motorbike opinions?

[L number Banana]

Here's a new off-topic twist. Motorbikes
As you can see by my happy new signature, life is good. So now I want a bike but since I have never ridden one, I have no idea what to avoid or what is important. Like what kind of brakes are better for someone like me?
Help - I know a few of you out there know a little something on this topic.

I'm looking for something like a sport bike, I'm short and average weight but am pretty strong and am patient enough to take the time to learn - an acquaintance of mine is an instructor but he won't be back from Florida until spring.

I want a BMW but I am not rich so something like the Ninjas would be more suitable and I can touch the ground.

Any pointers or can someone point me in the right direction to read up on the mechanics of motorbikes so I know what/how the thing works. At this point I don't even know what half of the words in motorbike review sites even mean but I have all winter to bone up on the subject.

Thanks ANY help is appreciated!

[Yann]

HI!!

I used to like the sports one, the ninja is a nice one
I prefer the roadster type such as the Honda Hornet or the Kawasaki Z750
The position on these is more up and I find it more confortable on longer trip than on sports type...but then it is a question of appreciation

Cheers
Yann

[WhitePine]

Honda vfr.... looks and feels like a sport bike but has a more upright position for touring. Check out http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?

Maybe a fourth ('94-'97) or fifth generation('98-'01). You should be able to find one fairly cheap.

[MatsP]

Being tall, I can straddle almost any motorbike [even the big "off-road" ones like a Triumph Tiger or BMW GS] and get my whole foot on the ground on both sides. This clearly helps compared to my less tall friends. You CAN learn to ride a bike without being able to touch the ground - many top level racers can not touch the ground with both feet at once. But as a beginner, it's always helpful.

Now, as to what STYLE of bike you want depends quite a bit on what you want to do with it:

• Touring - long rides from A to B, where much of the road is wide and straight.
• "canyon carving" as it is called in North America, where the goal is to get as many curves/corners into the ride as possible, rather than actually getting somewhere in particular (of course, it's not a bad idea if at some point there is a cafe or burger joint or such about halfway between your start and return home (this type of riding usually start in the morning and return back home in the afternoon).
• Off-roading - gravel, mud, rocks and sticks, rather than tarmac. I've ridden a motocross bike once and borrowed a larger offroad bike for a short trip to/from a race-track when visiting friends in the US. It's fun, from the little experience I have.
• Commuting - riding to/from work and other "practical, relatively short, trips".
• Posing - the main purpose of the bike is to look cool when parked at the local <eating/drinking place>. Fashion before function.

Some bikes are good at one thing, others at another. As always, life is a compromise, and some bikes are a big compromise, others more specialized towards one or another of the above riding styles.

It's PROBABLY a good idea to start with a small-ish capacity bike (up to about 500cc), but don't go TOO small - one that is used is probably a good idea, as it's quite possible that you will have some sort of incident with it (and possibly you) falling over in the beginning.

Bikes have two wheels, so when something that in a car would be an pretty innocent mishap happens, a bike can fall over - locking up the front brake is something many riders can't recover from (whether it is from slippery conditions or panic braking [or both]), and a stall of the engine can also cause a sudden stop that causes a fall if the rider isn't quick to dab a foot down.

Also budget for good protective gear. Full leathers (preferably zip-together) or protective waterproof gear. Leathers do offer better protection, but aren't good in rain - even a short rain shower will make you quite wet, but I have used water proof oversuits.

When it comes to waterproof gear actually prefer the two-piece over-suits which have separate trousers and jacket, as you can then wear the jacket when it's cool, and if it's not raining much, legs don't get that wet [on a full-fairing bike, at least]. And the one-piece oversuits tend to still find a way of the water getting on the inside somewhere - usually around the tummy-to-crotch section, where pools of water can collect.

Good boots, real motorcycle ones, are definitely a good thing. Likewise gloves - it doesn't take much of a crash on tarmac to rip your palms open, and having a layer of animal-skin in between you and the tarmac is definitely a good plan. Again, there are different variants ranging from thick, warm, waterproof ones, to racing ones which are quite thin and flexible.

And get a good, standalone (so that you can wear it under any motorcycle gear), back-protector. There are several brands of these, but definitely a good idea.

