Went sportbike bike shopping today...

[yarbonwick]

Looked at various bikes today and basically love them all. Sat on everyone of them to see how I fit. Here's the order - all 01' models in no particular order please don't flame me, this my money we're using here:

1. GSXR1000 - Huge rear tire, huge ti exhaust, mean motor, ti nitride forks, high dollar -everybody wants one.
2. GSX750r - Basically a 1000 with a little more lightness, still high dollar - everybody wants one
3. CBR929RR - Didn't get to even see this one. No one had one. Fuel Injected, can be had for under $8700 - more inclined to get one.
4. TL1000R - V-twin sound, power, fuel injected. Under rated, not everybody on the road has one. ~$9000 - more inclined to get one
5. R1 - Smooth power, sexually addictive, Ti exhaust, nice paint. Drawback- tranny, carbs, needs to be more street driver friendly. Everybody wants one, then they sell it. 'Cuss of fear?
6. R6 - Same as R1 but more user friendly, low unless reved out.
7. ZRX1200R - Vintage style, Sits great, great musclebike power - Eddie would be proud. More inclined to get this one.
   [/list=1]
   
   Also looked at the RC51, 'Busa, and ZX12. Only the "busa is within reach.
   
   I'm 5'10 195. Not too worried about going 2-up but on occasions.
   What do you think?

 

[Rooster]

Don't under-rate the R6. It's a very snappy bike, and at 185 lbs. you're not exactly an anchor. I weigh in at 162 and the R6 was and absolute joy to ride. It left me on every corner and the straight line accelerations made parts of my anatomy seek refuge. It's a fun bike. The R1. Whoooooo doggies. I had to put that thing right back on the floor and pretend it didn't exist, it was WAY too much fun and had WAY too much power for my skinny little rame. It reminded me of my test run on a CBR1100 a few years ago that almost made me rethink my desire for off road riding.

The only problem I have with the R6 and R1 is the only colors I've seen were last years demo red and this years blue and white. Not that blue and white are bad, as my YZ250 looks quite nice, I prefer the black color scheme of the R1 (I can't remember the name) with the standard frame at a couple thousand less than the R1 Delta Frame. Both bikes are a lot of fun.

You want to talk about a real fun bike. Check out the Ducati's at all sizes, these bikes are way fun, and you throw on the V&H exhaust, you're in for an audio orgasm, not to mention the increased perfomance to boggle your mind. There's something about a V-Twin that actually puts out........sorry hog enthusiasts, but the 996 is one bad rocket, not to mention smooth.

 

[NVR FNSH]

Unless you're the next Freddie Spencer any one of those bikes will be more capable than you are. Other than the ZRX each of them will cause you to get to know the chiropractor very well:) If it was my money & I'm limited to your list it would be the ZRX for all around comfort & performance. Then again I'm 6'4" and can't operate the rear brake or shifter on most of the bikes listed.

Personally, I'm kinda partial to the VFR750/Interceptor 800 - just wish the wife was:(

Brian

 

[Rooster]

Think about the Duc. It's a good bike, however high priced, you're getting a lot more factory and dealer support than you'll get for any of the major Asian manufactured bikes. You usually get a valve job, timing job and a host of other little stuff you may, or may not, want to deal with on a street bike. Not plugging the Ducati, just from knowing an owner that has had great support in his short two years of owning his bike. He is still, shall I say, excited about his Canary Yellow Duc.

 

[yarbonwick]

I like the Ducs too but I'm not paying that amount of money for a bike. Hence the reason it's not on my list. There are several on my list that over the max I want to spend, however with a little push you never know. But $18K? No way.

 

[Farmer John]

Yarbo,
Check out the FZ-1 Yamaha. Think 1200 Bandit w/ R-1 motor.
Ducati's......pretty......pretty overpriced for a bike that can be out performed by an F-4 Honda.

 

[Rooster]

The FZ1...that's the one I was thinking of, it baically has the R1 power plant in a conventional frame. Sweeeet looking bike too.

