So, you’ve outgrown your CBR600RR. Perhaps it was a GSX-R600. Maybe Team Green’s 636. Hell, it could even have been a R6, though Yamaha hasn’t built a street-legal version of that speedster since 2020.
Whatever the case, you’ve left the supersports world behind. Maybe it’s a bad back. Could be wonky knees. Just as likely your wrists can’t handle the constant pressure anymore. I know your pain. I’ve got all three. And, if you’re anything like me, you resisted for as long as you could. Muscle relaxants gave adequate — but fleeting — solace; bar risers just delayed the inevitable. It was time to leave the motorcycles of your youth behind.
But, my Lord, you miss the twitchy steering, the scream of stratospheric redlines and the feeling of one-ness with the machine that can only come from a middleweight supersport: The knowledge that no corner is too tight, no braking marker too late and that, as soon as you think about turning, you’re already diving toward the apex.
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
You contemplated moving to a sports tourer, but they’re just big couches now, aren’t they? You thought about a naked bike — both the KTM Super Duke and Ducati’s Monster look appetizing — but, although they don’t sport clip-ons, they’re not exactly comfortable. And don’t they look silly if you strap a big old aftermarket windscreen on ‘em?
Then, of course, there’s the latest spate of litre-plus adventure tourers. Yes, they’re monster-motored, but they’re all high centre of gravity and 19-inch
