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Post by Spartan on Feb 5, 2009 20:57:16 GMT -5
also:i am disappointed that you enjoy a rebadged toyota over a BMW. Have you ever seen/sat in it? it's pretty awesome. By looks alone, cuz, y'know, I can't drive, I'd pick the IS. Performance? M3 wins hands down. The stacked quad-exhaust looks ugly though. BMWs are the greatest cars to drive the road. in fact I'm looking at a E36 325i for my first car.... If I don't get my Ninja.  |
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Post by ½ A Gram on Feb 11, 2009 2:56:35 GMT -5
have fun on the waiting list.
I'd as soon go for a Ducati Monster 695/750. parallel twin, the 750 is ~60hp, the 695 is ~70 hp. both at the highish range for a beginner, but well on par w/ the SV650S, which is considered one of the better beginner bikes.
Plus, the older Monsters can be had for around the price of a new 250. And you can say you own a Ducati, instead of a kawasaki. Maybe I just like Naked bikes more though....
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Post by Spartan on Feb 11, 2009 21:06:52 GMT -5
have fun on the waiting list. I'd as soon go for a Ducati Monster 695/750. parallel twin, the 750 is ~60hp, the 695 is ~70 hp. both at the highish range for a beginner, but well on par w/ the SV650S, which is considered one of the better beginner bikes. Plus, the older Monsters can be had for around the price of a new 250. And you can say you own a Ducati, instead of a kawasaki. Maybe I just like Naked bikes more though.... I'm not going for anything more than 500cc on a first bike. With too much power you have to worry about not grabbing to much throtte every time you go from a stop... since it's unfamiliar territory if you get in a pinch in traffic it would be easier to live on a smaller bike, since you can wind that engine all the way and not have to worry about mind-numbing speeds. Also I've heard that Ducatis are unreliable.... This is what i have heard. I wouldn't know. ducatis are decidedly prettier than the 250, but riding a bike has nothing to do with looks, that's silly. |
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Post by ½ A Gram on Feb 11, 2009 23:01:20 GMT -5
I'm not there for the popularity of the looks. on average, most people regard naked bikes as inferior looking, I find.
The power actually isn't so bad on those. it's an I4 in general that is bad. a twin lung doesn't have the same "insta-torque" attitude of a quad lung. plus, the SV650 is widely recommended as a beginner bike for someone who wants to keep it a while. the 250 will carry you far, and develop great technique, but you won't be getting the same thrill from it after around 12-15,000 miles.
Also: come on, how hard is it to work on a bike?hehe. I'm welding up a bike stand for my set of benches (which I'm making next year). The thing I'm worried about is that Ducati uses a dry clutch, instead of a slipper, meaning you really gotta be impeccable with the shifting.
BTW: the Duc i'm looking at is ~60hp. your 250 is gonna be a decent 40hp, and weigh a solid 50-60 pounds less.
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Post by Spartan on Feb 13, 2009 21:02:45 GMT -5
I'm not there for the popularity of the looks. on average, most people regard naked bikes as inferior looking, I find. I was trying to be sarcastic. Most sport riders today just buy the slickest and fastest bike and go a billion mph on the highways.... The only Ducatis I like are the 848, 1098, etc. The Streetfighter is pretty cool too. Bikes without fairings are going to get beat up when you crash. For all riders, it's a question of when, not if. But, well, to each his own. If only the new Aprilia RS125 was street legal.... |
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Post by JV on Feb 14, 2009 17:47:33 GMT -5
Ducati 999R FTMW ;D  |
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Post by ½ A Gram on Feb 18, 2009 2:00:28 GMT -5
Spartan: I know I'll dump it, hence the fact that no fairings= less bodywork to pay for. even if i bought a fully faired (is that a word?) bike, I'd take as much of it off as I could for a long assed time.
I can say that doing that around here would result in certain death. the highways suck ass. I have no intention of doing that. I prefer the windy crescents uptown. now THOSE will be fun when they are dead. (Of course, I'll obey the speed limit of 50km and stay in my lane. doesn't mean I can't have fun though).
I hope you enjoy your bike, I'm just saying there are alot of other options than a brand new 4 grand bike which you can enjoy (and dumping a used bike is alot less painful than dumping a new one I think)
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Post by Spartan on Mar 16, 2009 16:14:46 GMT -5
Spartan: I know I'll dump it, hence the fact that no fairings= less bodywork to pay for. even if i bought a fully faired (is that a word?) bike, I'd take as much of it off as I could for a long assed time.