I haven't ridden my motorbike for quite some time due to lack of time to look after it (and it needs a bit of TLC at the mo'). But my current bike, a Kawasaki ZX-9R '02 has 25000 miles (40000 km) on the clock, temp Honda CBR900RR "Fireblade" from other one being stolen about 3000 miles (5000 om), ZX-9R '00 to that had 35000 (55000km), and a ZX-9R '98 with about 30000 (48000), and my first bike, Honda VTR1000F "FireStorm"/"SuperHawk" (US) had about 18000 (25000) - I also have a "racing" style bike for track-days - where a company rents a race-track and you get to ride around it, practicing braking, acceleration and turning. This bike doesn't have lights, indicators, number place, rear-view mirror or anything like that.

--
Mats

[RickE]

First - get some training before you go on the road!

Then I'd say I'd say start small (ish). If you've never ridden one, you'll be shocked at how fast bikes accelerate. They can also be quite difficult to manoeuvre at low speed until you have got used to it. I'd suggest starting with something like a Kawasaki ER-6 or Suzuki SV650F. Both are fairly light twins which will be a bit cheaper to own and maintain than a four but still have plenty of power. If you find out you love riding (you will!) you can always get something bigger later on.

[sidguppy]

I don't agree with Mats on the different styles of motorbike owners, not in the least because of this:

Posing - the main purpose of the bike is to look cool when parked at the local <eating/drinking place>. Fashion before function.

for an selfrespecting bike owner, the best looking bike should be his/hers own!
be it an old classic Russian Dnjepr with sidecar, a Harley electra glide, a 1100 cc Suzuki speed demon, an offroad Honda CRF drippin with mud or a huge BMW Continental all terrain touring bike.

"posing" doesn't fit in. not if you take riding a bike seriously, regardless of model, brand ore size.

I think this is a jab at us chopper-owners (cause it's lacking in thelist: The Cruiser!) , but a real biker loves the bike for what it is and that gets clear when it's rollin down the road at a slow relaxing speed with your mates on their own hogs and the pistons are pumpin and hammering that lovely bratabrata sound.

choppers, bobbers, fat boys, custom bikes, cruisers and hard tails aren't a pose, but a lifestyle, Mats! ;)

and chrome is there to make it shine and taken care off.
I want to shake the hand of the genius who invented that one; loads of chrome

also those nifty 1 person saddles. genius!
want to ride along: bring your own bike

Back tothe OP; man, Canada.......
if there's one country that's invented to make long trips and motorbike holidays; yóu're in heaven, man! very cool.

bit of advice; don't go for V-twins.
for me any V twin is the epithome of cool biking, but most of em have tiny gastanks......and you have the long distances right in your backyard. having to stop every 100 miles is not that funny.

second: Harley's may be awesome (they are) but unless you are a toolhead or wouldn't mind becoming one, skip em.
go for a Japanese bike if you want to spend more time riding it than fixing it

third, as said;you probably have the best use of a touring bike.
and now I'mgonna disagree with a few others: don't get a light one!
starting at 1100 CC isn't smart, no; but with a 500 or less,you can't do much. too much gear or long distances and it'll be getting toyou.

here in Europe there are many gasstations, so owning an old 500cc isn't any problem; pumps are close.
but if you want to do long distances, you'd like to get there; you want a bigger more stabilized bike with a big tank.....and sit comfortable, not crawl off being a broken man.

what's easily done at 18, might be a gruesome ordeal once you pass 40.

I'd suggest something in the 650-900cc range.
you said it yourself; you're fairly strong, so you can handle it just fine.

as for brands: Honda or Yamaha make the best japanse bikes.
don't go Kawasaki, you might get some nasty surprises if you have an older secondhand Kawa; ditto Suzuki.

[MatsP]

My experience with Kawasaki is all good - I've done more than 120K km on three different ones [and the third bike purchase was caused by thieving scum, rather than my wish to get a new one - otherwise I'm sure I'd have more close to 100K km on the one bike], and the only problem beyond the alarm draining the battery [which is brand/model independent] and the paint flaking of the wheels [fixed under warranty, and only on the latest one].

My Suzuki GSX-R600 track-bike has also done everything trouble-free (aside from my three crashes, two of which caused by locking up the front wheel, and the third one by "bowled over by fellow rider".

