thinking about getting back in the game

[E_SolSi]

after a 7 year hiatus i am really thinking about getting another bike

i have been kicking the idea around for a while now and have narrowed the list down quite a bit

now im just looking for some input from other people

first off, i am not looking for a retardedly fast superbike... i like lower CC high strung bikes better than high CC bikes with lots of power down low... basically it has to be 600CC and under... i dont mind shifting more often to get the bike into its power range

second, ive done the speed thing and quite frankly im done with it... i prefer corners... so handling is my main concern

third, i dont want something that is retardedly high maintenance... i would prefer to RIDE the bike than fix the bike

fourth, im leaning more towards a new bike to avoid something thats been squidded (modified, stunted on, crashed, etc)

fifth, it has to be aesthetically pleasing... im not some magazine racer who thinks im badass because my bike has XXX better than bike A,B,or C even though i have never come remotely close to reaching or using those specs/limits... most any bike out there will be capable of a lot more than i am, so im not going to pick a bike with higher capabilities that looks like shit just because its a better bike on paper

those are the basic guidelines that i have been using when looking around
a lot of bikes were never on the list from the get go
a lot of bikes have been narrowed out for various reasons

(I know a lot of you will probably own bikes that i am about to trash talk, please do not take this personally... just because i said your bike is ugly or uncomfortable does not mean that i am attacking YOU... i am simply stating my opinion based on my specific taste... so please dont turn this into a shit fest because i dont like bike A and you do... thank you)

Sport bikes:
Aprilia RS250 - would have to buy used, 2 stroke maintenance, can be hard to find one for sale, can be a bitch to get registered... out
Aprilia RSV450 - unfortunately all rumor mill, if it ever does come out i will buy it, but its not real as of now... out
Honda CBR 600f4i - banana seat... out
Honda CBR 600RR - not bad looking, somewhat uncomfortable... possible
Kawasaki ZX6R - ugly as hell... out
Kawasaki ZZR600 - meh... out
Suzuki GSXR 600 - i dont like their style and dont find them comfortable... out
Yamaha R6 - ugly as fuck, dont like the lines, hate the stumpy exhaust, fuck that bike... out
Yamaha R6S - nice looks, comfort is pretty good for me... possible

i have also been putting a LOT of thought into saying fuck sport bikes, and getting a supermoto... they make a lot of sense to me, they are plenty fast for blasting around town or bombing down twisty back roads, the brakes are awesome, very light and flickable, they are insane as far as handling goes and will out corner any sport bike... it definitely seems like a good choice... i rode my friends Suzuki DR-Z400SM the other night and liked it more than any of the street bikes ive ridden... its VERY easy to ride, it corners great, the seating position was a little weird at first but it was as comfortable as any of the sport bikes... supermotos seem like they might be exactly what im looking for

so....

Supermotos:
Aprilia SXV 4.5/5.5 - at first this seemed like THE bike for me... looks awesome, sounds awesome, good power, V-twin (only one in the class), exclusivity... then came the bad points... the maintenance is terrible, the reliability is not what a street bike should be... it is a lot closer to a highly tuned dirt bike (20hr maintenance, constant rebuilds, etc) also ive read a shit ton of horror stories about people waiting MONTHS for parts, getting dicked on their warranty, etc... unfortunately out
BMW G650 X moto - very good power, from what i can find its very reliable and low maintenance, its heavier than most supermotos out there this seems to make it better on the street and worse off of it, seeing that this will primarily be a street bike im not too worried about it... bike looks very nice, not quite Aprilia nice, but its nice looking, not much after market support, exclusivity, kinda spendy compared to others in this class... possible
Honda - no supermotos (i dont want to build my own out of an enduro)... out
Husaberg - street legal race bike, with race bike maintenance...badass but out
Kawasaki - no supermotos (i dont want to build my own out of an enduro)... out
KTM - high maintenance, more of a dirt bike than street - out
Suzuki DR-Z400SM - looks ok, comfortable, power is lowest in class (could definitely see a want for more power after a season or two), lots of after market support, VERY reliable and VERY low maintenance, good handling, lowest cost in class, "me too" bike of supermotos... possible
Yamaha - no supermotos (i dont want to build my own out of an enduro)... out

im not comfortable on cruisers so those are not even on the list

so im not really sure what way to go on this decision and am looking for input
its pretty much down to the CBR600RR and the R6S on the street bike and the G650 X moto and the DR-Z400SM on the supermoto side...
i gotta admit the decision of what bike to get is a hell of a lot harder when you arent even sure what kind of bike you want

any opinions or personal experience that you can share would be greatly appreciated

 

[Celerity]

That Suzuki 400SM is a sweet machine. Checked one out today. It's all there, and it's all good.

