I have been on most types of motorcycles and I have been really thinking about what my needs are in a motorcycle. I started out on a GSX-R600 and got another one shortly after then jumped to the 750cc class. After my stint with zuki's I decided to try out my legs on a F4i and hated it. I was slow in comparison to the gixxer and did not handle as well. I then decided to go to the Itailians for help. I then got on the Ducati craze and quicly realized that the bike for the money factor is not there. I has become more of a status kinda thing. I started with a 916 and rode it for a while. I loved the bike but I dumped it one evening going about 20mph on some gravel. I sold it shortly after due to the fact that it felt tainted. I then replaced it with a 748s and I picked up a KZ750 to make a cafe bike out of. I finished the cafe project and got tired of the 748s and the expensive track days that came with it. I then got a Monster 900 which I have come to find fit me really well.

I have been on track since I was 16 and grew up around AMA professionals teaching me and molding me into a safe rider. I thank them every time I swing my leg over a bike. I have tracked ever bike I have owned except for the M900 and the KZ750. I felt comfortable in the intermediate class leading the pack. I was moved to Advanced one weekend and it scared the **** out of me due to the complete lack of respect some of the riders showed. Maybe it was just that group, but I asked to be moved back down so that I could enjoy the weekend. That was the last time I went to the track.

Since I have owned the Monster, I have realized that I like to just cruise and commute and hit up twisties every once and a while instead of going to track events and pushing the limits. I feel safer and I generally feel better when I get home knowing that I did not just blow $1k in two days, when I could have had an entire week of fun in the mountains with that.

After my recent experience on a KTM SMR450, I have realized that I belong on a torque enveloped Super Motard with a set of saddlebags and a few different sets of wheels with tires for offroad and for track days. They are VERY adept bikes with the ability to be taken to track days or to the trails with little change involved. I can commute with it getting well over 60mpg and it just makes me feel like I am a kid again blasting around on my dirtbike.

That is the feeling I have been after for quite some time and I have realized that there is something out there that can offer it to me. A streetgoing dirtbike with versatility. I can jump some jumps one day, hit up the racetrack the next day and then slap some saddlebags on it and ride it to work on Monday. My kinda bike.

where do you fall in your motorcycle love?

Mountain carving?
Trackdays?
commuting?
stunna status?
dragstrip?

everybody has their niche in motorcycleing, what is yours?

 

I would look into a BMW of sorts. They make amazing sport tourers.

Or, even look into a speed triple, fast, reliable, and very agile...Throw on some bags, and you're set.


With your long-tales of lies, I don't believe much of what you say anymore. Sorry, but I will still help you find a bike that fits you.

 

I am not asking what I need, I know what I need.......I specifically asked what everybody else feels they belong on, even if it is not what they currently ride.

I think it is the dritbikes that I grew up on that makes me like the SM bikes soo much.

 

im an around town with frequent canyons kinda guy

i find that the sv suits me very well because it has the torque i need around town and usable power.

I would like to do track days eventually but only when its convenient.

If i had the money id totally have a track bike but thats not where i am in life at the moment. Im barely going to get out of college this year.

Once the new suspension is on i should have absolutely no complaints about it whatsoever.

 

My first bike was a XT225. I loved it, it had a little ooomph to get near 65-70 MPH on the highway, and it was light and nimble for the backroads and light trails. I did lots of fireroads/light trails with it, and even it not being a supermotard, it had grippy road tires, making it a nice urban assault weapon for a novice. Since most of the roads and asphalt in Venezuela is in very bad condition, specially the backroads, I loved having a dualsport. I had no fear of bumps or holes.

Then I got my CB400, because I've always liked street bikes more...even though it's not a sportbike, it was WAY faster than the XT225...it's fun in a different way, even though I like to hit some canyons and backroads on her, there are some places where she can't go, and I suffer a lot more dealing with potholes and bumps in the road with her than with the XT.

I am thinking about selling the CB400 and getting a 600...but now my mind wanders to getting a big bore dualsport/motard...or something like a KLR650 so I can take longer trips and explore off the asphalt a little. I think that right now, I would enjoy more doing some "adventure" riding than trying to drag a knee at every turn in a canyon.