 

[MX265]

For what it is worth, for safety reasons, stick with dirt. It is much softer. ;)

But as far as street bikes go, I work with a few people that would'nt trade their R6 for anything. They have ridden CBR's, GSXR's, Ducati's and even Aprillia's. They seem to be stuck on there R6's for what it is worth. And man I hate to compliment Yamaha, but they seem to have it together. ;)

 

[awilson40]

I like the Vtwins

If you are going to do a lot of around town riding, go with a V twin, I want a Ducati or perhaps the TL. With your size, reall pay attention to how cramped you feel, If you dont feel like you have room sitting on the floor, imagine how you will feel after a 3 hour ride.
Also, check your insurance rates on the different bikes, You would hate to buy a bike only to find your carrier wont insure it.
Sizez and insurance prompted me to go from a Honda CBR600 to a Katana 600 a few years ago.

 

[someday]

I've been coveting ZRX's for a couple months now. I'll have one within a couple more... Great old fart bike (I'm ONLY 38). Check out zrx1200.com. No where near the quality of this board, but may have helpful insight.

J

 

[Rooster]

It's funny with the insurance. My dad used to have an independant insurance company and he always laughed about bike rates. It seems some of the insurance providers base their rates on CC instead of actual HP. My old 1100 Virago was higher than my buds V65. If you know about the Virago, getting the front tire off the ground required a jack......if you know anything about the old V65, getting the front tire on the ground required an anchor. Go figure.

 

[canucklehead]

yarbo,

I too am looking to get a street bike soon, and my favorite so far is the Honda VTR1000F. V-twin's just seem to suit my personality better. I would definately check it out. I'm 6'4", 210, and it doesn't feel cramped for me at all. I also checked out the CBR929, but for me, having a full out race bike doesn't make sense for my morning communte! :cool:

Dave

 

[buffmaster]

My personal opinion is to go with the Honda Super Hawk. V-Twin, big displacement....yuummm:p . I just had to pass up a used one for $6800(list new is $9000 +/-) 'cus of my impending doo.. er, I mean wedding;) .

 

[NVR FNSH]

One problem with the VTR/SuperHawk - limited range due to small fuel tank/not so good mileage (for a bike).

Briani

 

[yarbonwick]

Rooster

I know what you're talking about. I used to ride a 82 Virago 920 to high school back in the day and though it would haul booty, it never left the ground. Sweet bike that was. When I bought my V-Star, I checked with my insurance carrier and the dealers. Mine quoted ~100+ a year, the dealers...$59 a year. Guess who I went with. The next year, it was down to $39. I do knwo that crotch-rockets are more expensive than boulevard bikes. It doesn't matter if it's an Aprilla 250 vs a Vmax. They look at the style of the bike.

 

[zio]

.... Triumph Daytona would be #1 on my list, followed by a Duc Monster.

Or if you want to be the coolest kid in town- a BSA Lightning Club, or Norton Commando 850, cafe'd out. Then all you need is some Yardley's Brillantine to sport a good Pomp, and watch out- you'll have girls all over you.

 

[stevenb8]

REMEMBER THE FAZER?

Anyone here remember the FAZER? Its by yamaha and looks like a small v-max but cleaner? I used to own cbr's. gsxr's, and a fzr and like things about each of them.

The fazer is something I have always wanted when they came out (only 2 years in the us very rare 86-87) Been looking for years for one in goood shape and finally found one local in excellent condition and jumped on it, Great bike has the 87 fz700 engine in it and a little different gearing and for this type of bike it really rips quite well. Here is a link to one that looks exactly like the one I bought(color)

http://www.sportbikes.dhs.org/DisplayIt.cfm?Picture_ID=9619

I really like this bike fast for size comfortable and still looks in style.

Another great and rare cruiser bike that looks killer closest thing to a harley in my opion is the 87-88 magna aka supermagna http://www.supermagna.com:confused

 

[Rooster]

Ahh the old Fazer, at first I hought you were really of base and talking about the Yam Phazer snowmojunk. That was a cool bike, back in the days of the V45 and V65 and of course, not to mention the insurance carriers nightmare the V-Max.