All of the bikes in the world can make sense, not make sense, be ugly or not be ugly. I imagine the bike in your garage is going to be the bike in your heart. The selection is never about reason and logic (Why the fuck do -I- need a 1200 cc hyperbike?) I would say go with makes your heart tingle. See what shows up in your dreams.

Also, there is a sweet 04 Interceptor down here, for a phenomenal price. It's got a slightly higher windscreen and 11,000 miles on it. I was up in the air about it last weekend, until I saw my baby.

If we chose with our heads we would all drive Civic hatchbacks with d15s and ride Ninja 250s.

 

[Celerity]

It's funny, I didn't want another "banana seat" either. Not for any reason, I just don't like the look.

All of the bikes I was looking at had them (Sport tourers), they had them because it makes sense. I didn't want "Sense" I wanted "I love every inch of this thing"

I also learned that only a handful of them (Like, 2) come with panniers. The Concours 14 (Which is WAY too much for side roads and commuting) and the Triumph.

Here is another thing to look at, in the supermotards : When people tour the planet, or the country, what do they ride ? You notice its always those people on the 7 foot tall BMWs doing shit like that ?

That says something. No one seems to tour across states on a 600cc sport bike. I did crazy miles on my 250 but I'm also not afraid of anything.

 

[E_SolSi]

took a friends 07 ZX10 out last night... definitely dont like the high CC bikes... although i have to give it a lot of credit, it was a lot more comfortable to ride than his 2000 ZX9... it was much thinner and felt a shit ton lighter...felt like a much smaller bike... the seating position has me leaning on my wrists a little too hard and my left wrist (the one i broke) was hurting about 10 min in... i found if i held the tank more with my legs i could hold the bars a lot lighter and that helped a lot... overall i was very supprised that it was as easy to ride as it was.... well, aside from the feeling of the bike wanting nothing more than to kick my ass at any given moment...
as i said above, i prefer high strung bikes... i dont think i even made it to 1/4 throtle... i was barely twisting the trottle and it was still accelerating damn well... the one time i had enough balls to actually twist the throttle a noticeable amount the bike took the fuck off (i quickly lost those balls)
so while i will give the ZX10 a lot of credit for being one hell of a bike... its comfortable as far as race bred liter bikes go, it is light and easy to flick through corners, it has shit tons of power that i will likely never find a use for... its simply a LOTTT more bike than i see myself ever really wanting... there woul be about 100HP in that engine that would cry itself to sleep at night feeling unloved and unwanted...lol

going today to look at the BMWs

to be continued...

 

[jeffie7]

Have you sat on the newer GSX-Rs?

600RR is a wonderful bike and also the Daytona 675

If I were you I'd get the 600RR since you will have more options when it comes to track days. If it's never going to see the track check out the 675.

As far as the liter bikes and too much power, no doubt! =) however, it's nice to have superlow RPMs when on the highways and also being able to leave the bike in 4-5-6th gear while having easy rides is nice. that's my fav part, if I want to go faster I can leave it in any gear and just give it gas. with my old 600 I would have to drop 3-4 gears.

Anywho, find someone with a 600RR and take it for a spin.

