yeah if you've got 3k to spend you'll get a helluva lot more bike out of going metric

12/5/2011 8:44:14 AM

Never buy a bike that isn't running unless you know exactly what you're doing. "Needs battery and carbs cleaned" is craigslist retard-speak for "my shit won't run and I don't have a clue why".

Not to mention $3k will buy a real bike, made in the last 5 years, and something that's actually running like a top.

12/5/2011 12:14:49 PM

The bike belongs to my father in law. Due to medical reasons, it's probably safer if he retires from the motorcycle community... The bike has been sitting for probably 6 months (hence new battery, carbs cleaned, etc.). In the last 6 years I've seen the bike run flawlessly. I want to make him a offer on it since he's considering selling since he probably won't ride it anymore. I see that one in "excellent" condition (new tires/battery/just serviced) runs around $4k. Upon inspection, I'll see if he takes up to $2k for it.

I'm really in the market for A Shadow Phantom, but I don't want to spend $6,500 just yet for a bike.

[Edited on December 5, 2011 at 12:33 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2011 12:32:22 PM

why don't you just ask him to let to hold it and keep it in good working condition until he gets ready to sell?

12/5/2011 1:23:10 PM

That's a thought...

12/5/2011 2:34:08 PM

12/5/2011 6:23:02 PM

In that case, I would just ask him if you can fix it up and take it out once in a while until he can sell it in the spring. At least then you will know that it runs and get to play with it a bit while you look for a real motorcycle. If it's only been sitting for 6 months, I'd put the battery on a charger, a quarter can of Seafoam in the tank with fresh gas, and a fresh oil change.

Six months isn't really a long time for a bike to sit, but if you have any hope of avoiding a deep clean, I'd get it out and do that stuff asap. At least if it's going back into storage for a while, put Sta-bil in it before you park it so the carb doesn't get nasty. Fortunately, the carb on there is pretty easy to get to, and relatively easy to clean should the need arise.

12/5/2011 9:24:27 PM

I was just going north on glenwood and as I came to the red light at peace st. i noticed the single headlight of a bike coming the opposite way...and I suppose he saw me too because he pulled that super cool move where he revved his engine over and over as if I wasn't aware of what an evo motor sounds like.

he made a right onto peace st. and once he was headed straight, much to my surprise, he dropped the hammer and gunned it. Hilariously, a cop was parked with his lights off right on the corner and as soon as he opened it up he got the blues and a woop-woop.

Now I never like to see a biker pulled over but if you're gonna be a douche I suppose you got it coming to you. This is not to say that I am not occasionally a douche, but I try not to do it, you know, in the downtown drinking district at midnight. I laughed pretty hard.

The point: Why did he get pulled over? Even gunning it there was no way that he got above the speed limit before the cop lit him up. While his pipes were loud, they weren't any louder than any of the other open-pipe cruisers you see every day...and cops are usually pretty sympathetic to bikers. What do you think?

12/6/2011 12:33:53 AM

There are things that are illegal, and there are things that aren't against any law, but that cops don't like. Only one of those conditions needs to be met before you can get into trouble. It's not right, but unless more people raise hell when it happens to them (which generally takes time, money, and a certain sort of personality that most people don't have), then shit like that will happen.

12/6/2011 1:51:38 AM

^^^^ I can't stop watching that...

12/6/2011 1:52:28 AM

I'm selling my GTI as most of you know, and I'm getting trade offers for bikes.
I've never ridden before, but I do like the idea. I had a motorcycle permit for a while when I was thinking about buying a bike a few years ago.
Anyway, my questions are as follows:
How much bike am I getting in the $7-8k range?
One offer for example was an 07 CBR600RR with 7.5k miles on it. Would I kill myself?
What type of bikes should I be looking at if I would possibly want to drive to work on it (62 miles each way, 2.5 hours total each day)?
Am I stupid for thinking about commuting on one?
Anything else I'm not thinking about?

