To forestall any potential conflict on the issue of sport bikes , no I am not "down" on sportbikes , I own several from various manufactuers , though some don't get ridden all that much. A newbie on a 100 plus horsepower sport bike with inadequate training and inadequate gear is a disaster waiting to happen , reality is that todays sport bikes are actually *race bikes* , and they not worth a shit for any purpose other than hit it and git it and the *real* fun zone usually resembles the " please turn around and put your hands behind your back" zone. The four most * useful* currently running scoots in my garage are a lightly modified NT650 Hawk of '88 vintage , stock motor with pipe and FCRs and mild cams ,F3 front end ,VFR rear wheel mod and currently a Fox shock while the Ohlins is being rebuilt. a '91 CB1 400 , another small Honda cult bike , 4 cylinder , gear driven cams and tiny , F3 wheels and extensive engine mods ,HRC black box go back and forth between a kerker white tip ( yes you heard me right and yes I know it's ancient) and a Kaz Yoshima hand bent that's loud as all hell , this is a true 63 horse 365 lb fueled pocket rocket , CBR600rr front end and brakes on the list for this one. '01 SV 650 , mild motor mods , ohlins shock currently receiving '04 GSXR750 front end and brakes , trackday whore 72 thousand miles and counting , reliable as a stone axe , anywhere anytime from holding it wide open across the desert to an icy hwy 4 does more with the 76 horses I've coaxed out of it * without ever yanking the heads or going into the bottom end* , endlessly modifiable , endless supply of spares available.....................these things are " everybike". And my favorite of my " practical bikes" , though some wouldn't consider it to be so , a street legalised XR650 ( not XL) with a built to the ragged edge Miller Baja motor , currently wearing a set of 17 inch Sun rims I laced up , along with a 320mm front brake , right at 60 horsepower 325 lbs soaking weight , problem being that this thing turns *anyone* who rides it into a giggling cackling maniac sliding the thing around , wheelying it , jumping bumps in the road , all sorts of assorted hooligan behavior. Absolutely indestructible if built to around the 50 or 52 horse mark. These four get ridden more than all the other bikes put together.They are a hell of a lot more suited to reality , *especially* the liter class bikes sport bikes , even the twins..
Lol I have an 05 zx-10r.. I would have to agree with the impracticality of any 'real' sport bike (600+). If you do not go to a track regularly, they are overpriced (compared to other more suitable bikes) and way beyond anything you could, would, should ever need on roads. For example- my bike with stock gearing tips out at 95-96 mph in first, yes first gear..
Boy howdy did Kawi miss the mark on the gearing on th early ZX10R , but my GSXR 1000s aren't much better. The stock '03 , make just over 160 horse to the ground with an Acra and a Bazazz box the '04 is my Lakes bike and went almost 190 to the wheel on it's last dyno pull , it's way too much for most tracks and jusr over the top insane on he street. I've also got an '05 R6 that rarely sees anything but trackdays nowadays , the best sport bike I own for a street environment is the '02 Aprilia RSV-R with maybe the '07 Gixxer 750 a close second , the rotax twin in the Ape is just a lot more flexible for the street and the Apes ar a LOT less finiicky and pain in the ass than any Duc I've ever owned. Thing is , you won't get close to the limits of *any* of them on the street and most ordinary mortals won't do so on the track , honestly I have a great deal more fun on the SV or the CB1 at a track day than on the liter bikes , and on a tight goat trail type road I'm usually way gone on the guys on big sport bikes on any of the "little bikes" , I'll pull out a liter bike for Willow , ( the bif track not the streets or Horsethief) ButtonWillow or Portland , if a tracday is Sears Point ( it is NOT Infineon damnit) or Thunderhill I'll take something smaller , usually the R6 or SV , now a track like Fernley , weelll the 400s and 250s rule at Fernley , Miller in Utah is a big bike track , but it will also make certain areas clamp tight just from the sheer freaking speed. Texas has bunch of bumpy gnarly really technical tracks , VIR and Road Atlanta are both entertaining , though RA is much less so since they removed the Gravity Cavity. Most of these may go anyway , though I'll keep the Ape and the '86 GSXR1100 that I bought new in '86 , the Lakes thing is done in P/P1000 now for anything without the BMW medallion at least for a while , and I can't afford the tire budget