Forum Replies Created
Review of the Genuine Blur
-
AuthorPosts
-
MattParticipant
I’m surprised by all the cruiser suggestions… Going from a FZR to a cruiser?
I’d look at the Ninja 250/500, GS500 and Buell Blast. All four will do the speeds you want all day. All four are upright comfortable positions. All four are fairly low to the ground. Really, chosing between them is simply a matter of personal choice, but they’ll all serve you fine.
Blast has one ace if you have short legs: it has a lowered seat option that brings the seat down to 25″ – which is lower than some cruisers). But the stock seat on the othe three isn’t exactly sky scraping heigh.
+1 on BRC.
MattParticipantIt is amazing how everything changes in a year…
“wow… i didn’t really say all that above did i? famous last words… ” – QFT
Spaz (a few posts down) is dead on…
Hey Spaz, how many track days did you end up doing last year?I’m really pleased to see WeaponZero talking about SMs. I haven’t ridden one, but I want to. I’m avoiding them because I spend too much time on open roads and most SMs don’t have the fuel range I want (no sense falling for a bike that would make doing what I love much harder). The KTM seems to be the only real choice for a SM that can go on long trips. Which, when I look back at Weapon’s earlier posts makes me laugh, because an SM and a Sport Touring rig are pretty much polar opposites (big range, good comfy seat, vs no range and a 2×4 for a seat).
I have to roll my eyes at my own replies. I know what I meant, and I still stand behind it (you don’t need a purpose built big power sport touring bike to enjoy long sporting trips), but I really sound overly down on the bigger engines. It sounds like I’m arguing against big bikes, when I’m actually trying to argue for doing it on whatever you’ve got.
But I have upgraded (and I think WeaponZero will appreciate this).
Yes, I have moved up from my 250 (power wasn’t the big issue, vibes on long trips and leg room were the big factors – though I’m sure I’ll enjoy the new found power).I didn’t move to an adventure bike as originally planned – It is a 2005 SV650 Naked.
It’s been slightly hooliganised by the previous owner (Power Commander, Yosh pipe – man is that a rude sounding bike with a snap of the throttle). It now makes just shy of 80hp at the wheel – which is a real change from the roughly 30 I’m used to…
My plan is to give it a centre stand, touring seat, and saddlebags as time and money allow. And probably a few scrambler elements like a skid plate.Hooligan Touring.
I think that should be the next big bike niche. Take a hooligan bike (SV650, Street Triple, 690SM, Duke, etc) and give it hard bags and a comfy seat. The sensible and practical totally irresponsible ride for the kid who wants to see the world and just won’t grow up.
MattParticipantDon’t artificially limit yourself to these tow bikes.
They might be the only ones on the market right now, but it is the middle of winter, more will show up as spring fever hits people.
Remember: Never by the first bike you look at. It is surprisingly good advice.
MattParticipantPower on that bike is fairly manageable. If you are a timid rider, unsure of your abilities, it isn’t the bike for you (at the time it was a moderately large bike meant for people who had progressed up from 170s, 250s, or 350s). Certainly not an impossible bike to learn on, just not as easy as they come.
Look into parts and maintenance. Parts and mechanics who know bikes that old are getting few. Make sure you have a local mechanic who has experience and confidence with bikes that old. I can’t overstate the importance of having a good supply of parts for a bike that old.
MattParticipantEon, you are a bad bad man.
I thought scooter riders where supposed to be nice people.
January 31, 2009 at 2:54 pm in reply to: Ok, 600cc is not the best bike for a beginner, but what about 500cc? #16178MattParticipantThere is a review of both the Ninja 500 and the GS500 on this website.
If you simply must go with a bike bigger than 250cc, they are great bikes. They are not merely beginner bikes, both have long histories as very good inexpensive sport touring rides.
That said, wait until you’ve done your MSF before making a commitment to buy one. Things happen much faster on a 500R than on a 250R – especially when things start to go wrong. If you handle the MSF without concern, go for a 500. If you has reservations, give the 250 some more consideration.
Having started on a 500 myself, I’ll say one word of warning – that much power eggs you on. It is much easier to get in over your head (over confidence) on a 500 than a 250.
Its all about knowing yourself.
Ride safe.
MattParticipantBecause people are slaves to fashion.
But don’t worry about it, the 80s are cool again. Right now 70s retro designs are the thing (Ducati GT, Triumph Bonneville), very soon that’ll move to the 80s. Then it’ll be uncool to look like the 90s.
I still say the 80s sport bikes are some of the best looking sport bikes – the modern “killer bug” look can go take a hike
In the end, be proud of what you ride, because no one else actually cares what your bike looks like.
MattParticipantI own a pair.
I have them sized up so that I wear them as over pants.
