OT, neone also ride motorcycles, recommend 1?

[HomerJay]

Hey, do any of you guys also ride motorcycles. I am thinking about getting one to ride because there's a lot of fun rides up here. I'm thinking about buying a used crotch rocket that is fun to ride and reliable also.

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[Tim K.]

Homer,

What is your experience with riding? What exactly are you looking for in a motorcycle? Have you ever gone through the process of looking at used bikes?

You can find a good, used sport bike for a decent prices, but you can also get stuck with someone's trash too.

Also, make sure you save money for leathers.

You can email me privately if you like.

[Fish]

Funny you mention motorcycles today..
I've been riding for a while and I love it.

but sitting on the road outside of my work right now is a man who struck the side of a cavalier while on his bike. The driver of the car is fine, but he seems to be in rough shape.
I love motorcycles.. but I fear the day I become the guy laying on the street.
Any of you who ride motorcycles.. WEAR GEAR!!!
that's the least you can do... I won't go out without my helmet, jeans,gloves, and my kevlar jacket... I have yet to go down for any reason, but I know I will be glad I am wearing that stuff when something does happen..

the thing you have to remember when thinking about getting a bike... if something goes wrong any you get in an accident... it will most likely not be you that caused it. I have had so many situations where an idiot driver wasn't paying attention and they almost took me out.

I love my bike and on a normal day there is nothing you could do to make me put it away.. but after comming into work and seeing the man laying on the street with 3 ambulences and a medi-vac helicoptor... Even I think of putting my bike away..


Make sure you think out everything before getting a bike.. they are a blast to ride, just make sure you take all the precautions.. no amount of fun is worth what can happen when things go wrong.

sorry to be so serious this early in the day..

here's a pic of my bike.
http://www.members.tripod.com/kpog/images/bike.jpg

have a nice day all.

[Tim K.]

I've ridden motorcycles on the road since 1984. I've been down three times. First time a German Shepard ran out in front of me. I hit him doing about 40 mph. I didn't even have time to brake (to this day I still avoid riding at night). I got a broken collar bone and road rash. I was lucky and it convinced me that leathers were a must. Second time, I was braking to make a right hand turn off the highway. I hit a painted line with my brakes on. Down I went. I ruined a pair of gloves, no injuries to me. Third time I was flying around a blind corner, mid-corner I caught up to a back hoe doing about 18 mhp. I'm doing about 70 mph. Yep, I was young and stupid. I missed the tractor but went off the road, blew through a peat moss pile (kind of cool actually) and kissed a tree. Broke my helmets chin piece and shoved it into my jaw, and the right handle bar broke off into my hand. Injuries - besides being sore - none.

Hmmm... I can't remember the order these happened in... I think the dog was first, then the tree, and finally the painted line. It was awhile ago.

Around 1988 I figured the race track was a better place for my antics. I've only ridden on the road every once in a blue moon since.

In 1996 I sold my last motorcycle and have been without since. Wouldn't mind getting another dirt bike...

[This message has been edited by Tim K. (edited May 04, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Tim K. (edited May 04, 2000).]

[El Kabong]

Homer, you could probably get a good deal on a CBR600F3. Great bike! They've recently gone to the CBR600F4, so hopefully you could find a decent deal on an F3. IMO, the CBR600 is the best in it's class, as far as an all around street bike.

[Fish]

Nate (y2k4door) and I were talking about this earlier...

Suzuki SV-650
awesome bike for the money..

[jedon]

I have a 88 Honda NT650 Hawk. VTwins are a blast, that SV650 is very similar to my bike but new. The only motorcycle crash I was in was on a Yamaha 125 street bike, a lady pulled out of a driveway without looking in this huge american car, saw me and panicked just stopped there blocking the entire road. I did superman over the hood. Hurt my ankle and hit my helmet on the curb (that woulda hurt!) but pretty much ok. I'm pretty carefull on the Hawk but I know that the more I ride it the sooner I will wreck again, it's just a matter of time. It is a blast though.
-Jedon

[This message has been edited by jedon (edited May 04, 2000).]

