My first"bought new" motorcycle. I was 19.Yeah we all remember our first..
Hands down.
This thumper took me anywhere my little black heart desired.
1982 Yamaha XT 550.
On/off road large single. 44k miles in a few short years w/no issues.
Rode ALL winter long in Niagara Falls,NY. Fabricated sheetmetal lower legs for winter use.
Made my first of many out-of-state trips with her. Left home on it (twice) for warmer climes. Florida!
"I liked it for the most selfish reason of all, because I was young" quote from Biloxi Blues.
Probably my Triumph 1050 Sprint ST.You had an MV Agusta F4 and got rid of it?! I’m shocked. I could never imagine letting that go. What happened ....?
It doesn’t smell as crazy carefree fantastic as my Suzuki GT 750,did.
It doesn’t draw as many oooh’s and aaah’s as my MV Augusta F4,did.
It certainly does not have the crazy top end that my GSXR 1100, did.
It doesn’t wheelie at the touch of throttle like my Daytona 955 i, did.
It doesn’t knock over 16,000 k like my Norge in the last 6 weeks, did.
But it pulled like a 14 year old with a Penthouse and looked no uglier dirty than clean...(but I just love the Norge more..)
There is no such thing.. <shrug>
IMHO, it has to be an adventure bike. While I really like traveling on my GS, I've had a Wee-Strom, Stelvio, couple KLRs, DR... along with many std road bikes.
I would say the BMW boxer GS (maybe the 100 or 1150 because of less gadgetry) just because they truly can do it all.
IMHO, it has to be an adventure bike. While I really like traveling on my GS, I've had a Wee-Strom, Stelvio, couple KLRs, DR... along with many std road bikes.
I would say the BMW boxer GS (maybe the 100 or 1150 because of less gadgetry) just because they truly can do it all.
Whatever I ride NOW.
OK...maybe the best place to start is to describe the "Swiss Army Knife" of motorcycles (for me, that is):
1. 500# max
2. 30" seat ht.
3. 50 mpg and 6 gal tank
4. 850 - 950 cc
5. easily detachable side and top cases
6. full electronics - cruise, abs, tract contrl, ride modes (all switchable)
7. adjustable windshield
8. GPS, personal audio through helmet spkrs
9. open tread pattern street/hwy tires
10. heated grips & seat
11. bar and heated pool (sorry, I got carried away)
IF ANYONE FINDS THIS BIKE...TELL MY DEAR WiFE THAT I WANT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS, CHANUKAH, HALLOWEEN, KWANSA...I DON'T CARE ANY OCCASION WILL DO.
Be well,
DougG
You had an MV Agusta F4 and got rid of it?! I’m shocked. I could never imagine letting that go. What happened ....?Nothing mate..
90%+ of adventure bikes might see light off road like groomed fire roads the same roads that a Honda Civic has no problem with. Less than 1% of adventure bikes get ridden hardcore off road.
I've had 4 of them and only 2 ever saw gravel roads while under my care. The other 2 were set up for pavement only from the day I bought them.
The beauty of the ADV bikes to me is upright seating. I can see better than trying to look through my forehead like on a sport bike. They have more comfortable ergo's, long travel suspension (this is a bigger for me) and typically have larger fuel cells. I have found I can ride ADV bikes faster and with more confidence than on sport, sport touring, café and/or standards.
When I 1st started riding a ADV bike or even a bike with panniers was something I would not entertain. After giving them a chance now I'd be hard pressed to buy something else.
Who makes a sport touring rig with long travel suspension?
OK...maybe the best place to start is to describe the "Swiss Army Knife" of motorcycles (for me, that is):
1. 500# max
2. 30" seat ht.
3. 50 mpg and 6 gal tank
4. 850 - 950 cc
5. easily detachable side and top cases
6. full electronics - cruise, abs, tract contrl, ride modes (all switchable)
7. adjustable windshield
8. GPS, personal audio through helmet spkrs
9. open tread pattern street/hwy tires
10. heated grips & seat
11. bar and heated pool (sorry, I got carried away)
IF ANYONE FINDS THIS BIKE...TELL MY DEAR WiFE THAT I WANT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS, CHANUKAH, HALLOWEEN, KWANSA...I DON'T CARE ANY OCCASION WILL DO.
