Why Do We Buy The Bikes We Do?

[Teez]

Originally posted by PinHead


Thats where those Honda's belong.

You know Pinhead, I use to like you.

I knew I wanted a twin. I had a GSX-R 750 and 1100 previously and as soon as I saw the superhawk I fell in love! I had to pull some strings to get my friend to let me try his , but when I did, oh baby I loved it. I get the best of both world though, when I want to ride a 4, I hop on Ken's. His bike I mean

[snaggle]

The CBR is the first bike I have owned that has run consistently. I knew I wanted a sportbike, so after looking for a while..... I found this one and the price was right. So bada bing bada boom..... Honda owner! I think my next bike will be a TLR though, as soon as I can afford it.


Hey jankster, I think they make a cream or somthing for that Duc itch you are talking about.

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by snaggle
I think my next bike will be a TLR though, as soon as I can afford it.

Better get with it, son. I have this craaaazy feeling that after this year, you won't be able to get a new one any more...

[Degsy]

...Unless you go to any of the dozens of dealers who have left overs all over the shop floor

[RACYA]

after ridding a 88 Hawk GT650 for seven years i knew i wanted another V-twin and something that wasnt common (ex. GSXR) it was between a superhawk and the TLS and i always heard that the TLS was a baby-killer so how can u go wrong

[plasticweld]

Originally posted by Stoneman


You're kidding, right?

Jay using your logic, just about every rider here should be faster than Degsy on the race track, he is after all using a bike that is 8 years old,, during the next track days let me know how much time you can cut off his lap time.. I remember your bike which is much newer than mine, running like crap, on our last trip. I know JC knows what my tail lights look like, but I know don't know what his looks like!!.. All I can say is I have owned a ton of bikes, had a opportunity to test ride even more. anybody else have over 30 bikes in last 2 years.. newest a 2000 GSXR 750. oldest the one I ride all the time a 87 FZR 1000... and I still stand by the statement...

[ChR1s]

I'm willing to guess most anyone that's circulated the same mile and a half stretch over, and over, and over, eventually manages to get around it pretty quickly.

Distinguishing the differences between my '99 R1, my '00 R1, and '02 R1 was not a problem. An '02 954 compared to a '02 R1? They're a world apart. They can cut similar lap times, but they don't feel at all similar. I travel the same stretch of road at about the same pace if I'm riding my R1 or my brother's RSV-R. It's an entirely different experience on either one though.

I got an R1(s) because of their good looks, killer motors, diminutive size, good handles, excellent quality, affordability, and now they've got some great suspenders. Of the three R1s I've owned (over 40,000 miles collectively), none have received any performance mods.

[beet]

Originally posted by Stoneman


You're kidding, right?

u aint going 2 run away that easy . p.s. if you read cycle world you should junk all the old stuff 3years old or older as i herd u say if you read the magazines youd never got a tls or tlr what ever .....

[Stoneman]

That's hardly using MY logic, Bob. Simply put, go and compare ANY 1990 model's specs with today's technology...

150 RWHP in a machine that weighs less than 400 lbs???

Bikes that can corner, carve and commute that are capable of near 200 MPH speeds?

Engines that put out more displacement, but weigh 50 lbs. lighter than their predecessors?

The use of carbon fiber and titanium?

One hardly needs to race to see the obvious differences in today's sportbikes (or just about any other bike for that matter) compared to what was being produced over a decade ago...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by beet
as i herd u say if you read the magazines youd never got a tls or tlr what ever .....

Yip, that's what I said. I'm not sure I'm following your point though. I'm disputing the statement that today's bikes have little performance-wise over bikes that were being made over ten years ago. It really has nothing to do with what I'd buy...

I've only owned six streetbikes in my life, dating from model years 1985-2000. I don't need 30 bikes to distinguish the advances, nor do I need a stopwatch or racetrack...

