Crotch rocket anyone? :)

Yeah, I'm thinking of buying a sport bike. I was wondering if anyone out there has one or had one and what they thought. I intend on buying a 600....maybe a Kawasaki ZX-6R or a Yamaha YZF-R6. I don't hear much on bikes around here so I figured I'd throw it out and see what ya'll thought.

[SVXer95]

One of my buddies from high school had an R6. Very nice bike, pretty quick.

[Chiketkd]

Never owned one, but was real tempted at one time in my life to get a Suzuki Hayabusa! 175+hp does wonders to a sport bike!

-Chike

buy the r6 lot lighter and better looking.............

[Bwana]

Originally posted by Chiketkd
Never owned one, but was real tempted at one time in my life to get a Suzuki Hayabusa! 175+hp does wonders to a sport bike!

-Chike

If you did...we wouldnt be talking to you right now.

[UberRoo]

If I'm not the first to say it, somebody else would be, so here goes: If it's your first bike, get a small one. A sport bike may not be the best choice. I'll leave it at that.

Here's my opinion:

Honda always seems to make a good product, but there's a bit of corporate attitude to contend with. The dealers and service shops tend to be less than friendly, which isn't uncommon with any brand, but it seems worse with Honda. They're also more expensive, but it would be fair to suggest that you get what you pay for...at least sometimes.

Suzuki makes performance bikes. They usually have the highest performance numbers, but there's a bit of compromise in quality and rideability. Getting parts for older bikes can be tricky. Suzuki seems to be the least expensive too, which is amazing considering the performance.

Kawasaki and Yamaha seem like the middle children. They sorta fit somewhere in between Honda and Suzuki in cost, performance, and the B.S. you deal with. Kawasaki has more of a performance focus, whereas Yamaha tends to stick with more traditional tried-and-true products. I'm sure I'm over-generalizing.

The Italian bikes have that thoroughbred quality to them - that is to say, they cost a lot, they perform well when and if they work, they don't always win, but they're a great way to show off your money. Despite my criticism of them, I am quite fond of them because I do appreciate that they capture the spirit of competitive motorcycle racing without all the baggage of a corporate giant. (It's there, but better hidden.)

I won't touch on European and American bikes because I don't know terribly much about them and their quality and performance is too inconsistent to really compare anyway.



First bike? Definitely get a used one. Get insurance with plenty of personal injury protection. After that first six months, your risk plummets dramatically, so you could cancel or reduce the insurance after that if you wanted. ...but at first, you're beyond crazy to go without it. Go dirt bike riding if you get the chance. It'll give you a huge head start for street riding. Leather is wonderful. It does a good job of keeping your skin on and much cheaper than skin grafts.

As far as which bike I'd get. Well, I'm fond of the smaller ones but I like the big motors. I've had a 250, 500, 750, 1000, and 1100. The 500 is by far the most fun to ride. It's zippy and still plenty fast. The 1000+ ones are pleasant to ride because they're heavy and ride more like a touring bike.

The problem with the big ones is that they're designed to go fast. They don't get "settled" until they're going over a hundred. Even if it were legal and there was no traffic, most roads aren't even straight enough to do that! Their happy-zone is between a hundred and one-fifty. Below that speed they're just heavy dogs that feel like driving a freakin' tank.

The problem with the little ones is that they don't have that smoothness that comes with the weight and bulk of the grands. (1000cc+) The smaller ones have small farings so there's lots of wind, and they don't fit people taller than 4'-10" or whatever those racers normally are. They also lack the torque to lug around town in sixth gear at thirty miles an hour.

I'm not fond of the GSXRs because they're like driving a race car around all the time. You may want to cruise, but it just wants to race. Stiff shocks, peaky engine, twitchy handling. The ZXs and Rs are both a kick in the shorts, but without that raw Suzuki unrefined this-bike-will-kill-you-unless-you're-a-professional-rider kind of quality. The CBRs tend to be pretty docile for pavement-eating monsters, but some people find them too tame - mostly stylistically I think.

If I could just pull a bike off the shelf for free, I'd grab an RC51 because it feels complete - as if the engineers had as much money and time as they needed and they just ran out of ways to tweak it. Secondly I'd grab an old ZX11 because they're just damn sexy, and they make great tourers.

