The Motorcycle Thread

Too mainstream. I looked at all those 300cc options from yamaha and kawasaki too, but the naked look and $1000 less than everything else got me really into the honda. I'm sure I'll test ride a few bikes, I'm just leaving a lot of everything 'till after the training.

 

Well - whatever you buy make sure it has ABS. It really is a life saver when you need it the most and you get the money back when you sell the bike.

My advice for road would be: Ninja 300 ABS for 1-2 years --> Triumph Street Triple ABS

 

The counter point to not learning on an ABS equipped bike is…
You learn to base your ability to stop not on a 'safety feature' but on how to brake under a variety of conditions and where ABS is not available, nor helpful (sand, loose dirt, snow etc.)
ABS can be perceived as a 'crutch' of sorts and when the crutch is not available nor helpful, having the skills to not have to rely upon it can also be construed as a 'safety feature' unto itself.

Just a passing thought.

JJ

 

If I had it my way everyone would learn on a 125-250cc dirt bike. And for off-road you obviously don't use ABS. But for road bike, everyone should have ABS.

 

I agree with learning on a small displacement bike in the dirt etc is much better.
Still, ABS for a beginner can tend to remove a certain amount of fundamental learning of just how much brake power is enough under a variety of conditions.

I looked forward to removing it from my GS, and when it died I did just that.
But then that's me and I'm used to the feeling of the feedback from the brakes, what it means and how to modulate them.
Yes it does take experience and brakes that are properly setup etc.

Even so learning proper braking technique is perhaps the most critical aspect of riding and never learning this aspect can be just as 'dangerous' when riding a non ABS equipped bike and needing to grab a handful while not having this 'safety feature' and dealing with the consequences.

Not to mention the fact that ABS is really only 'optimal' when you brake while straight up and not leaned over.

Again just another subtle distinction, but one that can make the difference between crunch time and avoiding said crunch.

JJ

 

Seriously - this discussion has probably been had about a gazillion times already on the internet. So let's just call it quits here. You're had your say and I've had mine.

Have fun, don't die.

 

Well, I still have three bikes, but two of them changed recently. The 2004 BMW R1150R gave way to a 2013 BMW R1200GS Rallye...



And the 2012 Honda NC700x gave way to a 1993 BMW K1100RS...



The 1992 BMW R100RS is the only one that survived the tradefest...

 

@beemerphile

Nice! I think that Rallye could be a future classic, I'd hold on to that one. As for current BMW's I have to say this one is pretty tasty:



Don't really like the latest new big GS or new big KTM bikes myself, too road focused. If I wanted an off-road bike I'd get the new Africa Twin.

 

Well, with two RS bikes in the stable, I am definitely a fan and this would have made a nice addition. But, I wanted at least one bike with relaxed ergonomics and though I am comfortable all day on RS ergos, the GS fits my tall frame to a tee. Also, I am still a bit wary of the watercooled boxers. After 40 years on BMW's I have learned to stay away from the cutting edge. Heck, I just bought my first K bike last month and it was 24 years old.

Cowboy wisdom say "the pioneer is the guy with an arrow in his chest."

 

Yep, this is a great way to go, learn on something around a 300, then move up to something around a street triple. I will say I went from a Ninja 400r (sleeved 650R) to a 2014 Street Triple R and its been a great bike!

 

Well, test riding the Duke 390 next week, pretty sure that's what I'll be dumpin' muh cash on. I'll post pics of my dad scolding me about my purchace before zooming off to California.

 

I had promised my fiancé that I'd keep my Monster 821 for two years (mostly in the interests of not splatting myself on a wall prematurely) before upgrading to one of these:



And as I'm coming up on that two year mark (okay, that's actually going to be in the spring, but I get to start shopping now), I had started looking around a bit, and after Oyster Run had been hankering after one of these (I'm not getting any younger, and the Panigale is really something I should hold off on unless I go back to running a track bike):



But then Ducati dropped this little bombshell ...



... and messed everything up!

This makes me wonder ... does my fiancé remember me saying I'd only keep one bike ... or can I get away with two? Or maybe she'd go along with if I promised that I'd eventually trade the Supersport S for whatever Panigale was current BUT keep that purely for track use. No, I wouldn't play games with her like that, but my god the last time I was this tempted by something it was, well, her.

 

The hook is set,
deep…
Now it's just matter of how strong the mono-filament is…

And of course you know as well as I that late winter is WAY better to buy and setup a new bike than spring time, when the dealer gets WAY busy.

So has Ducati completely sorted out their FI yet, not being a ductisti I haven't kept up…
And are cam timing adjustments still the 'norm' for helping to clean up the messes left behind by conforming to the EPA?
Or is it still the aftermarket that comes to the rescue?

Its been a few years since I even tried to keep track…

JJ

 

Indeed!

And yes, buying now will be much more advantageous than waiting until spring (though I may not have a choice with the Supersport S).