[Tyrmeltr]

I've owned sportbikes from all the Japanese makes, and they all make pretty good rides. Alot comes down to prefernce, color, and features. If you can ride, 93-95 Kawasaki ZX7's are great bikes for the money, with a good sized aftermarket. The R versions are very nice, but a one seater and more $$$.

ZX7's in the used market tend to be owned by more mature, skilled sportbike enthusiasts. Stay away from older Suzuki GSX-R's, because they are usually poorly maintained and abused. Same rule can apply for CBR's depending on where you live. Clean, well maintained examples of both are great bikes however.

In '92, and '93 the ZX7-R dominated both the AMA and World Superbike Championships. I owned a Muzzy built '93 ZX7-R that I raced in 750 supersport, and eventually dropped a Muzzy superbike motor (as well as many other trick parts) in it. 158 h.p. @ 14,500 RPM's 1/4 mile in almost 10 flat (I'm heavy too, a wheelie bar and I would do low 9's for sure). But that is alot of money at that point. Just giving you an idea of the bike's potential. Even in stock trim the bike is deadly fast - Kawasaki always built a great motor, power wise. Also you don't see them nearly as much as GSX-R's or CBR's.

New bike? Yamaha YZF-R1 no doubt. Open bike power in a 600 chassis, that is the current benchmark by which others are compared. I sriously consider buying one recently, but decided it would be spreading my budget to thin. I really yearn for street legal 2 strokes again. I started riding 125 GP's when I was 15 (Motocross from 6-12), and would love to own a modern 250 or 500cc GP style streetbike. Just some thoughts. Later all, and take it easy! Arik

[Travis R]

OH YEAH! You think you sport bike boys got it all figured out eh? Well check out my bike!

It's not mine specifically, but this is what mine would look like if I put it back together.
Seriously though, bikes are really fun, but like everyone else said, don't ride with out the proper safety gear.

[DoctorMoo]

Ditto what Fishguy said about gear. Make sure you budget for and buy decent stuff there. BTW, what is that, Fishguy, a Zephyr?

As for bikes, I believe in the idea of start easy, and work up. I think a first timer should stick with a 600cc or less. Me, I started with a Nighthawk 750 because it's pretty much the most sedate thing on the road, plus I weigh like 270 in my gear.

Other bikes usually recommended for biking newbies:
Kawasaki Ninja/EX 500 (a bulletproof little beastie)

Yamaha Seca II (older design, tamer than average)

Suzuki Bandit 600 (similar to Seca, but more modern features, especially this year's model)

Suzuki GS500 - Great entry-level bike, tho no faring. Older GS models are great bargains too.

Suzuki SV650 - really popular new bike, you prolly won't find many used yet. May be a little sassy for a first bike.

The Honda 650 Hawk mentioned above, but these are getting harder to find.

Another great idea is to get some cheap 15-year-old beater for your first bike. That way you aren't heartbroken (and out big $$) the first time you drop it. (Which *will* happen at some point. Count on it) Then after you've got the hang of it, sell the bike for almost what you bought it for, and go buy your "dream" bike.

But I'd encourage you to take a Motorcycle Safety class before you even think about buying a new bike. Check out www.msf-usa.org
to find a class near you.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I spent pretty much the last couple years trying to find the best starter bike for me...

moo.

[Fish]

Damn you are good...
Yep a 1991 Zephyr 750, is in mint condition..
only had 5K on it when I got it last year..
I already got it up to 16K..
I love the bike, it's a great looking, stable, fast bike... extremely comfortable..

that's good... not many people could have identified it... kinda rare bike.. I have yet to run across another one..

here it is again. www.members.tripod.com/kpog/images/bike.jpg

[larryganz]

Get a 1 year old Yamaha 600 sport bike, just like the R1 but cheaper and only a little slower. Or, to save money, buy a suzuki bandit 600 and modify the hell out of it. I was on a budget and took a 1996 Bandit 600 from 74 hp sea level to 96 HP sea level, but these yamahas will still kick it's butt.