--
Mats

[RickE]

This is a nice discussion for us bike fans, probably not so nice for the non-bike but catfish fans...

I think if you go back to the original post:

I'm looking for something like a sport bike, I'm short and average weight

you'll see why I recommended the bikes I did. IMO, fairly new Kawasakis and Suzukis are not significantly worse than Hondas. I think that gap was closed a good few years ago now.

[L number Banana]

Thanks guys, need to look up those models to start with.

I would have a few long distance trips but they're long and straight (and heavily patrolled by air and cruiser) but the main roads have lots of gas stations. I'll check the tank size/v-twin ratios to see what the deal is there.

In Ontario, we now have to take the three step course to get a bike license so I'll have lots of instruction.

I still have full leathers(2 piece) from my bad old days as a passenger. but I will have to get a back shield, boots and gloves - hamburger hands don't sound attractive.

I'm in an area where and harley style bike would get me lots of attention but I'm afraid it would be the kind I don't need. I really love the type of bikes you see on the track and have fantasized about what it must feel like to lean on your knee around corners, however I will probably never do that but you can see what style my heart is at.

Now there's something that I have no way of knowing until I'm actually riding and that's what Sidguppy mentioned about comfort. Is there a crossover type bike that would be upright type seating but have the purr/look of something speedier?
A broken woman is just as bad as a broken man.

And here's the entertainment section for sidguppy - I like some of these bikes but I will never be doing what the people in the video are doing!
Some research before I ask my next questions - thanks!

Edit couldn't get the embed to work so here's the link!

[MatsP]

I really love the type of bikes you see on the track and have fantasized about what it must feel like to lean on your knee around corners, however I will probably never do that but you can see what style my heart is at.

Having short legs won't help you, but a good bike with sticky tyres [Metzler Rennsport/Pirelli SuperCorsa for example], and I can almost guarantee that a few track-days would have you touching your knee down. It's when your boot touches the ground [despite toes on footrest and footrest moved up and back] that you start worrying about lean-angles... ;)

I wouldn't recommend trying to get your knee on the ground on the road...

Honda CBR600F/RR, Kawasaki ZX-6R, Yamaha R6/YZF600 and Suzuki GSX-R600 are all bikes that do this REALLY well. They are perhaps a little bit tall for you [you haven't given any exact measures]. You may be able to get a Kawasaki ZXR400 or Yamaha YZF400, Honda VFR400 or some such as well - they are a bit smaller both in engine and whole bike-size. But still well able to do 150+ kph without feeling too stressed, and out accelerate all but the 5 most sporty cars you see on the road in a year.

A compromise towards touring would be something like a Suzuki SV650 (still a very good, capable bike, and I think there are "lowering kit" if you need to get the whole bike to sit a bit lower to the ground) - it is also narrower, which leads to feeling less tall [because your feet touch the ground closer together and thus the leg is straighter down, if that makes sense].

The Honda Hornet 600 / Yamaha Fazer 600 / Suzuki Bandit 600 are essentially a simpler version of the above sporty bikes with less plastic bits, less aggressive riding position [which usually includes a lower seat, but not necessarily] and a little less power.

If you have lots of money to spend, I quite like the Triumph StreetTriple and Triump Daytona 675 - especially the latter is very cool looking, and probably one of the better sporty bikes money can buy. But they haven't been out that long, so finding a "good used one" is harder, and not being the biggest brand around, they aren't exactly common in the first place.

Or get a "super-motard" style bike - motocross bike with road-going tyres [in racing, they even use slicks!]. Not likely get your knee down, but very fun riding them, and they can certainly corner well. Narrow but tall.

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

Thanks Mats, you understand. I looked at the Kawasaki ZX-6R, and Suzuki GSX-R600 the most. Too pricey for this year's models but the seat height at 31.9 inches may be doable and make me feel more comfortable. I'm just going to have to visit a dealer and see what it actually feels like. I'm 5'3" but I saw what looks like a lowering kit since all the important bits are much farther off the ground. The 2009 Suzuki GSX-600 seems to have the best of everything for this size bike and the bugs that were present in earlier models have been worked out (from reviews).

