good weather for a ride

Arrabbiata1 said:

Yet to be used in anger...Donington beckons.

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Just took these off , gone after 1300 miles. These RS tires are fun, but after 2 sets in 3 months, the wife pitched a fit when she got the cc statement. Went with the 023 sport touring tire for this round and I'm pleasantly surprised . I just wish Bridgestone offered the 55/190 , I like the turn in much better than the 50's.

povol said:

Just took these off , gone after 1300 miles. These RS tires are fun, but after 2 sets in 3 months, the wife pitched a fit when she got the cc statement. Went with the 023 sport touring tire for this round and I'm pleasantly surprised . I just wish Bridgestone offered the 55/190 , I like the turn in much better than the 50's.

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That looks a tad squared off to me Pov. Have you been hauling straight lines up and down the freeway? Not the ideal tyre for the run to Indy last year.

Seriously though, is that the RS10? I guess you're never going far on a street race tyre...but brilliant rubber for Deals Gap.

Sport tourers are a superb option these days. That's why I've just thrown the Rosso's on. Very responsive, more durable than the above and brilliant on the track.

Arrabbiata1 said:

That looks a tad squared off to me Pov. Have you been hauling straight lines up and down the freeway? Not the ideal tyre for the run to Indy last year.

Seriously though, is that the RS10? I guess you're never going far on a street race tyre...but brilliant rubber for Deals Gap.

Sport tourers are a superb option these days. That's why I've just thrown the Rosso's on. Very responsive, more durable than the above and brilliant on the track.

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Not squared to awful bad, but with 122 ft lbs of torque the centers are usually the first to go because you just can't help doing mind boggling roll ons when on the slab.It's basically a 100 mile round trip from my house to gap and back with around 2/3's of that on the slab or other 4 lane roads to get to the twisties. It only takes a few laps through the gap to get them rounded back off.Today I went to gap and then went ahead and did the Cherohala, damn I love that road.Thats around a 200 mile trip

I was gonna go to Laguna but decided to hang around in So Cal instead.

Motokitty said:

I was gonna go to Laguna but decided to hang around in So Cal instead.

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We have some gorgeous places to ride in this country and im lucky enough to be within 1 to 1/1/2 hours to many of them, and if you want, there are great routes that lead there if you have the time.

Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in North America | North America | Discovery

On that list, we ride the BLP, the Gap, and the Cherohala on a weekly basis and Route 50 and surrounding roads a couple of times a year. Would like to get out to Colorado, Wyoming on my bike to do those roads. Ive done them in a car since we are there almost every year, but that's just hours of listening to my wife telling me to slow down, the whole time im thinking, ...., i could be railing through here

Don't know if this is the topic to ask but I figure why not.

If I were considering a sport bike as a Harley rider, what would you folks recommend? Only sport bike I've ever ridden was a Yamaha R6...acceleration was quite fun, but it takes no skill to accelerate. Didn't get enough time to play around with the cornering because the roads were mostly straight with slow 90 degree turns. Keep in mind I'd like to hit the track once at least just to see what it is like to ride in a closed environment without the BS of public roads. Keep in mind I'm 6'3/230.

JPSLotus said:

Don't know if this is the topic to ask but I figure why not.

If I were considering a sport bike as a Harley rider, what would you folks recommend? Only sport bike I've ever ridden was a Yamaha R6...acceleration was quite fun, but it takes no skill to accelerate. Didn't get enough time to play around with the cornering because the roads were mostly straight with slow 90 degree turns. Keep in mind I'd like to hit the track once at least just to see what it is like to ride in a closed environment without the BS of public roads. Keep in mind I'm 6'3/230.

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They are all wonderful, you cant really go wrong. I wouldnt purchase a full blown sportbike if my plan was to someday do a trackday. Figure out what type of riding you will be doing, what kind of physical shape you are in such as back, wrist and shoulders, then go from there. The Naked sport is gaining in popularity as the full on sportbike dies. The younger kids cant get insurance and the older sportbike guys are looking for sport bike performance with some comfort. Every manufacturer has a line of these bikes that are great and for your size, i would go 800-1000cc. Im 6'6" 250 and the new naked sports are doable while the 600-1000 sportbikes are not, just way to folded up . I just sent you a pm with a craigslist ad for a bike a buddy of mine has listed. Perfect, dude loves spending money on bikes then gets tired of them and sells them

My riding buddy rides ZX-6R and FZ-09. He says FZ-09 is like Mustang and Ninja is like Ferrari. You know what I mean? As for acceleration, FZ is always trying to kill you.

