Buying A Motorbike - Making My Mind Up

Ebay can get you into all sorts of trouble!

For a few weeks I spent nearly all available spare time researching 2nd hand bikes.

I had decided that I would not be having a sports bike, I'm too old and not of the right build to have my arse up in the air, plus my belly would be resting on the tank too much!

Cruisers are just not my thing, too much chrome. The bike I get would be a work horse, I will not be overly fussed if it gets dirty.
.
I did think about a Royal Enfield, I love the simplicity and the look, but I also wanted reliability. Sadly this is lacking. If it was just a weekend bike then it may of been a contender, but this bike had to earn it's keep and get me to work every day.

So I had it narrowed down to two types, a tourer or an adventure style bike.

The Honda Pan European was at the top of the list. Honda reliability and a big engine to eat those miles.

But on the adventure style bike it was down to three, Triumph Tiger, Yamaha Tenere or a Honda Varadero.

I had all ready ruled out the BMW GS, not because of the snobbish owners I had come across, but more to do with the cost of them 2nd hand. You are certainly paying for the badge.

I like the look of the Tiger and being British helped the thought process but being rather short in the leg - I'm 5ft 8in ruled out the Tiger. Even with it being lowered it was just too tall.

This left just two bikes. The Tenere and the Varadero. Both would do the job, but in the end there could only be one winner.

I came across a motorbike dealer in Bournemouth who had both in stock and were both within my budget of £3000.

So I arranged to go a look at them both. I still wasn't sure which one was best, I had spent hours researching them both.

On the day however, it was clear which was the better bike. I tried them both, and to be honest there was not a great deal of difference.

However, the Varadero came with a full set of engine crash bars and Givvi pannier racks and a pair of 26l side panniers and a whopping 52l top box.

It also came with a scott oiler with a reservoir pack bolted behind the number plate, a rear hugger and fender extender.

It has done just 31000 miles with full dealer stamped history. So all in all it seemed like a great bike.

So I stayed loyal to the Honda brand and bought it!

The journey continues............