When I'm traveling on the highway and traffic is busy, I see people riding these type bikes in what looks like a pretty comfy 'office chair' type pose and lay down only when the way opens up. Maybe it's still an option for me.

Fuel Tank Capacity: 17.0 L (4.5/3.7 US/Imp gal). Is that tiny, average? I don't even use cars so I have nothing to compare it to in reality.

Plan A and B: I need to get more hours in at work

I'll be back in a few days - thanks!

[WhitePine]

Again,

Honda VFR 2003-2009. 800CC, fuel injected and you can set it up to tour or ride at the track! Will meet all your needs and wants.

[2wheelsx2]

I was a motorcycle riding instructor for 3 years part time. There's been a lot of stuff said here. I'm not going to comment on those as opinions vary, but I'll state my position.

Get a bike you will be comfortable on. I've had 6 motorcycles, and while not having as many miles under my belt, I've done over 100,000 km on motorcycles, toured to Prince George (Northern BC), down to California, taken many track schools, and done a number track days.

The consistent things I learned about picking a motorcycle are:

1. Appearance - choose a bike that appeals to you. No one has to ride a motorcycle, especially in Ontario, so you must want to ride it or it'll just collect dust.
2. Comfort - not only in terms of comfortable to ride, but being confident in handling it. If you are afraid to get on the bike because it might tip over because you cannot touch the ground, or it's way too heavy, you're not going to ride it.
3. Power - enough power that you get a thrill out of it, but not so much that you'll be intimidated by it as a new rider.

Those are the main things I can think of. Everything else can be worked around. IMO, those sporty 250's and the like are too small for an open countries and highways and freeways of North America. You'll quickly feel like you're riding a scooter. I assume you're not going to commute on it, so fuel economy is not a concern. The best bikes for riders shorter of leg and lower in experience levels are the GS500, SV650, Ninja 650 ilk. There are other types and brands, but you mentioned sporty. You can certainly get a Ducati Monster or some such, but I shy away from mentioning $15k bikes for beginners.

Having said all that, of all the bikes I had, the one I rode the most was my '93 VFR. I put 16000 km on that bike in 8 months before I crashed it one winter and then decided I needed an even more powerful and sportier bike like the 96 ZX7R. Then I found it was too uncomfortable and got a 91 BMW K75S to tour on. The combined mileage on those bikes was about 48000km over 8 years, most of which were ridden in the first 3. The reason being the ZX7R was too uncomfortable for longer rides, and the BMW was bit boring. So that's my little story and why I listed those 3 points as being the main ones for choosing a bike.

[L number Banana]

So far:

Suzuki has the nicest style (SV650), the 2009 Yamaha FZ6 seems to compare favorably and more women around here seem to be driving both of these. The Yamaha can be dealer financed, dangerous!

I sat on a 1995 Ducati SS600 and it's the lowest and most comfortable - problem is finding a used one that I can afford. The only Ducatis for sale are 2010 and 2007. I guess people must like these and hold onto them. One SS700 2000 for sale and it's less than $4000 but it's a long ways away for something I'm not sure of yet.

Honda 599 has nice reviews but I have yet to see one anywhere.

What does everyone think of the Buell? http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/sport/XB12R/

Triumph and Honda VFR interceptor are FS used here:http://www.tonyscycle.com/indexhome.html
Any opinions on these before I take the time to get out there to take a seat?

I'm signing up for the first part of the license next week (written test) and the course shortly after that when they next run it. It will also get me cheaper insurance. Good to move now because the snow will be flying soon and that means prices will be better.

[MatsP]

Buell is an interesting concept - basically, take a Harley engine and put it in a sporty chassis. I believe these work well, but for a beginner, I'm not sure they are the right thing. It doesn't deliver that much more more power than the smaller engined bike, but it's a bit more low-down torque - this is a double-edged sword, as it allows you to still get drive when in the wrong gear, but it can also cause more trouble in the form of unwanted wheelies and loss of grip. A bike with a smaller, higher revving engine, the power doesn't come in until you are higher up the rev-range - you have more knowledge that there's a lot of power available when the engine is howling... ;)

Harley-Davidson also decided to shut down the Buell operations, except as a pure racing effort. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buell_Motorcycle_Company
I'm sure that's not a huge problem, as the main spare parts (engine, gearbox) are available from Harley Davidson anyways.

