Motorcycles

[Cool The Kid]



What do you wanna get?

I have a Ninja 650 now. I like it. It's comfy, light and handles well enough. But I want a better suspension and more HP. Budget would probably be about 5K. I would love a Striple but it's out of my budget and I think the Speed Triple might be a little heavier than I like. I'm thinking anything from an SV1000N to a naked old GSXR750. Sometihng in that 100-120WHP ~400-430lb range. Would be awesome if the pillion accommodations were decent too.

 

[BostonHedonist]

but...physics hasn't changed!

Yeah, you have a point. Theoretically speaking. =P

I have a Ninja 650 now. I like it. It's comfy, light and handles well enough. But I want a better suspension and more HP. Budget would probably be about 5K. I would love a Striple but it's out of my budget and I think the Speed Triple might be a little heavier than I like. I'm thinking anything from an SV1000N to a naked old GSXR750. Sometihng in that 100-120WHP ~400-430lb range. Would be awesome if the pillion accommodations were decent too.

SVs are great bikes. But I guess the most important question is: what kind of riding do you do? I'm into aggressive street riding and need to slice through traffic, so a naked sport-standard works well for me. No thoughts of a used R6?

 

[MarioImpemba]

How about a small motorcycle for riding a few miles to work and back? Thinking something like a 250cc. Looking for something small and light. I have something obscene like a 27" inseam. I like a standard/upright riding position. Cheap running costs and good mpg. Hoping for ~$1.5-2k max. CB250?

 

[Cool The Kid]



Yeah, you have a point. Theoretically speaking. =P


SVs are great bikes. But I guess the most important question is: what kind of riding do you do? I'm into aggressive street riding and need to slice through traffic, so a naked sport-standard works well for me. No thoughts of a used R6?

Ideally, I would do 80% commuting, 15% canyon carving, 4% track days and 1% 2 up riding. Practical/logical choice would be something like a VFR800 or Sprint ST.... but I love naked bikes. I want to ride a VFR and see if that V4 and its build quality can win me over. The 650 is worthless so I could keep it to fulfill my naked/build up needs.

 

[akatsuki]



Ideally, I would do 80% commuting, 15% canyon carving, 4% track days and 1% 2 up riding. Practical/logical choice would be something like a VFR800 or Sprint ST.... but I love naked bikes. I want to ride a VFR and see if that V4 and its build quality can win me over. The 650 is worthless so I could keep it to fulfill my naked/build up needs.

I had a 5th gen VFR and generally loved it, but it was damn heavy and not great for city riding.

 

[Pennglock]

Yeah, you have a point. Theoretically speaking. =P


SVs are great bikes. But I guess the most important question is: what kind of riding do you do? I'm into aggressive street riding and need to slice through traffic, so a naked sport-standard works well for me. No thoughts of a used R6?

Ideally, I would do 80% commuting, 15% canyon carving, 4% track days and 1% 2 up riding. Practical/logical choice would be something like a VFR800 or Sprint ST.... but I love naked bikes. I want to ride a VFR and see if that V4 and its build quality can win me over. The 650 is worthless so I could keep it to fulfill my naked/build up needs.

Id go for mid-2000s Honda F4i before the VFR, unless your commute involves less traffic than mine. Next to that f4i, newer gsxrs are the super sports with the most comfortable ergos.

Yamahas FZ07 coming later this summer seems like it may well be the perfect bike for 80/20 commute/canyon. At least on paper.

 

[Cool The Kid]

Yea the lightness of the 650 is key. My commute shouldn't be too traffic heavy, but you never know.

FZ07 sounds alright but it's basically a modern version of my 650. If I went that route I'd prob jump to the FZ09, or the Street Triple.

I'm not crazy about the F4i. Prob scratch the ZX6R off too. I feel like they will be weak on the low end, which is kind of where I would like more power as that's where I do most of my ridiing.

 

[BostonHedonist]



Yea the lightness of the 650 is key. My commute shouldn't be too traffic heavy, but you never know.

FZ07 sounds alright but it's basically a modern version of my 650. If I went that route I'd prob jump to the FZ09, or the Street Triple.

I'm not crazy about the F4i. Prob scratch the ZX6R off too. I feel like they will be weak on the low end, which is kind of where I would like more power as that's where I do most of my ridiing.

From everything I'm hearing, the FZ-09 sounds like the bike for you. If it's 80% commuting and you need light weight but want massive torque - AND you don't want to shell out for the Street Triple - I'd say wait til the fall and look for someone who got bored with their FZ

 

[epb]



How about a small motorcycle for riding a few miles to work and back? Thinking something like a 250cc. Looking for something small and light. I have something obscene like a 27" inseam. I like a standard/upright riding position. Cheap running costs and good mpg. Hoping for ~$1.5-2k max. CB250?

You thinking something newer or is vintage okay? The first newer bike to come to mind is the Suzuki TU250X, but they're still over $2k - in part because Suzuki only seems to sell them in the US every other year.

If you're looking for something older, CB200Ts, CB350s, and CB450s are all easily found in that price range. The CB200T seems well suited for shorter inseams.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Except for the fact that they are fully clothed the 05/06 Kawi 636 or any of the 675 Daytonas would fit the bill.

 

[Cool The Kid]



Except for the fact that they are fully clothed the 05/06 Kawi 636 or any of the 675 Daytonas would fit the bill.

For me? Not with stock ergos. I should mention race ergos are no go for me, tried em on the 650 and they killed my back. Can't commute like that. If I got either of those I would make em naked.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

For me? Not with stock ergos. I should mention race ergos are no go for me, tried em on the 650 and they killed my back. Can't commute like that. If I got either of those I would make em naked.

I was thinking about engine torquiness and flickability. The Kaw is a lot more comfortable than the Triumph but there are a lot more Triumphs (model years) to choose from. Thow a set of heli-bars on either and you'll be fine

 

[MarioImpemba]

You thinking something newer or is vintage okay? The first newer bike to come to mind is the Suzuki TU250X, but they're still over $2k - in part because Suzuki only seems to sell them in the US every other year.

If you're looking for something older, CB200Ts, CB350s, and CB450s are all easily found in that price range. The CB200T seems well suited for shorter inseams.

Vintage is fine since I can always ride the Buell if I have to wrench on it. Thanks for recommendations!

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/4496047661.html

This looks pretty nice, but seems like a lot of money for what it is?

 

[otc]

Almost double what I paid for my kz400 but looks to be in great shape and has a quarter to a third as many miles as my kz had.

Still seems way too high.

 

[epb]

Prices do vary by region but that's a bit high for the cb360t around here for a nice runner; for $2000 firm I'd expect a much nicer bike. Watching his video: no way those are stock exhausts, and it sounds like it seriously needs a valve adjustment. And it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people point out "simple, cheap" repairs they couldn't be bothered to do while claiming the bike is worth top dollar.

And neither this bike or its successor my CB400t are going to be collector's bikes doubling or tripling in value in a couple of years, or ever. One of the great things about the small twins of this period is they'll be inexpensive until the end of time. Everyone's convinced they need more displacement to do anything, so the twins from the mid-70s languish.