Which Bike to Choose? - 9.08.2010

I am adding content to this post post-post, but if I add content to the bottom, nobody will notice it, and if I add it to the top here, it won't be chronological anymore!  Oh well...

Or I could get the 1982 Honda FT500!  Single cylinder, from the 80's...and only $875

There's also this SV650, which will by far be the most powerful of the bikes, and probably more fun to ride around on than the ninja, but will get slightly worse gas mileage and require more expensive tires and what not.  There is also a version with a half fairing, and I could get ~8 year old one for under $2500, which is about my limit.

The cheapest and most practical choice would be something like the Ninja 500 here.  Gets 60mpg, has a small wind fairing and some underseat storage, and a comfortable seat for two.  Will probably be a fair bit quicker than the Honda I had in Korea.  Also comes in pretty cool colors like purple, neon green, and bright yellow.  The 2001 bike below is listed for $2200 but I bet I could get it for cheaper. 

This is what I really want. The DR650. It's like the orange bike I had in Korea, but with a 5x bigger engine.  It will be super grunty at low speeds and be able to hop off of curbs and fly over speed bumps, potholes, and train tracks like they're not even there.  Plus it comes in wicked 90's color scheme.  Downside is that I will have to pay to put road tires on it, and because of my stumpy little legs, I'll probably have to pay to have it lowered as well.  This one is going for $1800, but it's a 1992!  The newer ones go for $3000 and up.

The DRZ400, similar to the DR650, is already supermotoed, and so I wouldn't  have to change the tires. I would definitely have to have the seat lowered though, and with a 400cc single cylinder engine, it probably won't bee too good for long road trips. At $3000 this particular one is at the absolute bottom end of the spectrum for these, so it's a little out of my price range.

Should I go cheap and hassle-free but a little less fun?  Expensive and impractical? Or listen to my heart and have to deal with changing a bunch of stuff right away?