I am considering buying a 2000 or so F4s mostly to ride on weekends and commute to work (I have a car too) But I am selling my 996 and R1 to do so. I dont need the fastest thing on the planet, I mainly want somthing diffeent but need it to be reliable as well. Is it dumb to buy this bike and expect to put 5000 miles on it a year without a lot of problems? $11-12k is a lot of money to spend on something I cannot depend on to get me to work when I wnat to ride it. And of course the more you like it the more you ride it, right?

-- Brian Fox (brian@ringhouse.com), August 05, 2003

Answers

If it's been serviced well then it shouldn't be a problem. I've got a 2001 1+1 and did 13,000 miles in the first year. Mostly commuting but a reasonable amount of touring as well (including one run we rode for 21 hours only stopping for gas).

The bike now has 20,000 miles on it and has not yet had any faults.

-- Matt Thompson (matthewt@nitor.co.nz), August 05, 2003.

Brian: You know what you want. A bike that you can rely on when you want to ride it, that can hang with the rest and yet eye-catching.

When you decide, know what you're getting into; keep in mind of the closest dealer in your area, (I live in Washington DC and the closest shop is 4 hours away. Since I'll be paying the same amount of money anyway for repairs, I will always opt for for the trained group of peeps to work on it). Also, It's not really an 'over-the-counter' kind of bike so I've heard that parts may take time when you order them, plus maintenance may be a bit more than the standard.

Nah, I don't think you're stupid, your just like anyone of us, with different taste is all. Have fun! -jon

-- JP (jpolicarpio@hotmail.com), August 05, 2003.

Brian, go ahead and follow your dream. I ride the tires off my Senna and it runs like a top. No issues, just smiles from ear to ear.

-- greg petersen (gntpete@nvbell.net), August 06, 2003.

JP,

Where in the DC Metro area are you? MV is so rare in our neck of the wood, we should get together.

Cheers!!!

-- David Nguyen (Archille@hotmail.com), August 10, 2003.