Apparently, Honda is doing it's usual marketing trick [1] of calling things different names in different parts of the world. The Honda 599 is what we call the Hornet in Europe.

Ducati makess lovely bikes, but beware that they have a reputation of "Italian quality control", which means that they are wonderful works of art, but sometimes suffer from little featuress like "damp-sensitive electrics" and other minor issues. Apparently, Ducati do sell quite well in the US, so I'm a bit surprised that they aren't more available in Canada.


[1] Other companies are known to do this too - there is examples of Kawasaki, as well as Canon cameras that have different model designations for US/Canada vs. Europe [and possibly elsewhere in the world].

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

Ducati makes lovely bikes, but beware that they have a reputation of "Italian quality control", which means that they are wonderful works of art, but sometimes suffer from little features like "damp-sensitive electrics" and other minor issues. Apparently, Ducati do sell quite well in the US, so I'm a bit surprised that they aren't more available in Canada.

Hmm, living beside a huge lake makes me wary of any dampness issues that might occur. I found lots of new Ducati bikes but very little used, only 2010, 2007 and one 2000.

Thanks for the buell info, a newbie should have easily accessible parts/info etc, I'll stick with the tried and true brands.

I found the Honda 599/Hornet issue when I looked up the bikes mentioned by other posters. The reviews/forums are pretty good at helping negotiate names and name/part/style changes. It's certainly not the same ball game as with cars, eh?

Thanks

[MatsP]

Cars are more different between markets, both because there are different rules/laws, but also because the markets are bigger, which makes for more local market/local production (and I guess cars themselves being a bit bigger, making them a bit more expensive to transport doesn't help).

Bikes tend to be essentially the same for all markets, aside from tiny issues (US bikes have side-lights/reflectors that aren't on the European bikes, for example). But names change from market to market.

--
Mats

[sidguppy]

cars have the same issues though....what we call "Opel" on the mainland and anywhere in the non Anglo-Saxon world must for obscure reasons be rebranded a "Vauxhall" as soon as it goes to Anglo-Saxonia.

there's about 500 million people knowing what an Opel Cadett looks like, but not the Brits

same old, same old.

[2wheelsx2]

Must be a locality thing. In Vancouver, you can see Ducati's at every street corner nowadays. From 916 vintage to the latest.

But then it may be the Vancouver lifestyle, because now that I work downtown, I can't turnaround without seeing a Lamborghini, Ferrari, GTR, and other exotic cars.

The 599 is a great little bike too, but I personally like having a fairing.

[L number Banana]

2wheelsx2 wrote:

Must be a locality thing. In Vancouver, you can see Ducati's at every street corner nowadays. From 916 vintage to the latest.

It's not that I don't see any here, it's that I don't see any for sale. There's only 88 for sale on the autotrader site in all of Ontario and like I said it's only this year's model, many 2007's for some reason and one 2000. This leads me to believe that Ducati owners must like their bikes because they aren't selling them.

Vancouver - mmm, year round biking and almost no rust on anything. Lucky you for that. We seem to have lots of fancy cars around here but more vintage/collector type cars, not so many Lamborghini types. One of the Docs at the hospital has a Studabaker - what a beast! Very cool if you can afford to fill it up. Maybe just a weird opinion but I'm wondering if new money buys Ferraris and old money buys antiques?

The nice thing about Kingston right now is while I'm spending my days wandering around the hospital/university grounds, I get to eye up all the motorbike parking areas and browse like I'm shopping.

The reviews for the Honda 599/Hornet were really positive but I'm with you as far as the fairing. There's a fellow on one of the VFR forums that is rebuilding his bike from scratch and the pictures show his bare bones muscle version and just a photoshop of what the fairing will look like. Quite standard in his case but I do have experience working with fibreglass and am curious if people are allowed to make their own fairings or add to what's already there? Would be quite the project. I like the cat's eye Yamaha fairing/lights. Would have to airbrush a Farlowella on the tank of course!

PS, I'm at the hospital these days for a good reason - hubby had spine surgery on Friday and is doing fabulous, will be good as new in a week or so. All the more reason to make sure I buy a spine protector! Note to all electricians: don't look up for months on end, your spine doesn't like it!

