Buying a sportbike

[Shaman]

I've finally worked up the nerve to thumb my nose at disapproving family and buy a sportbike, since I've wanted one since I was about 10 years old. I've talked myself out of it many times too, but I think I'm mature enough now to keep myself alive.

I'm just trying to figure out what to buy now. I've looked at the Kawasaki 600 because it's still carbed and I trust it more than the miniaturized technology in the new fuel injected bikes.

I'm looking for reliable, quick and agile. No big honkin' bike and no heavier drag strip rocket/insurance soak like a Hyabusa.

Second choice for me is the GSXR-1000, third, the Honda Interceptor 800.

Anyone with a bike have opinions?

[ADAM]

WELL...
considering in my younger years i have gone thru the sport bike thing already....i would say 100% DO NOT GET A BIKE>>>THEY ARE DEATH MACHINES..fyi the reason i stopped riding..is i had a very bad dream.....here is the dream...

"i was driving down airport rd, and coming down a hill and a car pulled into my direct path and i tried to avoid it, i swirved and hit the the dirt shoulder, then straight into those wooden posts with metal cables..then the dream went black, and i knew i was dead"

the funny thing is..this can happen SO easily..and does.....it is not always your driving you have to worry about..its all the other drivers....if you are willing to put your life in thier hands then a bike will be ok...if you can't accept that..walk away while you can..

that being said if you insist on having a sport bike, i would 100% reccomend starting with one you can handle.....i would start with a 500cc bike, then drive it for a few years then move up to a 600cc or 750cc...the most common mistake for new riders is getting to much of a bike for thier first time, and it becomes thier coffin

remember all of the new 600cc bikes are all over 100hp now..and the 750's are beasts....stay away from the 1000cc+ machines they are just too much weight and power....

if I were going to get a new machine it would be a cbr 600, or one in that family and size...

FYI i owned and rode....yamaha rz350, and the mighty exulted yamaha rz500 (2 stroke 500cc race bike) had quad pipes very...very...very..very fast in a straight line..and once moving..1st was very tall went to 80kph...was a real rocket..i could take down any 750cc and keep up easily with the 1000cc bikes...keep in mind it was a 400 some odd pound bike
see link..
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mctext/rzstory.html

anyway....

have fun....and be very carefull...very..very carefull, and get a spinal cord protector, and wear full leathers all of the time...

[rainman]

I've had experience with bikes too in my youth, although not so much on the street as off road with a Kawasaki dirt bike. Had amny crashes with it and luckily had nothing but relatively soft things to hit (younger trees that do bend to an extent, dirt, mud, etc.).

I once took it stupidly onto the street near where I lived at the time and proceeded to loose the front end. I slid and hit the curb rather hard and walked away with a broken thumb and some scrapes and bruises only. This was at a fairly slow speed as well, perhaps 45-50 km/h.

Anyway there are two things that really concern me about bikes on the road:

- drivers that aren't paying attention to what they are doing
- truck treads, lumber, bricks and other misc. items I find on the highway during my travels

Have you considered attending the Michel Mercier school at Shannonville? This in my mind is the best of all worlds. Learn how to ride sport bikes in a safe and controlled environment. I had the chance to take a YZ600 out years ago on the track and the experience was fantastic. No worries about cars, hydro poles or crap lying in wait for you.

I don't want to talk you out of getting a bike, just want to share my experience and maybe throw in an option you might not have considered.

[ADAM]

tell me about truck tires....i was on the 401 one time behind a line of cars and up pops a big hunk of truck tire..no time to avoid it going at 120kph run it over....total tank slapper 2-3 times..100% thought i was going down with the bike..first thing that entered my mind was not sliding or going down...it was getting run over by the cars behind me...very scary

another time going around a corner hit some loose pebbles /dirt got high sided when the rear caught again...low kph maybe 30-40....still very scary landed far away from the bike...

ohhh if you are getting a bike for the first time....YOU WILL DROP IT..so start with a bike that DOES NOT have a fairing(or take it off)..or you will be paying big bucks to fix it all the time after breaking it

[Shaman]

I doubt I'll drop it. That's just the thing, unless I do it at a stop light or something. Seriously, my sense of balance for motorcycles is the highest - almost all my wipeouts have come from skyscraper jumps or trying to pull wheelies for a kilometer. I've never dumped a bike just noodling around in my life.

[Jay]

I agree with Adam.... mucho dangerous!

There are reasons why humans are not able to run at 300 Kph. When you fall bad things happen.

What is worse.... when someone hits you with a car... all you have for protection is your smile!

Ohh yeah I almost forgot... you have a helmet! That is great! Just to ensure that when all the bones in your body break your neurons will be intact and fully capable to transmit PAIN.

Would you play in traffic with a smile or run at 300 Kph? I wouldn't.

Sorry Steve don't mean to poop on your thread, but I am not a big fan of bikes either.

[Shaman]

I think I have the bike for me. The Suzuki SZ650. Half-fairing so I can drop it once or twice without doing too much damage (yes, it's inevitable even though I'll be careful), lightweight for a streetbike at 370# wet, and is a V-twin so it will be easy to ride around town. Still very quick.

They even have a SV racing series specifically for this bike because it is apparently the easiest bike in its class to drive fast there is. Or so says the large following for it. It's down 20hp and up 20tq on your average 600cc crotch rocket which apparently makes it a lot simpler to drive, and the rest of the hardware is supersport class.

If I outgrow it, so be it.

As for the danger, I'm aware of it. I've raced karts, boats, snowmobiles, motocross and now a 550hp+ car. Cutting off my appreciation of motor vehicles is like cutting off air for me. I expect to drive this in an environment most big city people don't get much chance to see - open quiet roads and quiet city streets. The 401 for no more than a few kilometers at a time just to get from crossroad to crossroad. I have my route to work all planned, and it's mostly rural roads with a short jaunt through quiet city streets. And I plan to do some lapping sessions with it as well.

[rpr]

I'm selling an 86 Interceptor 500, if you are still looking.

[Shaman]

It's a bit too late, but where do you live? You never know.

[rpr]

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