Motorcycle riders?

[gqelements]

Just wondering if there are any motorcycle riders here on this board. I'm planning to pick up a bike for the end of the summer and am interested if anyone here shares the passion for the two-wheeled machines. If so, what do you ride?

 

[F4iryder14]

Not sure about the other people on the board, but I definitely do. Â I currently own a Honda CBR 600 F4i sportbike (hence my screenname on here) and love it. Â I have been riding for about 4 years now and it's one of my favorite things to do. Â I consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to the sportbike realm, so if you need any help then let me know. Â But if you are searching for a cruiser/Harley type, then I've got no dukes on that one. Â I will probably never own one of those things until I'm 65 and can't lean forward any more and sportbikes are out of the question. Â And even then I would probably get a Goldwing. Â That Harley sound is just downright obnoxious to me, and that will probably never change. Â Sounds like a '74 Chevy with gutted catalytic converters and a glass pack...

Kevin

 

[ken]

Looks like we've got our bases covered. I'm of the ilk that thinks the sound of a rice burner is downright sissy and wouldn't drive anything that meant my feet had to be behind my shoulders (or anything under 900 cc).

What kind of bike are you looking to buy? My old man bought a '71 Norton just like he had when he was a kid for $750. Then just a couple months ago he got a '76 Harley for $1500, all redone w/chameleon paint, new pipes, etc., from a guy who was going to do some time and needed to get rid of it. I, myself, ride an '84 Virago that actually doesn't look too bad now after I lowered it an inch, put drag bars on, and redid the rear fender. I got it for $400.

My point is that I don't think any motorcycle (or vehicle, for that matter) should be bought new. Just like clothes, the deals are out there.

 

[VMan]

My point is that I don't think any motorcycle (or vehicle, for that matter) should be bought new. Just like clothes, the deals are out there.

Well said.

I'll contribute to that point by adding fine timepieces as well, especially true with vintage watches - great deals can be had.

 

[Kai]

I don't ride a motorcycle, but if I did, I'd definitely get a Suzuki Hayabusa. Those bikes are unbelievably fast. Truly a wicked ride. A bit of practice and you're covering the standing 1/4 mile in under 10 seconds. Amazing top end too.

I'd love to have one, but I'm too much of a wussy boy. Worried about what might happen if I ran over a prarie dog doing 110. I feel safer having 4 wheels.

 

[VMan]

I don't ride a motorcycle, but if I did, I'd definitely get a Suzuki Hayabusa. Â Those bikes are unbelievably fast. Â Truly a wicked ride. Â A bit of practice and you're covering the standing 1/4 mile in under 10 seconds. Â Amazing top end too. Â I'd love to have one, but I'm too much of a wussy boy. Â Worried about what might happen if I ran over a prarie dog doing 110. Â I feel safer having 4 wheels.

I'd take your '04 Viper over a bike any day - that car doesn't mess around. **Edit** Instead of a bike, you should get the Hennessey Venom 1000TT package for your viper. You'd be upgrading to 1,092 horsepower, 0-60 times of 2.3 seconds, 250+ mph top end, 1/4 mile time of 9.5 seconds, and all the dropped jaws that come along with that. Or, you could settle for the 800TT package; 800hp, 2.7 sec 0-60, 235mph top end. Not bad either.

 

[gqelements]

F4iryder14, I'm looking to pick up a SV650 or GS500. The ultimate target is the Honda 599, but hose only came out this year and the price tag of 8,999 CDN is a little steep. [8,400 Tuition + 10000 rent + food + clothes = too much for a full time student living with no parental support]
In general I'm looking for a naked bike [unfaired] and these 2 seem as the best choices...

I do have a question: F4, do you think the GS500 would be too small for a 5 11, 200 pds guy? To clarify, we are not talking about engine size, but the overall appearance of the bike..
Thank you in advance.

 

[Renault78law]

F4iryder14, I'm looking to pick up a SV650 or GS500. The ultimate target is the Honda 599, but hose only came out this year and the price tag of 8,999 CDN is a little steep. [8,400 Tuition + 10000 rent + food + clothes = too much for a full time student living with no parental support]
In general I'm looking for a naked bike [unfaired] and these 2 seem as the best choices...

I do have a question: F4, do you think the GS500 would be too small for a 5 11, 200 pds guy? To clarify, we are not talking about engine size, but the overall appearance of the bike..
Thank you in advance.

Hey GQ, you have nice taste in bikes. I've been looking at naked bikes for a while, unfortunately, don't have the balls to get a motorcycle. I've always liked the Monster, but everyone I talk to says that it is lame. Any aficiandos have an opinion on this bike? No offense to anyone, but can someone recommend a bike in this class that isn't a Big Brand? You know, a bike fit for a man of style...?
I'm also kind of on the fence between getting a naked bike versus a sport bike. I have no intention on going 140 mph, or dragging my knee into a turn, but I like the gear so much better, ha.

 

[Kai]

I'd take your '04 Viper over a bike any day - that car doesn't mess around. **Edit** Instead of a bike, you should get the Hennessey Venom 1000TT package for your viper. Â You'd be upgrading to 1,092 horsepower, 0-60 times of 2.3 seconds, 250+ mph top end, 1/4 mile time of 9.5 seconds, and all the dropped jaws that come along with that. Or, you could settle for the 800TT package; 800hp, 2.7 sec 0-60, 235mph top end. Â Not bad either.