for the big bikes anymore , been thinking of justing cutting back to a TZ250 , RGV 250 etc for trackdays , be a lot cheaper...and faster through corners which is of course where the fun is at anyway...in reality anything that I can get around fast enough on for A group will pretty much do , B group is where a lopt of the bad shit happens a lot of folks who *think* they're fast but aren't , they people down in C know they aren't fast yet so there's usually less carnage than in B , 'course now when something does happen up in A group it's sometimes a LOT more serious , so is stuff that happens on one of the *seriously* fast tracks , Willow coming immediately to mind , I've destroyed a couple out there off turn 8 and 9 , with slicks you *will* run out of ground clearance in 8 , even hanging your ass off like a monkey on a hack , used to be a nice bump right at the turn in point for 9 , if you got pushed a bit wide into it or worse yet turned it in too early and get into the bump already cranked over , weellll then you were going to take a tour of the desert , ask me how I know that one. But certain memories can be priceless , an open pratice day at Sears Point , you're really cooking , really got it nailed , just freaking dialed , and then Cory Call and James Randoplh come by in the carousel , while you've got your knee on the deck and the rear sliding and they go by nose to tail like you're tied to a stump. Or getting passed in A group at VIR by Eric Bostrom and getting to *attempt* to follow him around and learn something for a few laps. Such people are in a whole different universe from us mere mortals when it comes to riding , and hell I won't even go into Elena Meyers and the number of people she has astounded.....and sometimes embarassed.
Alls i gotta say is get either a suzuki or yamaha, suzuki imo is best get like a 600 or 650 watever there called i think its a gsx650 or sumthin good bike tho never owned one but they are fucking fast and powerful
Gear bro. Suit up and ride safe on the road dude. I ride a 08 cbr600 daily and I love it. you'll get good soon just take it slow as with anything.
Hey man. What you're gonna want to do is take a motorcycle course. Theyre like 200-250 bucks. And they will teach you everything you need to know. And probably more. Your local Harley dealership will have them regularly. It takes about 2-3 days. And you'll get your license. and for your first bike I'd suggest a 225cc motor. Anything bigger can be a deathtrap if your not used to handling a large engine. PM me if there is anything specific you'd like to know.
Get an R1 and fit a fat garret turbo to it, should be powerful enough for you to learn on Peace.. Keepontoking...
Get yourself a little dirt bike to kick around on, don't even think about going on the street until you learn how a MC responds to throttle input, braking[front&rear] steering input on power and under braking. I could go on and on but will leave you with one final thought, you will crash, everybody does. If that concerns you, get a car, saving money on gas isn't worth your well-being.
Yuuupp , and bikes *are not* cheaper than cars , especially bigger displacment rides , I get between 2 and 3 thousand usable miles out a rear tire on sport bikes and only about 500 more miles from a front , y'all checked the price of *good* rubber lately? And it's easy to puchase a car nowadays that gets as good or better mpg than a great many motocycles.,
I have never ridden a bike I did not enjoy in 30 plus years of riding. It sucks when the rain is cold. Cars will see you and turn left in front of you anyway. It's nice to have a car. That said, test ride as many used bikes as you can. Your first bike should not be a sport bike. Street/dirt enduro's are great first bike choices if most of your riding is around town, 10-15 mile trips on surface streets. Put street rubber on them and your good to go. My first scoot was a nifty thrifty Honda 50 (no shit). Then a Yam enduro 250. Don't worry about being under powered on your first bike. If you are going to be on the freeway a lot, consider a used V-twin in the 500cc class, but they have more than enough power to get you killed. A buddy of mine found a Honda Dream 250 from the 60's at a garage sale. We rebuilt it for next to nothing, new crank bearings, piston rings, carb rebuild...whole thing cost less than $700. Classic comfortable ride (I'm 6'1 and 235lbs) way under powered by today's standards but hecka fun. I laid down most of my early scoots more than once, split a Bell Star helmet but not my brain bucket. Wheel stand into a tree (the chick's loved that one) so keep your first purchases on the low dollar end. Good hunting!