[L number Banana]

Sidguppy wrote:

there's about 500 million people knowing what an Opel Cadett looks like, but not the Brits

It's funny you should mention that one. That's the car that pulled me around Germany for 6 years. Up and down the alps, through stones and mud and skinny mountainside roads that make my stomach queasy just thinking about it. Tough little beast, we even dragged a camper with it for three of those years.

[2wheelsx2]

It's not that I don't see any here, it's that I don't see any for sale. There's only 88 for sale on the autotrader site in all of Ontario and like I said it's only this year's model, many 2007's for some reason and one 2000. This leads me to believe that Ducati owners must like their bikes because they aren't selling them.

Vancouver - mmm, year round biking and almost no rust on anything. Lucky you for that. We seem to have lots of fancy cars around here but more vintage/collector type cars, not so many Lamborghini types. One of the Docs at the hospital has a Studabaker - what a beast! Very cool if you can afford to fill it up. Maybe just a weird opinion but I'm wondering if new money buys Ferraris and old money buys antiques?

Ah...I see. There are not many for sale here either, but enough that you can get a good selection. But forget about year round biking unless you like to ride in rain 80% of the time and can deal with black ice. And rust thing is just as bad as we're by the ocean. If you want no rust you have to go to the interior where they don't use salt (too cold).

As to the new money/old money thing, I don't think so. I think old money buys both, and new money leases the new cars.

[L number Banana]

...And rust thing is just as bad as we're by the ocean. If you want no rust you have to go to the interior where they don't use salt (too cold)....

Around here they're trying lots of new things but I think it's Sodium Chloride mostly and calcium chloride for temps below -35c.
Strangely enough - beet juice is making a comeback, I have no idea but some of the farmers around here are using it instead of salt?? Sugar content? Wouldn't be so bad if all you had to worry about was squirrels licking your undercarriage!

[sidguppy]

Around here they're trying lots of new things but I think it's Sodium Chloride mostly and calcium chloride for temps below -35c.

-35'C


think I would eat until I'm obese and sleep until that would pass....
christ!

anyway; riding a bike at subzero temperatures is dangerous.
rust is the least of your worries; water has the nasty tendency to turn into its most evil form, wich is ice.

and with a car, a bit of a slipslide in the corner at low speed, because the salt has drained away with the thaw and it froze over over nightr, is not an issue

with the bike that exact manouvre puts you off your bike on your back with your bike on your head if you're unlucky!

I dunno, but scraping myself on the tarmac with 400 pounds of hot motorbike in my lap crashing in the side of the road or -worse- into an upcoming SUV on the other side of the road isn't my cuppa tea.
but YMMV.

in winter, when theres snow, ice, sludge, salt and all that; the only bike that's really safe is an offroad bike with good offroad tires.
Even then a wee little slip in a tight corner, you touch the brakes out of instinct and off you go; smack in the front of that 18 wheeler

remember: only the newest generation of bikes have ABS and not all of em do! pull the brakes too hard and you're in a spin.

unfortunately getting in an uncontrolled spin with a bike is far less funny than in a car, probably because the squishy bit on the bike ain't the fender benders, but the rather fragile helmet-wearing bag of fluids sitting on top.

no, tnx

with really low insane batshitcrazy temperatures (to me anything below 10'c qualifies as such) there's another issue as well; cooling down.
we all know that cold + speed = supercooling.
the cooling system of aircooled bikes relies on this.
unfortunately it also works on the person on top

driving your bike at moderate speed (30 miles per hour) at, say, minus 10 centigrade will have the same effect as being exposed to -20'C.....the faster you go, the worse this effect is.
add windspeed and that temperature goes down, significantly.

i belioebve with minus 35'c you could kill yourself by freezing to death just by revving it up to highway speed. at the least, you'd suffer from hypothermia and somehow I don't thinkt hat hypothermia adds to having a clear head; wich you need as a biker.

unless you're wearing one of those thermic astronaut suits, but by then we're out there.....way out there, far from the whole concept of comfortable biking and into the realm of the crazies;
the same kind of philosophy that makes one go snowboarding in front of an avalace, because the only way to feel truly alive is to be seconds away from instant death.


rain, wind, cold; i drive thru it all. got a nice good quality EVO motor suit for the cold and the wet.
but as soon as the temperature goes into freezing mode, I switch to my car.
salt is the least of my worries (i have a nice car, so i'don't like it anyway; salty rust), but safety comes first.

