I want to buy a motorcycle. I might be having a mid-life crisis but I really want one. I have very little experience other than the fact that 30 years ago a friend swapped my car for his new Honda V45 Saber (750) for about a month. He needed a car for a date and I told him I rode all the time.....slight fib. I had a mini-bike as a kid and a moped in high school. I rode that Honda every day for hours and hours - I just couldn't stop riding, it was a blast.
So now I have the $dough to get a bike of my own and my interest is in a regular, non-flashy bike with some size. I don't want a sport bike or crotch rocket as I would probably get myself killed and I don't want a Gold Wing either. I'm not a huge fan of Harleys although I don't hate them.
So, the bike I have decided on is the 2016 BMW R Nine T. I really dig the looks and after watching hundreds of YouTube videos, I really, really like it. I like that fact that it is basic with no frills yet has a tiny level of prestige. I like the fact that BMW has been know to build nice engines.
I'm almost ready to pull the trigger and a guy at work is trying to convince me that I'm making a big mistake. He thinks I should be buying Ducati Monster 821. (he has no experience riding btw) and his decision, which I agree with is that the Ducati is pretty bad a$$ looking.
My thoughts:
The BMW is $15k and the Ducati is $11.5k - is there a quality difference
The BMW has 110hp and 80lbs torque, the Ducati has 112hp and 65.9lbs torque
I think both bikes look cool
I like the low rumble sound of the stock exhaust on the BMW. The Ducati sounds much higher pitched and louder.
The BMW is Air/Oil cooled, the Ducati is water cooled
The BMW is 461lbs, the Ducati is 540lbs.
The BMW is mostly Black, the Ducati has a lot of Red and I don't love Red.
Any thoughts from you guys?
Here's the two that I'm looking at:
