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Sagebrush posted:It's less than ideal. A Ninja 250 can hit those speeds just fine, even 2-up, but it'll be awfully buzzy and 40 minutes every day won't be particularly fun. Look for something like a 650-750 cruiser maybe? Harley Davidson's new market!
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Nov 6, 2013 14:56
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Cruisers tend to suck at >80 for any extended period of time, at least unless you have the right bars / windscreen combo. A lot of the 750ish ones will be struggling at those speeds, especially with a big windscreen.
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Nov 6, 2013 15:25
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Snowdens Secret posted:Cruisers tend to suck at >80 for any extended period of time, at least unless you have the right bars / windscreen combo. A lot of the 750ish ones will be struggling at those speeds, especially with a big windscreen. I have a Suzuki VS700 and can attest to that. Ideal cruising speed is around 65, 70-75 is ok but mildly annoying and 80 is just uncomfortable. By stretching out final drive ratio, the speeds shift up accordingly. It's as simple as getting a larger rear tire. But you can just get an 1100 Shadow or Vstar and drone yourself to sleep at 80mph.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:10
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Apple2o posted:I know everyone says to start on a 250, but assume I will probably need to be riding at highway speeds (80-85) for 40ishm on a fairly regular basis. Is a 250 still good for that kind of stuff?
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Nov 6, 2013 18:12
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Don't start him on a 121 horsepower bike, jesus. Frankly I would suggest that any newbies don't even try picking up their 60-mile highway commute to work until they have a few months of experience. It isn't fun to ride like that and dense roads at rush hour are absolutely the most dangerous places to be. He should get something small and light, learn to ride while still taking his car or the bus to work, then upgrade in six months to a larger, heavier cruiser or whatever he decides he likes.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:24
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Those things put down a ~11 second quarter, iirc. Nothing to gently caress with. I'd go GS500, Ninja 500, or maybe an SV if you take to riding well.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:24
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I've only been riding my 250 (first bike) for about 7 months, but I feel like it depends on the area. I'd be fine doing 80mph on an empty highway all day long, it never wears me out. However my area has a lot of aggressive driving and there have been numerous times when I've wanted more power to get away from a bad situation. There is a happy medium between a 250 and the bike you listed though, like the SV.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:29
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With the oiling problems those had the engine probably only has a fraction of those ponies left. It's ok, get the 80's muscle bike. Serious suggestion is the Suzuki VL800/C50 (same bike but the model name changed to conform to Suzuki's Boulevard branding, and the C's are fuel injected). They're on the heavy side for starter bikes, but they're very capable on the highway, light on the maintenance, and loaded with more bells and whistles than any of the comparable Shadow 750's. Halo_4am fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Nov 6, 2013 |
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Nov 6, 2013 18:36
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I was just kidding, guys.
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Nov 6, 2013 22:40
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Okay so I posted on here a long time ago with questions about buying my first bike. Life got in the way since then but I finally booked my MSF courses for next weekend and I have about two grand to get a bike and some gear. I think this is doable since I want something ratty because A. It's my first bike, B. I live in a high theft area, and C. some wrenching would be good to pick up, and my job has a lot of tools I could borrow. The wait was good anyway since I learned a lot more about bikes than I did before. I'd wait longer and save more money but have been out of stable transportation for, like, three years since my Honda Accord broke down and the bus is starting to drag on me. I'm in Los Angeles, I have some friends with bikes, and I'm about 6'1" and 210 lb. My commute is about 40-50 miles of loose city a week total with no real need to use freeways if I don't want to. I was looking at UJMs and Ninjas earlier, but now dual sports are starting to look more appealing due to their simplicity, durability, and easy riding. I could be wrong on this, but from what I've seen here they're considered an overlooked beginner's bike. It helps that I like the styling on it more too. What dual sports should I be looking at the hardest, and what should I be looking for when I pick them up? I've been seeing a few KLR 650s pop up (Safety Dance's posts really got me looking at these), as well as a lot of really well-priced plated Honda XRs and Yamaha WRs. I was considering DRz400s for a bit but apparently they don't handle streets as well and I don't look that much like Ryan Gosling. If this idea is just dumb and i'm being dumb I would probably get a Ninja, an old CB, a Magna, or a low-CC bandit. I might even go full dork and get an elite 250! Tl;DR Can I/should I get a good dual sport for 2Gs in LA, or should I look at something else? for sale fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Nov 7, 2013 |
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Nov 7, 2013 01:11
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for sale posted:I've been seeing a few KLR 650s pop up (Safety Dance's posts really got me looking at these) Yusssssss!  (don't do this) For real, though, the KLR is probably the heaviest of the bunch. This is good and bad, because it sacrifices some off-road chops for distance ability. I can't speak to the XR and the WR, but I've ridden a DRZ (around a parking lot), and it's really nice. We used to have a poster, Becktastic, who rode hers all through the US and Mexico. I think she was a smaller person, though. I'm roughly your height and a bit heavier, and I didn't have any problems taking my KLR on the Interstate. I don't know the LA market too well, but $2k should be right on the money for an early 2000s KLR in good shape with maybe 30Kmi. For someone your height, a 650cc or smaller dual sport is a good choice.
