need help on street bikes....
 

hey whats goin on! im kinda sorta maybe looking at a street bike and i want some help. i dont really know much about them, just that they are something ive never done and that it takes big responisility to own one. i was kinda looking at an yamaha or a gixxer or something like that. i havent really made up my mind yet. the bike would be used for weekend riding and maybe a once or twice a week kinda thing. so i guess my questions are, which is most easily maintained? which is the one that isnt like a ducati which needs maintence like every 1000 miles or so? most comfortable? also(after i get more experience riding of course) i would have my gf ride on the back so which one would be best for her too? dont want it to be too uncomfortable for her. gotta keep her happy.... thanks for the help!!!!
bryan

What are you exactly looking for? Big inline 4, sporting twin? With so many styles out there you just need to find the one that fits you the best.
Personally, I think the new Kawasaki 650R sport twin is a pretty sweet ride.
But if doing a lot of two up riding a sport tourer would be much better.

MikeyB

i think im lookin more at a super sport bike like a gixxer, ninja or yamaha r series bike. maybe even a tl or a cbr maybe. i dunno. tell me which one you guys think is the best. to be completely honest this is goin to be a bike to go on mountain roads and have fun, open it on long straights, and cruise around on with my girlfriend on the back. it kinda has to be comfy though, cause i got about a 1.5 hour drive from my house to hers so has to be able to keep my butt from goin numb.

No offense intended but you don't need any bike like you have mentioned for a first bike. The race replica bikes are NOT for the inexperienced and not for alot of the experienced.

As for comfort none of the Suzuki GSXR, Yamaha R, Honda CBR / F, or Kawasaki Ninja series bikes are made for comfort. These are performance bikes meant to perform. They are at their smoothest at 90+ mph, you will be most comfortable litteraly laying on the tank. Passengers, none have ever been comfortable on the back of my bikes for extended periods of time.

I know the bikes look cool and they are good for some weekend mountain racing but for comfort and a first time bike.....need to find a different style of bike.

what is your height?
 

Have you ridden before? Lots of questions go into this decision. If you live where you will be carving the corners and want farings and can fit the Gixxer 750 is an all around best bike. You will be able to grow into this ones power. Meaning won't be looking for a bigger bike in 6 months. Won't pull any power wheelies but fast off the line and closes fast above 80 mph so good for the drag. Personally I am a Kawa man and I have a zrx 1200. Big inline 4. I have put 40k miles on it in 2 years. It is reliable as anything. Many people see 70k miles with little or no engine work. I have replaced my clutch and that is it. Engines that have proven themselves since top gun. it has a more comfortable ridding positon and still (with practice cause it is 500 lbs) can carve the corners. 0-60 in 2.9 secs a real sleeper. I have a picture in my album. a normal day will include 300 comfortable miles. on a 'crotch rocket' you can do this but you will be worn out. Very few of my riding friends will ride far on a crotch rocket. yamaha Fz1 is a similar bike with a sixth gear and more modern styling. Not as fast off the line but will pull similiar times in the quarter. also mine is cheap 8000 will get you one. 2005 model is the last year for this style, but like I mentioned the engine will be around a while. Probable pick one up real cheap on www.zrxoa.com.

If you get a 600 cc or something light I believe you will be a better rider in the long run as far as carving corners but this is only a factor if you think you will be riding that hard. I personally don't I just love acceleration.

Realize everything having to do with a bike is expensive. Tires clothing and everything. Get a scooter if you want to spend no money. Yes you will save money on gas but you will be buying other things that will offset that savings [rant] You'll love whatever you get. Good luck

ive ridden dirt bikes for a long time but thats about it. ive ridden a gixxer once or twice. but only up and down the street. this is goin to be my first bike so i want it to be easy to manuver. i mean if i want to(of course when im comfortable and in a safe place to do so) pop a wheelie, pull a stopie do stupid stuff like that, i want myself to be able to do it. i understand you have to pay to play and that i WILL get hurt someday. i would rather it just be that im not going to hurt my self too bad. that y im thinkin of going with a r6 or maybe something up to a 750.

Well, if you realize that you will get hurt some day doing all the fun stuff. Look into a Yamaha FZ1. Your passenger will be ultra comfortable and these bikes can keep up with just about anything out there.