Be well,
DougG
OK...maybe the best place to start is to describe the "Swiss Army Knife" of motorcycles (for me, that is):Early reports suggested that it would never see the light of day, but rumour has it that Guzzi are bringing out a thing called a V85..
1. 500# max
2. 30" seat ht.
3. 50 mpg and 6 gal tank
4. 850 - 950 cc
5. easily detachable side and top cases
6. full electronics - cruise, abs, tract contrl, ride modes (all switchable)
7. adjustable windshield
8. GPS, personal audio through helmet spkrs
9. open tread pattern street/hwy tires
10. heated grips & seat
11. bar and heated pool (sorry, I got carried away)
IF ANYONE FINDS THIS BIKE...TELL MY DEAR WiFE THAT I WANT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS, CHANUKAH, HALLOWEEN, KWANSA...I DON'T CARE ANY OCCASION WILL DO.
Be well,
DougG
The joys of riding a motorcycle with long travel suspension go far beyond nonpaved surface.Yes.
Suzuki's ultra-cheap DR650, esp. if purchased used & modified inexpensively, represents one of the most universal dual-sport tourers ever made.
If you love plastic and ugly. I had one for 6 months. It did nothing for me.Yeah, you still have to be able to look at it while you’re having lunch.
The joys of riding a motorcycle with long travel suspension go far beyond nonpaved surface.
This is a MOTO GUZZI forum, isn’t it? Maybe some of you guys should rethink some of your choices.
This is a MOTO GUZZI forum, isn’t it. Maybe some of you guys should rethink some of your choices.
This is a MOTO GUZZI forum, isn’t it? Maybe some of you guys should rethink some of your choices.
If you love plastic and ugly. I had one for 6 months. It did nothing for me.
Nothing mate..What a beauty! That machine is high on my list right now. I just need to sit on one and see how it feels. I rode the new BMW 1000RR yesterday. I’m not sure how grown men can ride these bikes nowadays. Felt too damn small. Great bike you had there...!
It was a 750 SR, but I decided I wanted to tour Australia seriously and then see the world, so off she went.
Identical to this one in every way.
(https://i.ibb.co/Cw6cCg4/4-FC2-C3-BA-38-F9-4-CE1-8-F4-D-2-B568885-BED9.png) (https://ibb.co/Cw6cCg4)
The joys of riding a motorcycle with long travel suspension go far beyond nonpaved surface.
I think you guys are missing the "best bike" ever.......
I don't see dirt bikes and adventure bikes being the deal for me. I avoid dirt roads where possible and trails altogether. If I wanted to ride those, I'd get a dedicated machine but it certainly wouldn't be my best all-around.
"all around" would include unpaved roads. You don't need a dedicated 'dirt bike' for running those roads. Just a bike with long-travel suspension.
I've been lucky enough to enjoy some beautiful unpaved roads in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico on the Quota 1100 ES I once owned. You're missing out by not giving them a try. Monument Valley. Valley of the Gods. Muley Point. Burr Trail. Alpine Loop. Ophir Pass. NM-456. Etc, etc...
"all around" would include unpaved roads. You don't need a dedicated 'dirt bike' for running those roads. Just a bike with long-travel suspension.
I've been lucky enough to enjoy some beautiful unpaved roads in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico on the Quota 1100 ES I once owned. You're missing out by not giving them a try. Monument Valley. Valley of the Gods. Muley Point. Burr Trail. Alpine Loop. Ophir Pass. NM-456. Etc, etc...
Again, adventure bike doesn't mean best bike.
Yes. Correct. However, title of this thread is: "Best all around bike". not "best bike".