And while I'll never buy a bike based on what the moto-rags say, it's hard to ignore how far they've come in the past ten or so years...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by plasticweld
I remember your bike which is much newer than mine, running like crap, on our last trip. I

Kinda like that Gixxer that was smoking everyone out that day, huh? Yeah, that old beast is a real gem. My bike was fixed in about 15 minutes. Is the Gixxer squared away yet? How long did IT take? I just connected a plug that wasn't secure. Then, as a protective measure, I plugged JC's laptop into my wiring harness and downloaded a new FI map. Yet another giant leap BACK for technology, eh?

Oh, and feel free to bring your thoroughly-modern-fast-as-anything-out-there FZR to the September track day. While dicing it up is strictly forbidden, I'm sure we could find more than one willing member to time some laps for us. I'll even do my timed laps within the strict confines of the 'slow group'...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by plasticweld
I know JC knows what my tail lights look like, but I know don't know what his looks like!!..

Um, yeah....we were in a pack of riders there, Bob. "Order of the pack". Or is that not a term or practice you're familiar with when group riding. Any one there coulda jumped in second in line behind Jon as you did after every stop. Then we could make that same statement too...

Similar to what JC said, the differences in the way you CLAIM you & Russ ride compared to the way you actually did ride STILL has me wondering how many of your stories were actually true...

See ya in September?

[oreo_n2]

BECAUSE ALL THESE GUYS CANNOT BE WRONG!

Degsy, what hell is that... a frocking cloning factory????? EEeeewwwww.

[plasticweld]

You guys miss my point, words not intended to offend by the way.. I said the bikes have changed very little.. I stilll say that.. with the exception of fuel injection and a drop of weight there is no real change in the bikes, I am not talking about refinements.. If you take the bike I ride for instance,, it is the predecessor of the R1. the bike first came out in 86 as the FZR 1000. Changes were made up till 94 in frame geometery and angle of motor all very sutle.. The bike was almost unchanged until 1997 and for all real purposes you could not tell the difference between the 87 and the 97 going down the road.. When the R1 was developed it was lighter by 100 pounds and had 10 more horsepower. While this is a great refinement it was not a jump in technology.. The bike again went thru some changes and was refined even further in the 2002, making probably the best bike out there today for handling and speed and braking. Is there a big difference between an 87 and a 2002 on the road, Sure,, but not in Technology.. just refinement.. I mention the Vt. trip because I was on the oldest bike there.. it certainly did not prove to be a handicap. The point being that you have don't have to up date your bike every few years because of the hype, the new model is going to do something the old one wouldn't. How fast are you going to go on the street??? are you ever going to tell the differance unless you are on the track and using a stop watch? Advantages I have in having an old bike,, It's payed for,, insurance $54 a year, if I crash and don't make it around the next corner, what am I out as long as I 'm not hurt,, not much,, I can hitch hike home and still get a good night sleep.. I don't how you other guys feel but coming in hot on a corner on a $12,000 dollar bike that requires a lot of insurance will never be as much fun as pushing my bike to the limit.. And Dude did see my Bike???

[ChR1s]

Comparing the '99 R1 I owned to the '90 FZR1000 I've ridden... CHRIST what a pile of shit that thing was! No jump in technology?! Bwa-muthufuckin-ha!

And yes, I CAN go faster on the street and track with my '02 R1 over the '00 R1 I owned previously. Because it's a better bike.

Back to the track day subject, who's in?

[Degsy]

There is very little difference between a 1987 and a 1997 FZR1000. They both handled fairly well and produced about the same power. The YZF range was even closer. I would say that a 1990 YZF1000 handles BETTER than the 2000 R1 that I rode a couple of years ago, just personal preference, but the 1990 YZF1000 was a sweet handling bike in my opinion. Another exception to the rule is the CBR900RR. The earlier models (1991-1994' ish) were much faster than the later ones (1995-1999) and steered much quicker. They could be ridden much faster than the newer ones IF you knew how to ride a bike with a 16 inch front wheel and spindly forks that were almost vertical to the ground.

