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You’re well on your way to doing what most people can never do. Stay strong, and keep up that drive!

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If I’m having too much trouble torquing the throttle during a turn, I’ll use the opposite bar for steering instead. For instance, if you’re doing a tight U-turn to the right and need precise throttle control, really clamp in with the legs, focus on being light and loose with your right arm/hand, and do the steering with your left. That means, obviously that you will have to reverse your inputs (to turn right, pull left, or at slow speeds, push left).

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They have less peak horsepower than the previous generation as a result of being tuned for more midrange. While this means it will tug a bit more in your normal driving powerband, you’ll be “slower.”

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My spacial and behavioral awareness has increased tremendously to the point where I haven’t been surprised once in the car in the last year or more. I now seem to notice every dumbass pulling stunts leaving warning signals way in advance. It’s just expected when they do something sudden or erratic. Or selfish.

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…why not a Yamaha FZ6R?

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For street riding, sportbikes haven’t changed a whole helluva lot in the last 10 years. Most of the improvements in said bikes are seen on the track at high speeds. That said, what you’ll get with an older sportbike is a lot more weight. My friends mid-90s CBR weighed close to 600 lbs wet.

Honestly, if I didn’t love the track, I might not have a GSX-R at all. I’d maybe have a torquey naked (I do have my eye on those Triumphs…), but the track orientation of the gixxer is really a comfort-killer on the streets. The irony is that, among sportbikes, the gixxers are known for being “street-friendly,” and while I’m sure you can find plenty of sportbike enthusiasts that insist that they’re “friendly enough,” there’s just no comparison against a street-focused bike.

Listen, if you really want this, nobody but you is going to stop it from happening. You just can’t kid yourself about what you’re getting into. These are not easy bikes to ride, and the standard worry of straight-line power is NOT the main reason. If you’re up to it and you’re ready to put in the long, long practice hours required to become fully proficient at things like low-speed first-gear maneuvering, body positioning, smooth throttle application, smooth and progressive braking, etc, then you might consider a 600 or 750 made in the last 10 years.

I would not get a sportbike that’s 25 years old just so you can afford it, however. Trying so hard to force this issue should be sign #1 that you’re not able to see things objectively.

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I don’t know about you, but if I messed up my hands, my life would really start to suck. I’m a software developer and musician; if I lost fine motor control or sensitivity, I’d be out of a job and my favorite hobby/activity all at once.

Gloves protect you from the elements, from yellowjackets, from chunks of rock and asphalt flung up by truck tires, and of course, from road rash and broken bones in the case of an accident. Open fingered gloves might feel better or look better to you, but motorcycle gloves don’t come with open-fingers. If you have half-finger gloves, you’re probably using a pair of lifting gloves or driving gloves, in which case your virtually unprotected. Those aren’t meant to crash, and as you now know, they don’t keep your hands protected when you’re on the bike either.

Get yourself a pair of legit motorcycle gloves. They’re a huge range, in both style and price, from $30 wrist-length vented mesh to $400 double-thickness kangaroo race gauntlet. There’s gotta be something for you in that range. If not, you might as well not well gloves at all.

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Any helmet is a “lid.”

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Well put eon.

I wasn’t saying not to use the choke. As eon seems to be echoing, I endorse the following:

1) Use the minimum amount of choke to get the bike to start.

2) Once it starts, start riding!

3) Once you’re moving, and especially if you don’t have any stops or intersections for a while, ease the choke back off. It only takes a couple of blocks for the engine to be warm enough where what you (SF) describe — where the engine fumbles when getting going again — won’t happen.

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UPDATE: Images don’t seem to be working, so they’re also linked

Streetfighter: A race-tuned sportbike that has been stripped of fairings and other bodywork, detuned for more torque (potentially at the cost of horsepower), and given a more upright riding position. Examples: Triumph Speed Triple (below) and Street Triple, Ducati Streetfighter, Suzuki Bandit, Honda CB1000R (NOT to be confused with CBR1000, the liter sportbike), etc.

Triumph Speed Triple

Chopper: Not to be confused with “cruiser,” a chopper is typically a cruiser that, somewhat analogously to the sportbike->streetfighter transformation, is stripped of unnecessary parts and bodywork, and, most importantly, had its frame modified (usually “chopped”) to lower the seat and dramatically increase rake and trail. Historically, choppers are custom-built one-off bikes, though their rise in popularity has given way to some chopper-focused manufacturers. Example below (Big Dog “Wolf”):

Big Dog “Wolf” chopper

Fender eliminator: Many sportbikes ship with gnarly plastic fenders. Fender eliminator kits range from a screwdriver to a replacement bit of bodywork meant to create an attractive and fenderless rear end. Example below (Suzuki GSX-R600):

Before:

After:

Hanging off: The practice used by racers on the track of moving their bodyweight towards the inside of a corner, hanging closer to the ground than the bike carrying them. Example (John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki team):

John Hopkins pulling an embarrassing (for us) lean angle

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I stand by this:

Correct use of choke

Warming up your engine

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It’s about 1-2 hours of labor, oil, an oil filter, and maybe a few other little things. Expensive for sure, but not at all unreasonable.

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Once you’re moving you shouldn’t need the choke anymore. Riding with the choke on will really change the engine response as it runs too rich. Use the choke to get the bike started and get moving, but as soon as you’re in gear and on your way, you can ease it off. The bike will warm up plenty quickly under load, even in very cold weather.

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This has got to be one of my favorite moto-related YouTube vids. There’s just something about “oops” vids in which a) it’s entirely caused by the victim’s bad judgment, b) nobody gets hurt (seriously), and c) the context is comedic. Check, check, and check. A touch of road rash might do Mr. Long-Sleeves a bit of good

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Do you leave the clutch on while you ride?

[Author]

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