Just like a Corvette is a great sportscar, but not a good "all around" car. And, something like a 6-cylinder Subaru Outback is a great all-around car, though not real sporty and not real luxurious, but can be used for anything, anywhere.
I think we need to get you on a V85TT.
Fixed my statement. I've said for years that the Honda Accord is the best all around car. Perhaps ID-ing an Adv bike would be like saying an Escalade AWD is the best all around car? Jeep whatever? Subbie Outback? There might be a reason that Accord sells more than all those put together. OK, maybe a Dodge Ram truck? I drive my pickup at least once a month. My SUV gets driven when I don't want to get my cars dirrty.
John,
numbers of sales do not have anything to do with "all around" usefulness. Accord may sell by the millions, I don't know. I do know that while they're popular in suburbia, they're a lot less popular in places where Jeep, Subaru, and other SUVs are most commonly found. You can drive a Jeep to the mall, but can you drive an Accord from Ouray Colorado to Lake City Colorado over Engineer Pass?
Honestly, the best "all around" vehicle I've ever owned or driven was a Chevrolet Suburban. It could carry seven people and their gear comfortably over long distances. It could haul and tow what an equivalent pick up could. It could quietly and comfortably cruise the interstate at any speed. It could go off pavement. It could commute to work. I currently have two vehicles that have replaced the Suburban, a 3500 pick up for "truck duty" and a V6 Ford Fusion for "car duty". I'd trade them both for another Suburban or Yukon XL.
Than was easy:
(https://i.ibb.co/1fGCpb1/download.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1fGCpb1)
Exactly, and just like the adventure bike class, SUV's are the most popular vehicles sold in America. Ford is getting out of the sedan market completely. Walk through any parking lot and SUV's and trucks out number sedans by a huge amount. Soccer moms aren't going 4 wheeling, they just want a vehicle that's easy to haul kids with, has a commanding view of the road and 4 wheel drive is considered a safety feature. SUV's replaced the family truckster wagon. ADV bikes are the same.
Great responses, thanks so much for the dialogue.
I purposely didn’t try to quantify rather just left it at "best all-around bike”.
It seems the GS and the Vstrom hold sway with this audience.
Although the Stelvio for some and the V85 for first adopters get honorable mention.
inditx aka Jack
so I guess your needs and location determine what is best All Around.....shocking !
Personally, I don't want to compromise my primary use of a vehicle for the possibility of doing something else. I want a car, I could care less about going up Engineer Pass, in fact I rented a Jeep to do exactly that I chickened out and turned around.
If I wanted a reliable go almost anywhere bike, it would probably be a 650 V-Strom. But I don't plan to ride everywhere and I don't want a WeeStrom. Mostly I enjoy a comfortable sporty ride that has good balance and performance and carry enough stuff get me by for weekend. If I ever got it on a dirt road, it wouldn't be planned but I could ride it until I was back on pavement.
If two-up was my primary mission I'd look at a 'Wing or RT. If I wanted to camp & off-road maybe a GS. Oddly enough, my EV does all that pretty well for limited going. And I can tell you it's more fun to ride than a GS or an RT.
But the all'round for me is that little red bike with the bags. It's comfy, quick, handles, balanced, light, pretty and a great combination of doing all the good stuff I like.
so I guess your needs and location determine what is best All Around.....shocking !
Personally, I don't want to compromise my primary use of a vehicle for the possibility of doing something else. I want a car, I could care less about going up Engineer Pass, in fact I rented a Jeep to do exactly that I chickened out and turned around.
If I wanted a reliable go almost anywhere bike, it would probably be a 650 V-Strom. But I don't plan to ride everywhere and I don't want a WeeStrom. Mostly I enjoy a comfortable sporty ride that has good balance and performance and carry enough stuff get me by for weekend. If I ever got it on a dirt road, it wouldn't be planned but I could ride it until I was back on pavement.
If two-up was my primary mission I'd look at a 'Wing or RT. If I wanted to camp & off-road maybe a GS. Oddly enough, my EV does all that pretty well for limited going. And I can tell you it's more fun to ride than a GS or an RT.