I have almost been killed multipul times on my moped. The most recent was a mini van full of hoodlems pulling out directly infront of me, resulting in me careening into the back corner of the van. The thugs got out and started bitching and threatening me. I was so hot I did not even realize what they where saying over me threatening to pull out my gp100. After about a minute and a half of verbal abuse I left, they looked stunned hahaha. my moped received a minor scrape and I received a mild heart attack, not much damage all in all. The van did get a nice dimple in the sheetmetal.
I said scooter, not a moped. My scooter doesn't have pedals. A scooter is certainly not immune to crashing, and crashing on a scooter at 40mph hurts just as bad as crashing on a motorcycle at the same speed.
For the love that is everything don't get a gsxr please. No offense to all you fan boys, but gsxrs are the bike EVERY single PERSON gets, it screams "Hey, i jus got the bike to be cool!" - at least to me it does. Don't get a 600 Super Sport bike for a first one, you'll kill yourself, trust me. I have an 05 ZX6R and it's hard to keep the front tire down and that's stock gearing. Like everyone has been saying, MSF COURSE, TAKE IT, it'll be the BEST money you've ever spent for motorcycles! My friend had an 06 CBR 600RR, great bike - power, handling, etc. I tried it... layed it down not even leaving my damn drive-way, took the course and then got onto it, EASY. Oh and HELMET AT ALL TIMES, do NOT turn into one of those fucking MORONS who wear sun glasses and put their helmets on the bitch seat.
Ya stereotype much? Bet ya got an opinion on folks who ride H/ds or BMWs too dontcha? None of the four GSXRs that reside in my shop were purchased to " be cool" , nor were any of the other scoots resident here acquired for that factor , personally I could give two shits about " cool" , it's what a given piece of machinery can accomplish that is the deciding factor. So could we perhaps not perpetuate certain old and tedious stereotypes , just about any scoot has some degree of validity for somebody. Even dismal efforts like the original Triumph 200 Tiger Cub , the old Monarks that used the Sachs " B" motor ( comes with all those extra neutrals don't you know) or God forbid just BSAs as a whole entity were good for " someone" , hell I *liked* the Kawa Triples , evil handling bastards that they were , but then nothing in that era actually handled well by todays standards.
Only stereotyping I do with H/Ds is they think they're better, that's the vibe in Florida at least. I wave at EVERYONE, H/D or w/e, Sport riders always wave, H/Ds... every 3 outta 10. And BMW's, my dad owns one and I drive it, not my kinda ride. Unless you're talking about BMW bikes? Same thing I wave at em all. GSXRs are just very common here, hence I'm not a fan of them. You rarely see a Yamaha, CBR or ZX, it's sad. PS: I do think the Black/Gold (I think that's the color scheme) looks badass. blue/white is ugh to me.
Keeeriiist you left me a large soapbox to crawl on there , and yes I did mean BMW motorcycles , haven't much cared for their automobiles since they quit making the 2002 , which was one hell of . a tossable and entertaining little sedan , especially in the TII version. I'll give you that truth on a certain segment of the H/D crowd , it's most often the johnny comelately yuppoid idiot can't change their own oil ride in white tennis shoes crowd that just have to parade their attitude around like you're talking about. Amongst all the other scoots I still own a couple of H/Ds , but then they aren't your average yuppie threw ten grand worth of chrome and billet at it and it stuck like shit and looks like it. Damn but some of the OCC etc three lanes to make a U turn CRAP gives me a migraine , some of us were smart enough to quit riding that crap in the early '70s. And yeah I know that Gixxers are common out there , along with the "stretched wanabe a dragbike" crowd , and don't even get me started on Deals Gap , the most overhyped piece of road in the country and a magnet for every idiot squid within a thousand miles ( literally). At it's most basic level we , meaning motorcyclists as a whole , are much too caught up in our own little niche separations , the touring crowd over there , thr cruiser crowd over here , sport bike folks in THAT corner , the crusty dirt bikers in the back bathroom with a beer bong. Too much division in the ranks what with the immense juggernaut of increasing legislation looming over ALL of us. We need to get together , and frankly well , me? I ride anything , as Maggo said in a message farther back I've rarely ridden a bike that I didn't get *some* sort of enjoyment out of it.
I had a Kawi trip 500, a BSA and a bunch of other good for someone bikes over the years, but I sure would not recommend them to a new rider. How long did it take you to crash your triple? it took me just 3months to total mine.