I agree with rumors.
I didn't mean to give the impression my bike was for experienced riders. My first bike besides dirt bikes was also this 1200. Don't get me wrong the zrx is very easy to manuver and I did very well on it with experienced riders on lighter liter bikes. Don't settle for a 600 or even 750 thinking you are going to get in less trouble out there. 0-60 on a 600 is only .5 sec slower than my bike. All of them are fast. But since you are a torque fan (you have a cummins don't you?) you will really get into a zrx. the torque will bring the front end up with very little coaxing stock and second with some slight modifications. It has phenomenal torque. I rarely have to downshift so it makes for a more enjoyable ride. Again the fz1 is a similar bike with a more modern style.
The trick is to realize with any bike the second you don't respect it the bike will bite you. I gradually worked myself into the power my bike had. I had 25k miles on it before I started doing second gear wheelies. since you have ridden dirt bikes before, the skills will get better very quickly and if you have something you aren't happy with you can loose a good wad of cash buying the smaller bike in the name of safety. Hope this helps.

I ride a kawasaki 1600 nomad, It is really comfortable. the balance of the bike makes 2 up riding a pleasure. I'm with the others if you are not an experienced rider the crotch rockets is not a good first bike. You will have to decide if you like the looks and feel of a cruiser or a sport bike. If you do a lot of long riding later on you may want to look at a touring bike. But mainly get something that you can handle while your learning to ride. Be safe and have fun.

well im lookin at a 600 for a couple reasons. insurance is the main one. and they are cheaper. what are these size bikes capable of? i mean i wanna be able to lift the front tire(someday) on command. i plan on havin it for a while too so i mean, how reliable would something like this be. also if there is any other info, like if im askin the wrong questions, let me know. tell me anything you know about them. i hate doing things twice so i want to get as much info so i can make an educated decision.

but
 

keep in mind a bike like gixxer 1000, zx-10 and cbr 1000 are different beast because they require careful gear selection. Only experience or very careful riders need to apply. A zx-10 has a 100mph first gear. Great but if you accidently pick the wrong gear coming out of a curve you can loop it real easy. I love these liter bikes but think they are too much for somebody right out of the gates. Even with past experience on dirt bikes. Some people may have gotten them right out of the box and 10% of those people are riding them like they should and were ment to be ridden. THe other have wreck and burned. Now that I have a drag/ touring bike as I like to call it with a very comfortable ride, my second bike to carve corners and better my riding skills would be a gixxer 750. IMHO Sorry for the long responses but I can talk bike all night. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
[whistle]

also if you buy a 600 or 750 buy used much cheeper. These bikes are fads you buy one 6 months try to sell or 2 years bye bye $$$

yeah what im lookin at is a used 1999 or newer r6. i like the look of them and they are abundent and pretty cheap. how do these compare to others? by the way, i am 5'9" 175lbs. my gf is about 5'5" 120(?). are we gonna have a problem riding together or should we be ok? im obviously not going to be doing anything stupid with her on the back cause i dont want to hurt her. maybe a blast to 100 or something now and then. also the fastest ive ever been on a bike was 100 on my eduro. what is it like on these things?

very smooth at 120 mph on these bikes. You will find yourself going 90- 100 after a little time and think man I though I was going 75. This is why they are dangerous. I have heard from many the r6 is a sweet little ride. Light and effortless to move around. You are also a good size for a this size bike. I just like a little more torque. You really have to get the rpm to around 10k to get those things movin. this equates to driving a honda car that redlines at 9000 rpm. I think they redline around 16k though. I think it is a resonable choice. Remember when you fall in love with riding and you can't do it but 100 miles at a time because it is uncomfortable we told you so. [laugh]

well that works for me, cause when i get comfortable on it, i WILL be a speed demon. it will probably be my demise too. but hey, everything happens for a reason. ive heard only good things about the r6 thats what is leading me towards it. i LOVE taken things to redline too so the higher the better i assume. im young(20) and i want to experience this before my body is too old to do so. i dont think ill have a problem ridin from my house to my gf house(about 120 miles). i know my *** will be numb, but hey, thats the fun of it. how far can these go on a tank? do they only take premium?

man
 

your wrist are going to freakin hurt!! especially when riding her around because it is like doing pushups. Good luck and be careful. Respect the bike it can and will kill you if you start sightseeing. The be careful advice will get old but always remember you aren't in a cage anymore whatevery you hit will be with your body, and Bad things happen when you show off. [tapdshut] Have a blast see you out there.