Today's modern sportbikes are mostly refined to make riding them EASIER, not faster. However, the CBR954 I rode last week at trackday BLEW ME AWAY. I had no idea that bikes could have that much power. I shudder to think how much power the Gixxer1000 has. The worrying thing about the 954 is that I got into trouble a couple of times each lap due to the power. As Chris rightly puts it, I have thousands of laps at Loudon. I know every freaking bump, lump and ripple in that track and I damn well SHOULD be fast on it by now (I am by no means a fast street rider on my RC51, but I will take on any Gixxer1000 with my CBR600 on the track), but I almost tossed that 954 away a few times as it wiggled and squirmed it's way around the track with the front wheel off the ground most of the time. That a bike with that much power is sold without a steering dampener is criminal in my opinion.

A properly set up bike that is 10 years old will usually get around the twisties faster than a stock new one, but will require a higher degree of skill to do it. Modern sportsbike + inexperienced rider= broken bike and rider.

Advances in technology in the last 10 years?
1. Suspension that is 3 way adjustable is now commonplace.
2. Fuel injection.
3. Exup valves in wide use now (yamaha patent ran out).
4. Carbon fiber stuff on stock bikes now.
5. Brakes are FAR better now.

...and most of all.........Tires baby, tires. I remember carving canyons on Dunlop D204's!!!!!

degsy

[Degsy]

I would like to put together an NESR Racing trackday at VIR in the winter. Whaddya think?

degsy

[Degsy]

I would like to put together an NESR Racing trackday at VIR in the winter. Whaddya think?

degsy

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Degsy

Advances in technology in the last 10 years?
1. Suspension that is 3 way adjustable is now commonplace.
2. Fuel injection.
3. Exup valves in wide use now (yamaha patent ran out).
4. Carbon fiber stuff on stock bikes now.
5. Brakes are FAR better now.

...and most of all.........Tires baby, tires. I remember carving canyons on Dunlop D204's!!!!!

degsy

...split (two-piece) cranks
...cartridge-type transmissions
...inverted forks
...titanium engine components
...variable timed valves
...perimeter frames (engines are stressed members)
...perimeter brakes
...single-sided swingarms
...adjustable triple clamps

[zx-stewie]

You'd think with all these advances they'd give a little attention to safety. Where's the airbags and seatbelts??

Come on Japan, get with it!!

[PaulB]

I buy the bikes I do because they are:

* cheap as shit, like me
* all-purpose tools, like me

But I'm coming around to see that there's no such thing as a true "do-everything" bike. I gues the solution is to own several. Hence my vintage Scrambler project and my desire for a lightweight track-only bike (VTR250 baby!).

[oreo_n2]

heh! heh!

you said you're a *tool*


HeH! HeH!

[PaulB]

Glad that didn't go unnoticed!

[TLRMan]

Ok,
I confess...She came with the Bike...It's the only reason I bought a TLR

[Mille2theFutura]

I'm a bit late, but this is why I went with twins.

First my wife is a twin and I have 20 year old twins boys from a different wife,, that said.

I went with the Futura last summer because Debbie and I do two 9 day Motorcycle vacations every summer. We did the sport bike thing on long trips and wanted to try the Sport tour thing. The bike does what we wanted, and I fell in love with Twins AGAIN..

That's how the Mille appeared . I just loved the torque, power and the whole V-twin thing. Plus when I saw the silver Mille on the net last November I just had to have it. Debbie said Ok and gave me a pile of $$$$ as an Xmas present, the rest is history.

After a recent 1800 mile, 7 days of non-stop riding, trip down south ( West Vir, Vir + N.C ) I still love the Twin sound, power, and everything else about it. It's just the balls.....

Oh yea, this bike is way faster than I will ever go. But it's SOoooo Funnn.