 

[E_SolSi]

welp... i went and looked at a few bikes yesterday

checked out the Honda CBR 600RR again... the more i sat on that bike the less i liked it... the seating position causes me to lean very hard on my hands... my left wrist was sore after about 2 minutes... I'm also not a fan of its under tail exhaust... it just doesn't look right to me... out

checked out the Yamaha R6S... i still like that bike... its pretty comfortable for a super sport... took a friends 04 R6 out for a ride (basically the same bike)... it handles very well, it is pretty nimble in the twisties... i like the power delivery... overall i would have to say this is my favorite supersport out there...

went to look at the BMW G650 X Moto... looks awesome in person... it has a lot of little details that catch your attention and make the bike stand out from other supermoto style bikes... there is no gas tank in front of the seat, the tank is under the seat, the fill cap is located at the right rear of the seat... the exhaust is located on the left side... it has a street bike style front fender... typical to BMW motorcycles the headlight is kinda weird looking... those are the major features that set it apart...
the seat height is pretty damn tall, i was unable to flat foot the bike (my friend that went with me had to tip-toe it) if this is found to be a problem (for backing the bike up and such) fixing it should be a matter of adjusting the suspension to a slightly softer preload setting (the X Moto doesn't have the air shock like the other two in the family)... the seat is pretty comfortable as far as supermotos go, the shape is a bit different than most dirt bikes / supermotos, the rear of the seat is wide flat and comfortable (good for longer rides) the front of the seat is thin and allows you to get right up on the front of the bike over the handle bars in a very aggressive riding position thanks to not having the tank there (good for tight aggressive cornering)... overall no matter how you sit on the bike its pretty comfortable, feels more like your wearing the bike than riding it...
maintenance is very good on the bike... 600 mile initial tune up like any street bike then 6,000 mile oil/filter changes 12,000 mile valve adjustments...
the dealership i went to allows test rides... i couldn't take it out yesterday but i will be back there to ride it...
hoping to borrow my friends Suzuki DR-Z400SM to ride up there on to get a real head to head comparison of the two bikes


the BMW is $3000 more than the Suzuki ($9,200 vs $6,200... $8,300 for the R6S)... but it has more to offer (about double the power, better brakes, better suspension, better wheels, fuel injected)
the Suzuki, being less powerful would likely have a faster learning curve
the Suzuki has a hell of a lot more after market support so i would be able to upgrade as i grow into it (although it is very unlikely i would ever be able to get the power out of it that the BMW has)


so as of now I'm leaning more toward the supermotos than the supersports
in order:
BMW G650 X Moto
Suzuki DR-Z400SM
Yamaha R6S

thoughts?
input?

 

[E_SolSi]

Have you sat on the newer GSX-Rs?

600RR is a wonderful bike and also the Daytona 675

If I were you I'd get the 600RR since you will have more options when it comes to track days. If it's never going to see the track check out the 675.

As far as the liter bikes and too much power, no doubt! =) however, it's nice to have superlow RPMs when on the highways and also being able to leave the bike in 4-5-6th gear while having easy rides is nice. that's my fav part, if I want to go faster I can leave it in any gear and just give it gas. with my old 600 I would have to drop 3-4 gears.

Anywho, find someone with a 600RR and take it for a spin.

kid i know has a GSXR 600 i dont like it at all (style or feel)... its also the "me too" bike of every ghetto squid assclown around here...not a big fan

checked out the RR... doesnt seem like its going to work for me... ill see if i can get a test ride on one though

as far as track time... its very unlikely... closest track that allows bikes is about 4 hours away, and not very bike friendly from what ive heard (very rough bumpy surface)

the Triumph is a nice looking bike... havent really checked them out yet but the same dealer that has the BMW also sells Triumphs so i will try to get a test ride on that one too

 

[E_SolSi]

oh also checked out a duc monster 695... not really at all what im looking for, but a nice bike... comfortable... i just dont trust duc maintenance

 

[jeffie7]

kid i know has a GSXR 600 i dont like it at all (style or feel)... its also the "me too" bike of every ghetto squid assclown around here...not a big fan

checked out the RR... doesnt seem like its going to work for me... ill see if i can get a test ride on one though

I have a feeling no supersport bike is going to be for you.

Speed Triple y0!

Also another thing to keep in mind is you can put bar risers on most any bike.

1000RR with bar risers.

 

[Celerity]

The Daytona is a neat bike.

I rode a Derbi 50cc (GPR50R) this weekend. .. Talk about light

 

[TurboMirage]

get a vespa

E how much pain do you think you're going to be in at the end of the day?

 

[Celerity]

I get quite a bit of pain on my bike.

Still worth it I did a 140 mile ride on saturday that ended up in some chilly weather. I was hurting, but I had to pretend that I only went over a friend's house.

So I couldn't complain, and then I had to get in a car and go test ride scooters.