Gotta disagree on some of the insuarance though, the policies my dad showed me were absolutely based on CC, not style, manufacture or HP. It was real stupid. Imagine my dad's face when I brought home my R1. I can still hear him "I can't insure that thing, it's death on two wheels..." Well, he was right, that stupid thing scared the crap out of me and I sold it. Done deal. Thinking about an R6 now...hee hee.

 

[Chris426]

I'd take previous experience and ergonomics into consideration before making a decision. Comfort level plays a big role in how much enjoyment you'll get out of the bike.
Two weeks back I borrowed a friends RC-51 for around an hour. Fantastic bike for the first 15 minutes, but they generate a ton of heat between your legs to the point where it burns, and my back started to ache from the cockpit ergos. I don't know if the heat issue is common in all V-twins, but it would make me think twice about buying one.
The R-6 would probably be the easiest to throw around, and most novice friendly, but if you want that "Need to change my underwear" feeling, certainly go with the larger cc bikes.

 

[Rooster]

Need to change my underwear feeling? Trust me, the R6 will give you that, and then some. Of course, I only weigh in at 162 today, so that may make things a little more snappy! I love that machine, and if I had the cash flow right now, I'd add it to my quickly dwindling Yamaha arsenal.

 

[Rooster]

I'm just going to go ahead and get myself into all kinds of trouble here...

My little 1988 Honda Hawk 650 is faster than Kevin's 1990 Harley Davidson 1300cc

So is my lawn mower.

I'm sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[84XRGuy]

I have a 1998 Triumph Sprint that I love!!! 900cc of torque that moves right along. It has a relaxed riding position and a usable rear seat. Very nice for the morning commute.

 

[Rooster]

ROTFL - Kali that's pretty funny. I give my Harley riding buddies crap all the time. It's all good. They give me crap about riding a rice grinder. In the end, we all sit back and laugh. ;) :p It's all about two wheels and the thrill of the ride, even if some of the rides are slower than others.:eek:

 

[mtngoat]

The "draw" of the "hard-edge" sportbikes -- especially as they've evolved to the performance levels of track bikes -- makes little practical sense to me for street riding.
It's kinda like the old snow ski biz; everyone wanted the skis that racers used (presumably to ski better), but very few ski at that level or on those conditions to have it make sense. Worse yet, the enjoyment and skill progression actually gets hampered by mis-applied equipment, hyped my makers looking for the marketing edge. Too much equipment gets bought for image, rather than practical substance.

10 years ago, I struggled over a decision between a CBR (harder edge at the time, but nothing like some of the bikes discussed above) and a VFR (heavier, slower, in need of springs, but much more "civilized"). I had only ridden in-line fours on the street (with the exception of a Kaw Mach III deathtrap and a Yamaha RD350). I knew the CBR was lighter and a better turning bike.

Finally, an old racer told me that I could not "out-ride" either bike, very few could; so choose the bike that would deliver more practical street-riding enjoyment. I went with the VFR, but honestly, I often longed for the CBR, because of agility and weight. The new VFR looks great to me (lighter, better suspension, F/I power, linked braking?)

Personally, I like the powerband of a V-motor, especially in the canyons, my favorite riding. I like the tempered intensity of lower RPM in the corners, rather than the demands of hi-RPM throttle sensitivity when you're trying to hold powerband and corner. It makes for smooth and fast cornering, because I can focus more on handling than controlling engine output.

Anyway, sorry to ramble but consider whether you'll get the practical enjoyment from a "hard-edge" bike versus one with a little wider powerband, a little lower peg height, a little higher bar height (fetal position on a bike starts hurting pretty quick) and suspension tuned for street, not track.

 

[Rooster]

mtn - gotta agree with you on that issue, there is a time an place for "hard-edge" street bikes, and that is on the track. People that go out and use them for regular street use can tend to give the biking community a bad name, as they blast through speed zones and zip in and out of traffic.

I personally don't use the full potential of the power of the bikes I ride on the street, but I sure would like to hit a track with some of them:eek: I won't lie and say I don't get a "little" over the speed limit, but I do use extreme caution.

Obviously, there is really no need for a personal conveyance that is capable of speeds well in excess of 100 - 150 MPH, then again, it's nice to know it's there. And nice to use it every now and then.:confused: :confused: ;)