Why my Superhawk is my daily rider. Even at the track, I find that I'm not using full-throttle high revs all that much (on the CBR).

Pretty fun when I rip it WFO though...

 

True Jim. When I rode my ZX12 I had to be VERY careful with the throttle. It was mildly modded and geared down and didn't take much to spin the real wheel up anytime. And these new 1000cc bikes are just as powerful. Maybe not quite as torquey but also 100 lbs lighter too.

 

And speaking of R1's when my same friend who sold me the ZX12 bought a new 1st gen R1 I got to ride it and it was ******* fast! I sometimes wonder about the newest liter bikes and how they are even allowed to sell some of them.

But unless you just have to have the latest thing and **** $100 bills it's really silly not to find a nice low mileage used liter bike. Especially with the deals out there now.

 

Most squids must own the latest thing, otherwise you are somehow inferior.
I can tell you from too much personal experience that most squids (and non squids) that must have the latest and greatest usually can't really afford it. It's not uncommon for me to go on a group ride and see people cutting the day short or skimping on meals because they are broke, meanwhile they are riding brand new bikes.
I had a guy literally laugh at me for rolling up on a 91 GSXR the other night. He had never seen a bike older than a 2000 model. Needless to say he couldn't hang with my antique even with his new GSXR 1k.
Enough of my rant. The most all around great sportbike for the street that I have ever owned was my FZR 1000. Comfy ergos, lots of torque and plenty of usable power. Not to mention a great pilllion seat and good wind protection. The most comparable modern bike is the VFR.

 

scatterbrained i agree 100%

a lot of the older bikes are much better than the latest impractical crotch rockets, and much mroe useable and faster in the real world and most real bikers know that.

 

I usually ride alone but got hooked up with a guy on an 08 R1 and an 09 CBR1000 who are friends of a friend i taught to ride. They were unable to keep up in the twisties albeit I wasn't racing, just riding the way i normally do. I guess this became disconcerting because after riding a while, the RI caught up on a straight and passed me by cutting across between two turns. He continued to pull away as I carved each turn staying in mid lane while he was straightening out the wrinkles faster than laundry worker on crystal meth.

My favorite part of riding is curves and to see this guy systematically eliminating them on beautiful curvy road made me laugh and shake my head in wonder at why he would ever by an R1, even though i really knew the answer.

 

I've seen both sides of this issue. I agree that alot of people want and buy the best equipment just to have it. It makes them feel good and good for them. That is what really makes the economy work. It also puts cutting edge equipment on the used market because they continually upgrade. Some of these people are posers and couldn't keep up to a KLR250 with nobbies. On the other hand, many are excellent riders. A good rider on a new bike won't make a good rider on a Hawk look stupid because in the twisties you have to be at 9/10ths to really lose a good rider on just about any decent bike. Most good riders don't push it that far on the street. There will always be posers and people with more money than brains, they have their place in the grand scheme so cut them a small amount of slack. Merry Xmas and man do I miss riding, bring on the new year and spring.

 

indeed, there's a myriad of ways to look at every issue. Opinions are like ********, everybody has one. I know this because i have them and am one.

you say some of these posers couldn't keep up with a KLR250 with knobbies. I agree with this but would add that it may be difficult for even good riders to give up 150-200lbs on corners in terms of centrifugal/gyroscopic forces. I can always carry more speed with less drama on my xr650l on a series of tight turns than i can with the SH.

speaking of snow, we just got 6" today. I like riding in the snow with the XR, just can't lift it up when it falls, wants to slide all over the place. Those dirt bikes with track systems look like fun.

 

When I was at deals gap we were following a GL1500 that was whipping at a pace that made me uncomfortable to even attempt a pass. There was no reason to go faster, and he had no problem going at a rate that would embarrass most.

 

People that buy **** they can't afford affect you in more ways than you think.

 

you just blew my theory that lighter is faster in turns. Generally though it is true, but rider skills count for a lot, and most times more. There is no doubt about that. Saw Superbikes on the speed channel when they were training motorcycle cops and they were getting some serious speed/lean on bigass bikes.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrMQ3QwyPo

 

IMO you're not correct. Banks that allow people to borrow money they can't pay back affect us. Most people buying toys are not the reason for the economic down turn. As stated earlier, just my opinion and I am also an *******. Cheers

 

The most important motorcycle/money lesson I learned was watching a friend employed in a MC salvage yard put junk yard dogs of motorcycles together for pocket change, then go out and embarrass high credit riders.

