I somehow have the feeling that this is not good advice… 
I’ve had good luck with my Kawasaki KLR650. The dual sport segment of the motorcycling community is growing by leaps and bounds, so there are always going to be developments, but the KLR is a workhorse (the Marines are using a diesel version) that isn’t adverse to both rural as well as rural terrain. I’m going up the ladder though to a BMW GS1200R because I find that the crusier segment is altogether cookie cutter and plays to the wanna-be-bad-ass a little TOO much, plus, I absolutely refuse to overpay for a Harley just because they make them in Cheeseville.
I’d take a good long look at duals, but that’s just me.
The Buell Ulysses is quite a nice dual from Cheeseville. I’d hop on one of those given me druthers.
The BMW Enduro ‘type’ are real popular in the mountains. Rural roads. Gravel once in a while. Or a bit off road.
Looks like it would be pretty comfy to me. Though I might be a bit too tall for it.
They make similar ‘duel use’ models up through 1200cc.
http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/bikes/bike.jsp?b=f650gs
They seem to be able to be fit with pretty extensive saddle bags too. But I can’t find that option on the site.
I’ve just been playing around looking at them since I’ve been seeing so many IRL.
I’ve had a Suzuki Boulevard M50 for about two months now, and I really, really like the bike. It needs a couple of things to be perfect for me (a passenger backrest, a luggage rack, and a windshield are what I’m considering needs for my own use), but it’s a very easy bike to ride and has plenty of guts. I’m a relatively new rider, and I’ve never felt like the bike was more than I could handle. I’ll even list some pros and cons for you:
Pros:
[ul]
[li]Quick (not fast)[/li][li]Looks really, really cool[/li][li]Light for a cruiser[/li][li]Comfortable (For a 6’, 180lb man with a 33" inseam)[/li][li]Very easy clutch action[/li][li]Very hard to stall[/li][/ul]
Cons:
[ul]
[li]Drum brake in the back (worthless)[/li][li]Needs a windshield[/li][li]Needed saddle bags (I’m a teacher, so I bought these day 2)[/li][li]Could be faster[/li][li]Single disc brake up front[/li][li]Really, really needs a windshield (Too much freeway for me!)[/li][/ul]
For my needs, and it it’s sub-$7000 price tag, it is a very good bike. Ultimately, I’d rather have a Honda ST1300 with ABS, but one of those is twice the price.
Let us know what you choose!
(Also, it’s great to be back on the Dope! I was getting the shakes!)
May I nominate this for an eggcorn? It’s actually rather good.
That looks like a very nice bike.
Can I ask what you mean by “hard to stall”? Probably because I ride a CVT scooter most of the time, but that’s my biggest problem the few times I’ve gone riding on a standard motorcycle. I’m fine while riding at speed, it’s stalling out at stop lights about one time in five that’s so embarrassing :o
I don’t know if it’s because the bike has a shaft drive or what, but to stall the M50, I have to let the clutch nearly all the way out at a full stop. By “nearly” I mean within 2mm of all the way out. In two months, I’ve stalled less than a dozen times; a couple of those were on purpose because the shift lever was stuck in second or third due to me stopping abruptly. I have not stalled the bike since its 600 mile service, which was 1500 miles (and 6 weeks) ago.
I learned to ride on a 1982 Honda Twinstar 200. That bike was tiny, with a chain drive and a four speed box. The M50 is easier to ride and harder to stall than that Twinstar. I can feel the friction point much, much easier on the new bike.
I’ve lusted over one of those, but alas my legs are too short.
I love my Honda Aero 750, even though it longs for a 6th gear.
If I remember right, when I bought my bike in 1998 or 1999, you had to have 600 cc or larger engine to legally take it on the highway. If not, you were only allowed to ride on surface streets. Not a big deal for some areas, but in San Diego, where I was then, everything is a short highway ride away, or a very long distance by indirect routes if you don’t use one. Depends on the rules in your state, but you might want to check into the minimum size needed for highway use.
I had a Honda Nighthawk 650, which has a more or less neutral seating position. I’d get tired on trips longer than an hour or so from fighting the wind to stay upright. I couldn’t lean forward much because the bike wasn’t built for that, and I didn’t have a large fairing or windscreen to cut the wind otherwise. If I were to get another motorcycle, I’d probably go with one designed for a more forward, crouched position based on my experience riding the Nighthawk. Cruisers are both not my style and don’t feel comfortable to ride, for me anyway.
I don’t think this was the case…a ninjas 250 has no problem reaching freeway speeds, and also is freeway legal. As are many scooters with 250cc engines.
You know, you’re probably right. I just looked up the vehicle code and anything over 150 cc is considered to be street legal, though I definitely wouldn’t want to take anything that small on the highway. I was probably confusing advice I was given on engine size with the actual law. That’s what I get for not checking 10 year old recollections against reality before spouting off on the board.
My 650 would get up to about 65 comfortably, but would top out at around 75, with little to no “go” to give at that point. Of course, the Nighthawks are shaft-driven, which does eat up a little of the horsepower. That was my first motorcycle and by no means did I think it was unmanageably powerful. If anything, I wanted to go up in displacement after riding it as my sole vehicular transportation for a year, and I definitely wasn’t a speed hog. Today’s engines might have better performance characteristics for the size, though. I haven’t ridden since about 2000.
That is one damn tall bike. If the OP is short he will not have a fun time on it.
If Honda made an electric chair, it would be the best electric chair on the planet.
Going pretty fine, thanks - overworked and underpaid. but that’ll never change. How are things in the land of clogs & tulips?
The VFR has been giving me all sorts of grief since it was sent flying, though. Rather annoying. And with my regular workshop changing chief mechanic twice in 6 months, their work quality is not what it should be. I may have to find another way to commute and relegate the bike to joyriding, bugger it.
Following up on the OP, it seems Supermoto is the new hotness - think street-legal off-roaders with street tires/rims. They tend to be tall and skinny, both an advantage in traffic. And they tackle bad street conditions better than sportbikes. Worth looking into, at least.
Yeah, but i’m 6’5" and wish I could stretch out my legs a bit.
This was a tall bike. But damn, it sure was fast. I’m long legged so it wasn’t to much of a problem. For my 47 years on this planet, it pretty much defines fast. Miss it.
The OP is short. 5’7" on a good day. 
My brother hit a parked car with his left knee at about 35 mph. He ended up tumbling something like 40 or 50 feet. His left leg looked like shit, as did his full-face helmet. As for his head, all he had was a minor concussion and a broken nose from where he landed face down at some point. The scuff-marks on the helmet said pretty plainly that he would have lost a lot of face had he chosen a more “macho” form of head protection.
That’s a fair amount horsepower for such little weight. It must have been fun,