Street Bike Info..
 

hey guys i love researching and learning all kindsa neat stuff. Lately ive been looking into street bikes, cruisers, choppers, etc. and im thinking of getting some bikes in my life time.. anyone with experience in any of these i was wondering if u guys could help me out. Obviously this is all personal preference, but i wanted to know what kinda bikes do u guys have and which are the best in its class, in handling, speed, looks, upgradability (sp?). i wanna hear what ppl have to say about this subject, when i come back from deployment i should be getting a bike. this is a pretty general question but im next to clueless about bikes, and any feedback would be great

now a days nearly all new sport bikes are at a level where they can't disapoint the custumer. It all depends on how much cash, your willing to spend on one. Also, are you looking for top notch power, or agility? (1000cc or 600cc class).

this is what i consider a top notch bike with crazy agility.

http://motorimpian.files.wordpress.c...rra-small1.jpg

mv agusta 1078 brutalle rr

The first qa: i have for you is, Do you have any experience, off road or on. I know asking about off road sounds crazy but do you know the basic fundamentals, balance, clutch, shifting, braking, etc? and if so what size have you ridden and what type of riding do you want to do.
Attachment 3880

Attachment 3881

Attachment 3882

Attachment 3883

Attachment 3884

Attachment 3885

don't start out on something too radical or something that is too much of a pu$%y bike because you will be scared of the radical bike and and you be to dam$ bored with the baby bike. Remember you always have to respect the bike because it will kill you, this is my 2 cents,36 have been riding and racing since 4 yrs old

i think i skipped the " im next to clueless about bikes", sorry man. I would say mess around with some dirty bikes first. You don't wanna get on the streets clueless, I say this because im twenty one and already been through some bad experiences, i've been ridding since 14 and almost everday i ride, i get close calls.

i have taught my last 2 girlfriends to ride on dirt first, thats the best way, dirt hurts, but concrete hurts like he%%%%%%%%. nothing like road rash, also consider the insurance that shi$ isn't cheep either.

All excellent info above.....

And some more on your experience will be helpfull.

I do have a little bit of experience on both dirt and street. I can point you in the right direction. Ex: Motorcycle Safety Foundation is a Great program to get started on the street. Learning bike handling skills on the dirt is absolute best and cheapest way to start.

Hit me up and I will give you any other I may still have in my head.

Live to Ride - Ride to DIE

if you can go through the whole site and still feel confident learning to ride, you are ready. A lot of wannabe's get involved just because "its cool", and dont realize that riding is dangerous if you act immature around bikes.

With that said, I quit riding on the street after 2 years and spent my last year on the track only. Was getting too expensive so I quit.

Also, good starter bikes are 250 or 500cc's. like the ninja 250R or ninja 500. However 600cc bikes can be handled by newbies - its just riskier as they are much much more twitchy at the throttle. I personally learned from a 1984 GPZ 900R, I'm glad it was gutless at low RPM's and dirt cheap cuz of its age, heh, had my fair share of crashes on it.

I'm still recovering from my accident back in July 2008 when I slid on gravel and highsided as I was recovering. Anyways, I ended up getting surgery on my right collarbone and it still hasn't healed all the way.

thanks guys this is all great info.. the only experience with two tires in with pedals haha.. i wanna get a bike cuz ive always wanted one, since i could remember, but i couldnt afford toys for myself. as of right now i have been looking at the hondas just cuz ive always heard about them. but those ninja's look nice. im the kinda person who learns quick and when i master it i look for the next thing to master, but see i dont wanna start out with some $25000 bike and then kill myself cuz i thought i could learn on it.. i was just wondering if i could get some info for a good starter bike that isnt too "starter-ish" i guess.. if that makes sense..

get a used r6 - be careful and respect it - it will respect you ... you can get ones for cheap - around 4-5k

:iagree:

:iagree:

:iagree:

I currently ride a 2006 Suzuki GSX-R 600. I strongly suggest you try out different bikes before you buy one and here is why: your comfort level while riding can be determined by the bike you choose. Different sport bikes have different seating positions which can really help or hurt you depending on your body structure.

I suggest you buy a used bike that is between 3-5 years old as your first bike. a majority of riders drop/lay down their bike within the first six months after acquiring it. We would all hate to hear how you got a brand new White Ducati 848 and dropped it while washing it for the first time or layed it down because another car was not paying attention.