 

[E_SolSi]

The Daytona is a neat bike.

I rode a Derbi 50cc (GPR50R) this weekend. .. Talk about light

yeah ive seen the derbi's... those are funny... my friend had (might still have it not sure) a honda NSR 50 (basically the same, better performance) i rode that a while ago... pretty cool... felt like a mountain bike

get a vespa

E how much pain do you think you're going to be in at the end of the day?

fuck a vespa
if i was going to get a scooter it would be the aprilia SR50
i did see a vespa with a side car drive by me on saturday when i was out looking at bikes LOL

i dont think ill be in much, if any, pain from riding (at least no more than normal... after a few hours leaned over a bike anyone needs a good stretch)
i lean hard on my hands... always have... so my hands / forearms always get a little sore / numb... and the more forward the bike leans me the harder i lean on my hands... i found gel grips helped a lot on my last bike, and gel palm gloves if it was going to be a long day... the problem with a lot of the super sports is they compact the hell out of you, and the only way they are actually comfortable, is in a full out race tuck (laying on the tank, elbows against the ribs, wrists tilted slightly out)... my left wrist doesnt like being bent that way for much time any more so i get sore there quickly (would probly get use to bending like that eventually and not hurt any more... but then again it might not... and im stuck with a bike that i cant comfortably ride)
but other than the hands / forearms, i dont get sore from riding... its all about getting something that fits right... you can walk all day in the right shoes, or for 5 min in the wrong ones

 

[Celerity]

The Derbi is a full height bike. It's skinny and lightweight.

But sitting on it I tip-toe the ground. It's not really like the NSR50, unless he had the euro spec general sale NSR 50/125/250/500

Also, I saw that Vespa in Plainfield saturday. Prolly a few minutes after you saw it.

My friend in Milford has a Vespa 200 with a sidecar.

 

[E_SolSi]

The Derbi is a full height bike. It's skinny and lightweight.

But sitting on it I tip-toe the ground. It's not really like the NSR50, unless he had the euro spec general sale NSR 50/125/250/500

Also, I saw that Vespa in Plainfield saturday. Prolly a few minutes after you saw it.

My friend in Milford has a Vespa 200 with a sidecar.

yeah im familar with the Derbi's my friend almost bought one a while back (8 years or so)

my friends NSR looks pretty much like this one here accept his is all white

never really botherd with too much of the secifics of the bike... i know its from somewhere over seas and its a BITCH to get parts for here

 

[Celerity]

Yeah, ok, that's a real one.

You can get an NSR50 here, but it's a pocket bike. Well, it's larger than the autozone pieces of shit, but it still not something you would take on the roads.

That NSR is hot.

 

[E_SolSi]

took a friends 06 R1 out tonight
very nice bike
more comfortable seating position than the ZX10... slightly more upright
no wrist pain... less angle on the bars
throttle was not as pissed off... it accelerates fast and smooth not punchy like the ZX10
the tank felt a little wider than the ZX10... still very comfortable
felt very nimble and easy to toss through corners
it was a bit easier to ride than the ZX10, seemed to be a lttle more forgiving
still not a bike i am thinking about buying (way more bike than i am looking for, or have a use for) but it is a very nice bike

i must say its amazing how many people want you to ride their bike when they find out you are thinking abut getting one
doesnt really make the decision of what to get any easier... but it definitely helps in making a more informed decision once it finally gets narrowed down

 

[Celerity]

I'm not sure I could allow someone on my bike without having full confidence in their ability / ability to survive impacts / financial security to repair what explodes.

So I let my dad ride it. That's about it.

 

[E_SolSi]

this is all friends of mine... not just random people that i dont know...
most people that know me know that although i dont currently ride, i use to, and i have a very good idea of what the hell im doing.... they also know that i tend to err on the side of caution and ride somewhat more cautiously than may be required for a given situation
everyone knows about my ability to survive impacts
and i wouldnt take the bike out if i couldnt afford to fix whatever i might break... there is pretty much a standard "you break, you buy" policy between all of my friends

 

[Celerity]

If you're interested, you're welcome to check out the 12. I got it back with it's new, elfin seat height. The kick stand won't even GO OUT with it standing straight up. I have to solve this problem ASAP.