HYPERR wrote:John, does it have to be an actual fairing? If she is just looking for wind protection, she can add an aftermarket windshield to a naked bike which would open you guys to a lot more choices.
After nearly winding up in the ER due to 50 miles in 50-degree rain, she wants wind & weather protection that matches my Burgman! Storage would also be nice.
The Ninja has minimal wind protection, zero storage, a tiring riding position (leaning forward, legs tucked), and honestly, I'm not sure her long legs fit on it.
Ok I get ya think on this however drop pegs and panniers go a long way and are quite inexpensive. The riding position is not really aggressive and add risers and you got a touring machine.
The Honda however is a very good choice as well, also yamaha is releasing a (baby Tenere) I am not sure what it looks like or if it will fit the bill.
I'm at a loss to figure out what you really want since your first post John, how about clarifying a few items. Both the Ninja 500 and the GS500 are strictly old standard sit upright bikes. The Ninja has a half fairing and the only GS500 sold in this country since 2004 has had full sportbike type bodywork to make it sell in this country but is the same old standard underneath and can be easily converted to naked. When you say no sportbike I think you mean no sportbike like riding position?
Johnj mentioned the CTX700 but also don't overlook a NC700X if you see one, it has a compartment in the back of the tank that will hold a full face helmet. There is not much storage space like the big scooters have built into bikes but a lockable trunk can be added to most any of them like I've added to my GS500.
OK, just saw your latest post, don't think you going to find a fully faired bike in a 400-800cc size that will provide the wind and rain protection that a standard naked bike with an add on windshield will. I had a Plexi 2 type shield on all my old 400-750cc Hondas that provided excellent protection for my year around riding here in NE Ohio. For my 97 and 02 GS500s I've used a smaller Spitfire shield summers and the big Plexi 2 winters for 15 years and 180,000 GS500 miles including many 400-500 mile Interstate days to get to the mountains and back.
If you can't find exactly what you and your lady want in a bike get the closest you can find and fix it up. I was 68 yo when I bought my first GS, a bike that most would consider an upright and I added bar risers to move the bars up and back a bit more, simple $100 fix. I change windshields twice a year between the 2 to suit the season.
gsJack wrote:I'm at a loss to figure out what you really want since your first post John, how about clarifying a few items. Both the Ninja 500 and the GS500 are strictly old standard sit upright bikes. The Ninja has a half fairing and the only GS500 sold in this country since 2004 has had full sportbike type bodywork to make it sell in this country but is the same old standard underneath and can be easily converted to naked. When you say no sportbike I think you mean no sportbike like riding position?
Sportbike: leaning forward with feet back and knees tucked. (Basically: if her heels are behind her knees, that's a "sportbike" riding position to her.) The ability to add highway pegs would also be nice. And again: near as I can tell, a Ninja has nowhere to store so much as a pencil!
Johnj mentioned the CTX700 but also don't overlook a NC700X if you see one, it has a compartment in the back of the tank that will hold a full face helmet. There is not much storage space like the big scooters have built into bikes but a lockable trunk can be added to most any of them like I've added to my GS500.
The NC is a naked bike with no fairing!
Someone suggested a V-strom...another suggested a Sportster. (I'm not sure that would be at all practical.)
Jarlaxle wrote:
The NC is a naked bike with no fairing!
That's why I suggested an add on windshield which I think gives better protection from the knees up than the fully faired bikes in these 400-800cc sizes which give you a lot of wind/rain in the face. I prefer wet feet to a wet head. You really have to tuck in on bikes like the Ninja and GS500 to get out of the wind at higher speeds. You'd soon be looking for a taller shield to mount to the full fairing.
I put some case guards on and mounted forward pegs to them to stretch the legs a bit on longer rides on the GSs:
Jarlaxle wrote:
Sportbike: leaning forward with feet back and knees tucked. (Basically: if her heels are behind her knees, that's a "sportbike" riding position to her.) The ability to add highway pegs would also be nice. And again: near as I can tell, a Ninja has nowhere to store so much as a pencil!
The heels are definately behind the knees on either the Ninja 500 and GS500 bikes, won't find many smaller bikes anymore with the lower leg vertical. I think both my 81 CB400T and 82 CB750k were like that or close to it. Smaller standard bikes of the past are gone now:
gsJack wrote:
That's why I suggested an add on windshield which I think gives better protection from the knees up than the fully faired bikes in these 400-800cc sizes which give you a lot of wind/rain in the face. I prefer wet feet to a wet head. You really have to tuck in on bikes like the Ninja and GS500 to get out of the wind at higher speeds. You'd soon be looking for a taller shield to mount to the full fairing.
I put some case guards on and mounted forward pegs to them to stretch the legs a bit on longer rides on the GSs:
Shields and trunk:
And I think half the fun is modifying one's bike to custom tailor it to be the "perfect" bike for them. I think by adding aftermarket accessories like a windshield and bags, one can significantly widen the choice of bikes.
Jarlaxle wrote:
Sportbike: leaning forward with feet back and knees tucked. (Basically: if her heels are behind her knees, that's a "sportbike" riding position to her.) The ability to add highway pegs would also be nice. And again: near as I can tell, a Ninja has nowhere to store so much as a pencil!
The heels are definately behind the knees on either the Ninja 500 and GS500 bikes, won't find many smaller bikes anymore with the lower leg vertical. I think both my 81 CB400T and 82 CB750k were like that or close to it. Smaller standard bikes of the past are gone now:
The problem being, that position, exacerbated by her long legs, is actually PAINFUL after a while.
I wonder if anyone makes a fairing for a Hyosung GV650...
I think the Kawasaki Versys would have been a good choice. It has a fairing with optional tall windscreen, optional hard bags, optional ABS, and a tall seat height. They never sold well so perhaps a dealer may still be sitting on a 2013?