But the all'round for me is that little red bike with the bags. It's comfy, quick, handles, balanced, light, pretty and a great combination of doing all the good stuff I like.
Great responses, thanks so much for the dialogue.
I purposely didn’t try to quantify rather just left it at "best all-around bike”.
It seems the GS and the Vstrom hold sway with this audience. Although the Stelvio for some and the V85 for first adopters get honorable mention.
Re “the GS”, the model has changed so much over 35 years that there is little commonality in either technology or purpose between the first GS and the current model. My view of the current model is that it’s too big, too complicated and has no character... when I told my wife that her response was a deadpan “the same as a lot of people today” which seemed insightful to me :grin: Regardless newer GSs are not anywhere near the top of the list for me personally. The R100GS is at the top of my list, a completely different bike in every way.
What I think many people see in the V85TT is a modern version of the early GSs, and that’s why it’s so appealing to me and I suspect others in contrast to the grey elephants that BMW sells today.
The V-Strom is a Japanese version of the same concept, clearly a good bike and also closer in spirit to the original GS than what they make now.
You sorta had me until the last sentence. How is the V-Strom related to an R100GS, in any way? V-Strom is a streetbike with some off pavement pretentions. The R100GS defined the ADVmarket in its day.
Except that their spec's are awfully similar.
They're both 460lb twins with 60 and 66hp. They both have 6 gallon tanks. The wheelbases are similar. The V-Strom has a lower seat height and slightly less wheel travel. The GS has more front travel but some of that is down to the front wheel being 21" vs the Strom's 19". I agree that the original defined the market but the market has moved. The two bikes are a lot alike and very, very different from the current GS or the KTM offerings that supposedly define the niche today.
I don't think the Strom has pretensions. I think it's been an honest bike that is an all-road tourer and was never meant to be an offroad bike. Other than the 21' front wheel the R100GS doesn't have a lot over the Suzuki in terms of measurable performance....exce pt for resale. R100GS values have skyrocketed and they're being faked routinely.
You sorta had me until the last sentence. How is the V-Strom related to an R100GS, in any way? V-Strom is a streetbike with some off pavement pretentions. The R100GS defined the ADVmarket in its day.
Yeah. I guess I can see that. Just never was a Strom fan. Lots of people like them, though.
Seems to me the OP posed the question and said he purposely left it open, meaning the semantics defining "all around" as limited by personal use or desire would remain arguably just as relevant.
If the argument is to be limited to all possible use, then I think Dan solved it on the first page. Most Jack-of-all bikes are master of none. Therefore the "best" all around at everything bike might be meh at just about everything.
If a person never rides dirt or never rides street then the "best" all around bike to him/her will likely look very different.
Personally I don't ride dirt or gravel roads (on purpose) and the best all around bike for me doesn't look anything like an ADV bike for largely that reason.
Now if you want to limit the discussion or nudge it to all possible conditions, then fine, but don't pretend the op specified that's what he wanted to hear since again he purposely left it open.
+1 :thumb:
(https://i.ibb.co/12YkcGb/Italian-inventor-Davide-Cislaghi-driving-his-monowheel-motorcycle-in-France-1933.jpg) (https://ibb.co/12YkcGb)
Other than the 21' front wheel the R100GS doesn't have a lot over the Suzuki in terms of measurable performance....exce pt for resale. R100GS values have skyrocketed and they're being faked routinely.
Last year at this time I had DL650 that I thought was comfortable and setup for me. I spent the better part of a year buying bit's and bob's to make it something it never would be. After going on a ride with a group of folks in the mid-Atlantic region I could keep up in the twisties but going up mountains or on flats they'd walk away from me. With the DL I was constantly up and down shifting. When I got home I started shopping for another bike and decided it was time to try a BMW GS series bike. I found an 99.5% stock (different foot pegs and bar risers) 2006 with low mileage and extremely clean for the same money I had into my DL650. Wife and I drove to the dealership and bought it w/o even riding it. In fact I had never even ridden a GS. I got it home sat on it and it felt like a broken in set of work boots. Ergonomically everything was where it was supposed to be. Hit the starter went for ride and after just a few miles it was like I had ridden this bike all my life.
