[WeaponZero]

For me it would be:

STANDARD
Suzuki Bandit 1200S. It’s got everything that standards are all about in spades. There’s a difference between an actual standard and a naked sportbike, and a lot of people dont seem to realize that.

SPORT
Once upon a time, Kawasaki’s Ninja line of motorcycles were known for being not only capable track weapons, but also superb street machines, even tour-worthy. Unfortunately, the 2003 revamp of the entire Ninja lineup pretty much destroyed that concept when they replaced the ZX-9R Ninja (perhaps the ultimate STREET sportbike of its time) with the track scratching ZX-10R. If I could, I would get the most pristine examples of the ZX-9R I could find. If that wasn’t a possibility, then I’d go with the Honda VFR800FI Interceptor.

TOURING
Honda ST1300 ABS. It’s got everything I’ll ever need in a touring bike.

CRUISER
Honda VTX1800. That thing is sexy and has tons of performance while still being everything a boulevard cruiser should be.

ADVENTURE
Probably the Kawasaki KLR650. It may not be as street-cushy as the BMW GS series but if I did have multiple bikes, I’d want this one to be leaning a little bit more toward the off road area.

(had to add 2 more categories because I felt you missed them)
NAKED SPORT/STREETFIGHTER
As I mentioned above, I feel that standards and naked sports/streetfighters are two different kinds of bikes with two different purposes, and the only thing they share is looks. My ideal naked sportbike/streetfighter would be the Kawasaki Z1000, because, well, it’s a beast, but it’s a lightweight beast.

MOTARD
After taking my license test/MSF course on a little Yamaha TW200 dual sport, I have come to really love these types of bikes. The defacto benchmark example of it is the KTM 690 Duke, and with good reason. And if I could get it, I would in a heartbeat.

[WeaponZero]

just because youre 5’11” doesnt mean you should start looking at those kinds of bikes for your first. bikes like full dresser tourers and goldwings are very bad choices for anyone just starting out. i think that before you worry about things like stuffing a complete set of saddlebags full and going away for a weekend you should learn the fundamentals. if youre leaning toward the cruiser side of things then a solid choice for you may be the yamaha V-Star 650, and throw some saddlebags and a windshield on it later. other good choices are the honda shadow series (the 750cc ones).

as far as sporty tourers go, theres hard bags available for the suzuki DL650 v-strom and kawasaki versys that allow you to pack enough in there for a weekend trip easy. hell, yesterday i saw a guy pulling up to a hotel on a DL650 with hard bags, a top box, and a tank bag. all that together holds a lot of stuff and it is most certainly a capable sport touring rig.

[WeaponZero]

The calf of the boot is just fine for me as well. But the heat from them is killing me when its 80+ degrees due to the fact that theyre black, leather, and have absolutely no air flow whatsoever. I’m looking into probably getting a paid of Icon Tarmac Ventilated Riding Shoes.

[WeaponZero]

I used to play WoW. I quit shortly before the expansion that increased the level cap to 80 was released. At the time I had 3 level 70s: a Rogue, a Shaman, and a Warrior. I was in the process of levelling up a mage alt. I was a strictly PVP player who never did any PVE/raiding at all unless it was to help out friends. In the end I quit cause I found a game that more suited the way I played (casually and strictly for PVP), EVE Online. Its more involved on a mental and intellectual standpoint but the fact that your character essentially “levels” himself while youre offline means you dont have to invest nearly as much time into actually playing. I’ve been playing it for almost 2 years now and love it. I also love that I don’t have to take time out from riding to make sure my character always stays at the top.

[WeaponZero]

Wildlife-wise, only things I’ve seen up here in Pittsburgh were deer and turkeys, and down in FL I had a few close encounters of the gator kind.

Most wild thing I’ve seen though on my bike was a mercedes driving the wrong way down a one way street.

Most wild thing I’ve seen involving a bike was in 1998 in Boca Raton, FL. A man on a brand new Yamaha R1 was killed crossing an intersection by an elderly woman driving a Ford Expedition who ran a red light. She didn’t stop after she hit him either, she just kept going like nothing had happened. It was in the newspaper the next day and in the article it stated he has just bought the bike brand new from the dealership and was riding it home from picking it up. I remember the year because it was the first year of the R1.

[WeaponZero]

I haven’t done any research really into the footwear area yet. All I know is that I own a pair of Tourmaster Solution WP Waterproof Boots in size 13 and they fit my feet perfectly once broken in. I need to get a pair of non-waterproofs as well for summer riding, because anything that is waterproof you will also roast in when its hot out.

[WeaponZero]

Based on the specs alone I wouldn’t discount it as a viable first bike for a beginner, but the truth is there’s more to it than that. You have to understand that as a learner it’s not a matter of WILL you drop your bike/lay it down, it’s a matter of WHEN will you drop it/lay it down. For that reason alone I would advise against ANYONE buying anything other than a Harley/Buell, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha for their first bike, because more than with any other bike you will ever own, you have to take repair cost into consideration when looking into your first bike. Moto Guzzis are hard to obtain parts for and there aren’t many shops that service them, and the repairs you will need will cost lots of money in both labor and parts.

But of course, things may be different where you’re from if you’re not in the US/Canada. Maybe you’re in Europe or some other area where Moto Guzzis are as common as Harleys are here, and parts and service are more readily available at a reasonable price.

Regardless of what kind of bike you buy, or how new/old it is, or even what condition its in, if you’re passionate about riding, your bike will become your baby, and you will want to treat it like a piece of fine jewelry thats been handed down to you from an ancestor. So you might as well make it easier on yourself to maintain and repair it for your first one considering all the repairs it will likely need.

[WeaponZero]

not sure, because highway miles imply running at high RPM for hours on end i guess. track miles are high RPM but arent consistent over the course of hours.

[WeaponZero]

cant find any info regarding specific mileage, but most people who say it went bad say it went bad with their battery. highway mileage they say is one of the worst things for it.

[WeaponZero]

I’m a clerk at the Allegheny County Health Department’s Tuberculosis Reasearch & Treatment Center in Pittsburgh, PA. I mostly just do data entry and answer phones, but there have been a few occasions where I had to play Doctor. You’d be surprised how many doctors out there are idiots. It’s scary. Also a student going for a degree in Computer Engineering Technology.

[WeaponZero]

Those of you who own 250s and take them on the highway I think are at the biggest risk for your R/R going bad, aside from us SV650 owners. And remember, a bad R/R can kill a good battery, and a bad battery can kill a good R/R. If both need to be replaced, do them both at the same time.

[WeaponZero]

LOL.

[WeaponZero]

Only place I’ve ever seen them gather around here is on Wednesday night bike nights at the local Quaker Steak & Lube.

[WeaponZero]

Beginning of this riding season I purchased a new Shark RSR2 helmet and did a fairly detailed review of it in this post.

https://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/forum/forum/2172/shark-rsr2-helmet-my-review

Other gear I own: FirstGear HT Air 2.0 Mesh Overpants, Teknic Freestyle textile jacket, Tourmaster Solution WP boots, Joe Rocket Atomic 3.0 Jacket, HJC CL-15 helmet, River Road basic leather gloves, Speed & Strength Moment of Truth SP gloves. I have had the misfortune of crash testing the overpants and teknic jacket at 25mph in a highside a few weeks ago. I’ll do a detailed review on them later.

[WeaponZero]

It makes you look like the Fly. LOL.

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