I’ve worn them in freezing snow/drizzle, torential downpour, and blazing hot humidity. They’ve worked well enough in all situations.I recommend two things:
1- If you have a joe rocket jacket, ALWAYS do up the back connecting zipper (and if you don’t have a joe rocket jacket, it comes with an extra zipper that any seamstress and add/replace existing zipper with). The day you forget is the day your jacket rides up, pants ride down, and you get some very cold rain washing down your bum…
2- On longer rides wear bicycle shorts (padded lycra ones) under them. I find my comfort point is just shy of two hours in the Alteregos on my ZZR. With padded bike shorts (which are surprisingly uncomfortable to walk in) that moves up to all day, and my limits get set by my knees and lower back, not my butt.
For the bike shorts, they don’t have to be fancy, they just have to fit you right. I got mine for $30 at MEC.I hope your pants treat you as well as mine have treated me.
MattParticipantI’ve ridden the VLX, and personally, I like it. It is by no means a fast bike, I’d use the terms “laid back” and “smooth” to describe almost everything about it. Very good things in a cruiser imo.
The bike is very easy to hold up, but I find takes some effort in low speed cornering. It does weight 500 pounds, and thus takes soem extra skill when leaned over (you have to use the throttle to bring it upright smoothly after a corner).
My mother moved up to it after a year on the Rebel, so that helped immensley. As a first bike, I think the question would be, how well does someone handle the low speed MSF stuff on a Rebel. If they have no problem with it, the VLX is a fine first bike. If they find low speed, in particular leaning the bike over at low speeds to be troublesome, I’d recommend a lighter bike (the S40 comes to mind).With 30 pounds of torque, the VLX will handle any single-rider cruises without issue (again, smooth and laid back, not a speed demon). I’ve even met a guy who rode across the states on one and loved it.
The old Suzuki is certainly a good idea. Definitely cheaper, but again, I’d wait until after the MSF to make any final calls. My dad has a Suzuki GS450, and despite a low seat height, it has a fairly high center of gravity, which my Mom finds very hard to deal with. You might want to have your wife sit on it and do the lean test (you hold the handlebars from the front, and she leans the bike as far as she’s comfortable with). They’ll give her an idea of how heavy the bike is and if she’d be comfortable with its center of gravity before you invest the money fixing it up.
MattParticipantStarted or first owned?
Put my first few hundred miles on an ’83 GS450.
First bike owned was an ’84 Honda Interceptor 500.
Current ride is a 2003 ZZR-250 (no where near as exciting as the Interceptor, but much more forgiving, and much easier to maintain )MattParticipantTry it on in a store!
It’ll save a big headache, if something doesn’t fit, and it’ll let you compare the fits of various brands.
I don’t know the vancouver area at all, but I’d try all the big bike dealerships (as opposed to shops that “also sell bikes”), they tend to have a good selection of gear to try on. Also, if you plan on buying a bike (new or used) from a dealership, they’ll usually give you a discount on the gear if you buy it when you buy the bike. The discount tends to be about 15%, so it may still be cheaper to buy online. But there is something to be said for building a relationship with a good dealer.
MattParticipantI have said zipper on my gear, I ALWAYS do it up. Keeps both the jacket from riding up (can happen when leaned forward) and keeps the pants from moving down (happens all the time on long trips or when hunched forward).
That little zipper is a wonderful thing (doubly so in the rain).
MattParticipanthttp://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=402933
Apparently the F800R was shown at the Milan show in November.
Me, I like it. I’ll take it over a K or R bike and pocket the price difference for some gas money
—
“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”MattParticipantYea, but Height isn’t the only issue.
That machine has length and girth. I think I could park two of my ZZRs in the space one 1200GS (with bags) takes up. Simply put the R and K bikes (and a lot of the 1000+cc adventure bikes) offer a feeling of size that is just HUGE. The Triumph Tiger is another one I’ve sat on that, while narrower than the R1200GS, is still a very big machine.
And I’m not knocking it, it is what it is, and many people love it. But for me, the smaller 800 and 650 are nicer bikes.
As dcJohn says, I just wish there where more smaller adventure bikes in North America. Honda brought over the Veradero for Canada, but it too is a 1000cc machine. Why didn’t they bring over the Africa Twin?
I REALLY like the idea of the Buell ulysses. An adventure bike that only needs oil changes? Never need to adjust the belt or valves? Count me in! Too bad it only comes as a 1200. If I could get one with the 900 from they CityX I’d be happy.
—
“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”MattParticipantHaving ridden a BMW F (p twin 800) bike, I just can’t get excited about their K (inline four) or R (boxer twin) bikes. I just can’t see how I’d even need anything bigger than that. It is smooth, makes a great sound, got plenty of grunt and character, and sooo much lighter… You’d need to carry a lot of world-traveling gear to justify the 1200 over the 800 in my mind. And if you’ve sat on a R1200GS, you gotta admit, it makes the Versys feel small. The big R and K bikes are just huge machines (which some people want, but me I want to be able to lift my bike if it falls over).
I seriously think the BMW F is one of my favourite engines. It is a shame I don’t think the made the F800R (which looks a lot like the K1200R above in concept photos).
—
“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.” -
AuthorPosts