flood, I’d be alongside the others here in saying buy a second hand bike. It’ll depreciate less in the time you have it and are ready to move on to something else. The Suzuki bandit is a fine bike as a start and should be a reasonable price for one a couple of years old. GSXR might be a little strong though, 120 BHP is a lot to handle if you are not used to it.
Alternatively you could try a Ducati Monster 600 if you feel like something a little more European (And with a nice Desmo twin cylinder roar :D) I’ve tootled round on the Ducati a few times and its a nicely well behaved animal, light and easy to steer. A little less power the the Suzi but not too noticable unless you’re planning a few blasts down the Interstate. The only downside is I’m not sure what sort of servicing might be available for it over your side of the pond so that would be something to look into if you are interested in it. You can have a look at the new 620 here. The older 600s look the same and you shold be able to pick one up at a similar price to the Bandit.
Oh yes, the current crop of Bandits develop around 80 ponies. The Monster is in the region of 60.
6 feet 2, or 1.86 meters as it happens. Also, about 95 kilograms. If you want to know what that feels like, ask my Diversion.
(Actually, I took a 300 click ride with a couple of mates last Saturday, and took one of them back to Amsterdam as a passenger - he rented a bike, as the one I ride used to be his, and his girlfriend won’t let him buy a new one ([sup][sub]the pussywhipped mothahf… but I digress![/sub][/sup]). He’s about my size. Now, 200 kilograms of burly men on a Divvy is stretching things a tad at 61 BHP. It needed a shitload of revs to accelerate, although it still cruised fine at 150 km/h.)
I know the FJR-1300 would be a good choice - it fits just about all my needs in a bike. Thing is, I don’t have a garage, and I’m not gonna park a €15,000 bike (yes, that’s what they cost here!) outside like that. Dreams of this magnitude will have to wait until there’s a garage!
Also, I’m pretty sure you overestimate me. I mean, you’ve seen me ride, so you know I’m not a complete klutz on two wheels, but I honestly believe that 145 BHP FJR-1300 will scare my pants off the first time I open the throttle! Then again, I dunno, I rode an R1 for a bit a few weeks ago, and it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I had expected. Fast, agressive, yes - but controlable and docile as well. I’m sure it’ll bite you when it’s on the limit, though, but I’d better make sure I reach the limit when riding the Divvy, first.
you ought to buy some of those magnesium-loaded kneesliders, just to drag a few extra sparks… Looks like a fun ride, by the way - although you’re caught behind a cage, by the look of things. That sucks.
I had the same experience as you, the first time tried out a litre-class bike - “When does this get wild ?”. Then I noticed how fast I actually went - and how far I still had to go before reaching the red field on the tacho…
I just finished putting hard bags on the Interceptor (only took 5 hours, some trilingual cursing and a band-aid) - meanings are divided: I think they’re the bee’s knees, my (considerably) better half is not a fan. They sure make it harder to lane-split - the bike suddenly is about as wide as a Morris Mini. This is how they look (although, of course, my bike is red): http://www.motorcycledaily.com/06january03vfrbags.html
But it makes a nice change from the Duc 748 - getting luggage to stay on that little beauty was a royal pain in the rearside. Come to think of it, so was riding it for more than a hundred miles or so at a time.
Nice luggage there, Spiny! Eh, it may not make the bike look cooler, but they’re detachable, and they’re damn handy for a weekend trip! Or a full camping trip, if you’re able to pack economically.
I have the official panniers for the Divvy as well, colour-sprayed by the former owner no less. It looks decidedly uncool wearing them, but then, if you want a cool bike, look for something other than a Diversion to begin with.
The only downside is ride stability: my cases aren’t aerodynamic at all, and the bike gets seriously wobbly over 130 km/h wearing them. Normally, it only gets wobbly over 135 km/h.
Oh, another thing. Whomever decided that a Divvy could carry a set of side cases or a rear luggage rack, is a bloody idiot. As it stands, I’m going to have to strap my tent over the buddy seat (in true Spiny 748 style :)) because the bloody wankers only supplied one mounting point. Which is occupied by the frame that holds the side cases.
Ah, I hadn’t even thought about the urgent need for a speed test. Obviously, it is imperative, safety-wise, that I know at exactly what speeds my bags are secure
It ought to be OK, I’d say. Yours look a lot more streamlined (mine are basically oversized shoe boxes with handles), your bike had better aerodynamics to begin with, and it’s probably a tad heavier, which helps too.
I couldn’t believe how stable the Divvy was at 150 km/h, provided two .1 ton men are riding on it.
Yeah, the speed does sneak up on you. Last week I was in the part of the 22 that still wasn’t crowded. I was behind a BMW (cage) that decided to slow down when it came abreast of a Mercedes in the number two lane. (Why do they do that? “Doop-de-doo. I think I’ll make a rolling road block!”) Well, there was plenty of room between them and a lot of open road ahead so I gunned it. When I looked down the speedo was reading 103 mph.
There’s a guy at work who really likes my bike. I brought in a motorcycle rag (I don’t remember which one – one of the free ones at the shop) and there’s a photo of the new BMW Rockster(?) in it. He wanted to look at it, so we made for the shop. He was on his 1999 Yamaha V-Star 1100. He poured on the power and was accellerating away from me, so I did the same as soon as the way was clear. Raised the front tire a bit. Since I was changing lanes at the time, I thought it might be a good idea to get it back down so I could turn. Its been a long time since I’ve raised the front of the Seca!
