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
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