I'm so undecised right now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DirtySol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
everybody has their niche in motorcycleing, what is yours?</TD></TR></TABLE>

-wheelies. lots of wheelies. and starbucks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wesvailco &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

-wheelies. lots of wheelies. and starbucks. </TD></TR></TABLE>


I'm partial to endos and Walmart, but to each their own *shrug*

 

One bike can't do it all unfortunatly, I would like a pure dirt 250cc twostroke,

a super motard would be nice 600 or bigger, a sportbike 600 or bigger and a

1000cc standard. That would cover most my riding. I have allready owned all

of those except a motard.

 

I was actually thinking about this the other day... it looks like I have a buyer lined up for the Z1000 so I am looking forward to my next ride (once I get settled in @ Ft. Irwin).

I feel like the power that I had with the Z was great but I could stand to have something a little more flickable. I guess the 190 rear tire on the Z didn't help either with flickability . Also I don't feel like I would lose much sleep over a loss in power- I never really pushed the Z super hard anyway... call it being responsible and mature... call it being a *****... whatever haha.

I'll probably pick up an SV or a 600 of some kind for use in the mountains and weekend trips to vegas/LA

 

I honestly think my ideal bike right now in my life would be a Ducati Hypermotard 1100 with a spare set of wheels for offroading.

But in the meantime, not being able to afford a $20k getup (after it is all said and done with carbon and termi's), I think I will just go with a KTM that I have found available to me........or I may just keep the M900. I dunno. The SM itch has got ahold of me and I dunno what I am going to do. The M900 lacks a major fun factor that every other bike I have had. It does not really have the umph that even the 748s did. I realized that I can make a SM a LOT more useful to me and how I will be riding it. I will be moving back to Charleston and the roads are not very hilly and the roads are as straight as an arrow for the most part. I could use a bike like that for a bit of adventure riding offraod and whatnot. Get a nice plug kit and carry it with me and call it a day.......maybe a spare sealed gas can for those long offroad hikes and bring a freind.

 

I fall into the commuting catergory 90% of the time, mountain/canyon carving 9% of the time and trackays about 1% of the time. I would like the latter 2 to be a higher %, but the sheer volume of commuting keeps them in this order.

I enjoy riding dirtbikes and motocross, and to that end I have a YZ-250 2 stroke for the trails and a YZf-250 4 stroke for racing. For the street, I currently have my 600rr, which is a great bike. I would like something a little less agressive (but still sporty) for the everyday/weekend rides and convert the 600rr into a track-only bike. That will come in time I guess.


Modified by Tornadom at 12:04 AM 6/9/2008

 

I think my motorcycle love is just being on a motorcycle, any kind of motorcycle. But I don't really care for carving corners, I have no interest in going to the track, and although I am very into drag racing, I could care less about draggin a bike.

When I bought my bike, I was looking for something I could ride for hours, had plenty of power, and was still stylish. I ended up with the Hayabusa mostly because of the bigger size of the bike fit my bigger size better than most things I have thrown a leg over. I went with a sportbike instead of a cruiser, because that is all I have ever really been around. I rarely ever do more than the speed limit on it, and WOT first gear still gives me goosebumps, and probably will for a long time. I just enjoy getting out there on the bike, and just cruising around with no directive, just going out, getting on a road and finding where it goes to.

 

For me right now, I spend all my time getting around on the bike. Not because it gets better milage then my Civic but just because of the freedom it feels like it gives you.

Usually when I get off work me and my friend go crusing. Most of the time with no place to go and usually just make really big circles through surrounding counties and the occasional "hey lets go down this road and see what happens" type of days.

Around here we don't have any curvy roads, all straight and wide But I have found a nice and curvy short road (under a mile) that is just a blast and most of the corners I could drag a knee if I opted to stick it out there but jeans just isn't good enough protection for that..

I'm just getting the basics down pat of riding and trying to be safe and progressivly step up the riding skills. I think Im where I could do some canyon style runs without much problem as long as I took it easy.

My future goal would be to have a street bike for daily riding, maybe a 600rr. Then another bike for the street to go doing the twisties with (my RC51 fits this really well). And a full blown track bike like a 250 to start with and slowy work my way up.

None of this is probably going to happen because I can't afford all this but hey, I can always dream!

 

Old School super sports has my name all over it I started on a 81 gpz and fell in love. Im the guy on the old 81 GPz rollin with brand new cbr's. Yeah no where near as fast as the cbr's but if it wernt for my bike none of them would be around. Id love to find an old two stroke twin.