I can say that doing that around here would result in certain death. the highways suck ass. I have no intention of doing that. I prefer the windy crescents uptown. now THOSE will be fun when they are dead. (Of course, I'll obey the speed limit of 50km and stay in my lane. doesn't mean I can't have fun though). I hope you enjoy your bike, I'm just saying there are alot of other options than a brand new 4 grand bike which you can enjoy (and dumping a used bike is alot less painful than dumping a new one I think)  now i made myself look stupid... logic fail. You are correct. But I'll try to save mahself.... fairings are less expensive to replace than the more.... pricey parts underneath. I might look into getting an FZ6/R6, since they look pretty nice and are fairly cheap for a new 600.... In this case money is a big issue, since it will be my first motor vehicle and not many people have too much money to spend on that. A used one, if it's got a lot of miles or was poorly treated will surely break down and cost you money. What im trying to say is that buying anything used, especially motorcycles, it really is buyer beware. You have no idea what the past owner(s) have done with it. If i decide to go with buying a used but more powerful bike(probably will) I will do lots of research before buying. cnj.craigslist.org/mcy/1040484722.html |
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Post by ½ A Gram on Mar 17, 2009 14:15:02 GMT -5
DO NOT got an R6. I mean it man. the FZ6 and R6 are both I4's, and the R6 is an SS I4. it is ANEMIC below 10 grand, and mind blowing above. it's probably the worst streetbike of the SS bikes, with track ergonomics and non-beginner friendly behavior. Seriously....here...read this: www.sportbikes.net/forums/new-rider-forums/391524-looking-beginner-bike-look-no-further.htmlIt's basically a compilation of great beginner bikes. And this: www.sportbikes.net/forums/new-rider-forums/354478-want-600-read.htmlLogic against a newie buying a 600+ SS or RR. And this: www.sportbikes.net/forums/new-rider-forums/263893-reasons-start-small.htmlgreat story on why a big bike isn't a good idea for a while after you've started. I'm not trying to sound like an asshole, I'm just trying to avoid reading a post form your mom or girlfriend or something that you were seriously injured or killed when you highsided your R6 and ended up in a wall. I hope I haven't talked you out of the bike thing. and I knwo that engine sizes are confusing. how can a 600 be more dangerous than a 650, for example? the thing to look for is cylinders. a 2 cylinder engine has more torque down low, but is limited up high in the band. this makes them good starter bikes, because you don't need to wind them up to 10 grand to get something out of them. the 4 cylinder engines, have fuck all of nothing down load, but are monsters up high. this makes them bad for beginners, since you think you are safe, then wind it o 12 grand, take off like a rocket, and don't yet have the control to realize what you need to do to slow down, or even escape the situation unharmed. usually, panic takes over, and you grab the brakes. on a 600, the brakes are grabby as hell. they lock piss easily. and locked brakes on a bike are a bad thing...a very bad thing. Like i said man, just avoid the 4 cylinder engines (unless it's a CBR250RR. those things are awesome. 40hp, 4 cylinders, 19 grand redline, and they look insanely good). I hope you find a bike you can afford and that you like. just, please, don't get a 600cc+SS bike. (these include the CBR600, the R6, GSXR600, and just about anything higher than that, with a 4 cylinder engine). Also: I really hope i didn't talk you out of a 250. I was just saying that for the nearly 5 grand you're going to spend on a NEW 250, you could get 2 older 250's, and care less when you drop it. and finally: you mentioned fairings being cheaper to replace than mechanical bits: the frame actually protects things fairly well in an asphalt skid, and there are these wonderful things called frame sliders which you can buy and attach, and they'll take the beating instead of your bike. plus, fairing are expensive! i've seen dealer quotes as high as 1500 bucks for a new set of CBR125R fairings, and that's a low end bike! |
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Post by Spartan on Apr 15, 2009 18:55:22 GMT -5
Yeah that's a good point. Never thought about that... I still don't know what i will do about my parents because i think if they hear me out they will agree. The benefits outweigh the liabilities. I understand my parent's (probable) dislike of the idea.
some of the stuff you said I knew, but other stuff was good help... Those links were useful. That gives a lot of options. I'll probably think about a used 650R or that GS500F. It doesn't really make sense that they suggest those bikes as beginner ones with what you told me about 4 cylinders... I'm pretty sure both of those have four. I thought about what you were saying with and w/o fairings, but I just can't bring myself to buy that over a faired bike.
And the reason i like the ninja 250 is that it is well received as a beginner bike, but looks nothing like one. Also it gets 60 mpg. It's not some turd on 2 wheels. I still have 2+ years to make my decision on what I want to buy. I would get a CBR250 but they are RARE.
At this point I really have no idea where it will take me. I know that i will get a bike at some point in my life, but whether that be when I'm still under my parent's roof, in college, or later, who knows.
If they say no, I'll probably try to find an E36 3 series.... In 2-3 years it'll probably be a later model that I'm looking for in my price range. Or maybe a Subie Legacy.
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now i made myself look stupid... logic fail. You are correct. But I'll try to save mahself.... fairings are less expensive to replace than the more.... pricey parts underneath.