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Nov 7, 2013 06:02
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Becktastic is still here, FYI. She's currently riding to Tierra Del Fuego. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3560508
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Nov 7, 2013 06:21
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Sagebrush posted:Becktastic is still here, FYI. She's currently riding to Tierra Del Fuego. Oh wow. I have no idea how I missed that thread!
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Nov 7, 2013 06:34
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I'm 6'3 and about 200 pounds and I'm pretty chuffed with my DRZ. If you can avoid freeways it's great. It'd probably be fine on freeways with some taller gearing but I'm running 14/47 sprockets so it's a challenge to get past about 90km/h anyway. (It will hit 110km/h but it's not comfortable)
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Nov 7, 2013 08:09
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for sale posted:Tl;DR Can I/should I get a good dual sport for 2Gs in LA, or should I look at something else? Also, if you want a second set of eyes on a bike, or want help wrenching, I'm in LA too :goonmeet:
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Nov 7, 2013 08:26
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for sale posted:Okay so I posted on here a long time ago with questions about buying my first bike. Life got in the way since then but I finally booked my MSF courses for next weekend and I have about two grand to get a bike and some gear. I think this is doable since I want something ratty because A. It's my first bike, B. I live in a high theft area, and C. some wrenching would be good to pick up, and my job has a lot of tools I could borrow. The wait was good anyway since I learned a lot more about bikes than I did before. I'm 5'11 and I did ~1500 miles in 2 days on a DRZ400SM with saddlebags, putting rider + luggage weight at about 250 pounds. I had the stock SM gearing and wheel sizes, and by the end I was just holding the bike at 80MPH and not giving a gently caress and it did just fine. It did burn some oil, but singles usually burn a bit of oil on the freeway (unless it's a KTM 690 or has upgraded engine internals). The weak spot is always the rider, not the bike. I've ridden both S models and SM models in each variation and I'd take the DRZ400 over the KLR650 any day of the week. 30% less weight more than makes up for a bit less power.
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Nov 7, 2013 09:10
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Thanks everybody for the solid DRZ advice, i'll be sure to keep my eyes out for those as well. Sanchezz I will more than likely take up your offer especially on the wrenching in the future, I really appreciate it.
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Nov 7, 2013 09:39
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If you can wait, every year on CL there are great bikes for a song going the week or two before Christmas. They're the real 'my loss your gain' specials when people sell hugely undervalue just to be sure they can get gifts for their loved ones. I see a lot of nice bikes going around then, especially in the smaller/beginner classes as people are more willing to part with that thing that sounded like a good idea, but turned out not to be too scary/hard/inconvenient/whatever to be real fun.
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Nov 7, 2013 16:09
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for sale posted:Thanks everybody for the solid DRZ advice, i'll be sure to keep my eyes out for those as well. Sanchezz I will more than likely take up your offer especially on the wrenching in the future, I really appreciate it. Force volunteering botchedlobotomy as well as he's a couple blocks from me and also owns a DRZ 
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Nov 8, 2013 01:40
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Halo_4am posted:If you can wait, every year on CL there are great bikes for a song going the week or two before Christmas. They're the real 'my loss your gain' specials when people sell hugely undervalue just to be sure they can get gifts for their loved ones. I'm going to have to start checking out classifieds in a month or so
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Nov 8, 2013 02:59
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Yeah it's rather predatory in nature, but they're selling it and somebody is buying it. May as well be you. Ask me about how I furnished my place by looking for cheap listings in cities that typically have 500-750k homes after the 2007 bubble burst. $5000 designer furniture for $50 because you're leveraged out your rear end/getting divorced/whatever? Don't mind if I do. No I am not interested in buying the cabinets right off your walls, just the chaise longue will be fine thanks. Good luck with your foreclosure though. In other news, I just realized I'm a terrible person.
