Now that I have really looked at what is out there I like the look of the "naked" bikes. I have been looking at the Aprilia Shiver and the Monster line. I have really only sat on the Shiver and the new 696. I found the Shiver to be kind of uncomfortable, the angles of the seat and the tank didn't quit work for me. Right now I am seriously looking at the Monster line, but I am not sure if one of the bigger ones is right for me.

Here are a couple of considerations that I have been weighing:

1 - My house is about 1.5 mile off of paved road and it is a lot of loose rock and sand.
2 - I have been riding to work a lot more this year and it is about 35 miles (45 minutes) one way, mostly 4 lane highway 70mph, and I  wear a backpack (have to haul my laptop around)
3 - I bought into the whole HD hype, I can now say "Bleh, it is not for me." Nuts to all black leather and minimal headwear.
4 - Size - I believe I am fairly average size guy, 5'11'' 170ish, would a 69x be small? (big guy/little bike)
5 - Is the more forward position better at higher speeds, than the upright riding of a Sportster?

Any thoughts or suggestion of bikes to test ride would be appreciated.

Mike

Not sure about a monster off the road.  Did you try a hyperi?  They're kind of a "do it all" bike and might be better suited for the loose rock and sand that you've got to deal with. 

if you live 1.5 miles off of paved road then i would suggest maybe an enduro or hypermoto.  loose rocks and sand are bad, especially if this is your first bike.

Quote from: JoeChieftain on July 09, 2008, 01:41:27 PM
Here are a couple of considerations that I have been weighing:

1 - My house is about 1.5 mile off of paved road and it is a lot of loose rock and sand.
     The low center of gravity makes the bike easy enough to balance - this shouldn't be much of an issue unless there are a lot of ruts/bumps as the monster is a little low on clearance.
2 - I have been riding to work a lot more this year and it is about 35 miles (45 minutes) one way, mostly 4 lane highway 70mph, and I  wear a backpack (have to haul my laptop around)
     not the best for this, but not terrible
3 - I bought into the whole HD hype, I can now say "Bleh, it is not for me." Nuts to all black leather and minimal headwear.
4 - Size - I believe I am fairly average size guy, 5'11'' 170ish, would a 69x be small? (big guy/little bike)
     I'm 6'-2, 200 on a 695 and not uncomfortable though I could use a bit more leg room - the 696 has that extra leg room and should be just fine
5 - Is the more forward position better at higher speeds, than the upright riding of a Sportster?
     It's better at highspeed turns, though not necessarily better at highway riding
Any thoughts or suggestion of bikes to test ride would be appreciated.

Mike

Bah! The dirt is a palty portion of his commute, with care he'll be fine. He needs to focus on the 45 minute part, and for that either a moto or a tard would be bad! Nice skinny ass seat for an hour and a half a day? No thanks. Get a Monster S2R with the Bikini fairing, an ST2-4, or a Multistrada..... God did I just recommend a Multi?  Any one of them would work better for you. The MUlti probably being the best commuter outta the bunch, I commute on my Monster, but it's only 8 miles either way and it's not on a super slab.   

You'll get plenty of practice with the low-traction section of dirt. just don't grab loads of front brake in the dirt.  When you get on the tarmac, don't grab a whole lot of rear brake.

you should be good to go.

A monster should be just fine.  The issue might be the unpaved road depending on how well it stays groomed.

Strada wouldn't be a bad option though given that you need to carry some stuff to/from work

Quote from: JoeChieftain on July 09, 2008, 01:41:27 PM
Now that I have really looked at what is out there I like the look of the "naked" bikes. I have been looking at the Aprilia Shiver and the Monster line. I have really only sat on the Shiver and the new 696. I found the Shiver to be kind of uncomfortable, the angles of the seat and the tank didn't quit work for me. Right now I am seriously looking at the Monster line, but I am not sure if one of the bigger ones is right for me.

Here are a couple of considerations that I have been weighing:

1 - My house is about 1.5 mile off of paved road and it is a lot of loose rock and sand.
2 - I have been riding to work a lot more this year and it is about 35 miles (45 minutes) one way, mostly 4 lane highway 70mph, and I  wear a backpack (have to haul my laptop around)
3 - I bought into the whole HD hype, I can now say "Bleh, it is not for me." Nuts to all black leather and minimal headwear.
4 - Size - I believe I am fairly average size guy, 5'11'' 170ish, would a 69x be small? (big guy/little bike)
5 - Is the more forward position better at higher speeds, than the upright riding of a Sportster?

Any thoughts or suggestion of bikes to test ride would be appreciated.

Mike

The Monster, any Monster  would do you fine for your intended purpose. 
Your point 3.  You can ride a Harley w/o conforming to the typical "all black leathr and minimal headwear"
point 4.  I expect 5'11" would be just dandy for the 696
point 5. YES.

I am 5'11' and way about 185 and my 02 620 does me just fine.   Plenty of power and comfortable on the highway. I ride about the same to work.  As for the dirt driveway, I would make sure you put on a 14t front sprocket which will help manuverability and power at low speeds.

Thanks all! Some great food for thought.

I am in the process of changing all of my gear, or at lest getting another set. My leather jacket is WAY to heavy for the mid-summer months. A full helmet has made a world of diffence on the highway. I was wearing a 3/4. I don't know how people ride on the highway with no helmet.

Mike

Quote from: JoeChieftain on July 09, 2008, 01:41:27 PM
Is Monster right for me?

Yes. 

You could certainly make worse choises than a Monster, but there may be better bikes for you if a long highway commute in really your primary concern.  If you plan on pleasure rides and riding in traffic AND commuting, go for the Monster.  If you're just commuting I probably wouldn't choose the Monster, particularly with a small engine.

You might also want to look for a good used ST. That highway commute will be a breeze and the gravel isn't a challenge on one of those either. Riding position between a Monster and a Cruiser. Comfy seat. Comfy bars. Great sporty handling.

I commute to work a lot with 20 mi. one way trip and find the bike very comfortable.

A fairly well maintained dirt/gravel rode can be ridden at pretty good speed with absolutely no problem - my s4rs does very well on gravel except for the lack of ground clearance for the Termi pipes. A regular or most after market exhaust wouldn't have that problem at all.

Depending on the size of your laptop, a CoreTech sport tail pack will hold your computer and make you much more comfortable.

The Monster is a great commuter bike and so far as your size goes, you're small as compared to my big fat arse.

Join the "In Crowd" - Be somebody! Get a Monster.

You can thank me later.

LA

remember that back in the 70s and such there was no such thing as a hypermotard or such, there were dirt bikes and regular motorcycles, and the closest thing to a hypermotard was a scrambler which had barely more travel or the same travel as a regular motorcycle but just had slightly knobier tires on it.

so yes you can ride a regular motorcycle on gravel and such just dont' race it, but people have done that with old hondas and such back in the 70s and there is always that video of the guy traveling the world going through the desert/mud/ and everything else with what an r1 or something?  crazy...