XL125V - Baby Vara - Prestwick to Paris

[Raven]

I dont care, I'm still buying an 'Alp

[gunner]

hello just joined the forum had xlv125 jan 07 to aug 07..passed test in april guess what went went for a kwaka versys ....fantastic........miss the old vara as it was first bike and the great fuel mileage.....but not the motorway riding ...........60mph felt dreadful around town brill .. ...but the kwaka sooooooooooo rideable.. .... and nearly 60 and a novice rider


gunner

[Chad]

hello just joined the forum had xlv125 jan 07 to aug 07..passed test in april guess what went went for a kwaka versys ....fantastic........miss the old vara as it was first bike and the great fuel mileage.....but not the motorway riding ...........60mph felt dreadful around town brill .. ...but the kwaka sooooooooooo rideable.. .... and nearly 60 and a novice rider


gunner

a good little bike the versyswelcome aboard

[greenhorn]

Hello all, I bought a baby Vara as my first ever bike. I'd knocked around on a Suzuki before years ago when I worked summer vacation on a local farm. Anywho, my intention was just to get a put-put CB125 second hand and keep it at my folks for fun whenever I was home from France. But then I saw a baby Vara in the window of Victor Devines in Glasgow. Bought it. Rode it home to Prestwick (folks house). Left my Audi A8 in the driveway and drove my baby Vara back to Paris.

So far, I've been run over (seriously black and blue and still require a small op for a broken bone in my foot) by a lorry and twice fell off ( A:bad storm blew down a bus shelter as I drove by and got floored by a piece of the roof and B: the other accident was only my fault, lack of attention, involving driving into a giant plant pot).

Anyways. The poor thing is in bits but still rideable and I am having the time of my life on her. Question: what do I go for next? Is a Varadero 1000 just too big a leap for me? A friend is recommending a F650GS BMW as a next step. Chain driven. Reliable. Good low gravity but maintains a good saddle height for a tall guy like myself 6'3". I need something nimble enough. Whatever I get next, it is likely it will get some abuse (limited off roading for campsites and the odd off-road trails around Europe. Mostly dirt tracks and gravel in Southern Spain and Highways in Morocco).

The Magazine "TWO" (Two Wheels Only) just slammed the Trans, the Varadero and the Africa quoting "Trans and Africa = old, sluggish" and the Varadero "zero off road capabilities". I have a funny feeling someone on staff at TWO is anti-Honda trailies/enduros. Help please? Honda is good on purchase price, good service pricing, nice folks in both workshops I've been into, quick & honest. Very good economical arguement for Honda. But what model is the next logical step?

Hello! Am new to the site and to biking. I too have a baby Vara until Sept 2011 when I can upgrade. I was thinking of going to a full fat vara but the transalp seems like a good halfway house. I like the advice on here, most other biker mates tell me to get a 1000cc bike next, but I think they want to inherit my estate when i end up crashing through the pearly gates backwards and on fire

[Dee Duble Yuh]

I'd second that. Don't be in a rush to get a 1000cc bike. Enjoy something mid-size and get used to pusing it to the limit. If you went the whole hog in one go you might find it intimidating and less enjoyable. Years ago I found a jump from 500 cc to 800 cc difficult enough; 125 cc to 1000 cc is a heck of a commitment!

[Freerangestormer]

Maybe shouldn't be saying this here but the new Tenere might be worth considering.