Where am I going with this? Well, if you have read my previous posts you will see that I went all in on the decision to put my name on the list of early adopters of the CSC Cyclone RX3 being brought to the US by California Scooter Company. I think this is going to be a great bike and I would love to have one. Read any forum on Adventure Motorcycling and you will see that there is a well known gap in the marketplace for a small adventure motorcycle that is easy to ride, inexpensive to own (notice I didn't say cheap), and a good entry level platform for the sport of adventure motorcycling. If the stars were aligned and I had my own way, I would have one bike for dual sport, one for adventure, one for street riding, one for errands, one for long distance touring, heck I'd probably even have a scooter just for the hell of it. Unfortunately though, I can only consider one motorcycle at the moment so my decision on which one has to check as many boxes as possible. Now that I have had some time to think about the Cyclone a little more while waiting for it to pass the certification process for entry to the US, I think I may have to pull out of the early adopter list.
So, last week my wife and I started hitting the dealerships. Didn't take any test rides, just went to sit on all the bikes that peaked our interest. Not taking a test ride at this point was important because I wanted to compare the feeling of sitting on these to sitting on the Cyclone (which we did at the CSC open house). So we sat on the following bikes:
- BMW G650gs
- BMW F800gs
- Honda CRF250l
- Honda CB500r
- Honda CB500x
- Honda NC700x
- Triumph Bonneville
- Triumph Scrambler
- Triumph Tiger 800
- Triumph Tiger 800xc
- Ducati Hypermotard
- Ducati Hyperstrada
- Kawasaki Versys 650
- Moto Guzzi V7 Stone
What a way to spend a morning. We had a blast. And I came away with some surprises as well. Before sitting on these bikes for size I had BMW F800, BMW G650, Triumph Tiger 800 and Triumph Scrambler as the top bikes I would want to own. After sitting, I'm down to the G650. Tiger and F800 were just too tall. Scrambler and Bonneville look great but just didn't 'feel' right. Ducati's were in the same showroom as the Triumphs so I had to try them out. Great bikes but I don't think I would ever want one. All the Honda's felt great and I would consider them. Versys was slightly too tall and I would like to see the new 2015 model when it hits the shops. Moto Guzzi was actually surprisingly nice and seems to be a nice contender for an all rounder (by my definition). But at the end of the day the G650gs just feels right. It ticks all the boxes (or most of them) for both my wife and I. Perfect seat height, doesn't feel heavy, suitable for 2 Up, good warranty, etc.
In comparison to the Cyclone the G650 is very similar. Main differences are the displacement (250cc vs 650cc) and the cost ($3,495 vs $7,850 MSRP's). But at the end of the day it is a motorcycle and my gut tells me the G650 is the right bike for us. Though my name is still on the early adopter list for the Cyclone, it looks like we'll be going with the BMW.
Lesson learned. When making the decision to buy a motorcycle, (try to) take your time, do the fun research, shop around, enjoy the process. You may be surprised what you learn.