FAQ
Well folks I road the Tiger up to Broz's place today, swapped bikes with him and rode 75 miles through the country side on the Connie 1400. Very very impressed with that bike. It does a lot really well. And it's mass isn't as much of an issue as I feared.
I started my shopping after the ride at Matthews fun machines. An Aprilia Moto Guzzi Kawasaki Yamaha Can Am dealer. Great combo right? Anyways they had on the floor the new Caponord 1200, a Stelvio 1200, a Norge GT, a Multistrada 1200, an FJ09, and a Versys 1000. They offered me rides on anything I wanted but I'll save that for another day.
The Aprilia Caponord 1200 is done well. It sits nice, it looks nice, the bags are huge, the bars are wide. However it just didn't speak to me after sitting on it like I'd hoped it would. Would go back for a ride though before I knock it off. There wasn't anything wrong with it just from sitting on it, it just didn't jump out at me. $15,500
The FJ09, which I previously have not cared for, felt great after the big Ape. Light and easy to toss around in the show room. However, it's a Yamaha and I came here to find an Italian Mistress. $10,500
The Stelvio 1200 is big. Those Guzzi motors are wide. But, 3000$ off, a beautiful orange paint job, and while heavy and large, I knew just from sitting on it it would be an ideal bike for traveling. It fit me well and appears to offer great wind and weather protection. 19" front wheel isn't as sport bikey as the others I've looked at, but I would certainly jump at a chance for a test ride. It might turn out to be a total surprise. $13,995
The Multistrada 1200 looks expensive to maintain just sitting there. And with a seat that locks you into a position a little to close to the tank, I just wasn't feeling the love from the Duc. It's got electronics coming out its ears though if you're into that stuff. I'm sure if I got to sling it up 181 and the snake I would feel differently, but I looked at 2014 and the all new 2015. And by all new I mean farkled out and has a new front face. That thing had back lit buttons on the handle bars and like a 6" LCD display for the dash. Tech savvy. A little too much for me I think. $18,000 for the '14 and $22,000 for the '15
The bike here that spoke to me most though was the Versys 1000, it just felt right. And with ABS, rise modes, and TC, and hard bags it has plenty of toys. It's the same Inline 4 in the Ninja 1000. Kali's new styling trend is nice too, with some good lines. This bike felt very much to me like my Tiger 1050. The biggest question I would want answered is how does the fairing and screen do for wind protection. Overall a good feeling bike. It's no Italian (or English) mistress but there is something to be said for the affordability and ease of servicing of the Japanese bikes. $12,500
I went from that dealer to Motorcycles of Charlotte and looked through the triumphs and ducats (where I saw the 2015 multi)
The final bike I sat on was the 2015 Tiger Explorer 1200. That was also a great bike. Large and heavy like the Guzzi, but with tons of room for my long legs and arms. Cruise control, ABS, TC, ride modes (supposedly) and a fresh update to the styling and wheels etc... Very impressed. $18,000
The Norge GT was heavy and didn't have the leg room the Connie 14 does. Also sat on the triumph trophy 1200, it had satellite radio... And cost something like 23 grand. Comfy though. I bet you could chew up some miles but I'd pick the Kawi 1400 for value if nothing else if I were to enter this category of machine.
So to wrap up, the Versys 1000, the Guzzi Stelvio and the Tiger 1200 are my top picks in the adventure sport touring category with the Duc and the Aprilia being a lot less awesome than I had them worked up to be in my head. Not sure where the FJ09 fits in, I have mixed feelings about it and I can seem to quite figure out why.
The Connie 1400 is also a great bike and I will certainly consider one in the future. Brakes were great, transmission like butter, and power to push your eyes into the back of your head, in any gear at any RPM. My biggest draw backs to the Connie are the heat that comes out at your legs, and the fact that I was doing 90mph in 3rd gear at 6500RPM and felt like I was doing 30. No sense of speed at all. Which is cool and scary all in one.
If you've read this far, thanks for taking the time. Comments and opinions are always welcome.
-Ben
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