A few days later I got around to posting my DL f/s and in a few days I had someone that wanted to come and see it. When it came time to meet them I hopped on the DL and it felt absolutely foreign. I hit the starter and started down the street hit the brakes and compared to the GS they were anemic. Suspension was just flat out crappy and the bike just felt like the budget bike it is.
Just a few weeks ago I did the same ride with the same folks this time on the GS and I was amazed at how confidence inspiring it was. I didn't realize how much work I was putting into the DL to get it to do what you wanted where the GS just did it.
The DL is a great bike in its own way mostly affordability but at low prices expect low spec components. Also as much as people thing the DL is off road worthy its more like 80/20 DS tires. Its an 80% pavement bike and 20% groomed gravel roads.
To me the DL is not even near the top when it comes to the best all arounder.
As for DL being cheaper on initial purchase yes. But like most you end up adding another thousand or three to it to try an make it something it'll never be. So if you factor in total cost its not a whole lot cheaper.
650 Vstrom does not win it for me. I am not an off roader, but I don't want to be on a 476 lb bike when I get into some soft sand.
I'm close to Scud in my thinking but prefer a more street type of bike maybe with some dual purpose tires.
And this thing still looks like a motorcycle.
This is what I would go with if I only had one bike.
(https://i.ibb.co/0Qdj3MW/6000000001.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0Qdj3MW)
362 lb wet
69.5HP and 48.7 for torque
I think the R80/GS surpasses the R100/GS.
650 VStrom wins hand down. Much more reliable and cheaper. Lighter and more fun to ride. More comfortable, better handling. Go ahead and install a 19 inch front on it. And if you drop it you ain't gonna cry.
Yes, I suppose the V Strom 650 is the best All Around motorcycle, there is no rational disagreement, but I don't own one and really don't want one. :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:
Moto Guzzi 1200 Sport comes close!
It probably does in terms of durability, but for twisty road riding paralever plus Marzocchi fork is (vastly) better performing.
And everyone I know who's bought one has sold it. One switched to a Super Duke, one went green with a Versys, another went to a Yamaha XT250. If you hang out in the middle you're going to get run over.
I think the R80 G/S surpasses the R100 G/S.I'd do one of those in a heartbeat! Since cosmetics mean something to me, it'd have to be the PD version, as in the pic you posted. Beautiful lightweight machine ..... kept BMW from folding up the motorcycle tent nearly 40 years ago, and kicked off the ADV bike thing.
(https://themarquisblogger.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/paris-dakar.jpg?w=736&h=552&crop=1)
fixed. R59
I currently own a DR650, a Triumph Tiger 800XC and a Kawasaki Versys 1000LT.
Of the three the DR650 is the most fun to ride, most practical and most economical. It's even fun to maintain.
The Tiger was the opposite of the DR. Expensive and time consuming to maintain. Highly unreliable. Terrible off-road.
The Versys is just a street bike.
The DR650 would get my vote as best all around bike ever.
At last! Another fan of the Bush-Pig. I thought for a while that mine was a distant cry from the wilderness, with others all to willing to castigate my nomination of the DR650.
Nevertheless, they're right. The DR650 IS a shit bike. Old as the hills, possessing similar technology to the horse & cart. Air cooled, carburetted, soggily suspended, dimly headlighted, short tank-ranged, wooden slab seated, unchanged since the dawn of time. Just about any 250cc enduro will run rings around it in the dirt. Likewise, any contemporary 250cc+ roadie will show it a clean pair of heels in the twisties too. It's incapable of carrying the 22-wheeler type payloads that BMW's 1250cc behemoths can. That rough old big single plugger of an engine can only be described as anaemic & gutless in comparison to the latest water-cooled single & twin cylinder offerings. Etc. etc. etc.