I don't know, in the broader sense of things, how Ducati is fairing with either their periodic issues with fuel-injection mapping or, in another vein, their "escaping oil" situations that seem to come up with annoying frequency on various enthusiast boards. I do know that the fueling profile, as it relates to my particular 821, has been flawless. Just raw, smooth, power in concert with the flick of my wrist. Well ... as smooth as things can be with a large-displacement V-twin anyway.

Also, I am not sure about the EPA compliance issues, but the costly timing adjustments that were a definite factor in earlier Ducati ownership are relegated to a 15,000 mile schedule (post break-in) now. I've never actually kept a motorcycle for 15,000 miles, and probably never will, so that's not much of a concern for me!

...

Oyster Run did, as it always does (okay, I've been twice), made me lust for the American heavy-metal that is Harley Davidson. There are myriad simply-gorgeous bikes on show there. But then I go test ride them. This last week it was the latest "Night Rod". And I find I don't want a 666lb bike. And that it's a bit too much "plod and chrome" given where my riding history started.

Given infinite garage space, I'd have a couple of Ducati's, my cars, and at least a pair of Harleys (plus a Vespa and a Custom 1200 for the girlie), but this move to the ocean-front is seriously screwing with my parking options!

 

Uhmericun ire'n is or can be a wonderful thing as long as the bike actually fits, and as long as the hoogley wobbleson crowd is kept at bay.
They tend to be somewhat adamant at sticking to their way of things, in contrast to the rest of the m/c world.
It could be said that they are as bad or perhaps worse than the BMW crowd.

But their bikes have improved remarkably since the days of old.

JJ

 

@Torq

I personally don't like riding any type of "sports bike" on the street, they're simply too fast. You'll reach the speed limit in first gear and even keeping below 100 mph can be a bit of a struggle. Sitting at the speed limit feels like it's standing still, and then the few times you open her up on a straight road it makes all the times you can't do that feel even worse. On a winding road you'll spend maybe 10% at full throttle, if that.

I've had all kinds of bikes over the years and what I've found is that "it's much more fun to drive a slow bike fast than to drive a fast bike slow". On a winding road I'd rather have a naked triple, twin or even single cylinder bike than any sports bike. Sports bikes can be fun for the track (and bragging rights maybe) but IMHO they're just frustrating on the street.

Some of the absolute most fun bikes I've ridden over the years:

DRZ400SM (yupp)
KTM 690 Duke
Triumph Street Triple R
Aprilia Shiver 750

The great thing about a bike like the Monster is that it's a naked and not too powerful, so it naturally keeps the speed down. But as soon as you put a slippery fairing on a bike and give it more than 100hp... well, it can be hard to ride sensibly.

My personal ideal choice of two bikes would be something like this:

Off-road tourer: 2016 yamaha super tenere
Back-road hooligan: KTM 690 SMC R

Just some food for thought

 

Well I made the smart choice to look for used bikes instead of new ones, you get a lot more motorcycle per cash that way anyway

 

I didn't know Donald had a finger in the British cycle business..

 

@BioniclePhile

Details, details. Fixed.

 

"Sports" and/or "Race" bikes are what I first rode.

Indeed, back at home (in England) they are all I rode.

Unlicensed, uninsured and with the full reckless-"I'm-indestructible"-abandon of youth.

Fortunately when I crashed Gary's Yamaha, I both walked away and had sufficient cash-on-hand to buy him a new bike ...

Beyond that ...

I was lucky enough to get lots of track-time at Silverstone (absolutely not a "bike-track", but I got lots of time there anyway, and we can entirely blame my sister for that), before ever riding those bikes on the street. Somewhere earlier in this thread I think I recounted my one, and only (fingers, and other appendages, firmly crossed), "off". I'm certainly more cautious as a result of that (I was lucky to live, let alone to walk away with nothing more than bruises).

I would ABSOLUTELY agree that "it's much more fun to drive a slow bike fast than to drive a fast bike slow" - my recent Nijna 300 was a hoot ... but, at the same, time, my inner party-goblin ("kisses" to Iliza, even if you do need to wear more flattering pants for you next special, dear ... though your top was quite delicious) craves the thrill of excessive acceleration, speed, raw HP, and the visceral thrill/fear of the bike trying to right itself under massive acceleration in a decreasing-radius exit line). I might be able to contain my Panigale desires/intentions to the track. But I don't ride motorcycles for any practical purpose anymore. Not that I ever really did. They are, for me, pure toys. Epi-Pens on two wheels.

A raw, if legal, drug.

Even with my little stable of fun cars (at least one of which @johnjen has seen) stop lights and speed-limits always prove to be frustrating in. Motorcyles even more so, especially as the exposed pipes do a nice baking-number on my kevlar and leather-clad thighs (stop thinking whatever you're thinking) ... But those moments on the back roads and twisties, with no traffic, ... nothing else matters ...

It is inevitable that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, I will have both a cruiser and and out-and-out adrenaline pump.

At this point in my life I am in the full grip of the experiential.

...

That's a nice pair of bikes to be sure!

I definitely need to spend some time in the seat of the Triumph.

But I'm willing to be frustrated here and there, for those moments when all that matters is ... "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"