Who rides street bikes?

[426Quickie]

I'm a new member and am curious...

How many of you out there are also

street bike riders as well as dirt?

I just started riding (bought a 01'

WR426) and now with the riding 'bug'

it seems impossible to limit myself

to dirt alone. I'm probably going

to buy a Harley Fat Boy or some other

type of cruiser.

So who's got em and what do you ride?

If you don't have one....why not?

[MN_Kevin]

1996 Honda 750 Nightpig - 2 valves per cylinder...and feels just like it!

previous bikes, in order:

1984 Kawasaki Ninja 900 (an investment, made ~ $400.00)

1982 Honda CB750F basket case - got it running, then smashed into a car (absolutely her fault - for real)

1982 Yamaha Seca 650, sold in 1996 (put 50K miles on this bike - LOVED it!

1982 Kawasaki GPZ 1100 Eddie Lawson Replica (traded my 1980 YZ 465 for it). 60 mph wheelies - yee-haw!

1979 Suzuki GS 425 - first street bike, (ex girlfriend loved this bike - she could ride it by herself)

[blue_beast_wins]

I'm getting real itchy about buying a new R1 so i can have matching colours in my shed, i rode one a year or so ago, what a weapon!!

[Bryce_Senff]

'97 Suzuki TL1000sv-118 RWHP, It's FI 4-valve per cylinder V2 motor feels similar to my '01 426 ?

'93 Honda CRB900RR-Roadracer-It's a sleeper, 137 RWHP. It's "all on" in the top 2500 rpm. Don't race or ride trackdays much more as I don't like hosing the insides of my leathers out anymore. This last year I've lost my inspiration to ride I think my next bike will be a Honda ST1300 or a Victory Vegas. I'd love to take 2 or 3 months and tour the US and Canada. Must be going through my late 30's crisis

Ride Safe!

BS

Past Bikes:

'93 Ducati 900SS

'82 Suzuki GS1100E

'87 Honda CR250

'83 Suzuki XN85D-650 Turbo

'83 Suzuki GS850G

'84 Suzuki GS700ES

'81 Suzuki Gs450EX

[Bryce_Senff]

Blue Beast, The nice thing about the R1 is that you never have to replace the front tire as it hardly ever touches the ground ?

BS

[blue_beast_wins]

I noticed that, i hope they fixed the oil pick up problem wilst holding the front up though, apparently a year or so ago if you liked to do this, you could guarentee the R1's motor would blow because the oil pick up was too close to the front of the motor. ?

[njracer]

Well I ride and race. I have a 2000 GSXR750 that is my main race bike at this time as well as a 89 NT650 (Honda Hawk) that has been my main race bike for a bunch of years. Too bad it took a crap at Pocono this past summer. Still don't know what's wrong but it's either the crank or one of the rod's that let go. I also have a 01 RC51 for the street and occasional track day. The RC is my baby and has full Ohlins suspension and lot's of other tasty bits.

njracer

[David_W]

I've got a tuned Kawasaki ZX7R street/track bike. Full Arrow race exhaust system, OZ Racing forged wheels, Harris billet rear sets, Braided brake lines, Ohlins shock and fork internals, etc. I've previously had a Fireblade, GSXR750, and an older ZX7 (1994).

[x2smoker]

Still have my '92 FZR600. I have almost 40,000 miles on it now and never has needed any major engine work. Same 12.5:1 compression as the WR. I have checked valve clearance every 10,000 miles and it has always been in spec, no adjustment necessary (although the 30,000 point was getting close).

Got my eyes on an R1 or possibly a 'Busa, but that will have to wait until after I purchase another Blue Thumper for my growing son.

Incidentally, I am surprised that all replies here were from guys with sport-bikes. It seems that all of my thumper riding buddies have either Harleys or Buell's. Buell's and twisties...yes!!!

[Dodger]

No offense if it's your thang.........but you can do much better than a "Hardley" ?........

Sorry, no offense ment........

Peace

Dodger :D

[edareus]

I ride a 2001 HD Road King. My wife and I travel all over the country and Canada with it. Most of our trips are 3000 miles or better. No, I don't put it on a trailer either. Matter of fact I pull a trailer with the bike cause we camp a lot. I didn't post earlier cause since I ride a harley it usually starts some sort of HD and Jap bike flame war.

Previous street bikes:

1998 HD Wide Glide

1976 HD 1000 Sportster

1977 Honda CB750

1982 Kaw LTD550

1970 Honda 305

[BigDesto]

I've been riding a street-bike since i was 17,been at my current job for the past 15 years, and i ride in to work EVERYDAY rain or shine!

Roughly 35 miles each way on the 405 in L.A. My current ride is a 91 kantana 1100, and here's the best part! I've rolled over 100 k miles and i'm going past 15k right about now.New tires&chains!