Yes.  I'm looking that direction.  The stock Viper is insanely fast, but you can never have too much horsepower.  After my 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty expires, I'm going to take the car in for "some" modifications.  I'm not going to go the turbocharger or supercharger route, as I am interested more in track/road race performance rather than drag strip performance, and I'm worried a bit about heat build up after an hour on the track.  Also, I want to keep my engine looking stock, so it will be easier to pass tech/safety inspection at the drag strip.    Racing Solutions in Texas, West Coast Viper in California, and a couple other shops have some pretty good naturally aspirated "head and cam" packages that can bring the horsepower up to about 650 or more.  Add a full 3-way adjustable coil-over Moton suspension, headers, high-flow cats, and a high performance cat-back exhaust, and I'll be in business.  Dodge is hinting that they will be coming out with some very interesting performance aftermarket parts, including this ten-throttle body setup:  That should help my numbers too (although it doesn't look very stock.) Here's a fun video clip of a supercharged viper racing some busas:  http://www.gigatechsoftware.com/cars...race-small.wmv  Â

 

[gqelements]

Renault, the best bet is to go to: www.bikez.com and search by category. There they have an extensive collection of images sorted by category /brand/ year. I think naked is deff. the way to go. I like the Monster, but... out of question at this stage of my life, u'll have to hold on a couple of years for that one... Moto Guzzi has a couple of nice ones. To contribute to the viper discussion - I find the viper makes the driver feel powerless. In contrast to other monsters of the sports-car world, the handling is almost unnatural. One of my close friends drives one and every time he makes a turn it feels like the whole machine is ready to launch in an uncontrollable spin-out. Each turn feels like the mass of the car is rapidly sliding away from under the passengers, but the asphalt reveals no signs of rubber. He has taken multiple racing and high performance driving courses, so his actions are out of the question. [I do admit ¼ mile is an experience.]

 

[Kai]

Renault, the best bet is to go to: www.bikez.com and search by category. There they have an extensive collection of images sorted by category /brand/ year. I think naked is deff. the way to go. I like the Monster, but... out of question at this stage of my life, u'll have to hold on a couple of years for that one... Moto Guzzi has a couple of nice ones. To contribute to the viper discussion - I find the viper makes the driver feel powerless. In contrast to other monsters of the sports-car world, the handling is almost unnatural. One of my close friends drives one and every time he makes a turn it feels like the whole machine is ready to launch in an uncontrollable spin-out. Each turn feels like the mass of the car is rapidly sliding away from under the passengers, but the asphalt reveals no signs of rubber. He has taken multiple racing and high performance driving courses, so his actions are out of the question. [I do admit ¼ mile is an experience.]

I don't know which model Viper your friend has, but I would be willing to bet it is earlier than 2003. The 2003-2004 models (SRT-10) have much improved steering, suspension, and brakes over the previous R/T-10 and GTS. The new Vipers are primarily track cars as opposed to 1/4 mile cars, and the handling is terrific. In spite of the front engined layout, the car has almost perfect 48-52 front-rear weight distribution. The down side of this is that the ride is much stiffer and bumpier than the older Vipers, and you really feel every bump and pothole you go over. I have tracked my car head to head against some mid-engined exotics (most lately a 360 Modena), and I've had no trouble keeping up with them on the twisty sections. The new Vipers will corner at over 1G. They do have some tendency toward oversteer, but it is easily controled provided you're careful with the throttle. Get on it too soon or too hard coming out of a corner, and yes, the car will spin. Given the choice, however, I'd rather have throttle induced oversteer than understeer any day.

 

[gqelements]

2002 GTS
i have had a chance to ride with one of his 'track buddies' in a 2003 model, and did not notice a major difference. on the contrary, in a modena you have mentioned, i feel much more comfortable.
i don't atribute this issue to actually physically spinning out or drifting, but to the actual feel of the way the car takes a 90 degree turn - the viper, in my opinion, adds an unsafe aura to the experience...
once again i am just a mere passenger, what do i know.


back to bikes.
F4, any input on the gs500 naked?

 

[A Harris]

In the three years after I got out of high school, dirt bikes were my main interest. I used to ride about 50/50 trails and local motocross tracks. Lot's of fun. I don't have time anymore, I only go riding once or twice a year. My last bike was a CR500 (I'm a big guy, I need a big bike.) Any other dirt bike guys here??

 

[F4iryder14]

I agree. Â Let's keep the car talk to another topic. Â As for your bike choices GQ, I would go for the SV650. Â My friend had one and I rode it, and the v-twin really gives it some killer low end torque. Â And as for the size issue, I would definitely go for the 650 in that sense too. Â Anything under 600 will start to get a little small and I think you would tire of it rather quickly. Â I am 6'1, 190, and my friend is about 5'10", 210, and he had no problems on his 650. Â Hell, he even raced the thing. Â Now I am not a fan of naked bikes at all, but if you were gonna go with one then the 650 would serve you well. Â It's usually best to go a little bigger as that gives you room to grow into the bike. Â I wanted to get a liter bike but couldn't afford it; but on the other hand I can blow circles around some of these guys that get these liter bikes and think that makes them a bad ass. Â The turns are where you see who the REAL riders are. Â Anybody can go fast in a straight line ... Â

Kevin

 

[gqelements]

thank you F4, the choice is now ahem... clear either the SV or Honda 599 - forget the 500... after all is tuition THAT important....?