Welcome to the world of riding and I wish you the best in your decision as well as your deployment.

-Hunter

what determines if a bike's been taken care of or if its misused..? i think i would like to get a new bike.. but a used bike to start out on would be awesome especially if its gonna be cheap. also what if it has mods?

thanks a lot..

For street, R6 is the worst choice imo. No usable low-end power and the rocketman seating position of the R6 isn't my cup of tea either. However, R6 is the best choice on the track for the same reason.

so what would u recommend

In your position, I would just search on craigslist and look for a deal on the big 4(Kawi, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda.) I'm just saying if you're in a position where you had to choose between a GSX-R or an R6, I would go with the GSX-R.

I think he might be more of a Ninja or GSX-R fan for a streetbike; regardless, he does prove a valid point. I always compared the R6 to a Honda and a GSX-R to a Nissan.

The R6 does have very little low end torque but once you get in the higher RPM's, It hits just like VTEC.

The GSX-R has significantly more torque all the way through, just like a Fairlady Z.

Just my .02.

-Hunter

awesome comparison..

now i was looking on craigslist and i see most of these have mods.. how do i separate the good bikes from the bad

I'm going to just be up front. I ride on the street and I also race and have ridden a lot of different types of bikes. First, no matter what bike you get it's the rider that makes the difference. Cruiser VS sportbike are two entirely different animals so you need to figure out what direction you want to go, cruising VS sport oriented riding. The most important thing you can do is EDUCATE yourself. Take an MSF course if you can or try to ride with someone who is experienced and will take their time with you. The type of bike really isn't important, the respect is. My wife and I both started on R6's and never once had any issues because we respected the bikes. And on the flip side...I've seen people throw their lives away when they lost that respect...trust me...you don't want to end up on that side.

The newer R6/Gixxer 600 is more track oriented although you can ride it just fine on the street. While I know people who have started on liter bikes, honestly they are overkill for the street but with some respect they can be a good bike as well. If someone is giving you **** saying 600's are pu$$y bikes I can tell you that they probably can't ride, any rider who is good will know better. An SV650 is a good all around bike and handle very well in the turns, power is decent as well. As others have said, bikes these days are all very good and no matter what you get, unless you are AMA level or better chances of you out growing or out riding that bike are slim to none.

Again, no matter what bike you go with, the most important thing you can do is educate yourself as a rider and take your time. It's plain stupid to rush and try to keep up with the faster riders and end up hurting or killing yourself...and I've seen both. If you do go the sport route I'd highly recommend doing some trackdays, you'll get a feel for just how capable the bike really is and gain skills that can come in handy at times on the street. Although, you'll have to tone the speed back if you want to live to ride another day.

Do some research and once you find the direction you want to go talk to some of the local riders and get their input as well. Avoid the ego riders, they'll be easy to spot! You'll learn that the "fast" riders are the ones who never brag or need to talk themselves up...those are the guys you want to learn from.

Good luck!

well like i originally said in my lifetime i want to own both cruiser and sport. i think right now im more interested in the sport bikes. ive done SOME research but to me this thread serves as a learning tool. I can learn what ppl ride and what bikes they are interested in just to give me an idea. i have a fair amount of knowledge so far and im the kinda person who no matter how many books i read and how many articles and reviews, i ultimately will learn the most from personally riding. only thing is i dont wanna get the bike that will be the end of me haha. i really appreciate everyone's feedback, and i respect the way u guys respect the bikes.

JMO and no flame intended but...if you're 21 and have 7 years of riding under your belt and you get into a close call almost every day that you ride, something is very wrong.

:iagree: As someone with 27 years of street bike experience, I heartily agree with this advice.

I'm sure it's a bit exaggerated but it's a good point to keep in mind.

thats partly what makes 600's better to learn on than a 750, 1000 or bigger... is just because they are guttless until they get up into their power band at like 8-9000 rpm, that way a new rider isn't gonna accidently go wheelieing into oncoming traffic if they panic at the wrong time. Thats part of the respect you gotta give the bike... when your starting on a 600 anyway, you need to have the self control to keep it below the power band until you can handle it. Something bigger than a 600 in the super sport class will be to much for a begginer just becuase of the fact there is to much torque on the low end and it can get them into big trouble if they are faced with a situation where they need to think quick and end up panicing. Now with that said i don't have a bike nor have i rode a whole lot but i am seriously looking into buying a sport bike and have done A LOT of reading which is where i'm getting most of this.

