What’s a good bike to get in retirement?

[NATEWA]

I’d want to get off that after 10 minutes. I suspect it has a seat like hardwood.

Hardwood is better than softwood, right?

 

[BillSmith]

Hardwood is better than softwood, right?

Norwegian?

 

[bikewanker]

Where do you have your Aprilia RSV4 X‑GP for sale PaulR?

 

[bikewanker]

The kahn man has a good point about intention. The Yamaha triples are quality bikes in a variety of options from naked to the full electronics Tracer.

 

[Arminius]

It's kind of strange OP starts a thread asking for advice then ignores everyone who is trying to help him. Hopefully he got something useful from people's inputs.

 

[ST Guy]

Yea. Only his original post and one other early on.

 

[Arminius]

Yup. Makes me think what was the point. It was still fun to hear what others thought was a good bike in retirement.

 

[gixxerjeff]

Naw....
He found his trike.....he's out looking for them drink umbrellas.

 

[senpai71]

I had a 2018 Goldwing bagger that I traded in for a 2019 K1600B and that was a big mistake. On paper the K1600 was better in every category but I think the Goldwing was the better bike in real life. The BMW buffeted at speeds over 80 mph whereas the Goldwing was rock solid up to 110 mph. Visibility on the BMW wasn't near as good as the Goldwing and in slow speed handling, the Goldwing was the clear winner. The BMW was top heavy while the center of gravity on the Goldwing was much lower. Gold wing was also much more comfortable for long trips. The controls on the Goldwing were so much better thought out than the BMW's stupid thumbwheel. I would say the BMW handled better on long sweepers and most twisties but not by very much. My biggest complaint on the Goldwing bagger was that the saddlebags were too small and they opened to the side so all your shit would fall out when you open it, other than that, it was the much better bike, IMO.

@Arminius Thanks for the detailed comparison - that's the sort of thing that should be a in a proper bike review

I've heard bad things about the BMW thumbwheel, but since my BMW is now 16 years old, it has none of the new fancy shit!

 

[PaulR]

2026 Kawasaki Ninja H2 (Most Powerful Street‑Legal Kawasaki)

Retirement Bike? Nah… Victory Lap Machine.

So I’ve been thinking about what retirement should look like, and after watching half this forum argue that “a proper retirement bike” is basically a rolling La‑Z‑Boy with wheels, I figured I’d offer a counterpoint.

Behold: my future retirement rig — the Kawasaki Ninja H2 with optional touring luggage.

Yes, that H2. The supercharged one. The one that sounds like a Dyson vacuum that went to therapy and came back with confidence issues resolved.

Before anyone says it:

No, I’m not “slowing down.”

No, I don’t need a trike.

No, I don’t need a Gold Wing with a cupholder the size of a Big Gulp.

I’m retiring, not surrendering.

Why this is the perfect retirement bike

Because retirement isn’t about “taking it easy.” It’s about celebrating the fact that you survived 40+ years of bosses, deadlines, and meetings that could’ve been emails. You’ve earned the right to bolt luggage onto a supercharged missile and call it “touring.”

• Supercharger: Helps compensate for the fact that my joints don’t spool up as fast as they used to.

• Luggage: Because apparently society frowns on strapping a week’s worth of clothes to the passenger seat with bungee cords.

• Electronics: Keeps me from accidentally achieving low‑Earth orbit.

• Ergonomics: Still sporty enough to remind me I’m alive, but not so extreme that I need a chiropractor on retainer.

Forum Logic vs. Actual Retirement Logic

Forum Logic:

“Retirement means comfort, stability, and a bike that won’t scare you.”

Actual Logic:

Retirement means you finally have time to ride something that does scare you — but in a fun, controlled, ‘I’ve made peace with my decisions’ kind of way.

About the luggage

Yes, I’m putting touring bags on an H2.

Yes, it looks ridiculous.

Yes, it’s absolutely happening.

Think of it as the motorcycle equivalent of wearing a tuxedo jacket with board shorts.

Confusing?

Absolutely.

But also undeniably stylish in a “this man has nothing left to prove” sort of way.

Bottom line

This isn’t an old man’s bike.

This is a retirement celebration device.

A rolling trophy.

A supercharged reminder that the finish line isn’t the end — it’s the beginning of the fun part.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the garage practicing my “I’m retired, I can do whatever I want” speech.


PaulR

 

[CDONA]

Falling victim of "The old saying"

"I'd rather be blown, than injected"


I'm so far off this scale,
I'm slowing down, avoiding all freeway,
Riding my TW off into the dirt, back to nature.
Something light, easy to maneuver, and climb Mingus.
My Roadrunning mini, now "My Best Streetbike"
Rolling the seven miles up to Jerome, and hanging with a bad crowd.

 

[Arminius]

@Arminius Thanks for the detailed comparison - that's the sort of thing that should be a in a proper bike review

I've heard bad things about the BMW thumbwheel, but since my BMW is now 16 years old, it has none of the new fancy shit!

