So now what? (what to buy)

[G.Irish]

Now that the Panigale is destroyed, I'm back to square one on the street bike question. I don't feel like buying another brand new 1199 at this point. I liked the bike, but there were too many little issues for me to justify doling out another big wad of currency for one. Maybe it was just first year issues, but the stalling, engine replacement, horn and turn signal malfunctions kinda killed some of my enthusiasm for the bike. If I could get a used one for around $15k maybe.

So on to the contenders

Literbike
Of these the Ape is in the lead as far as lust goes. The practical choice would be the CBR.

2013 Aprilia RSV4R (brand new out the door for $14,700)
2012 BMW S1000RR (used for about $14k)
2012 Honda CBR1000RR (brand new out the door for $11k)

RSV4R Pros
-V4 sexiness
-light
-very good handling
-been on the market a few years
-maintenance not expensive
-has abs, tc, quickshifter, and launch control

RSV4R Cons
-It's Italian. Supposedly they're reliable
-dealership is far (Lynchburg or McHenry, MD)
-poor gas mileage

S1000RR Pros
-stupid power
-top of class performance
-has abs, tc, and quickshifter

S1000RR Cons
-I've already done inline 4's
-somewhat ugly

CBR1000RR Pros
-reliable
-good handling
-good price

CBR1000RR Cons
-already had one
-doesnt have tc or abs (could maybe find a new leftover '12 with ABS tho)

Other
07-11 Triumph 675
2013 Honda CB500F or CBR500R

I was also thinking maybe I should go for something dramatically cheaper for now. There'll be a new R1 in 2014 that will supposedly be a lot more focused and less lardass than the current one so maybe that'd be up my alley. Honda is also supposed to be developing a V4 superbike but I have no idea when that would drop or how much it'd cost. Either way if I go cheaper now it'd be easier to get one in the future.

I think performance wise I could be happy with the 675. The 500 cc Hondas are interesting to me as a Honda guy, and I could do some articles on TOV about them. They're parallel twins, get great gas mileage and have available ABS. Of course there's the fact they only have about 50 hp. A brand new bike for $6500 or less would be cool but I've been riding bikes with 3 or 4 times the power for the last few years so I don't know if I'd enjoy riding one.