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Nov 8, 2013 16:21
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Halo_4am posted:Yeah it's rather predatory in nature, but they're selling it and somebody is buying it. May as well be you. quote:Hey, I read about your crash on blah. Glad you're ok, keep me posted if you need a hand fixing your bike or decide you or want to get rid of it ^^^ An actual PM I have sent more than a few times.
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Nov 8, 2013 19:58
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Xovaan posted:*Did I happen to mention the story of breaking down in Bakersfield while taxiing a juggalo, male stripper, heroin addict, a kitten, and the front end of a car to San Fran? And having to replace an alternator tensioner in 95 heat at a lovely gay couple's house of which I learn in hindsight got the blowjes from aforementioned male stripper for weed? Yep, that's tbricks for ya, and the reason my next car is a 240SX, not a 240 This, my friends, is why I don't associate with loving tbricks. I went to SE one year with a few friends. The drive over there was gloriously amazing, but I didn't find anyone worth a poo poo while I was actually there. A bunch of no-good, pompous loving retards. Seriously. Now I just work on my 240 with my buddy and slowly ween myself of needing his help. The turbo swap is running now! One day it will be in my garage and I can finally clean it up. Heck, I might even get my 700r4 mounted.
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Nov 9, 2013 05:36
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So after a sudden lane change left me with a totaled bike and some insurance money, I figured it was time to move up from the Ninja 250. After I did some shopping around I finally found something I like that's in my price range. http://brennys.com/vehicles/view/used-2002-kawasaki-zr7s-750cc/8 I'm still an idiot when it comes to bikes so I'd like a quick goon opinion. From the five minute research I did on the ZR7S people seem to like it so it doesn't look like total garbage. Haven't taken it out for a ride yet but I was just looking to see if there were any red flags.
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Nov 9, 2013 05:56
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Clevermuldoon posted:So after a sudden lane change left me with a totaled bike and some insurance money, I figured it was time to move up from the Ninja 250. After I did some shopping around I finally found something I like that's in my price range. It's a totally fine and no-nonsense bike. Easy and cheap to maintain and repair. For that price however, I'd probably look for a Suzuki 1200 Bandit too.
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Nov 9, 2013 15:52
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Yeah, the bike isn't bad but it's nothing special, the price isn't great and it's a not that common bike that's 11 years old - which will eventually become an irritation for parts. I doubt you'll get a dealer to budge much on the price below that unless the specific bike is a shtshow. So I'd look for something that stayed in production until more recently.
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Nov 10, 2013 16:40
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I'm biased as hell, but my 919 has offered me everything I wanted from a bike. Standard ergos, good looks, comfort, and smooth power. Any discussion of Bandits should include a Hornet/919.
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Nov 10, 2013 20:16
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astrollinthepork posted:I'm biased as hell, but my 919 has offered me everything I wanted from a bike. Standard ergos, good looks, comfort, and smooth power. Any discussion of Bandits should include a Hornet/919. I agree with you entirely, except for the ergos. As a tall skinny guy I found the bike intensely uncomfortable for what it was. The seat was hard and kept trying to shove me into the tank despite my best efforts, and the tank itself was a terrible shape for gripping with my knees. My facelift sv650 was far better, and I can say this having ridden the bikes back to back. It also tended to understeer a bit, but if you have the facelift version with the adjustable suspension that isn't a big deal. Also despite the on-paper power figures seeming down compared to something like a b12/zrx it realistically isn't any slower, while also being much lighter, more compact, better handling and better braking.
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Nov 10, 2013 20:20
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Has anyone heard much about the Honda CTX700? I'm definitely shooting for a sub $2K bike to learn on, first, but I had my leg over one of these, and it felt good. It's just the right height for me to flat-foot, the low center of gravity makes it feel half its weight, and it sounds like it's designed for exactly what I want to do. Any first or second-hand experiences with it?
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Nov 11, 2013 00:31
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Lots of bikes have a 28-inch saddle height like the CTX700. What specifically do you want to do that the CTX would be perfect for? And you shouldn't buy a new bike to learn on unless you're okay with paying hundreds to thousands to repair the cracked plastics on something that was pristine until a few minutes ago.