If I were a new rider, but knew what I know now, I'd buy the cheapest 400cc to 700cc sport bike with the largest faring (because I'm a wimp who doesn't like riding in the rain or cold) and most comfortable seat (see: wimp) that I could find. I would ride that bike for a while and then decide what I really want later.

Some people take years to get over that sport bike phase. Other people decide after a few months that they'd rather go with something that less resembles a cruise missile. I'm fond of sport-tourers, like the ST1100. Most BMWs focus on that marketshare. The CBRXX and ZX11 are the biggest, baddest, sportiest sport-touring bikes ever made - and I like both of them because I got fed up with sport bikes pretty quickly, but still have the occasional desire to go Top Gun when nobody's looking.

Flat out, don't buy your dream bike as your first bike. There's a good chance you won't want it for very long if you even have it for very long. I don't know anybody who hasn't broken their first bike at least a few times, and I've known more than a few.

[GreenMarine]

SUZUKI or YAMAHA

nuff said

[CigarJohnny]

Here is my advice on the subject. For the most part I agree with what Uberoo has to say. I have owned only two bikes in the past, a Yamaha RD350 and an '85 Kawasaki Ninja 600. I have ridden other bikes from dirt bikes to Harleys and have reformulated my own opinions over the years. I will start by stating that my next motorcycle will likely be a large cruiser. I am at the age where the need for speed is not as strong as it was back in the mid 80's. Until you have driven a large V-twin you have no idea the meaning of torque and what it can do. Insurance is also a hell of a lot cheaper than for a sportbike. I am assuming that you are a young man and therefore I am assuming you are looking for performance bikes more than any other style. I only ask that you consider a cruiser and try to take one for a drive before you make your final purchasing decision.

That said, here is my advice on buying a sporting cycle. Stick with something under 750CC's for your first bike. I'd rather you went with something 600 or lless for your first bike as even with such a small engine they make over 100hp these days and when they are on the cam they feel like you will get ripped off the back seat when you run it wide open...as long as you are not caught in the wrong gear. Smaller bikes these days make more than enough power for any rider under 220lbs, especially for a first time rider. More power equals more opportunities to kill yourself at least until you hav e gained enough experience.

Next I would consider how much time I will be spending in the saddle. If you are a short guy (under 5'6") you will not likely mind the driving position of a sport bike. Your knees will be in your chest and all your weight will be on your wrists as you are stretched out over the gas tank. Think long and hard about this. The position is fantastic for carving corners but in the real world, there are few opportunities for this kind of driving on your daily commute. If you are average to tall in height, you will not be able to fit very well on a midsized sport bike. For some reason, the Japanese feel that the sixe of a bike's frame should be in proportion to it's engine size. I am only six feet tall but I have a short torso and the arms and legs of a guy 6'5". I understandably feel the need to stretch out more than a small bike can provide. If your drives are mostly highway, then a sport bike can be for you as long as your legs are not cramped on it. The wind at highway speeds actually helps support yout torso and takes the weight off of your wrists. Quite the opposite is said for a cruiser. The upright position makes it hard as the wind places a lot of push against your body and can fatigue your arms and hands unless equipped with a fairing to break teh wind on your chest.

I hope this helps you somewhat. I have to get going now or I would write more. Good luck on whatever you decide with. Just be sure to keep the shiny side up!

Johnny

Thanks for all the thought you guys are putting into this......it really helps me with decisions. Well, I am a young man, 21 with one year of college left and then am going to be commissioning into the Air Force when I graduate. Since I will be on my own for at least the next 4 years that kinda backed my decision to want to buy a bike (no passengers). I have ridden many quads and dirt bikes so I can say I at least know how to ride, but I am not an expert by any means. A lot of my friends have owned sport bikes and yes, I'll agree, each and every one of them has layed it down at least once. A good friend of mine owns a Goldwing and he let me take it for a spin. Yes, they are extremely comfortable and very easy to ride. I've never been on a Harley.......going to have to look into that and see if I can get a ride. I went into the local bike shops yesterday and looked at a bunch of sport bikes. Sat on a CBR 600 RR, a CBR F4i, a ZX-6RR, a ZX-6R, a Katana 600, and an R6. I liked the styling of the 600RR the best, but unfortunately I found it to be the most uncomfortable of the group and the most expensive. They said $9,000 out the door.....and I said, you've gotta be kidding! I tought the ZX-6RR and the R6 were the most comfortable and they were the cheaper of the group (besides the Katana). I got a quote of $7500 out the door on an R6. I still would like to take a look at the used market and see what kind of deals they have going there. From the little time I have spent looking online at cycletrader.com it seems that these bikes hold thier value pretty well and I don't know if it would be worth buying used. Who knows.......I like to take my time on big things like this. I won't be making a decision on what I am going to get until I get home from field training on July 23rd. Once again thanks for the replies........and keep them coming if anyone out there has ridden these bikes or others like it.