FWIW, he found the BMWs to be attractive but way overpriced. He likes the FJR1300, but they are built to order so there wasn’t one he coud try on. (We went to the Yamaha/Honda/etc. shop after visiting BMW.) He did sit on the FZ1 though, and liked it. Personally I like the FJR1300 better, but the FZ1 is comfortable and costs thousands less.
I rode the Seca II (the American version of Coldie’s Diversion) out to Lake Havasu. I took the back road through 29 Palms. Almost no traffic, no cops. It handled quite well at an indicated 120 mph. (What is that? 190 kph?) But another time I pushed it to 125 mph, and got a nasty shimmy. I mean there was no warning, it just came unglued. But of course, the XJ600 was never designed to be ridden like that. Nowadays I keep my trusty friend below an indicated 90 mph. Incidentally, the speedo seems to be off by about 10%. Could be the different tires, which I didn’t have on the Lake Havasu trip. Or it could be that after so many tens of thousands of miles it’s just getting a little worn out. Or maybe it’s always read fast. I indicate 80 mph on the R1 and I’m not passing people by much on the 405. (But then, people drive fast on the 405.)
The speedos on the Divvy/Seca read notoriously fast.
It’s 5% at 100 km/h, so it’s probably a lot more at 120 MPH (yeah, that’s close to 190 kmh). I’ve had mine on an indicated 198 kmh, and there’s no way in hell it’ll do that. Probably 180, 185 real world clicks, at best.
Topped it out maybe twice - I prefer to keep it below 160 km/h now. As you said, it’s not a true racer, and no matter how much I push it, it’ll never be one either.
Speaking of “unstoppable”, I mentioned I once had a well-used Honda CX500. A coworker had Suzuki GS500E. The 500cc Suzuki was light and had more power than my heavy 500cc Honda. (The Honda was a Moto Guzzi style V-twin, and the Suzuki is an in-line four. Less inertia to overcome, I suspect.) I was surprised at how much better the brakes were on the new Suzuki compared to my old Honda. Very impressive.
Thanks for the great advice for new riders. I too, am thinking about getting a bike and am wondering about your impressions of this Kawasaki KZ650 as a beginner’s bike. Am I going to kill myself, or will I have a chance of survival with this thing? Your thoughts would be most appreciated.
From what I hear, they’re reliable bikes. It’s got enough grunt to tackle highways, but it’s no overachiever. Decent starter bike, although a bike that age could have lots of mechanical problems. Note how the seller doesn’t mention the odometer readings anywhere? This thing’s probably seen more ass than Ron Jeremy.
A trip to Lourdes for you! He lists the mileage as 26,200 – about 1/3 what my XJ600 has on it!
El Marko: I relly dig the classic UJMs. (UJM = “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” – they all looked the same.) These were bikes that were made before they reallyt started to get specialized. That one might be good for learning – and then restoring as a classic later.
You guys with the muscle are talking about numbers that I can only dream of! It’s not helping me ignore the very sultry come-hither look and lascivious suggestions made to me by an ST1100 at the shop today.
El Marko, that would be a good learning bike. Plenty of power but you won’t take your head off, and decent handling. Parts should be fairly easy to come by too if you need them. Also, like old cars, older bikes are pretty easy to work on yourself if you have any basic mech. knowledge.
Sorry, I came in late and havent read this too closely, but you mentioned riding in the Texas Hills. Have you ever thought of a “Dual Purpose” bike? Learning to ride in the dirt is the best way to go. It teachs you valuable control skills you will need on the road later. The Suzuki DR (both in 350 and 400 versions, depending on year) are fantastic motorcycles. I can’t recommend them enough. So easy to ride, your Granny can hop on and go. Compentant enough to race at novice level.
As far as the Katana goes, its not a bad bike and you should be able to pick one up dirt cheap. The earlier ones did vibrate somewhat. Not the ideal choice for a first bike, but certainly not the worst.
Get a quality helmet. They are worth what you pay for them. (at least the solid color ones. You get into the fancy graphics and you don’t get any more quality)
(In my opinion) The Blast is junk. However, for around $500, I would think about it.
Don’t mock the JR50! Future World Champions start on that bike. My kid has one, just sitting in the garage waiting for him.
Actual headline: “Church ends probe of Gay Bishop”
Actually, low mileage on old bikes isn’t that uncommon. I suspect that most people buy them for fun, ride them around for a couple of years, then stick them in the garage. Or they’ll get something else. Maybe they only get them out a few times in the summer.
That CX500 I used to have only averaged about 2,000 miles per year (15 years, 33,000 miles) until I got ahold of it. It sat in the guy’s garage for years after he became convinced car drivers were trying to kill him.
Wear dark glasses and take a seeing-eye dog and a white cane with you. That would be funny.
Nah. Remember that there really are people out there who only ride a bike if there is no threat of rain within 10 days, the temp is 76 to 78 degrees, no wind, the moon will be full that night, between 6pm and 7pm. I work with guys like that who are amazed that I actually ride to work every day rain or shine, most of them harley riders. I’m considered “hard-core” by guys who have upwards of $20K into a bike that they are afraid to ride.
Looks like a fun ride, by the way - although you’re caught behind a cage, by the look of things. That sucks.