nordbjorn
New Member
Hi, Everyone.
I'm not 100% on where to put this. I'm assuming newbie q&a is a safe place, but please move it if it needs to be elsewhere.
I am taking the MSF course in a couple of weeks and will be purchasing my first bike soon afterwards. I've ridden a little bit in dirt on small bikes, but that was 25 years ago. It's safe to consider me a complete novice.
I was leaning heavily towards a 2014 NC700x DCT. The local Honda dealer has one priced at $8400 that I liked when I sat on it. Unfortunately, I just stumbled across a brand new 2013 V-strom ABS Adventure for $8100 at another dealership. I really like the NC, but the Suzuki has most of the accessories I will be buying in the next year already installed for less money and has ABS with a manual transmission, which is what I am pretty sure I would prefer.
Once I get comfortable, I will primarily be using the bike to commute 70 miles daily. About half 2 lane roads and the other half 4-6 lane highway. I'll also be going on a few 500-1000 mile camping trips with some friends every year and riding for fun on weekends. I will be on pavement 95-99% of the time, and the odd gravel road when I am not.
I guess I am looking for some advice on which bike is going to be more suited to my needs. Complicating the issue even more is that I could pick up a slightly used manual NC for 5-6k, add accessories and come out cheaper than either of the new options. I am pretty safety conscious and feel like ABS is important but the cost difference is making for a tough decision.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
I'm not 100% on where to put this. I'm assuming newbie q&a is a safe place, but please move it if it needs to be elsewhere.
I am taking the MSF course in a couple of weeks and will be purchasing my first bike soon afterwards. I've ridden a little bit in dirt on small bikes, but that was 25 years ago. It's safe to consider me a complete novice.
I was leaning heavily towards a 2014 NC700x DCT. The local Honda dealer has one priced at $8400 that I liked when I sat on it. Unfortunately, I just stumbled across a brand new 2013 V-strom ABS Adventure for $8100 at another dealership. I really like the NC, but the Suzuki has most of the accessories I will be buying in the next year already installed for less money and has ABS with a manual transmission, which is what I am pretty sure I would prefer.
Once I get comfortable, I will primarily be using the bike to commute 70 miles daily. About half 2 lane roads and the other half 4-6 lane highway. I'll also be going on a few 500-1000 mile camping trips with some friends every year and riding for fun on weekends. I will be on pavement 95-99% of the time, and the odd gravel road when I am not.
I guess I am looking for some advice on which bike is going to be more suited to my needs. Complicating the issue even more is that I could pick up a slightly used manual NC for 5-6k, add accessories and come out cheaper than either of the new options. I am pretty safety conscious and feel like ABS is important but the cost difference is making for a tough decision.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.