12/12/2011 11:16:41 AM

Never ridden before + $8k bike + 2.5 hour commute = R.I.P. bro

12/12/2011 11:49:53 AM

You can get a lot of bike for 7-8k. That's more than enough for most new-ish sportbikes, good cruisers, standards, etc.
You wouldn't necessarily kill yourself on a CBR600, but if you don't have experience it isn't a bad thing to start on something a little more sedate, like an SV or something.
For a commute, I'd probably get something like an FZ6.
No. I commuted for almost two years on an R6, would do it again if I hadn't sold the bike(and I probably will begin doing it again when I get another one)
Gear, gas, tires. The little costs add up quickly. Other than that, as long as you've got another car/truck for carrying stuff, there's little to worry about.

12/12/2011 11:50:45 AM

knowing MaximaDrvr, He'd be fine on a new bike. But yeah, 7-8k can practically net you a new bike. Shit, you could probably go to a dealer and get last year model's for that price with 0 miles. Honestly, I wouldn't spend no more than 6k for an 07 600cc model, even if its pristine with some light mods and less than 10k miles.

I would say, go to some dealerships and sit on them, they all are basically the same performance; find something that feels ergonomically good for your size and height. Honda 600rr's aren't known for being good street bikes since their seat posture is pretty aggressive and their seats are harder than diamonds, Although 07+ kinda fixes comfort a bit. R6 and gixxers are pretty comfy IMHO.

In terms of commuting, I rode to school for two years from Apex to Asheboro and it sucked most days (600rr). Although on the good, nice weather days, I did do some back road fun around liberty; nothing crazy since I was carrying gear that were 10x the cost of the bike. It got pretty dicey when I rode in 16 degrees one morning and there was black ice on the road. I did fine, but damn, I was more scared of dodging cars than actually worrying about the actual ice.

12/12/2011 1:24:34 PM

I have my juke that I drive now.
15220 miles in 4 months.
I was looking around, and I think I like bikes in the sport cruiser category.

12/12/2011 3:36:12 PM

Busa. get something big and comfortable if you're gonna commute 2.5 hours on it.

12/12/2011 3:41:00 PM

If you're spending that much time commuting on it, forget anything supersport/racebike. I log about 1-1.5 hours a day on an SV and it's plenty comfortable, but I've done a fair amount of mods to get the ergonomics to the point where it's tolerable, much less pleasant, to spend hours at a time on it. I'm assuming you've gotten more offers than the CBR - anything else?

Knowing you, I don't think you would necessarily be overwhelmed by the power of anything, but the ergonomics of most bikes are not geared toward rider comfort - it's almost exclusively aesthetics, performance, or a little bit of both.

For serious commuting/touring on a sport-like-bike, think more Triumph Sprint/Tiger, Kawasaki Concours/Versys, Suzuki GSX1250F/V-strom, Honda VFR, etc.

[Edited on December 12, 2011 at 3:54 PM. Reason : examples]

12/12/2011 3:51:31 PM

Quote :

"How much bike am I getting in the $7-8k range? One offer for example was an 07 CBR600RR with 7.5k miles on it. Would I kill myself? What type of bikes should I be looking at if I would possibly want to drive to work on it (62 miles each way, 2.5 hours total each day)? Am I stupid for thinking about commuting on one? Anything else I'm not thinking about?"

1. you're getting too much bike if you're looking at a sport or naked as your first bike, if you're dropping 7k+
2. that bike is worth 5k max and while you wouldn't kill yourself, you would be well served by starting on something like a dirt bike or cheap standard before hopping on a modern sport bike. if your goal is only commuting, no real performance skill is required but it will be hard to build starting on something so fast.
3. if you want to commute that far, ignore all suggestions for a naked imo. you want wind protection, an upright riding position, and a medium to large motor. an fjr, bmw, concours, those crazy triumphs or mv agustas or the like would be decent, though I'm not certain what gas savings you'll get over a car that gets 35+mpg hwy.
4. maybe? it depends on your route. I don't enjoy riding on highways or much of any street riding besides mostly low speed hooliganry on a supermoto. I'm spoiled and value the comforts of my car and the adrenaline rush of the track and lesser thrills aren't worth the risk any more.
5. is a bike something you're looking at as a way to have fun or just to save gas? if it's the latter, I'd forget a bike for commuting. if it's the previous, I'd get a dirt bike in addition, take some schools/ride off road, and then take your new rocket to the track and forget riding on the street.