I plan on getting a 05 or 06 kawasaki ninja zx6r (636). for those that don't know its actually 636cc not 599cc which gives it more mid range torque so it's kinda the best of both worlds for a begginer becuase its still not as torquey as a 1000 but its better than a 600 to give you a more useable power band. Also before you go out and buy a 600 super sport as you first bike go and read some articles of why they are a bad choice for a first bike, and go to sport bike forums and just read up on the topic of starting off on a 600 sport bike becuase there are lots of different schools of thought on that subject. Its doable but you must have a lot of respect for the bike and lots of self control until you get the skills to handle the power of the bike.

I agree with all of this. Especially the first paragraph; just remember, the R is for Respect

-Hunter

Nothings wrong. Here in palm beach county, like many other places, we have a lot of old/stupid ***** who like to stop in the middle of the road, cross all four lanes at once without looking, don't know what turn signals are,etc. So no matter how attentive you ride, you'll always have close calls. People who ride can really understand what close calls im talking about. :icon14:

If you don't know what you are looking at when you are shopping around,but what ever your looking at see if the owner will take it to a local bike shop and let them do a service inspection on the bike. i guarantee you they will tell you they never ran the bike hard, and the 600's are usually ran pretty hard.

great! its a good one! how much is that?

I've been riding on the street for around 27 years so, yeah, I understand about close calls. That said, I stand by my original comment. JMO

There has been a lot of great info posted.

#1 - Take the MSF (Motorcycle Safety and Fundementals course). It is worth it 1000x over. It will save your life if you ride long enough.

#2 - GEAR!!! WEAR GEAR!!! I cannot stress that enough. IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!!! Never think to yourself, "oh I'm not planning on going down!". I hear people say that all the time and I'm just like who the **** plans on going down, no one does! Get some good leather gloves, leather jacket, possibly a second one that is mesh with padding if you ride in weather that is 90+ if you wish. Riding in shorts is in my opinion not a smart idea, take what you want from that. I recommend pants. Try to always have boots that at the very least cover your ankles. Sweating sucks and stinks but let me tell you, ROAD RASH HURTS! I've had it, it sucks. I've personally had to scrub fresh road rash on my buddy, clean him with peroxide, and rub ointment on him and bandage him for 3 weeks straight because he looped his bike at 60 in shorts, sandals, and a T-Shirt and had rash on 80% of his body.

#3 - Buy a used bike first. It's a fact of riding but you will go down. Only about 1% of riders can say they rode and never went down. (This is also considering how many years/miles they've ridden for) If you go down in your brand new baby, it's gonna suck. If you go down on a beater then **** it, get up, learn from your mistake and go again!

As for what bike to go with, start small. Don't get a 1K (1000cc). 600cc is ok to learn on, I did but I rode dirt for 3 years prior, as long as you respect her. A 600cc will kick your *** if you don't respect that throttle. It's not exactly and on/off switch but she will be no slouch either. A 250cc or 500cc isn't a bad idea either. I have a few friends with ZERO bike time and they started 250cc and were very thankful they did.



There is a thread for those of us who rock 2 wheels... http://www.the370z.com/other-vehicle...ll-bikers.html, so be sure to post up your ride. :D

Some of the guys here have way more years of riding than I, I've only been riding for nearly 5 years, but in that time I have over 30,000 miles on two wheels. A lot of it was in FL as well, and I routinely got cut off or over looked by people on the road there. It turns out us NYers are better at looking out for bikers, go figure.

Some simple advice that has served me well is this: Always ride as if any car on the road is going to try to kill you, this way you'll never be shocked when one actually does try.

Oh FYI, I ride with my brights on 24/7/365. I know it blinds people but my closest close calls have been at dusk with my brights off. Since I left them on at night, no one has EVER not seen me or cut me off at night.

Keep the sticky side down and remember, KAWASAKI RULES. GO GREEN OR GO HOME!

+1 :tup:

On average how much can I save buying a used sport bike? I prefer buying new but I'm wondering how many times will I upgrade 250 600 1000?