We did GSXR 750 cams with slotted sprokets to adjust cam timing, GSXR 750 Ignition module to work with new cam and redline to 13,000 rpm, ported and polished with milled heads for 12:1 compression ratio, Yoshimura 4-1 headers with Yoshi exhaust can, crank ignition advancer, and stock 34mm carbs with modified enlarged airbox.

For handling I put in Ninja ZX9R fork springs and then compression/rebound cartridge drop in disks (forget the brand), dropped the forks in the triple clamp 1" then rebuilt GSXR-750 rear shock, with Dunlop 591 racing compound tires.

For looks I powdercoated both the wheels and handlebar weights red, recovered the seat in black basketweave material for front half and red to match the bike over passenger half, removed rear fender, put a red neon licence plate bracket as an extra brake light, topped off with a licence plate reading "IM2RED".

Best power I ever saw in colorado at 5,500 feet above sea level, after getting jetting spot on, was 84 hp rear wheel. As a comparison, a friend's stock 1997 Ninja 600 was doing 80 at rear wheel up here, yet they were good for 96 at sea level too. That power was still good for a qtr mile of 11.0 seconds at 125mph and top speed of 141 mph with smaller front sprocket. (no full fairing = ironing board at those speeds).

Here is a link to the pix...
www.imprezars.com/bandit600a.jpg
www.imprezars.com/bandit600b.jpg

[Marius]

I have a '77 KZ1000 with 16k mls on it for sale. Very nice bike, the safest you can get(doesn't start, LOL).
Get a dual purpose bike for starters, good handling and visibility, a crotchrocket can be too much for beginners. And WEAR LEATHER!!!
Allways, even if it is hot outside. Just rub your hand over the asphalt and you know why.
And NO SANDALS, the toes are the first thing to go =^(
Nasty.
Marius
99 RS blue_

[Automorph]

HAYABUSA???

[Molez93]

FWIW- I bought a Bandit 600 new back in 98 and have been pretty happy with it as my first bike. [Technically speaking, it's a 97 and was as cheap as a used one at the time] Enough power and handling to entertain, yet managable for someone trying to learn.

I took that MSF "Learn to Ride" course. I'd say it's a must for anyone just getting started.

-Scott

[HomerJay]

Hey guys, thanks for all the great input. Don't worry, I definitely using leathers. I have some from my riding days earlier, but I doubt they fit(I'm a little heavier now )
Luckily, where I live, you don't see a lot of cars and I won't be doing a lot of city or freeway riding. Mainly to work and back and the occasional weekend rides through the Napa wine country, which is where I live.

[Ashmason]

I used to have a 96 Yahamha YZF 600. Great all round bike, can get down and scratch with all the others but is more comfortable over long rides, and is not quite so intimidating. The Ram air froze up the carbs on me once, but then I was riding in the snow so was kind of asking for it.

You should be able to pick one up at a good price. Worth considering anyway.

[boxerman]

Marius how much for your kz?
I have an 81 Suxuki GS 750L with about 18,000mi for sale for $1000. It is an early DOHC (Suzuki TSCC twin swirl combustion chamber). It is nice shape and has recently been tuned and had the carbs rebuilt.
It is 2 seater with sissy bar. It is heavy but still accellerates well.
It is located on Long Island.
Tim

[DoctorMoo]

Fishguy,

Yeah, those Zephyrs are fairly rare. When I was shopping for my first bike, those were on my "for the right price" list. I've only seen one in person (at a shop in Portland, OR) but I recognized the style. The new ZR-7 is basically a makeover of that same bike. It's got just enough improved fatures (compared to my Nighthawk) to make me jealous. *sigh*

My riding buddy has another "nearly forgotten" bike, a Suzuki VX800, which looks pretty close to both your bike and mine. He's the one who got me into bikes and schooled me in the different models. He's currently an MSF instructor, so he makes sure I ride right, too and *always* with full gear.

moo.

[HomerJay]

Hey Ashmason, that's the bike I was looking at, just a later model. Luckily, I don't have snow to worry about here.

-joe