Yet these very vices are precisely what make it one of the greatest allrounders ever made. It can be had for as little as AU$4k. Half that in US$. Upgrade the bulb, fit stiffer fork & shock springs & a long-range Acerbis or cheaper equiv. tank, LED spots, racks, bash plate, lighter slip-on muffler, comfy seat, hard or soft luggage, bigger, solidly mounted wider pegs, bigger carb jet, nosecone fairing & barkbusters/handguards, fit better quality Dunlops or equiv., upgrade the gennie & fit electrical outlets etc. & STILL have change available for a few months on the road touring.
I'm talking about maybe AU $8K (US$4K) all-up. The Bush Pig is cheap. Ludicrously, laughably, astonishingly cheap. To buy, to maintain, to modify. The precise lack of evolutionary development is perhaps this "shitbox" bike's greatest virtue. Parts are readily & cheaply available. The engine is disarmingly simple to maintain "on the road". There's absolutely NO high-tech electronics anywhere - unless you're sufficiently Luddite to consider electronic ignition "sophisticated"!
Thus inexpensively & appropriately modified, the Bush-Pig makes a remarkably capable and effective all-road (yes, even the roughest, goat-tracks too) tourer par excellence! An allrounder 'though? Depends on your individual interpretation of the word, I suppose. From a local perspective, I've yet to find a better bike tailored for the roughest, most challenging roads (to both man & machine) of the Great Southern Land.
It's just a pity that more bikes aren't as "shitty" as the Bush-Pig!
+2 on the old Loops. Mine is 50 years old and I’d ride it anywhere. Actually taking her out next week to ride and see all 5 great lakes. It’s a bike you love to look at, built like a tank and easy to work on. I am far from a mechanic and I’ve been through the entire bike. What is not to love.
T4
(https://i.ibb.co/Q9Zx2BK/0838-C2-A9-E451-464-C-8621-B5-F6-F692-F9-B5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Q9Zx2BK)
Touring mode:
(https://i.ibb.co/LZNjRKW/Virginia-Rally-2019-019.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LZNjRKW)
Meadows of Dan, Virginia?
Was there last week on the mighty GRiSO.
Sweet!
Let’s hear it.
What do you believe is the best choice, if you could only ride 1 bike, and it needed to take you through most types of riding?
Go!
inditx
Those who thought the early GS is a candidate for Best All Around Bike Ever might be amused by this auction result... an '81 R80GS with 56K miles for (brace yourself)... $20,000. I remember not too long ago when a friend bought one of these cheap for use as his "rainy day bike" :grin:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-bmw-r80gs-paris-dakar-2/ (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-bmw-r80gs-paris-dakar-2/)
Being that I do not ride off road, I find the B12 Bandit to be my favorite all around street bike. Gobs of HP and torque, mid weight and very comfortable. The motor is basically bullet proof needing little attention. Easy to find add ons like side bags, large wind screens etc. Good as a commuter, dragster, or touring bike. Does it all for me.
Bill
I hope I never have to face that scenario, but if I could only ride 1 bike it would have to be an adventure style bike because it is the most versatile machine made. I would have to research what bike would be the best compromise in size, weight, power, ease of use, and ease of maintenance before making a decision.
Today I would give the V85TT a serious consideration.
A
For me, it will be the DR650 Bush Pig until something "better" (always defined subjectively!) shows up.
Part of the fun of DR ownership is the "Garage Factor" of making it better and maintaining it.
The "Garage Factor" of great looks, not so much!
Yamaha TDM 850That’s a good one…
(https://i.ibb.co/Lk0fz9Y/Yamaha-TDM850-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Lk0fz9Y)
best all round bike??The problem with that conclusion is, that the bike you like the most is not necessarily the “best” bike.
1. Get yourself a loop frame and just ride it everywhere
2. Get yourself ANY tonti framed big block and spend a year in the garage making it fit you exactly as you want and voila... you will have the perfect all-rounder
3. you will still like the loopframe more
:thumb:
The problem with that conclusion is, that the bike you like the most is not necessarily the “best” bike.