I'm thinking to buy either R6, FZ6R, or FZ-07 for myself.
I hate Gixxers.

povol said:

They are all wonderful, you cant really go wrong. I wouldnt purchase a full blown sportbike if my plan was to someday do a trackday. Figure out what type of riding you will be doing, what kind of physical shape you are in such as back, wrist and shoulders, then go from there. The Naked sport is gaining in popularity as the full on sportbike dies. The younger kids cant get insurance and the older sportbike guys are looking for sport bike performance with some comfort. Every manufacturer has a line of these bikes that are great and for your size, i would go 800-1000cc. Im 6'6" 250 and the new naked sports are doable while the 600-1000 sportbikes are not, just way to folded up . I just sent you a pm with a craigslist ad for a bike a buddy of mine has listed. Perfect, dude loves spending money on bikes then gets tired of them and sells them

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Thanks for sending that, that's a nice looking bike he's got up for sale.

The insurance on the full on supersports/superbikes is atrocious if you want good coverage. Age doesn't even seem to matter. I'm thinking a lot of these kids riding them may have opted for the bare minimum of coverage with these bikes.

Looking, the Kawasaki Z1000 naked sport is pretty nice as well. You probably can't go wrong with either that or the Ninja 1000. Just a matter if you want the fairings on the bike. Z1000 does produce about 15 more HP, but the trade-off of no fairings in the cooler months might not be worth it.

Guess it's really a matter of what manufacturer you like the most. The Suzuki GSX-S 1000 is also a nice looking bike as well.

Motokitty said:

My riding buddy rides ZX-6R and FZ-09. He says FZ-09 is like Mustang and Ninja is like Ferrari. You know what I mean? As for acceleration, FZ is always trying to kill you.

I'm thinking to buy either R6, FZ6R, or FZ-07 for myself.
I hate Gixxers.

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I know the first year of the FZ-09 they had rideability issues that could be fixed if you reflashed the ECU, and redid the suspension. Not sure how the newest models are, but you kind of got what you paid for since you were going to have to dump extra money just to fix the suspension one way or another. Lower MSRP easily made up by necessary modifications.

Why doesnt your fat ... just get a trike

Get a second hand 1098.

BarryMachine said:

Get a second hand 1098.

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Ducs are sexy but all my rider friends say this is the way to lose money for repairs.

Motokitty said:

Ducs are sexy but all my rider friends say this is the way to lose money for repairs.

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Yeah ... gotta admit .... I like getting them loaned .... but wouldnt really like to own one.

Personally Id like an RC8.

JP, I'd rent a bike to take to track. There are companies that do that.

As far as a sport bike, I'd get a used one where the owner might let you test ride. You can't test new bikes (at least I've never heard). They often have demo rides at bike shows or races, so I'd take advantage of a program like that. Or if you got good buddies with sport bikes, as them to let you try it.

You're a big dude so you'll need to think about comfort.

DRZ SM, fun factor. Not a freeway bike.
R6, GSXR600, ZX6, great everything, but perhaps not enuf power for guy like you.
749, 848, nice too look at, not enough power. Aggressive ergos but not bad.
748, 916, most beautiful bike ever. Awful to ride on civilian streets or highway. Stay away.
I've had a couple liter bikes, never liked any. But I'm half your size.
R6, GSXR600, best track bikes for me.
GSXR750, best all around bike I've ridden. Hard to find.

Stay on Jap bike. They're the only ones made for both track and civilians.

Content Warning: Look ....... (.)(.)

Jumkie said:

JP, I'd rent a bike to take to track. There are companies that do that.

As far as a sport bike, I'd get a used one where the owner might let you test ride. You can't test new bikes (at least I've never heard). They often have demo rides at bike shows or races, so I'd take advantage of a program like that. Or if you got good buddies with sport bikes, as them to let you try it.

You're a big dude so you'll need to think about comfort.