[worton[pl]]

Hello,

bikes! Well another important factor is capacity of bike itself. Check it carefully. I've recently sold my 26 years old Honda Shadow (which was really great bike) because I was unable to take my girlfriend with all this girly luggage. We were to heavy with luggage for this bike. Big bike doesn't have to have a big capacity - remember this and always check, it is very, very important factor. If you overload a bike it will break down much faster also it will became very hard to drive it preciselly and safe, it will "swim" on a road - it is very dangerous. The best capacity have crossover (not sure if I've used right word) bikes like for example BMW R 1200 GS.

Other main factor is a transmission (again I'm not sure if I've used right word, sorry) method. Three types of transmission you will find in bikes. Chain, belt and (imho the best one) drive shaft. It is not only about a construction, weight and so on. I've ridden bikes with chain and with shafts. Much better runs those with shaft. It is mine opinion but check it before spending money on a bike. Try all 3 and decide which one is the best for you. Belts are used mainy by Harley (Buell also) and few bigger cruisers of Yamaha. Also Suzuki Savage (funny bike) has a belt transmission. Older bikes with chain will need much more work before and after a ride (with longer trips almost impossible without taking care of a chain). Newer constructions are better however changing gears smoothly is much harder than in bikes with shaft or belt.

Well my future bike will be for sure Honda Shadow Spirit 1100 - the best one from Shadow family.
Good one for longer trips is Yamaha FJR 1300 (really cool bike but expensive and it is really good for longer trips - no point in buying it if you will just travel to work on a bike .

I will for sure also buy old russia bike. Probably K-750 I love this kind of machines. They need a lot of work but they also looks like anything else.
http://adasiek211.wrzuta.pl/obraz/0ywvrXGAgH9/k750

Anyway check this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4mU8ZqMZPU

Decision is yours but from all people I know chopper/cruisers guys are cool ;).
Sport bike's owner usually is not easy-going person . That's what I've noticed after few years of rolling with many people. It is not always like that but usually it fits.

Regards.

[MatsP]

I have never owned a bike with anything OTHER than chain-drive. And I agree that it's a bit of extra work to spray some stuff on the chain in the morning/evening after a long run, but with modern chains and about average neglect, you get about 20000 miles (30000 km) out of a high-end sports-bike (2002 ZX-9R). I think my current chain on the ZX-9R is actually still stock, at nearly 25000 miles (40000 km), but from memory (I haven't had the bike out for a long time), it's coming up to the point where a new chain [and sprockets] would be a good thing.

I have met people who have had problems with the chain within a few thousand miles - I would guess because they tried to reduce cost by using a poor quality chain [either through choice or bad advice from the shop].

Of course, if you do A LOT of really long riding (like the Iron Butt Rally [11 days to do 11000 miles, with extra points for bonus destinations making the trip longer]). But (pun not intended) if you do more average touring of a few days of 100-500 miles per day, chain-drive isn't a big problem. I have done tours of 1500 miles in three days, 1000 miles in two days, a tour around [roughly around the coast] Ireland over five days [plus one day of 400 miles each way to/from the ferry to Dunloaghrie(sp?)] - it rained EVERY day of that trip, and two trips from England to Assen in the Netherlands, and one trip to see the Isle of Man Grand Prix (same course as the TT, but less hectic and a sort of "training" race for the TT). All I ever did on any of these trips, all I've done is to spray some lube on the chain when arriving at the evening stop. When cleaning the bike, I'd use a bit of WD-40 (other brands are available) to remove any gunk, and wipe with a rag.

Most sporty bikes, including from manufacturers that usually use shaft-drive, such as the BMW S1000RR, use chain-drive, because other methods of transmission are (a little bit) less efficient (and shaft is also a bit heavier, but for most people that's not a big deal, as a 200 or a 205 kg bike will be about the same to them!)

What I'm trying to say is that, unless extreme milage is part of your plan, chain isn't that big a deal.