The older I get, the more I appreciate my shrinking performance envelope. A modded ten year old ride gets the job done nicely, without drama. And doesn't scare the insurance company besides.

 

Dont blame banks- take responsibility for your own actions. No blame game "cause they said I could afford it..."

Fact: The economic crisis was about mortgage-backed-securities/
derivatives.... (ie. Securitizations) in a speculative housing environment... more than squids buying motorcycles... at the end of the day $10k for the perfomance of a new bike is serious when compared to "sports cars"... and I love cars too.

Opinion: The real problem may be with the insurance we pay when squids wad bikes on a regular basis... not the purchase/financing thing... my opinion - and you know what they say about that, everybody has one.

 

by the way, that video was great, scraping pipes in a goldwing...*******

 

I agree, never thought about the insurance angle. Graduated license based on CC size and insurance rates that actually take into account experience and driving record would be a start. If kids had to ride smaller bikes, I really think the whole industry would benefit.

 

I have been saying this for some time. Maybe not here on the forum, but they need to do a graduated license. Why is the first bike for the highschooler a 600cc sportbike. Why isn't it a dr400/wr250, cbr125/250, ninja 250, etc???? I guess it is no different than the junior girl who got a mustang gt convertible when she got her license and that is the only vehicle she has. Mind you that we live in WI!

 

Maybe 'cause he wants one and can afford to have one? Maybe he thinks he's a free person living in a free country and gets to make his own life choices?

Maybe he thinks it's his decision- none of your or the Goobermints business?

 

I am not one for over-regulation, but how about some free market discounts for people who have a solid record with m.c. skillz? Maybe there are not as many of us out there, hence no market for people who dont crash... I have paid for my bike many times over in insurance at this point, but oh well... and yea I get the PIP stuff..

 

Maybe the risk for the banks and the insurance companies should work inverse to the experience of the rider. If the squid was told, "you're young, you want to finance 95% of the purchase price - you get to buy a Vespa." Other squid, "you're young, you want us to finance very little (less than 50%), you agree to carry all the required insurances naming us an bene's, and if you wreck it - well, shucks - for you."

Either way, I don't think it would make a dent in the death toll per year of bikers because I believe bikes pay for motorists' mistakes at a much greater rate than their experience or bike configuration contributes to.

 

Well, that is great in a vacuum. But his decisions, and his parents choice to back that, and the bank to finance it, and the insurance company to cover it is what puts insurance for reasonable humans at an unreasonable level. Why should full coverage for a 25 year old on a 5 year old bike that values at 5k be $1500? Well, it isn't the risk associated with that individual, it is the risk that they have taken on all the ***** out there. If that pissant's decision didn't affect anyone else but himself, go ahead, but you and I know that is not how it works. I think you also think it is a good idea that parents by 350 horse plus sports cars for there kids and their accident rate determines the insurance rate for those vehicles. I teach these pissants everyday, and there is no way that, if and when I have one, that I would let mine on a 170mph motorcycle for there first one. My two cents, or a-hole, may not be your's, but I am sure that we could save ourselves some lives and dough if there was a reasonable limit of time that children had to go through to graduate up to big boy bikes.

 

Bill;

I probably could have been a bit more clear in my response to your post.

I don't think a 400 lb. 115 h.p. bike is a good first ride for a 16 year old. Or a 26 or 36 year old for that matter.

I wouldn't want/let a 16 year old son get one. And sure, finance and insurance companies should chose who they do and don't want to finance and insure and for how much.

On principle, I just really hate the idea of giving the government the power to decide how big a bike anyone can ride.

And sooner or later they'd get around to informing us that nobody "needs" a 100+ horse power sport bike.

 

I read that. The problem is the "czar" that they would assign to setting the classes and bikes would never have rode a motorcycle and would rely on crash statistics for the classifications.

 

indeed, crash statistics but not compared with millions of miles accumulated.