Like a bat out of Hades...
Loving that 650R and probably would have gotten that had it been available 5 years ago. But I love the 1000R.
That’s a freakin nice looking ride. :smile:
Curiously, I was thinking earlier just today that probably just a few years ago I’d have opted for the 1000R if I were looking for that kind of ride and had the choice between it and the 650. Because I just had to have bigger and faster, just because. And many of the latter bigger and faster rides didn’t get ridden much. Fast forward to today, after I almost stopped riding completely a couple of times over the last few years, starting with when I totaled the CTX1300, and again when I decided to sell the Valkyrie and not immediately replace it.
When the itch came back this time, I said I want something lighter than I’d been riding, but still competent. And I stress ‘competent’ - I didn’t want anything insanely fast, sporty, or big, just something capable and fun. The Monkey was definitely fun, but lacked a bit in the capability department. I was actually looking around for a used CB1100, as the retro look combined with modern mechanicals really appealed to me, but there haven’t been any for sale in the area as long as I’d been looking. That probably ended up being a good thing.
In one of my Google quests, I stumbled on the CB650R, and it’s looks immediately caught my attention. The 650 inline 4 seemed like the perfect answer to fun, capable, and not insanely fast; and, of all the bikes I’ve owned, I’ve never had an in-line 4. So off me and my Monkey went to the dealer to see what we could work up. A few hours later I was riding home on the CB650R. I think I’ve said this already, but after a few nice rides around the rural roads in the area, I’m still quite surprised at how this ‘middleweight’ 650 goes, and I haven’t come close to tapping its potential. It definitely exceeds my ‘capable’ requirement. :smile: