any motorbike riders?

[watertrade]

I have been riding a Suzuki GS500 for the last couple of years but I'm now very excited about getting a new bike in early 2009 - just wondering if any SAB members also ride?

I'm looking at maybe .... SV1000, VTR1000, maybe a Bandit 1250S or a VFR800 somthing like that.

I see a SAB members ride on the horizon.

Edited December 4, 2008 by watertrade

[Legba]

Consider what the new bike will be used for, touring, commuting, hooning?, etc... then go ride as many bikes within ur price range that you think fit the bill. The longer you 'test ride' the easier and more obvious the choice should be.

Expect to go thru tyres til u adjust to the power increase. Servicing costs will go up too.

I took an SV1000 for a test ride when they first came out. It was lifting the front wheel going down a steep hill - damn twins pull like a schoolboy

In line fours are the smoothest if touring is your gig, GSX 1400 perhaps?

Go easy til you become accustomed to the power

[watertrade]

I will be riding 95% fun around town, down the coast shortish rides and 5% longer touring ( couple of days) I thought the sv1000 would have about the right ratio of sport / touring. I will certainly be test riding everything - if I had a bit of extra money I would love to try the new BMW F800S. but... no.

[Fenris]

I considered all those bikes when I moved up from my CBR600 (lovely bike). I wanted a nice blend between sports and touring with plenty of torque and a good range for long trips. The Bandit has heaps of go but was a bit on the heavy side and not as sporty asa I wanted. The VTR came out with a 16 or 17L tank and when ridden in anger had a very limited range although the torque was a thing that really interested me. Apparently they chew through chains and rear tyres like nothing else, also they were made with a flexible rear sub frame to spread the damping in the whole bike and not just the piston & spring suspension, but they do look awesome.

The TL1000 just looked kind of chunky for my liking and a lot were fitted with a steering head damper as the front rake was a bit steep and there were aleged head shakes and generally a bit twitchy. The VFR is a great bike but like my CBR before it just didn't stir any emotion and could have done with more torque.

Then I drove a Triumph Sprint RS Same rake as a CBR but longer wheelbase and handles well (stick with the full sports tyres), 21L fuel tank (400km+ touring range) a nice slim triple 955i engine with oodles of torque and the curves of a 70's porn star. Love the bikini fairing

The engines are virtually indestructable and apparently its not difficult to get 200,000K+ out of them.

Triumph stopped making the RS in 2004-2005 which is a shame because I think the bike is so awesome that when it is time to upgrade to a newer one there won't be a new RS's to choose from.

They do make a fully faired version which was more popular. It continues production in a 1050cc engine which is apparently even better although it looks like a standard Jap bike now and has lost its E-Type Jag looks.

OK im a Triumph fanboy

[Conan Troutman]

I like the SV a lot but an ol bandit is great ride and value for money IME

[Legba]

[C_T]

I would search for a nice second hand Honda Fireblade 954.

Should pick one up for about 8 or 9k.

[DreamingNagual]

This is the XV 750 I had when In QLD (No its not a girlie Virago )

Traded it an got a 1300 Intruder That ended up proving to big fo me!

Back To Tassie and its the 600 on the left!

A Bit of Fun<

And Finally Out in the shed i got this lil Fucker!

ProX BIG FOOT 140CC

[~shameless~]

Piccie of my brothers latest weapon, 530 ktm, quite a nice ride

I think an SAB ride would be awesome!! (i'm gonna keep that in mind), i can get a hold of an SV1000 '07 model for this next year - Never done much road but have done hours and hours on dirt and motocross

[dc]

My baby, had her sinse she was a pup, bought her outta the box in 2003, and im not dead yet ;)

[Vertmorpheus]

Just remember, on those joyous twisty mountain rides in my neck of the woods...

The big black wriggly thing in front of you, is the road. Stay on it.

Occasionally, things will be on the road, Some like euca oil deposits are very hard to see, but easy to predict. Stay off them. Others, such as quietly inoffensive family day trippers, are actually quite easy to see well in advance assuming you take time to look thru corners... please refrain from offensive gestures even if you are caught on the Wrong Side Of The Road and the ppl in the car are Laughin Their Arses Off at the look on your face whilst making the universal gesture for "you're a cocksucker". We can see it, shoei or no.

Armscor barriers are designed to stop hatchbacks, not hunchbacks... please keep your brains in the inskull position.

The big lumpy thing that weights over a tonne, with big glowing lights on the front of it, is called a "Car". It is full of hairless bipeds known as "people" If you decide you are some kind of superhero that centreline markings Do Not Apply To, you will end up under it. I will then Feel Bad, and your girlfriend will Feel Really Bad. Mine will just think you're a unit.

The huge solid relatively immobile mass under you is called the "earth". If you make one of life's lil upfucks, such as forgetting to presteer in a switchback section, your skull might meet it at some speed. Avoid this.

It is nice that you can decide when it is safe to overtake me on a mountainous scary arse road... however, it is even nicer when it is ACTUALLY safe to overtake me, that way I don't have to ditch a fully laden commodore into the floodway along Mt. Mee to help Mr. Weekend Action Man avoid being converted into 85 poorly toned kilos of street pizza as the fully laden fourby he failed to see nearly annhilates him.

