[Badgerbadg3r]

• Bought a 2007 Rebel 250 in March 2021.
• Outfitted it to be a faux “Honda Davidson” (saddlebags, big top box, larger front tire).
• Have street-parked it under a cover the whole year
• Have done 2500 miles.
  90% of my riding is in the City (San Francisco hills).
• 50% of my riding is 2-up with my wife.
• 
  
  Looking at Summer 2022 and I’d like to be able to more easily do highway riding. Tahoe is 4hrs away, Yosemite is similar and it would be nice for those places to feel more accessible.
• 
  
  
• 
  
• So apart from 500s and 1100s (which don’t seem to be great for 2up riding) what have you seen to be successful upgrades after a year of riding?
  
  
• 
  

 

[Emil]

Personally I'd suggest a Honda vlx 600 shadow. I wouldn't go too much bigger than that for now.

 

[Badgerbadg3r]

Personally I'd suggest a Honda vlx 600 shadow. I wouldn't go too much bigger than that for now.

Ah hadn’t seen that. Thanks. We rented a ctx700 and enjoyed that.
I was hoping they’d release the Forza 750 in the USA this year and I’d switch to a big comfy scooter.
Thanks for the Shadow suggestion - will do more research

 

[Emil]

You can get a pretty good one for about the same price as a Rebel. Often less!

 

[SoakedKarma]

I see no point in buying a vehicle that can't be worked on unless one has an electronics degree..
these computer controlled motorcycles will be obsolete in 5-10 years imo..
Sadly we have become a throw away society in all aspects of daily living..

Cost by Design in the 3rd generation Rebel where the 1157 $3 tail light bulb used on 2017-19 models has been replaced by $200+ LED tail light assembly 2020-present..
good lord, the sexy LCD/LED speedo displays found on motorcycles today will last nowhere near the 35 years my Rebel mechanical unit has..

You would not enjoy Tahoe trip on 250 Rebel no matter what route taken I80 or US50..
Couple of times I made the trip on Rebel from Nevada side using US50 or NV431 convinced me riding my Suzuki VS800 was the only way to go.. At least the cages weren't ridding my posterior on uphill slopes...

 

[Emil]

The VLX 600 Shadow is an older bike, 1988-2008. Same era as the Rebel. So the electronics should be reasonably comparable in advancement. Not too much tech yet. Most seen on FBMarketplace, Craigslist or Ebay are around $2000 or less & seem well maintained.
I had a Suzuki GS650L that we'd ride 2 up, & could go anywhere in any traffic without any worries whatsoever.

 

[01-7700]

If I was going to do more long distance riding I would get another 750 Shadow - a very comfortable bike.

 

[SoakedKarma]

Have to admit I was taken aback by the used price in UK of the aforementioned 2021 Forza 750 £8,900-£9,999 ($12,070-$13,570)

 

[Shadow Shack]

Seeing both types have been mentioned I want to clarify that there is no distinct advantage/disadvantage between a 600 and 750 Shadow beyond fit(how well it fits you) & finish. Neither has a performance advantage over the other, at least not when comparing same generations...the Gen-1 600 & 750 offer identical performance as does the Gen-2 600 & 750. Gen-1 of either will outperform Gen-2 of either.

The differences? Gen-1 models have dual carbs, Gen-2 models have single carbs (and in the case of 750, later models switched to FI). Regardless of intake, the Gen-2 750 also has a shaft drive that hampers performance next to the Gen-1 chain drive.

In other words, the four speed on the 600 is a negligent issue against the 750 five speed, the performance differences don't come into play until you compare generations.

 

[Markrkolb]

Another option is a s

 

[Markrkolb]

Sportster. I love mine but it’s a different experience. It would be nice if you could try a variety of bikes to find a good fit for you

 

[Badgerbadg3r]

Sportster. I love mine but it’s a different experience. It would be nice if you could try a variety of bikes to find a good fit for you

Yeh that’s the plan is to go on ridershare and equivalent and try a few different styles. Just wanted to see what others in this forum had upgraded to. Going to try and find a shadow to take a ride on

 

[flitecontrol]

I don't use the term "upgraded". I got a bigger bike, parked the Rebel, rode the big one for a few years and brought the Rebel out of retirement when the big one broke down. Forgot how much fun riding was on the Rebel. That was around 10 years ago. I have no plans to ever fix the big bike. I'll let my son decide its fate when I'm gone. Upsizing better describes going from a smaller to a larger displacement bike.

 

[Emil]

I agree with flitecontrol.
I went up to, eventually a Goldwing. When the front brakes started hanging up, 1st I tried a couple of times to fix it, but it just kept coming back. So I hopped on the Rebel & haven't been on the GW since. It'll be gone soon too! The Rebel is always fun!

 

[01-7700]

me too - whatever you do don't sell the Rebel

 

[Emil]

And if you do sell it, put it on the Classifieds please!