Motorcycle questions

[Damage]

GoodGuy, just let me know.. It will be a while though my Ninja = burned out ignition box and I blew all my extra $$$ on Christmas presents..

 

[The Stigenator]

earliest I can look at is when its not cold.. somethign around march or so.. time will fly real fast.
the rainy season has just stared I doubt we could meet up with teh rain blowing around us.

 

[BoberFett]

GoodGuy

Cold? You're out in central CA near Hzl, aren't you? I was riding until it got down into the 30s. Don't be a wuss. 😉

 

[The Stigenator]

<< GoodGuy Cold? You're out in central CA near Hzl, aren't you? I was riding until it got down into the 30s. Don't be a wuss. 😉 >>



actually So.cal (the valley).. central cali is cooler than so.cal for some reason... (I dont know i feel cold when I go there).

I wouldnt mind riding local streets, freeways is another thing.. some how heavy denim + rain pants dont keep you warm.

 

[Way Cool Jr.]

Another question....What is the difference between a "standard" bike and a "sport" bike. I went to Suzuki's website and saw the GS500. It was under the category "sport street". What exactly is that?

 

[Way Cool Jr.]

Also, which of these bikes would you choose if you were a beginner rider interested in a cruiser? The Kawasaki LTD 500 or the Suzuki Savage 650?

 

[BoberFett]

Suzuki categorizes their sport bikes into two categories: one is super sport which are their pure racing bikes, and sport street which are sport bikes but more suited for day to day riding rather than always balls out speed.

And I'd take the Savage over the Kawa, but I'm a Suzuki guy.

 

[Damage]

Either bike is a good one to start on. They both used to have a final drive belt instead of a chain, which will save you on maintenance and no messy chain lube to make your bike dirty. I don't know if they changed over to chain or not recently. (I am pretty sure the EN500 did...)

The Savage is a single, which is very simple and has great torque, however it will vibrate more. The EN500 is a parallel twin that is pretty well balanced. Have you gone to actually look at either one anyplace? Just from sitting on one, you will probably knowwhich one you like better.

Tha Savage is also air cooled, which is simpler and easier to work on, however you have to keep moving to keep it cool. The EN is water cooled, which is a little more complicated to work on, but provides more consistant cooling.

The best wey to describe cruiser .vs standard .vs sportbike is the riding position.

Cruiser = \ (Laid back)

Standard = | (Straight up)

Sport = / (Leaning forward)

 

[CTweak]

<< Cruiser = \ (Laid back)

Standard = | (Straight up)

Sport = / (Leaning forward) >>




Ha Damage, that's one of the better way to explain this I've seen on a BBS! 😛

 

[The Stigenator]

<<

<< Cruiser = \ (Laid back)
Standard = | (Straight up)
Sport = / (Leaning forward) >>



Ha Damage, that's one of the better way to explain this I've seen on a BBS! 😛 >>



true, its a perfect way to describe it, its very accurate..

 

[Damage]

Thanks, I couldn't think of any other way......

 

[oLLie]

What kind of a starter bike (sport, I'm thinking) would you guys recommend? Things that would be important to me are:

1. Fuel efficiency: Do all motorcycles get close to the same m/gal or is there a big difference with some? All I know is that motorcycles in general are a lot more fuel efficient than automobiles.
2. Looks: Sport bikes = teh cool 😎
3. Cost: Initial cost to buy it, cost of parts, and also insurance cost. How much is bike insurance for beginner people?
They're ranked in order of importance to me (1 is most important), so if that was your criteria for choosing, which bike would you recommend? *edit* now that I think about it, maybe m/gal isn't the most important to me, oh well.

Thanks guys.

A couple months ago I really wanted a bike, then I remembered my uncle had a bike that he didn't ride anymore so I wanted to buy it off of him. 🙁 I found out he sold it to his friend. It was a semi-recent Yamaha, I'm thinkin a YZF maybe?

Ollie

 

[jbod]

Damn that was a long thread...

Way Cool Jr., did anyone mention to you (i couldn't read the whole thing, I'm half cocked) of getting a dirt bike first? I've been riding dirt bikes since I was 7 y/o and trust me, if you've never rode a motorcycle before, getting a dirt bike will be the most beneficial thing you could do before going out getting a death trap. Street bikes can be loads of fun, but if you have no experience....STEER REAL CLEAR OF THEM. (extrordinary athleticism and good coordination are what's needed for a beginner on a street bike)

My advice, get a dirt bike, one you can throw around, learn the Newtonian mechanics of the beast and you will be better off. I'm serious. I know you want to look cool and all, but trust me if you learn on a dirt bike (even 6 months will do) you will be much better off.

Lates

 

[Daishiki]

alrite, i'm only 115 lbs. damn my high metabolism. but what would be a good sized engine to finally settle on for me? i had my heart set on a yamaha yzf-r1, 998cc. would it just throw me off like bull if i gun it every time? i haven't started riding yet. i'm probably gonna start on a 250 for awhile.

 

[Mungla]

<< alrite, i'm only 115 lbs. damn my high metabolism. but what would be a good sized engine to finally settle on for me? i had my heart set on a yamaha yzf-r1, 998cc. would it just throw me off like bull if i gun it every time? i haven't started riding yet. i'm probably gonna start on a 250 for awhile. >>



With any sport bike with a displacement of 600cc's or more, you can't give them full throttle (or even close) in 1 or 2nd gear. Otherwise, you'll pull a wheelie and topple over. My Ninja is practically all aftermarket nowadays. I don't care for 150+ MPH speeds, mainly because the cops are pretty thick on highways around here, so I love the 250. I like my Ninja because I can work on anything; it is the easiest sport bike to keep in shape, and the cheapest. You also can't beat its maneuverability; such as, I routinely scrap the feelers underneath my pegs at speeds of 25-30MPH when going around 90 degree turns.

BTW- some people find it interesting to know that a 250cc Ninja can hit 100MPH without a problem. With aftermarket exhaust, intake filters, and a jetkit, this lil' guy can hit around 105-108MPH. These are actual speed readings from a GPS or sport-computer; the speedometer on my bike is around 5-7% fast. You can check out my website, where I have pictures and information about my bike, if you're interested: 250ninja.net