--
Mats

[2wheelsx2]

I agree with Mats. I've toured quite a bit on chained driven bikes and on shaft driven bikes. The only think shaft offer is that you don't have to lube in during the trip. You still have maintenance, and I can tell you a spline lube on a BMW shaft is a lot more money than putting on a new chain.

[L number Banana]

Sidguppy wrote:, because the only way to feel truly alive is to be seconds away from instant death.

Been there, done that and that's why I've decided that I'm no longer waiting to do the things in life that I've always wanted to do - like own a motorcycle. And being female, I can always use a new excuse to buy nice boots. No riding on black ice unless I get hooked on racing, they do it here on ice with spikes but only an idiot would do it on the road. I have to build a bike shed. In winter you need to be like a bottle of vodka in the freezer - no riding drunk!
Here's some ice racing:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI3Mc0JTfoQ

Worton{pl} wrote:
Decision is yours but from all people I know chopper/cruisers guys are cool ;).
Sport bike's owner usually is not easy-going person . That's what I've noticed after few years of rolling with many people. It is not always like that but usually it fits.

Around here the only people that own Harley's are people who traffic, ex=prison guys (we have 7 prisons here), military guys and the police . I'm a smallish female with long blond hair so I don't even look the part or sports bike guys OR harley guys. Easy going? Hmm, I'm kind of a metal-head with a druid like temper - i.e. mellow. I just like the feeling of my heart pounding A sportbike has much sexier styling than a harley but I suppose it's a matter of taste.
That video is great though the music was not exactly like my music! Here's a thought: maybe those who ride HR are riding to be seen more - maybe they're naturally extroverts and therefor open and friendly whereas people hidden in helmets (required here) and full leathers are introverts - quieter in the room until they are with their own kind? Yes, a stereotype but I certainly fit the bill. The sound of a Harley grates on my nerves but a jet engine/Godsmack concert is quite thrilling.

Watched a race on speedweek yesterday and there's a new bike in the running: Aprilia Mana 850 http://www.apriliausa.com/en-US/Model/2 ... nical.aspx A bit bigger that what I'm looking for but I like it.
What's the overall opinion on this company?

Will read up on shaft/chain - thanks that helps. Don't intend REALLY long drives at this point but expected maintenance is good to know. I have no issues becomeing a 'greasemonkey'.

[MatsP]

Aprilia is another Italian company - it is not a Japanese company! But they have a decent reputation, and make some sweet looking bikes, that's for sure. If I had a lot of money, I'd get a RSV4 1000 - but they are hexpensive! And finding one used is probably a bit difficult.

--
Mats

[worton[pl]]

Hello,

well I guess differences in our chain/shaft mainetance opinions are caused by bikes we usually see around ;).
By older bike I was thinking about machines of 80/begining of 90 ;).

It is even more important to look at capacity than at transission (however I would say it needs a little bit different riding style and really it is good to check before buying a bike). However if you are a compact blondie it will be fine on any kind of bike. Unless you are going to take your boyfriend on longer holidays - and then problems usually begins.

A friend of mine let me ride his blackbird on a racing area. It was really splendid feeling. Much different than riding on a streets on cruiser. It testes your skills, your physicall and psychological efficiency in extreme situation, different level of feelings - it's cool on racing area and I think I can understand what you are talking about ;).

I've forgotten about this outlaws/harley issue in America .

My older brother used to have ducati and moto guzzi. I don't want to spoil italian companies or anybody who likes italian machines but they are not the best choice. Engines have few funny elements that will have to brake faster than japanese engines because of silly construction ;). And when buying a used motorcycle you have always take into consideration that you will have to fix something sooner than later.
But must say aprilla looks really great!

I'm not sure about bmw lubrication since I've never owned a bmw but cannot imagine it is much more expensive than a lubricant. If lubricant is really so expensive it should runs forever imho .
Or I haven't understood properly what is spline lube . However you have to lubricate chain that for sure, you have to check tightening also and correct it if needed. In shaft you just change lubricant usually something about 30000km-60000km. Changing lubricant takes 10 minutes and honda bikes need less than a glass of lubricant which cost something about 10$. Still it is about personal preference I guess so both will have supporters and opponents. I'm not trying to say that shaft is better ;) just to check everything before spending a lot of money on a machine to avoide disappointment.


Regards.