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WeaponZeroParticipant
Of course there are people happy with their bikes. All I’m saying is that there’s a reason these bigger bikes sell so well, and that’s because the majority of riders do eventually feel the need to upgrade. And if I’m going to try to give someone who I don’t know advice, I’m going to do it based on the assumption that they’re in the majority rather than the minority. Most riders who stick with motorcycling eventually do keep upgrading until they eventually find themselves on a bike thats at least 750cc. Even Ben apparently felt the need to upgrade from his GS500 to a ZX-6R Ninja. Also, I’ve noticed that anytime someone brings up the concept of needing/wanting to “upgrade” from their beginner bike, you act like the the mere mention of it is personally insulting to you. You may be happy with your ninja 250 and plan on sticking with it forever and even upgrading it, and that’s cool. But you need to understand that you are in the minority there.
WeaponZeroParticipantThis is just me, but i would never buy a used 250. They’re generally beaten into the ground and then sold.
WeaponZeroParticipantIf you like the style of the Ducati Monster and it’s your first bike, a Suzuki SV650 is 90% of what a Monster 696 is for much less money. And that last 10% is mostly just style.
Realistically you’ll probably be moving on to a bigger bike within a couple years because of one of 2 reasons:
1. You total your monster but are determined enough not to let that accident pull you away from motorcycles
2. You begin to get bored with the power given by the 2 valve per cylinder air cooled engine after you learn the fundamentals of riding on the street and realize you want either:
A. a large displacement touring/sport touring motorcycle
B. a quicker, more power, more racing-oriented bike
C. a cruiser
D. a bigger naked standard/streetfighter/motardConsidering your background with dirtbikes I’m guessing the second choice to be more likely.
So, spending a lot of money on something like a Ducati may not be the smartest choice for your first bike.
August 16, 2008 at 3:37 pm in reply to: Good first bike for a ridiculously tall/big guy? 6’11” almost 400 lbs #10670WeaponZeroParticipantI don’t think it’s so much the power he needs from a large displacement bike as the actual physical size. He simply can’t fit on a 500 or 650 standard without having his knees interfere with the steering. GS500s and Ninja 650s are completely out of the question I can assure you.
August 16, 2008 at 3:35 pm in reply to: Good first bike for a ridiculously tall/big guy? 6’11” almost 400 lbs #10669WeaponZeroParticipantHe’s pretty dead-set on standard-style bikes with upright seating positions. He doesn’t like laying forward over the tank or laying back with his feat forward. He hasn’t sat on very many bikes yet but he says he can *tolerate* the seating position on a BMW R1200GS. He tried the GS500, Ninja 650, and even my SV650 and said that in order to grasp all the controls and get his feet on the footpegs he felt like he was being squished into a little ball. On my SV it looks like his knees are almost touching the handlebars.
Large displacement dual sports so far appear to be the only thing that can accomodate his size (not just weight but just actual physical size) and even those are a little bit cramped. Is there such a thing as a bike that is physically as large as a BMW R1200GS but only has a 500cc engine?
Also, because of how heavy he is, would light weight in a bike be counter-productive? I mean, him on a sportbike would make it EXTREMELY top heavy, and wouldn’t make that harder to control?
He hasn’t sat on a KLR yet because no local dealerships have any in stock right now, but based on what the spec sheets say it looks like it might be right up his alley. Still not quite a standard though.
WeaponZeroParticipant1. Don’t buy a Hyosung. Their reliability has proven to be questionable and despite the warranties, the shops are unable to do repairs on them because they can’t get parts.
2. The choice between the SV650 and the ZZR600 all depends on whether or not you’re willing to sacrifice top end speed/horsepower for low-end torque. The SV also has cheaper suspension components. It DOES have advantages over the ZZR600 in the way of ergonomics and the fact that it uses a powerplant more clearly designed for “real world” riding and “real world” roads, but that’s all a matter of preference. Unless you plan on doing triple digit speeds regularly I’d personally go with the SV because it’s proven time and time again that on canyon roads it can keep up with, if not pass, 600cc supersports.
August 15, 2008 at 5:17 pm in reply to: Good first bike for a ridiculously tall/big guy? 6’11” almost 400 lbs #10611WeaponZeroParticipantWell, I’d imagine that the weight of the bike wouldn’t be too much of an issue to him…
As far as dual sports go, I think it’s possible but it would probably have to be one of the big 650cc ones such as a KLR650. Not sure about that though…
August 15, 2008 at 11:57 am in reply to: What type of bike do you have and what have you done to it? #10587WeaponZeroParticipant2000 Suzuki Sv650
1. GP Style shift layout (one up, five down)
2. GSXR rear shock (ok ill admit, the previous owner did this one)
3. New left side mirror
4. New shift lever
3 and 4 are both from times when the bike decided it wanted to lay down and take a nap…
http://gallery.gsxr600.netgo to Baynes’ Gallery
WeaponZeroParticipantI swear I thought the kickstand was down!
WeaponZeroParticipantThat’s kinda funny you have never seen a red one before. When the original SV debuted in 99 it was only available in red. for the G1s they added a new color option every year. in 00 blue became an option, in 01 black, and in 02 yellow. Then the 2nd gens came out. Thanks for the comment about my bike tho its the one in my avatar.
WeaponZeroParticipantI was shopping around for a new sprocket/chain set for my SV and all the sites I went to made me specify whether I had an S or an N because the N has a 45 tooth rear and the S has a 44. That’s how I found out. I find that very interesting.
WeaponZeroParticipantLeather is a bit out of my price range right now as I’m paying for my 8 year old niece’s summer camp even though I really can’t afford to. Until she’s out of camp and back in public school, I’m stuck with my cheap one-time-use textile/mesh gear.
There’s also the fact that I could stand to lose a bit of weight before I can fit into a one piece leather suit.
EDIT: Oh, megaspaz, I only recently found out about the gearing difference between the SVN and SVS/SVSF. Were you aware of it?
WeaponZeroParticipantThat may be but still, I know quite a lot of people who started out on older 600cc “race” bikes from the 80s and early 90s such as the Katana 600 and IF this really is simply a mechanically updated Katana 600 then I don’t see anything wrong with a beginner who’s willing to shell out money for fairing repairs/bodywork when (not if, but WHEN) they drop it to start out on it.
600cc sportbikes in the ’80s and early ’90s were MUCH more mild mannered than they are now, and while I do agree that a modern 600cc sportbike does not belong in the hands of a beginner, my opinion can differ when you start lumping 20 year old CBR600 Hurricanes, Katanas, and FZR600s in with modern GSXRs and CBR600RRs, and R6s. This is not an opinion that comes from personal experience, it is an opinion that comes from friends who have been riding a lot longer than I have who started out their riding careers on bikes like an ’89 Katana 600.
WeaponZeroParticipantI take the city bus when not using my motorcycle. I don’t own a car. Though my roommate owns a Mazda6 sedan that she lets me use to run errands on that I can’t use the motorcycle for, such as going to the grocery store.
WeaponZeroParticipantThe weight goes along with the sport touring design. They’re not made to be lightweight because the weight apparently adds to highway stability. It may make low speed maneuvers harder for a beginner (and I’ll admit, low speed maneuvers on rough roads or hills are the hardest thing for a beginner to master), but it is overall a more friendly and mild-mannered ride and is certainly no repli-racer. It doesn’t even have a lick of track potential no matter what you mod it with.
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