That thing you do, warming up the tires, looks really cool on racetracks, but when done three paces from the nearest lavazza equipped cafe does make you look like a tool.

Likewise, wearing all black gear with a shiny helmet doesn't make you look scary. No kind of preapoctalyptic knight of the screaming dark horse is seen to visibly tighten their sphincter as i intentionally hunt them away from the centreline. I will probably end up at the lights next to you in 10 minutes time anyway, and you can;t pretend to fuck with the radio then.

If you DO decide to leave bits of scalp veneered to the road surface in the wake of some miscalculation or other, don't mouth off. When the paramedic says "I need to cut your skins off" don't cry like a little girl, even if bits of you are sticking out of other bits of you, even if they did cost you three weeks wages and make you look like Death Incarnate. Also, try to fuck up somewhere willing helpers can actually get a helo dropped in within a couple clicks rather than having to haul your screaming, repentant and probably voided arses up a long stretch of hill.

Nearly done... can all weekend death riders please remember that even a child can spot a bikie from a BIKER at a hundred meters... noone is bothered. We can always spot the bikies, they're riding Real Bikes at a leisurely pace with a slight smile and a nod, as if to say "lovely day for it!" instead of grimacing in remembered fear about the last corner you nearly come a gutsa on.

Finally, please understand that physics applies equally, regardless of how much fun you're having... some ppl are sick of sprinkling sand on someone elses idea of an Exciting Weekend In The Country.

ah, last one... yknow when you see heaps of crosses with helmets on the side of the road? with big red signs with pics of bikes on em saying "speeding has caused fatalities on this road"... that means SLOW THE FUCK DOWN. It means, you're nothing special, once physics decides you're basically a glad bag full of saline... I have literally seen FOUR dickheads go thru or under a fence within FIVE METERS of a TWENTY YEAR OLD CROSS with a helmet on it... I mean, really, get a brain. Then they stand there on the side of the road with that "someones son" look on their face wishing they had just stayed at home... bloody hell.

the question is... how do you get plants and cactus cuttings onto a bike anyway?

VM

[DreamingNagual]

What a great post Vert!

It gave me a good laugh yet also made me take a moment to think about some of the close experiences I have had on the road, Very true & Sobering at the same time!

Thankyou!

Edited December 13, 2008 by DreamingNagual

[watertrade]

interesting post Vert. If I thought it was directed at me I would be offended. but I'm not.

I have since ridden a number of bikes - and to be honest its hard to pick one over the other ( they all feel good) I have rode the vfr800, the bandit, cb1000f and a fazer. I think the vfr is probably my 1st choice but its a bit expensive and the insurance is pretty bad too. I'm going to save up for a couple of months, pay off some debts and then look again.

vrmm vrmm

[Darklight]

I see a SAB members ride on the horizon.

I'd be up for that. I'm on the road next month catching up with some of the older SAB ppl and EGA crew- can't wait

Eucalyptus oil deposits vert? I've not heard of that one before, sounds serious

I've a stable of two atm, which means sometimes there is a spare bike

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

[watertrade]

Eucalyptus oil deposits vert? I've not heard of that one before, sounds serious

ROAD TRIP!!!!!![/color]

almost as serious as warming your tires up with a burnout. sounds serious and expensive.

Anyway ...

ROAD TRIP!!!

[farmeroz]

anyone wanna buy a gsxr k2 thou ?

[watertrade]

after a lot of test rides I think I'm giong to get a vfr800. I was talking numbers with the dealer on a demo model 2008 - 1500km (silver) which seems like a good deal but for the same price I can get a tri colour 2008 bike 0 km in sydney - not many people liked the tri colour.

what do you guys think of demo bikes? on something more sporty it might have been thrashed but I like to think the demographic is different.

tri colour

Edited April 12, 2009 by watertrade

[ThunderIdeal]

turns out you need to see QRide to remove your restriction now in QLD. i've had a 2007 GPX 250 for two or three months now, which i have some misgivings with.

years ago had this 250RR, really liked it but a priest (would you believe) killed her. pay out plus sale of wreckage got me more than i paid for it

it doesn't hurt to keep vert's rant in mind. it may hurt not to.

[poo]

My advice is to get something second hand that has all the extras you might want included. You'll pay less than retail of a stock version of the same thing, and even if you have to fix a few bits here and there (so long as it's nothing major) you'll be well ahead and thankful in the long run. Parts and upgrades are damn expensive for bikes, but a bike with upgrades will always sell for far far less than the money spent on it. Aftermarket pipes make a big difference IMO, mainly due to weight, but performance aside, they can make your bike sound awesome. I know that seems a bit silly or arbitrary, but it really is surprising (to me at east) the difference having a bike that sounds awesome makes. Research the bikes you want, what their flaws are (they all have 'em) and be honest with yourself about what you will upgrade - you'll save thousands.

I'm riding (and selling) a TL1000R. I bought it totally modded with everything I was after, and selling it will likely be the biggest regret I have... but sometimes you have to part with the toys you love. Got it serviced two weeks ago... the ride home was painful - damn thing's so awesome to ride when its fresh from service!

Best of luck with your search - enjoy it when you get it!