BMWs are great bikes until their not. I've had three of them, 2013 K1300S, 2019 K1600B, and a 2021 S1000RR M package. My K1300s started giving me problems after 15,000 miles, so I got rid of it. You can't go wrong with any of the Japanese bikes. Japanese bikes from well over 40 years ago are still running strong. You will notice the 2018 GWs hold their value extremely well compared to the depreciation of almost every other bike in that class. A GW is not everyone's style but I think the 2018+ GWs look much better than any of the previous generations. I wouldn't even consider a GW from the previous generations because I think they are ugly as hell.

 

[berth]

I've heard bad things about the BMW thumbwheel,

It's all right. Minor nits is that sometimes you bump it, and that "clicks" something.

Do NOT use it while riding.

And, of course, there's this:

 

[CDONA]

WOW, never heard of this 'puter.
but,
My first gen iPod still works.

"Three inputs just to put one letter up" clued me, a little.

 

[Arminius]

For those that haven't already figured it out, The MacBook Wheel was satire.

 

[dtrides]

Way back when I was old, I had a couple of Wings ( like 30 years ago, I am so much younger now). A base model 1100 with a Windjammer fairing and then a fully loaded Aspencade 1200 .
Good for two up but sketchy in the loose stuff and those old ones didn't care much for going round the bend.
I transitioned to a ST1100 ( far more fun for me!) but the ex said it was a real letdown in the passenger department coming from the GW.
It was about this time I went through a divorce and then learned of 'sporty' bikes which really unwound my clock!
Sorry I don't have much else that might be helpful.
DT

 

[NATEWA]

2026 Kawasaki Ninja H2 (Most Powerful Street‑Legal Kawasaki)

Retirement Bike? Nah… Victory Lap Machine.

So I’ve been thinking about what retirement should look like, and after watching half this forum argue that “a proper retirement bike” is basically a rolling La‑Z‑Boy with wheels, I figured I’d offer a counterpoint.

Behold: my future retirement rig — the Kawasaki Ninja H2 with optional touring luggage.

Yes, that H2. The supercharged one. The one that sounds like a Dyson vacuum that went to therapy and came back with confidence issues resolved.

Before anyone says it:

No, I’m not “slowing down.”

No, I don’t need a trike.

No, I don’t need a Gold Wing with a cupholder the size of a Big Gulp.

I’m retiring, not surrendering.

Why this is the perfect retirement bike

Because retirement isn’t about “taking it easy.” It’s about celebrating the fact that you survived 40+ years of bosses, deadlines, and meetings that could’ve been emails. You’ve earned the right to bolt luggage onto a supercharged missile and call it “touring.”

• Supercharger: Helps compensate for the fact that my joints don’t spool up as fast as they used to.

• Luggage: Because apparently society frowns on strapping a week’s worth of clothes to the passenger seat with bungee cords.

• Electronics: Keeps me from accidentally achieving low‑Earth orbit.

• Ergonomics: Still sporty enough to remind me I’m alive, but not so extreme that I need a chiropractor on retainer.

Forum Logic vs. Actual Retirement Logic

Forum Logic:

“Retirement means comfort, stability, and a bike that won’t scare you.”

Actual Logic:

Retirement means you finally have time to ride something that does scare you — but in a fun, controlled, ‘I’ve made peace with my decisions’ kind of way.

About the luggage

Yes, I’m putting touring bags on an H2.

Yes, it looks ridiculous.

Yes, it’s absolutely happening.

Think of it as the motorcycle equivalent of wearing a tuxedo jacket with board shorts.

Confusing?

Absolutely.

But also undeniably stylish in a “this man has nothing left to prove” sort of way.

Bottom line

This isn’t an old man’s bike.

This is a retirement celebration device.

A rolling trophy.

A supercharged reminder that the finish line isn’t the end — it’s the beginning of the fun part.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the garage practicing my “I’m retired, I can do whatever I want” speech.


PaulR

Love it Paul!

I just put new suspension on my ninja 1000. It has hard bags (not pictured). Great all around bike.

Please post some pics when you get it all set up.

 

[Arminius]

I'm not in the retirement category yet, but when I am, these will be the determining factors on what, and if I ride:

1. Something manageable. Something I can move around the garage myself.
2. Has to be 2 wheels, so trikes and anything else is off the table.
3. Riding position that is comfortable and not cramped, so all sportbikes are off the table.
4. Reverse gear is a really nice to have.
5. Automatic transmission, e.g. Honda DCT, is a big plus, but not a requirement
6. Has to have a gas motor, no EV bikes, sorry, but that high pitch whine is not the same as high revs.
7. Can't be ugly.

So there you go, that's my idea of a good mc for retirement. If I'm too decrepit to balance on 2 wheels, it's time to hang up my riding boots.

 

[Jazzamoto]

Honda NC 750 DCT. No clutch lever, no shift lever. 4 riding modes plus paddle shifting mode for manual gear changes. Some say it's like "playing in a rock band without a drummer" but if you're older that's a gift.

 

[Arminius]

Honda NC 750 DCT. No clutch lever, no shift lever. 4 riding modes plus paddle shifting mode for manual gear changes. Some say it's like "playing in a rock band without a drummer" but if you're older that's a gift.

I've spent a lot of time riding one of those. I have to say I really liked the bike and found the DCT to be much better than I expected. My only complaint was that the power fell off a cliff at anything past 70 mph.