[Edited on December 12, 2011 at 4:15 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2011 4:12:52 PM

You guys don't get it.

Anytime a n00b asks which bike to get, always reply 'busa.

12/12/2011 5:08:47 PM

The CBR was the offer worth the most based on google. They are all sport bikes. I'm guessing people are trying to get a car for winter.

12/12/2011 7:59:00 PM

Quote :

"If you're spending that much time commuting on it, forget anything supersport/racebike."

Absolutely. I've owned a couple of race-replicas, and I love them and want another...but they are pretty pointless unless you plan to track them. Something a rung or two down the performance ladder will still be hotter than you can use on the street if you have any sense whatsoever, and much more livable day-to-day.

I also owned an SV...they can be had for dirt cheap (got mine for $1500; sold it for $2300...it was a good bike in good shape). They're a great do-it-all bike.

If he's going to be commuting that far that often, and can spend a little more than $1500-3000 for an SV, I would get a V-Strom 650 for slightly more. If he can spend just a little more than that, I would get a used BMW: hell-and-back longevity, decades of pedigree and engineering for racking up huge miles on a motorcycle, sometimes polarizing but in my view fantastic style that few of the Japanese bikes can match, and the same sort of blend that their cars achieve of comfort/practicality/performance, where they aren't the best at any of those, but are really good at all of them.

I haven't shopped prices to see if any of these are good deals: just made a quick search of what's available...

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/2723502602.html
http://greensboro.craigslist.org/mcy/2736033787.html

Dad had one of these...more on the "touring" side of "sport touring". This is a legit transcontinental bike, so your lengthy work commute will be easy money. Far, far sportier ride than big full dresser Harley Davidsons, Gold Wings, etc...not at all the same sort of bike.


http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/2717658286.html
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/2714689186.html

Never ridden one of these...it's a middle of the road standard. Don't sweat the miles; it has at least another 100k left in it, if not 200k.


Unfortunately, I didn't see an example in the cities I looked at in NC on Craigslist of either of my two favorite modern BMWs: the R1200S (if you want something on the sportier end of the spectrum), or the R1150GS or R1200GS (if you want something that can cruise the interstate across America, off-road across Africa, or be a mega-badass urban assault motorcycle). The GS bikes look sort of weird and tend to really hold their value...people no-shit run them on racetracks, ride them off-road across pretty much every continent, or cruise the highways across the country with them, though.

R1200S:
http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2007-BMW-R1200S-101080595

R1150GS:
http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2001-BMW-R1150GS-100786480

R1200GS:
http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2005-Bmw-R-1200-GS-100435555

(the 1200GS is a newer model and most of them are still gonna be much more expensive...and really more than you shoudl spend on your first bike, in my opinion. Get something reasonably priced, learn to ride, if you drop it it won't be a catastrophe, and learn what you want in a motorcycle.)

12/12/2011 8:38:33 PM

r1200s is a pretty badass bike. I wouldn't mind racing one in heavy weight superbike

12/12/2011 10:15:43 PM

I hopped on a gsxr 600 for my first bike and did just fine.

12/13/2011 1:17:41 AM

cept you spent how much on that shitty purple bike? getting it jetted and just repainting it like 4 times? Should have went with that shitty 01 r6 as your first bike, that one was fun.

12/13/2011 4:22:30 AM

can someone who is 6'4 ride a sports bike and not look ridiculous?