I had the most love for my Honda SL 70.
I have the most fond memories on my Suzuki GT 750, but that is not the best bike I have ever owned.
The most capable all rounder was my Triumph Sprint ST 1050, nor was that the best bike I ever owned.
If you put every bike I ever had in front of me and I had to walk away with just one and watch the rest go in the crusher, it would be my Norge. It is not on either of those first lists.
How can that be..?
Because what we want changes over the years and it takes a different bike to fit the bill of what we currently want.
What we like the most has only a minor bearing on what is the “best”.
The best all arounder for the the longest, the Sportster in my mind. The best ever for me would be a honda 450 twin of early vintage, trail, tour, bullet proof, parts are still around.So the real question with no hedging around..
So the real question with no hedging around..
Would you save the 450 from the crusher if you had to remove only one and watch the others destroyed ?
If you do not pick one, they are ALL going to be crushed.
Sounds like a Spielberg movie I once saw…..
You know, about choice… :sad:
Get yourself a loop frame and just ride it everywhere
2. Get yourself ANY tonti framed big block and spend a year in the garage making it fit you exactly as you want and voila... you will have the perfect all-rounder
3. you will still like the loopframe more
From lazlokovacs:
Sorry, I just don't get the loop frame thing. Then again I have only done a 90 miles on a loop frame. Was glad to be back on the T-3.
GliderJohn
The problem with that conclusion is, that the bike you like the most is not necessarily the “best” bike.
I had the most love for my Honda SL 70.
I have the most fond memories on my Suzuki GT 750, but that is not the best bike I have ever owned.
The most capable all rounder was my Triumph Sprint ST 1050, nor was that the best bike I ever owned.
If you put every bike I ever had in front of me and I had to walk away with just one and watch the rest go in the crusher, it would be my Norge. It is not on either of those first lists.
How can that be..?
Because what we want changes over the years and it takes a different bike to fit the bill of what we currently want.
What we like the most has only a minor bearing on what is the “best”.
Other bikes are much better at specific things but the best all around bike I've known is the R100GS BMW. I've had three of them. They are very comfortable, can be sport ridden, commuted, off road ridden, they tour well with lockable hard bags, carry a passenger well, are incredibly easy to service and maintain and can be run for any mileage, forever. I could list a number of faults but none of them are enough to distract from that conclusion. My favorite version is the 1988-90 model1+
That said, I would not want any bike as my only bike... So many of them sparkle in different ways, particularly Italian bikes, and having more than one to ride highlights the individual strengths of each.
Maybe not the 'best' but she's been a good one for me. Thru thick and thin!1+
(https://i.ibb.co/D4n9BzY/Hudson-to-Montana-2009-018.jpg) (https://ibb.co/D4n9BzY)
Taking a breather at rest stop in Frazee, MN - 2009
(https://i.ibb.co/rmd8knx/At-Mid-Ohio-1991.jpg) (https://ibb.co/rmd8knx)
When she was brand new - Mid Ohio 1991
(https://i.ibb.co/dPsbcT8/Leaving-Jamie-s-shop-09-18-18.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dPsbcT8)
Leaving Jamie's shop after extensive work - Sept 2018
I’ve had a lot different motorcycles, over the last 50 years.
The one machine that I really wish I never sold, was a 1979 black Moto Guzzi G5. It was the best.
Back in the day, which means when I started riding, the best all-around bike was the Triumph twin series, 500 and 650. With the same frame and only a change of tires and exhaust, those bikes could tour, commute and race on pavement or dirt. From 1938 onward, the Edward Turner big-bike became the original desert sled and motocrosser, and also an ISDT champ, TT, Daytona and flat track winner, police bike, military ride, land speed record holder, chick magnet, around-the-world adventurer, and movie star, sharing credits with Brando, MQueen and countless stuntmen.
Beat that.
The problem with that conclusion is, that the bike you like the most is not necessarily the “best” bike.
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What we like the most has only a minor bearing on what is the “best”.