thing breaks. I'd not buy an ADV bike for street riding, makes little sense. There are lots of options if the OP is looking for a cruiser style bike.
 
steingar said:
R I'd not buy an ADV bike for street riding, makes little sense.
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For you, yes, I can see that they'd have no appeal. For a large person, however, ADV bikes have much roomer accommodations, and are far more comfortable for big guys. And, like naked bikes, they still have less fairing and other tour oriented stuff of the sport touring segment. Where I live, full fairings are too hot, not enough airflow. The limited windshield on the ADV is just about perfect, plenty of air in the low position, and enough protection in the high position for the chillier months,
 
I wish I had gotten another 1200RT to replace my wrecked 1200RT instead of a Kawasaki Concours. The Concours isn't just heavy, but it's top heavy. It's a real chore to ride slow. And a bike of its class should have factory cruise control. But, if I were 6' 6" and 270 pounds, I'd probably enjoy it more than I did.
 
Not gonna lie. When I saw scooter I was thinking some electric 15 mile range deal-e-o.

Here is the only answer: Go find a bike that fits you and test ride it. I looked for 6 years before I found one that fit me.
 
JOhnH said:
Ya learn something new all the time. I have never heard anyone refer to a motorcycle as a "scooter", and I have lived in all four corners of the country. Scooter brings an entirely different image to mind and will lead to an entirely different discussion.
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I have lived in tennessee for the last couple decades and hadn't heard that meaning for scooter either.
 
rtk11 said:
Scooter or motorcycle? I think you're going to want at least 150cc, but if you can do a 250cc or bigger, you'll be happier (and less likely to be run over by motorists.)

I'd recommend maybe a used Aprilia SportCity or a similar Piaggio BV250 or BV350 (or 500)...
Click to expand...

Sounds a bit light for the size of the rider, and the nature of the terrain


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I bought my 1958 Vespa (marketed by Sears Allstate) in 1965. It is a 2-stroke, 125 cc, 3 speed machine. Top speed about 50...I don't recommend that though!!! A great "airport" runabout although it is street legal, licensed and insured. Electrical system is all magneto so no battery to worry about !:)
 
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