Hi... Ive got a big birthday coming up and Mrs B. has allowed me to buy myself another bike... and as we all know this time of year is the best time to buy. All good so far but deciding which to get is causing me some grief.

A little background... I've always had pretty powerful bikes... with my body weight I need something that can get me up hills as well as down :-) My last five bikes have been two Honda Blackbirds, two CBF1000s and a Triumph Bonneville. Budget is £3K in cash.. no trade in. I also would like to buy reasonably local to me in South Wales... one bloke didn't seem to think that a four hour ride home from Lancashire should put me off from buying his bike :-)

Obviously I do like sports/tourers, and the Bonnie was a nice change as an upright bike. I would not rule out a streetfighter style naked bike or even a mild adventure style bike. The Bandit 1200 and the 1250S seem to be well regarded, but I would rule out the Fazer 1000 as it seems a bit lairy to me and at 143 bhp it is right up there in Blackbird territory - I remember the odd occasion when the Blackbird would whizz me up to "motorway" speeds frighteningly quickly and I'm past that sort of thing now. There is a 900cc Hornet which appeals (I do like Hondas) and the CBF1000 is always an option, but I haven't seen anything else which floats my boat. Another thing I have to consider is that riding along at 70-75 (only when overtaking, officer!) is tiring when the bike is running at 6000 rpm to maintain that speed so I want something with low down power which OFC means a larger capacity. Now I'm not into the 'full luggage touring' thing (although I do like a top box) so bikes like the Pan European are just too bulky.... my garage is on a slope so getting big heavy bikes in and out isn't the easiest thing.

Moving on to slightly smaller bikes someone has recommended a BMW F800R which is a middleweight naked bike which sounds interesting but is belt driven. I rather like the look of the Triumph Street triple 675 and the Suzuki GSR600, which both seem to be readily available locally. As to adventure bikes, I really liked the V-Strom 1000 that I test rode a few years ago, but there are more 600cc bikes out there than 1 litre bikes. Kawasaki do a similar range called the Versys but they seem to be a bit newer and therefore pricier. Honda do a CBF500 adventure bike but I don't really think it's suitable for motorway or fast(ish) 'A' road riding. Another thing I have to consider is that riding along at 70-75 (only when overtaking, officer!) is tiring when the bike is running at 6000 rpm to maintain that speed so I want something with low down power which OFC means a larger capacity.

Any advice/guidance gratefully received.
Rob