[madjak30]

I bought a “new to me” bike today…the GS500 is going on Kijiji and should be sold by next weekend…what did I finally decide on…

1. 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250S
2. 2006 Yamaha MT-01
3. 2009 Suzuki M90
4. 2006 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom

Hmm…well, it wasn’t the Bandit…couldn’t find a 2007 that was reasonably priced…found a new 2009, but they wouldn’t lower the price other than the Suzuki incentives…the only Suzuki M90 I found used was only $700 cheaper than the NOS 2009 on the show room floor…I found a nice V-strom, but I just couldn’t get past the looks and sound (not really true, it was 2hrs away…but that was the reason to spend an extra $1000 to the wifey…)

Yup…I have a 2006 Yamaha MT-01 in my garage…HOLY CRAP, what a bike…1670cc of pure torque…not lots of Hp, but it damn near pulls the bars out of your hands from a stop…

I’m going on a ride tomorrow, so I will have ride footage and some pics from the ride…should be awesome…

I can’t beleive the wifey let me buy a bike…woo hoo…

Later.

[eon]

Congrats. Looking forward to the pics and hearing how your ride went. That’s a lot of bike

[TrialsRider]

HA! …I guessed it without reading ahead

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…is that a tiny little horn right behind the front tire?

[madjak30]

Looks like an after thought…??…but your link to you pic isn’t showing up for me…broken link?

Later.

[madjak30]

Well, it is much heavier…570ish lbs…compared to the 420ish lbs of my GS500…riding position is very similar, but more leg room (was on it for 5 ish hours today, no sore knees…WOO HOO)

The torque of the engine takes some getting used to…twist the throttle and it reacts…RIGHT NOW…and the engine braking is just as abrupt…so it is a good measure of your throttle control (I need practice)

Another thing to get used to is the redline…at 5500rpm the rev limiter kicks in, and after riding the GS500 with a redline @ 11,000rpm…it will take some getting used to…

The ride is better for me…no bottoming out of suspension…but it doesn’t turn as easily…partially the weight and partially due to the way wider profile tires…190’s on this thing…

Engine vibration…well, 1670cc V-Twin…it’s what you expect…the mirrors tell you there is something back there, but you have no idea what it is…the seat and pegs smooth out around 2500rpm, but the mirrors just get a little less vibey…not the end of the world…

Seat height is perfect for me @ 32.5″

And the bikes looks are not for everyone…I really like it, but others…well, let’s just say they don’t really care for the look…

You really have to look at the bike as a cruiser…a cruiser that turns and stops really, really well…and if you close your eyes and just listen to the bike, that is not hard…the sound is awesome if you enjoy the sound of a V-Twin (not the straight pipe obnoxios sound)…

So here are a few pics of the bike and some of the ride today…

Saturday afternoon after picking it up…

From the ride…

Later.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

All bikes are give and take. A heavier bike is more comfortable for long trips, but does not corner as well. Wide tires with good treads look nicer and have more grip, but turn in slower.

I am hoping to have my new bike some time either this week or next week. Motorcycle spring fever got both of us.

I had to get another password and switch from Firefox to Explorer, to get past the messed up CAPTCHA.

[madjak30]

You just have to allow you browser to display the unsecure data…if you trust the site, it’s okay…atleast that is how I am going to proceed…

I now have over 1300kms (800miles) on the new bike…I have sorted out some fuel consumption issues and added a windscreen…

Here’s some new pics of the bike…

Later.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

The Yamaha MT-01 got better front brakes for 2007- you may want to add a stainless steel reinforced front brake hose, and maybe HH version front brake pads. If you add the custom exhaust, it has more of a Britten look. Here is a review:

http://www.mcnews.com.au/Testing/Yamaha/2007_mt-01/Yamaha_MT01_Rreview.htm

I should get my new bike next week if it ever stops raining, for $5,500 with 350 miles on it. It retailed for $7,200 in 2008. Here is one review for it:

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2005/02/14february05_zzr600/

[madjak30]

Their average consumption was 7.5L/100kms (31mpg)…you would do better than that in a Honda Accord sedan…but even when I was playing alot with the torque, the worst tank I had was 7L/100kms (34mpg)…the best I have done yet is 6.1L/100kms (39mpg), not incredible but decent for what it is…a muscle bike…

The average right now is 6.5L/100kms (36mpg), which I can live with…fuel light comes on around 185kms (115miles)…pretty much ready for a break at that point anyway…just a little off what I am used to with my GS500 @ 4.9L/100kms (48mpg) and a 20L tank…I usually hit reserve at 300kms (188miles)…but what do you expect on a bike that has a big motor and a small tank…??

But there is no comparisson in the fun quotient…

Later.

[Author]

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