Nothing else except a battery or 2. The only time i drive to work is when i 've broken something (bones) from racing Moto

? My previous ride was a 84 GS1150ES, Stock 1/4 mile run of 10.5 , my 1st bike was a 81 katana 500. I haven't seen many harley's that can take every-day riding (milage) with-out something going wrong (allways in the shop!). Why have 1 bike (harley), When you could have the worlds fastest street bike for 10k,+ a new YZ450 for 6K + something else , All for the price of a harley! Also when riding in traffic i perfer to be on something that can get you out of the way or stop on a dime!!!

[edareus]

Big Desto, I 100% agree with you on the price of the Harley, I have been riding them since I was 19(1986), before it was the "thing to do". I just like them. As far a reliability goes, I had 28,000 miles on my wide glide when I got rid of it and only had one thing wrong with it and it was a ignition switch covered by warranty. Todays HD are a lot different from the HDs of yesteryear. As I always say, to each his own. ?

I went to the motorcycle show just this weekend and for a good sized cruiser(jap or american) your still looking at 16,000. I need the bigger cruiser to pull my trailer. I payed 16,300 for my road king(new). Oh yeah, I do have some accessorys on it. I guess total I have about 18,500 invested.

I did get to sit on my next dirtbike though! A wr450! :D

I think I will wait until 04 for the bugs to be worked out.

[426Quickie]

Yeah I noticed the emphasis on the Sport bikes from

responders. I'm going back and forth between cruiser

and sport bike. Seems that a cruiser would be great

because I wouldn't be limited to shorter rides. Crotch

rockets can be pretty uncomfortable after awhile especially

for those of us past thirty. But the trade-off is SPEED!!!

[Superchicken]

I've got a Honda VTR1000F V-twin sport bike. I like it a lot-- it's similar to the Suzuki TL mentioned above. I agree that the big bore sport twin motor acts like our thumpers: open 'er up and off you go, without waiting for the motor to spool up to 14K first! ? I think that the inline 4s act a lot more like a two stroke dirtbike, esp. the 600s. Very peaky! But whatever sort of bike you're on, as long as the road is twisty and gravel/traffic free, you'll be happy.

[MrTwister]

im traditionally a street rider and have done a few seasons road racing. had a suz gsx250, hon vt250, hon cbx250, hon h100, suz gp125, yam rd250, kaw gpz600, yam fzr600, hon vfr400, hon vfr400, hon vfr400(yes three in a row!), yam fzr400, yam rz250 and finally the WR, but have ridden hundreds of road bikes both on and off the track. these days i dont ride on the road cos its just too dangerous i think drivers are becoming less attentive as car technology makes them easier to drive. i'd rather ride off road and at closed circuit days.

cheers

Lachy

[x2smoker]

426Quickie, it is up to you to determine what type of use you want from a street bike. For most of us "Sport Bikers", we don't use them much for long distance. But damn, they sure are alot of fun in the twisties. For example, last Sunday I did a 44 mile run, lots of twisties, 3 small towns, and was back home in 40 minutes flat!

Now if you want one for travel long distance, a Hog is a good choice. They are quite reliable now as compared to the pre-80's builds. They hold value. They are certainly much more comfey for long duration than a true sport bike.

If you like distance and some high speed and twistie thrills, there are many Sport-Touring models available. I classify these a "Dual Sport" in that they are good both two purposes but not a competitive race type bike or a great two-up long distance bike. My favorite of this class is the Suzuki 'Busa. I can stay onboard one of those until the tank is in need of refilling, unlike my FZR which is good for about 50 miles before I need to bail.

Think about what you really want before handing over your hard earned $$$.

[jwriott]

I've ridden and owned a lot of street bikes over the last 10 years and have around 55,000 miles logged. Right now, I've got relatively older bikes like a 1994 Vmax and a 1993 CBR900RR. The sport bikes are fun but not very practical around town.

The Vmax is a blast around town and for short rides. If you modify it slightly, it becomes a nice distance bike as well. It's fast stock but with a air filter, pipe and jet kit it becomes an animal. The biggest problem is I go through rear tires in 2500 miles. I like it a lot more than my father-in-law's Harleys that I've ridden.

I agree that it is getting more dangerous every year and I've cut down the street riding considerably since I've had kids.

I'd like to look at a new ZX12, Hayabusa or the Blackbird and get some luggage for trips as long as it's comfortable for 2 people.

I like the Harley's as well but I want a bike that looks like a Fatboy or Softail with the Vrod engine. Until then, I'll keep this stuff.

[Wicked_Crash]

I have a 2002 Kawasaki Mean Streak. I put a Hard Krome exhaust system on it a few months ago. That exhaust system really made the bike sound sweet! It idles like a drag racer and hauls a$$! I have to sell it though ? I need to get a new truck and don't make enough money for it all. Anybody need a cruiser/dragster?

[tigerowner_ut]

I ride a 99 Triumph Tiger. feels like a big dirt bike and has no trouble on dirt roads. Can't pass up a road because it is dirt!