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In July I traded my 2006 GSXR 1000 for a 2003 Kawasaki Mean streak and as much as I've tried to hate the whole cruise riding experience it has grown on me slightly. It was nice to ride 400 miles last Saturday and not be in pain....
So I've been thinking about picking up a sportbike and keeping the mean streak, but I had a offer to trade the mean streak for a 00' RC51 w/33K miles on it. I've always wanted to try a RC51.
Any thoughts?
http://www.fototime.com/FC0032392B9EF47/standard.jpg
Why not get a combination bike? Something that is sporty yet comfortable. Maybe something like a Speed Triple, Z1000 or Buell would fit your requirements.
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Casey. I have owned two RC51s and I can tell you that they are possibly the most fun and cool sportbike ever made. At about 475lb they are not the lightest and at 120hp and 70lb/ft make acceptable power (plenty for me). And reliable? Holy crap, are they reliable.
They are not comfortable to ride though and expect nothing better than about 28mpg. If you can deal with the uncomfortable riding position and spending a few bucks extra on fuel, they are awesome bang for buck. One of the best sounding bikes of all time also, and they hold their value better than anything short of a Harley or ducati.
I hold out for a 02+ if you have your heart set on an RC51. Be prepared to be hot when not rolling and not be able to walk after riding for a couple of hours. My RC used to be me up pretty bad after a day of riding.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...P1010079-1.jpg
I have a cruiser next to my sportbike and I gotta say both of them have a solid place in my garage.
It is nice to have the saddlebags, mid controls + highway pegs, big cushy seat and a back rest for my girl. I can cover a lot more ground in a day comfortably with few stops on my cruiser than on my sportbike.
I say, if you can, get the RC51 in addition to the mean streak. If by this time next year you find one bike is doing nothing but sitting in your garage the worst that happens is you sell it then. Where as if you only had one, you may regret giving the cruiser up or not buying the RC51.
If you can only have one, think about what kind of riding you do and then go with your gut. You only live once.
Due to some pain issues, I went to an FJR (yep, came with a walker and broken turn signal for my car as well) from the Aprilia. After riding the FJR a bit, I've kept the Aprilia for short fun trips. So, I guess what I am saying is that I like having two different bikes. Going from a sport bike and a cruiser to two sport bikes, for a two bike stable, doesn't appeal to me.
Another option would be to trade for the RC51 now and over the winter pick up another cruiser and keep both. Not sure if I want to ride the RC51 through the winter though.
Decisions, decisions....
I think Adventure Touring bikes are a much, much better choice for touring New England.
Pros
More comfortable riding position
Much larger luggage and load capacity
Far more capable suspensions for rough roads and dirt roads
Much better handling and performance than cruisers
Most get 40-50 mpg and many burn regular gas
All have large fuel tanks and range over 200 miles
Most are extremely comfortable for pillions as well
Much lighter - most Adv bikes are 475-550 lbs wet.
Every kind of tire available from knobbies to pure street
Cons
They're tall - short riders struggle with seat heights of 32+
Most are odd looking: this class of bike is 100% function, 0% style.
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by SRTie4k
If you traded your gsxr for the cruiser because of pain then I don't get trading the cruiser again for another sport bike with arguably worse ergos than the original sport bike.
My vote goes to a sensible naked sporty. I did and I'm never going back!
Why not just have two bikes?
I have several...each serves it's purpose.
I don't have any inteerest in a ADV bike @ this point, maybe a Tiger some where down the road.Quote:
Originally Posted by Garandman
I traded the GSXR for multiple reasons, I already have done the naked thing (Z1000) and it did not strike the balance I was looking for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucas
Biggest reason is space, but that is the direction I'm leaning torwards @ the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaynnus
I can see your delema. RC51's aren't exactly a bike that is flooding the market right now and the urge to jump on it now makes sense. You may have an easier time finding another meanstreak down the line than another RC51.
I can also tell you that you do have a great cruiser already and most other cruisers are going to be a down grade in some way (IMHO)to what you have now. What I mean is... Mean streaks come stock with a tach, dual front disk, shaft drive, tubeless tires, inverted forks and a good ride height. Not a common package deal in the cruiser world.
Good luck with your decision man. My vote is still on have the cruiser and sport if you can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nny
I know where about 4 or 5 are currently for sale. They are easy enough to find. Honda made tons of them.
http://www.speedzilla.com/forums/hon...s-classifieds/
Toys or bikes?:wub:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaynnus
Well, I was referring to local classifieds or more specifically I was referring to what it is like in my area. If he is willing to pay for shipping or traveling to look at it first then yeah his options are a bit more open.Quote:
Originally Posted by union
SportCruiser = Diavel
I know we have talked about the RC51's a few times, wondering if I should wait and look for a SP-2?Quote:
Originally Posted by Degsy
Looked one over while @ VBC and it made me :ill:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenn157
And I already have a sportcruiser, just ask the 2 GSXR's I passed on 116 last Saturday :naughty
http://www.nestreetriders.com/galler...le=4236&size=1
V-Max maybe?
You know, I was debating posting about how I consider my "adventure" bike a little bit cruiser, little bit sport, little bit 'tourer. But I figured I'd get told I'm kidding myself. ... I probably am.Quote:
Originally Posted by Garandman
After seeing the Ducati Multistrada in action at the last Seacoast group ride, wholey hell would I love to have one of them. Even a Triumph Tiger 1050.
But I am hooked on these 'adventure' things. You seriously need to look past the fugly looks and throw a leg over one or two sometime.
Personally I have a hard time justifying one bike. No way I could donate that much capital and garage space for two or more.
What is it that your really looking for in one ideal bike? I think the mean streak is a pretty nice cruiser with plenty of power and good looks. The only down side to cruisers is the handling, mostly because they weigh alot, and alittle because of steering geometry and tire size. The muscle bikes like Vmax and Diavel have lighter weight and sportier steering geometry as well as a comfortable riding position so they come the closest.
Other comfortable sporty rides are the adventure bikes like the multistrada, tiger, vstorm, versys etc, but are tall. And the lighter weight kawasaki sport/standard, non supersport bikes Ninja250R, 650R, 1000. Yamaha's FZ series and Suzuki's SV series. I find all the sport/standard bikes very comfortable and capable. Sport touring bikes are also nice, but they suffer from the same problem as cruisers weight.
You should keep the big cruiser and buy my tiny sportbike(ninja 250R). This thing will give you your handling fix as it outhandles just about anything out there, and a few upgrades on the cruiser will give it more power than you could need for yoru power and comfort fix. :) It's also almost a 3/4 sized bike so it'll take up very little room. Here's a 250 passing 600's in the turns Ninja 250 250R at Buttonwillow Race Track - YouTube
I don't think the Ninja 250 would work for me.
Leaning torwards some type of SM for fall/winter. Found a Drz400sm with a Athena 440 kit that looked interesting.