12/15/2011 11:24:15 AM

gs500, ex500, sv650

This gets asked every 2 pages.

12/15/2011 11:43:16 AM

^^ of course you can. You might not be too comfortable on most of them, but I think it's a stretch to say that you would look ridiculous.

12/15/2011 12:59:17 PM

I mean, you won't be a 5'4", 135 lb Japanese sportbike jockey (or MotoGP racer)...but you won't look ridiculous, for whatever difference that makes anyway.

You'll be fucking uncomfortable, but everybody is fucking uncomfortable on those bikes. Comfort isn't a design consideration on them, nor should it be.

Quote :

"r1200s is a pretty badass bike. I wouldn't mind racing one in heavy weight superbike"

Yeah, they give me major wood. I think they look cool; they would be a great day-to-day motorcycle as well as weekend toy that would be fun to take to the track a couple of times per year.

12/15/2011 8:47:08 PM

You are right jbaz that srad sucked. Only one paint job it got! The r6 was fun. Especially all that bondo that we put on the tank. Lol it survived the wreck too. I forget what I did with that thing. Oh yeah I traded it for the ram 4x4 XD

12/16/2011 8:42:16 AM

sometimes i miss my vmax and then i remember i enjoy life.

12/16/2011 6:06:36 PM

haha, if I was going to have a fleet of motorcycles, I'd want a VMax to be one of them.

12/16/2011 6:09:03 PM

honestly out of all the frightening characteristics the bike possessed the worst was it was so damn heavy.

best sounding bike ive ever had (2004 w/ kerkers).

idling and riding around town around 3k-4k rpm it sounded like a cammed-up big block

12/16/2011 6:50:22 PM

BMW r1150r. I am seriously considering this motorcycle. I'd like an r1200r, but they are nearly double the price of a r1150r and I can't find a reason to justify the extra $4k, despite them being ~40lbs lighter and 25% more powerful than the predecessor.

12/16/2011 7:30:31 PM

that chassis and riding positions are completely different as well

12/16/2011 7:51:26 PM

Any ins. advice from my fellow motorcycle riders?

12/16/2011 9:31:17 PM

geico is very reasonable for me-

but i have a harley.

12/16/2011 10:05:31 PM

progressive for liability

12/17/2011 5:20:52 AM

geico was about 3 times more than progressive for full coverage on my fz6

12/17/2011 7:31:00 AM

yeah, I went with progressive this last time, way better than geico and cheaper.

12/17/2011 12:25:43 PM

http://ducati1199.com/ducati-1199/143-54-pictures-2012-ducati-1199s.html



mmmm

12/20/2011 3:31:32 PM

If I had the loot... I'd be on one of these

12/22/2011 8:58:16 AM

god... those bikes must weight like nothing... looks fun.

12/23/2011 4:00:13 AM

Got about 500 miles in over new years, included a trip to the blue ridge parkway via NC80 aka the devils staircase with my brother on his sv650sf. good times

1/2/2012 5:45:57 PM

[Edited on January 3, 2012 at 3:14 PM. Reason : -]

1/3/2012 3:13:54 PM

straight committment, right there.

1/3/2012 3:39:01 PM

Rode to work this morning and finally owned up to the realization that I need heated grips. 'Tis fucking cold these days.

1/3/2012 5:23:10 PM

^^^ that's an isle of man rider

1/3/2012 7:55:01 PM

That's Josh Brookes at Cadwell Park. But yeah, he races the IOMTT too.

1/7/2012 1:36:36 PM

Quote :

"Rode to work this morning and finally owned up to the realization that I need heated grips. 'Tis fucking cold these days."

Asked my parts guy the other day specifically about heated grips. His answer was "heated gloves are better"

Might look into a pair, tis getting colder. But the 60 deg days are nice also in between.

1/7/2012 2:00:20 PM

^ http://www.ncsportbikes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=32790

1/8/2012 9:43:47 AM