[briderdt]

Rider, Motorcyclist, and Cycle World. I can make it through a VERY interesting issue in a couple hours. Most are a half-hour or so. I skip the articles on: cruisers, touring bikes, huge displacement bikes, races, and the letters. Now you know why I get through them quickly…

[briderdt]

…under Harley-Davidson’s direction. They own Buell, you know.

And yes, the SVs has higher footpegs, though that is an easy fix with $25 riser plates installed upside down.

I understand not wanting to start modding a bike you’ve never ridden — the changes I’ve made have been over the last year (though I went from Heli-Bars to stock clip-ons). And I’ve been riding it all along.

[briderdt]

With Buell getting the axe, a lot of H-D dealers are slashing the prices on them. And I think if I found a local 1125r under $5K out the door, I’d be hard-pressed to pass it up, in spint of the fact that I JUST paid off my SVs, I’m going through a divorce and will have to carry the house moortgage on my own… If my house refinance had gone through already, I’d be still better than even if I got the bike at $8K… And I called a local dealer who has them on sale for $7095 before TTL.

But I’m exercising my discipline and NOT getting that second bike yet. It’s maybe a good thing that the refi hasn’t gone through.

By the way, you DO know you can replace the triples on the SVs with the SVn ones and install standard bars, right? It’s not a zero-dollar swap, for sure (probably run you maybe $300 including the cables and controls,much of which you could recupe in selling the S triples and clips.

[briderdt]

‘Grats, and I hope it goes well. I’m not local there… Wish I were.

So, about a full-size picture… About 48″x60″ will do…

[briderdt]

What Buell dealerships? Really.

Sure, they’re marketed only in the H-D shops. There are, what, 5 within a half-hour drive of my house. And I went to EVERY ONE of them looking specifically for the Buells. And only ONE of them had more than maybe 3-4 bikes on the floor. DOZENS of Harleys. 3-4 Buells, and only the one (the one next to Renton Motorcycles) had the Blast and the 1125r.

So the complaint that people wouldn’t go into the dealership to look for a sport bike is spot on — one because most people who weren’t savvy to the industry wouldn’t even look at a Buell to begin with, and second, because even the ones who did had a hard time finding them, even with FIVE H-D dealerships close by.

[briderdt]

I may have even said this before…

Anyway, I used to bike race. A lot. One year I did a mountain bike race that started on a track for one lap, then went into the trails. So that first lap was a mad dash to get position before the track narrowed. I didn’t sprint it out and go into oxygen dept like every one else, so I was being passed. A lot. One guy bumped me on the right side, no problem. Then one guy swiped me on the left and took my handlebars with him. I went down hard, bike flying 5′ into the air… Broken collar bone (bad), season done.

So I missed a whole summer of riding. But the next year I was back out there. And I found myself absolutely FREAKING OUT if I had riders on both sides of me. I’d soon find myself spat out the back of the pack because I’d get to the side of the peleton and push wind.

It literally took me 3 years to get over that. And still, to this day I prefer a position at the side of the pack, with at least one escape route, to being in the middle of a group.

So it can take time. Be patient with your sense of self-preservation.

[briderdt]

Beat me to the exact same response by 5 minutes…

[briderdt]

Most likely the rider could stand to lose at least that much… And it would be a better place to lose it — higher up.

[briderdt]

You’re looking at a newer model, obviouisly, but I’ll comment on the mpg…

I’ve tracked it all year, with a break in July (the last time I actually calculated it). At that point my overall AVERAGE was 60 mpg. And that was up from an overall average of 57 from February through May, so when my highway riding kicked in, the mpg went UP. BTW — that 60 number is the average that went February to July, so in the May-July time it was well above that.

I’m not a speed demon, but I’m not a granny either. No squidly riding. No hypermiling.

And it’s the only bike I’ve ridden, so I can’t compare it to an I-4 600 weight wise or handling wise. And I can’t comment on the ABS at all.

[briderdt]

Honda has a 250 Hornet that sells… elsewhere. Aprillia does too.

And these manufacturers just HAND the entire market segment of the US to Kawasaki and the Ninja 250.

I don’t get it.

[briderdt]

I started out on a SV650s. Yup, the sport-bike version. And I was doing “okay” after I got used to the on/off feeling of the throttle. Then I took the MSF class on a Honda 250 Nighthawk, and was about to pitch the bike in favor of a Ninja 250. But I stuck it out. And now, a year later, I’m almost to where I think I’m getting kind of smooth with it, and that I can trust myself enough to take a passenger in short trips around the neighborhood.

My ideas of “upgrading” are to one of 3 possiblities (at this point, always subject to change):
*A used, wrecked Ninja 250 to rat out.
*A Buell 1125r. Love the look of that bike. And it’s a V-twin also.
*A Yamaha FJR for some all-day comfort and for easy 2-up riding.

But really, I’m not in any hurry.

I’d caution you to not be in a hurry either.

[briderdt]

…then why not wait until you know you can ride it without (a) dumping it, or (b) killing yourself with it?

It’s not like the manufacturers are going to stop building them.

And it’s not the engine size that’s the problem on these things. Heck, the SV650 has a larger displacement engine. But it’s considered a somewhat beginner friendly bike due to the power delivery (consistent, even power delivery over the RPM range).

[briderdt]

…but it makes it easier to move the CG away from the bike centerline.

[briderdt]

Look where the person’s HEAD is relative to the bike centerline, and the resulting center-of-gravity position.

There’s a lot of criticism of people hanigng their butt off the seat in a corner and thinking they’re doing a lot of good. Pic 4 shows exactly why this is like tilting at windmills — it’s activity, but does no good at all. Lean your head (and upper body tends to follow) to get the CG lower into the corner, and keep the bike itself more upright.

BUT… (and this is a big but) Is this really necessary on the street? In 99.9% of situations on public roads, I say no. In fact, it’s probably even a bad idea. Gravel, sand, water, traffic… Even if you know the road, some one could have gone onto the shoulder and sprayed gravel into the turn. It’s not a swept track. Sure, having the skill so you can adjust mid-corner if needed can come in handy. I just don’t think it’s a good practice on public roadways.

[briderdt]

I was talking with a co-worker who also rides, and we were talking about traffic and such. I mentioned that, in some 11 months of riding, I haven’t even had a close call. His response: Well, you ride a bright yellow bike and carry a flame orange backpack.

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