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Nov 11, 2013 00:36
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Clitch posted:Has anyone heard much about the Honda CTX700? I'm definitely shooting for a sub $2K bike to learn on, first, but I had my leg over one of these, and it felt good. It's just the right height for me to flat-foot, the low center of gravity makes it feel half its weight, and it sounds like it's designed for exactly what I want to do. Any first or second-hand experiences with it? Only thing I got is if it's not gonna be your first bike, seat height isn't super important and there are more important considerations than that unless you're like 4'11"
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Nov 11, 2013 01:08
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Sagebrush posted:Lots of bikes have a 28-inch saddle height like the CTX700. What specifically do you want to do that the CTX would be perfect for? And you shouldn't buy a new bike to learn on unless you're okay with paying hundreds to thousands to repair the cracked plastics on something that was pristine until a few minutes ago. Hence me looking for a cheap bike to learn on, first. I figure that some of these might be coming up used, by the time I'm ready to upgrade. I've already seen a couple of Ninja 300s on Craigslist. I like the riding position, and the looks. I don't have the best back in the world, and my knees are no prize either, so being comfortable, upright, and having forward controls are all attractive. It's designed for touring, and one of my riding interests is getting out of the city more often. It's a nice fit for me; A tame guy in his 30s.
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Nov 11, 2013 02:11
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CA triumph hive mind, what say you about a 2006 675 with 31K on the clock for $6,000? http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/mcd/4171777508.html It looks like they're available for less in other parts of the country but by the time you factor in the cost of a fly and drive it's a moot point anyway. I also know the dealer and have at least some faith that they won't totally screw me over. My big concern is the 31K miles. I know there has been a rash of goon owned 675 engines failing, I don't know if it's a goon specific curse of if these engines just like to die with relatively low miles on them. Or is $6,000 just a royal rear end raping?
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Nov 11, 2013 05:19
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I've been taking a break from street bikes for a bit due to Reasons. Am thinking of picking up a damaged repairable middleweight to turn into a cheap track bike for next year. Has to be (i) cheap and (ii) a decent trackbike. I've had CBR600F2.5('94) and CBR400RR trackbikes, but don't want something so old or obscure that there's nothing on e-bay and everything you look at is broken as gently caress (this is basically the problem with the lovely old "Steelie", at least here in the UK, even though it makes an awesome track bike). The extent of what I'm likely to do is replace levers, strip off mirrors/pillion pegs/extraneous plastic, tape up road rash (or at worst, buy a Chinese e-bay fairing kit), throw on a cheap used slip-on to save a couple kilos and pick up some part-worn generic roadsports rubber. Plus obviously flush and replace fluids and check there are pads left. So I'm thinking what's cheap and likely to cope adequately with a relaxed advanced group pace. My current thinking is an 03/04 ZX-6R B1H (skinny one with the RHS exhaust) or an 05/06 if it's real cheap(skinny one with the U/S exhaust) ZX-6R. Can anyone think of a reason not to go with one of these for a simple trackbike conversion? Or a good reason to go with something else?
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Nov 11, 2013 13:34
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Slavvy posted:I agree with you entirely, except for the ergos. As a tall skinny guy I found the bike intensely uncomfortable for what it was. The seat was hard and kept trying to shove me into the tank despite my best efforts, and the tank itself was a terrible shape for gripping with my knees. I had to sell my 919. I couldn't go more than 100 miles without my junk becoming a mangled mess in my pants. Something about the angle of the seat just made me slide forward constantly. It was essentially a never ending wedgie machine.
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Nov 11, 2013 17:46
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BlackLaser posted:I had to sell my 919. I couldn't go more than 100 miles without my junk becoming a mangled mess in my pants. Something about the angle of the seat just made me slide forward constantly. It was essentially a never ending wedgie machine. You're supposed to apply throttle to counteract the sliding forward. Wheelie away from stops to get off the tank as necessary.
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Nov 12, 2013 02:07
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Tomorrow I will buy a 1983 Suzuki GS 750 that has been sitting outside since 2003 for $300. Then I will restore it and ride it for fun or sell it for moneys. Tell me why this is a bad idea.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:18
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ChewedFood posted:Tomorrow I will buy a 1983 Suzuki GS 750 that has been sitting outside since 2003 for $300. Then I will restore it and ride it for fun or sell it for moneys. Tell me why this is a bad idea. That part is a pipedream. Otherwise that sounds like a splendid idea!
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Nov 12, 2013 06:23
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ChewedFood posted:Tomorrow I will buy a 1983 Suzuki GS 750 that has been sitting outside since 2003 for $300. Then I will restore it and ride it for fun or sell it for moneys. Tell me why this is a bad idea. How close are you geographically to Nerobro?
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Nov 12, 2013 06:57
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I'd imagine that you can't find any cheap used GSs within a thousand miles of wherever Nerobro lives, so at least that far away.
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Nov 12, 2013 07:00
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