DRZ SM, fun factor. Not a freeway bike.
R6, GSXR600, ZX6, great everything, but perhaps not enuf power for guy like you.
749, 848, nice too look at, not enough power. Aggressive ergos but not bad.
748, 916, most beautiful bike ever. Awful to ride on civilian streets or highway. Stay away.
I've had a couple liter bikes, never liked any. But I'm half your size.
R6, GSXR600, best track bikes for me.
GSXR750, best all around bike I've ridden. Hard to find.

Stay on Jap bike. They're the only ones made for both track and civilians.

Content Warning: Look ....... (.)(.)

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Thanks for the feedback Jum.

Definitely true with the supersports. I tried to test ride one at a dealer last year and they wouldn't do it because they were claiming insurance didn't cover it. I get their concerns, at the same time, it's strange that I can go to the HD dealer and test ride any bike on their floor without issue. I think the naked sports or regular sports may be as far as you will get with test rides.

The liter bikes to me seem like a bit much for the road, though the larger size might be more conducive for my size. Why did you find the GSXR750 to be the best all around bike? I rarely see them on the road...its either 600 or 1000.

Motokitty said:

Ducs are sexy but all my rider friends say this is the way to lose money for repairs.

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A buddy of mine had a Ducati. He traded it in for a Triumph Speed Triple last year before he had to get the valve adjustment done. Said he liked the Ducati, but he said they suck money down once you can't do the maintenance or repairs.

I'm also 6' 3" and I really like my ZX-14R. I usually get a new bike every year, but there's nothing out right now that I'd trade the 14R for.

I had a '14 ZX-10R and '14 Panigale 1199R. The Panigale was the worst bike for street riding I've ever owned. The ZX-10R was fun, but I found it very uncomfortable for street rides longer than an hour.

GSXR750 is awesome! Very easy to ride fast and they make good track bikes. I've owned 2 of them... but unfortunately for me my worst motorcycle crashes happened on my 750s.

JPSLotus said:

If I were considering a sport bike as a Harley rider, what would you folks recommend? Only sport bike I've ever ridden was a Yamaha R6...acceleration was quite fun, but it takes no skill to accelerate. Didn't get enough time to play around with the cornering because the roads were mostly straight with slow 90 degree turns. Keep in mind I'd like to hit the track once at least just to see what it is like to ride in a closed environment without the BS of public roads. Keep in mind I'm 6'3/230.

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Why look at a sports bike?

As some have said, many of the UJM type of machines today are more than adequate when punted on a good bit of twisty road and a damn site more comfortable when you want to just cruise and ride just to ride.

Now I am not in the US so the availability of the ones I mention may differ, but with your height, many of the pure sports bikes will be well out of the question as you will look like you are riding a damn 50cc pit bike so I would definitely suggest looking at the naked/sports tourer marker or even the ADV market.

Suggestions only here but .........

Hypermotard - awesome fun, and those I know that have them will say that keeping a licence if the area is over patrolled can be tough, but every time they ride it they get a huge buzz (and not just from engine vibrations)

Vstroms - big, comfortable and with decent tyres is more than capable in the twisties and will take you on that side track, all while keeping you comfortable. I have ridden a few oft he 1000 (own a 650) and will say now that the motor is sensational.

KTM - have a few in the range but not sure of reliability etc as I do hear some 'horror' stories but also know guys that have well in excess of 100k on theirs and also some who have raced them for a few years with no motor costs.

I am sure that in the US market there is a better selection than in Oz but with your height I would suggest looking at the likes of those mentioned as they will be comfortable and very capable of upsetting many a sportsbike if the mood takes

Had a R6 that I bought from a racing team that went broke before they could finish all the upgrades, and it made a great track bike - but for street or long rides, it just wasn't comfortable and I'm only 5ft 10 / 150 lbs. The DRZ is not long on horsepower but power to weight ratio is great and they're not expensive to soup up; surprisingly comfortable and pretty much bullet proof. Great as a street bike and a pisser for track days.

Never had a Gixxer but folks I know who have them rave about them.


KTM Hypermotards.... mechanical crapshoot. I think they'll last a while if you don't abuse them. Sure are purty too (well some are).


Good luck whatever you go with.