I've had a couple dozen sport bikes, from the wonderfully frightening Kaw H-2 three cylinder two stroke 750 to the wonderfully frightening Kaw ZX-11. I've roadraced (on a track even!) and drag-raced and even did a little dirt riding in Idaho.

The following is advice you won't want to hear, but you will be giving it out in 10 years or so...
If you are new to biking, get a Dual Purpose machine, and ride it on dirt as often as you can. There is no better way to learn to handle a machine that's sliding than in the dirt, it's fun too. You will get no respect from the dirt crowd, and no respect from the street crowd. but over one summer of having an absolute blast, you'll be quite prepared for the R-6 (which I would recomend as the race-bike of choice). remember, for $10K you've got Formula-1 car performance in acceleration and top-speed. Take a summer to learn to get the thing around a corner. It will be worth the time.

Collins

[UberRoo]

If you've got some time behind the bars of a dirt bike, you're worlds ahead of most first-time street bike owners. The 18-year-old kids with foolish parents or the 40-year-old guy having his mid-life crisis are scary. Doesn't sound like you're either of them, and that's good. Twenty-one still puts you near the danger zone. "I knew I was invincible. See? I'm still alive today!"

CigarJohnny makes a good point; get a bike that fits you. I've ridden some very uncomfortable bikes, but I've been fortunate that I'm fairly flexible and my bikes have always been large enough. Much like trying on shoes, you never really know if they fit until you've had 'em for a week. For the same reason, choose carefully. I would swear the 2001 R1 didn't fit me, but the 2002 R1 fit me fine. (I haven't owned either.) I don't think they made any changes, but like I said, I'd swear they were different. Mull that over for a while before laying down the bucks.

Also, watch out for those used prices. Many of those people think their bikes are worth way more than they are. Granted, there are people who pay too much for them sometimes, but often they go for considerably less. A car might easily last 200k miles without any major overhaul. Motorcycles rarely last 50k without needing some serious attention. High performance = high wear = high depreciation. Some people just don't get it; bikes depreciate much faster. Parts are obscenely expensive, so even minor problems cost a bundle.

I can't imagine paying $7000 for a motorcycle. Don't get me wrong, a million-dollar Italian super-car can't compete with that kind of performance for that price, but you can still get a Ferrari-eating monster for a few grand. Years ago, I paid $1250 for my ZX11. It needed a brake lever, windshield, and lots of paint. Another buddy paid a grand for a ZX10 that needed a hole patched in the gas tank. I almost bought an immaculate Hurricane with 4500 miles on it for $1300. These are all used bikes, but they'll all lift the front wheel off the ground at freeway speeds. What more do you really want?

As far as comparing the newest bikes to each other. They're all pretty much the same. They fit you a little differently, some have slightly different features, and they all have different gimmicks, but there's very little difference otherwise. The big differences are between years and type of bikes, not so much the brands or models.

[Chiketkd]

Damn! When you put it that way...I'm sold!

-Chike

Originally posted by UberRoo
These are all used bikes, but they'll all lift the front wheel off the ground at freeway speeds. What more do you really want?

Originally posted by Chiketkd
Damn! When you put it that way...I'm sold!

-Chike

Oh yeah, They'll get to freeway speeds in 2.5 seconds in 1st gear. I think the ZX-11 was actually 2.38 secs, 0-60 and 75 MPH in first. (this is now a 10 year okd bike )

Collins

Learn on Dirt!!!

[UberRoo]

Originally posted by ww111
...the ZX-11...
(this is now a 10 year okd bike )

And still the best lookin' bullet ever built!

[Matthewmongan]

personaly if i had money to bury i get a 1974 ducatti 750 r but thats not going to happen