Lost in a sea of motorcycles

[motosapiens]

i'm presently looking at the 2015 yamaha R1 just to see if . i'm tempted. bike has a newly designed motor,electronic upgrades,anti wheelies,traction control...hahaha! wonder if there's a switch for lawn mowing

cool bike, but the problem with superbikes is that on public roads it's not really possible to have much fun unless you're breaking the law enough to risk actual jail time.

I have found the old saying to be accurate; "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow".

[sigsauerfan]

i'm presently looking at the 2015 yamaha R1 just to see if . i'm tempted. bike has a newly designed motor,electronic upgrades,anti wheelies,traction control...hahaha! wonder if there's a switch for lawn mowing

cool bike, but the problem with superbikes is that on public roads it's not really possible to have much fun unless you're breaking the law enough to risk actual jail time.

I have found the old saying to be accurate; "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow".

i still participate to my fair part of track days with my R6 and and occasionally R1 2003.

sold my R1 2005 in 2009,so i miss something new for the roads

.however, i'm an old fart who have as much fun carving on the backcountry roads . of course, i pick the right places to do so, and i rarely ride on highways, as you said, long straights are boring on a sportbike.

riding on secondary roads brings a mix of satisfaction,and relaxation looking at the scenery too. i'm getting older everyday, but when i feel alike i attends the occasional track day to see if i still have good accuracy with the throttle once cranked over loll

thing is, i feel my back more and more every years passing, so that one might be my last sport bike . still haven't thrown a leg on it, the newest R1 could be more cramped which would prevent me from buying it.

the older R1 were more comfy than all other brand's sportbikes , which is the main reason i always had one as street bike.

[NorCal707]

Question for guys with more experience than i.

I am considering a motorcycle, particularly the Yamaha FZ07 as my first bike.

I will primarily be using this for highway commuting and highway driving in general since most of what i do down here in South Florida involves long, straight highways.

The bike, sopping wet is 394 pounds. Am i out of my mind for wanting this style of bike to get around on the highways?

I sat on a 500 pound bike and didnt feel comfortable at all but that means absolutely zero at this point considering i havent ridden before, havent taken my safety course and am merely working out costs and feasibility at this point.

With no prior riding experience, I'd seriously reconsider going out and buying a brand new, fairly high-power machine as your first bike. As a new Rider, the smart thing for you to do would be to pick up a less powerful used bike that you would be comfortable riding for six months or so and just concentrate on learning good riding skills. If you drop it or crash, you won't feel as bad with a used bike vs damaging a new bike.

[NorCal707]

Have you guys looked at the Triumph lineup lately? Lots of cool cruisers and some pretty good sport bikes.

Triumph has some nice models but personally, Cruisers and pure Sportbikes don't interest me.

I'm a practical guy and like Adventure bikes or what Europeans call All-Rounders. These are bikes that are equally at home cruising the Interstate all day at 80mph or exploring dirt/gravel Forest Service roads loaded up with my camping gear. Something with a decent windscreen to deflect the constant wind blast and offer protection from the worst of the weather should I be caught in a rain storm. My Vstrom 650 does all that pretty well, has good power, and gets 50+mpg while doing it. The motor design is highly regarded as very reliable and trouble-free.

My first Adventure bike was a 1990 Honda Transalp. Here's a couple of links to 4000+ mile rides I did back in 2008 & 2009 to give an idea of what an Adventure bike can do.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8716639#post8716639

http://norcalta.smugmug.com/Travel/A-Transalps-Travels-Trippin

Edited December 13, 2014 by NorCal707

[sigsauerfan]

looked at your trip's pictures. seems like you're an iron butt lolll.pics on the canadian side are amazing. wonder what these white tails were looking for in the middle of the road nostrils draging the tarmac...food?? talking bout food the cabin with the dude cooking what seems to be faitas . what they were,faitas ?? mium looks tasty anyway.

[Magsz]

the FZ 7 is the perfect commuter. a 75 HP twin with a torquy motor (50pound of torque) , 397 lbs and relaxed ergos. you may be a beginner in the sport, it doesn't matter, you need some weight on the wheels to get a smooth ride,in this regard the FZ 7 is the perfect class of bike for ''long range commuting''.

the only thing you might regret on the long run is the lack of some sort of windscreen. on windy days your body act as a sail, while fun at first, it becomes old quite fast. nothing you can't overturn, there's a lot of choice in the aftermarket segment.

Roger that, im already looking at a windscreen.

I didnt start shooting with a .22LR and im not going to do the same with a Bike. Im the buy once, cry once, use for a LONG ass time type of guy so i intend to keep this bike for at least a few years. I dont see myself out growing it or having penis envy over a 1000 CC penis rocket.

I do however see myself wasting a couple grand on a 500CC bike and then having to deal with the SoFlo "bros" in order to resell it. No thanks.

[NorCal707]

the FZ 7 is the perfect commuter. a 75 HP twin with a torquy motor (50pound of torque) , 397 lbs and relaxed ergos. you may be a beginner in the sport, it doesn't matter, you need some weight on the wheels to get a smooth ride,in this regard the FZ 7 is the perfect class of bike for ''long range commuting''.

the only thing you might regret on the long run is the lack of some sort of windscreen. on windy days your body act as a sail, while fun at first, it becomes old quite fast. nothing you can't overturn, there's a lot of choice in the aftermarket segment.

Roger that, im already looking at a windscreen.

I didnt start shooting with a .22LR and im not going to do the same with a Bike. Im the buy once, cry once, use for a LONG ass time type of guy so i intend to keep this bike for at least a few years. I dont see myself out growing it or having penis envy over a 1000 CC penis rocket.

I do however see myself wasting a couple grand on a 500CC bike and then having to deal with the SoFlo "bros" in order to resell it. No thanks.

Good luck - the statistics are against you though as a totally inexperienced rider jumping in on a machine meant for an experienced rider. Your analogy of the .22LR has no bearing in the matter - riders who buy in over their heads in regards to a first bike before learning good riding skills are far more likely to be injured or worse in an accident.

Edited December 16, 2014 by NorCal707

[motosapiens]

I didnt start shooting with a .22LR and im not going to do the same with a Bike.

The difference is that starting shooting with a center-fire handgun rarely results in death or severe injury.

[Lifeislarge]

My first bike was a Suzuki GS300 that my dad gave me when I was 15. I was bored in a month. With any skill and an adventurous side you can quickly learn to handle a bike well enough to be considered "safe". That 300 started the love affair and it's put my ass on over 40 bikes over the years. If you really want to learn to ride get a YZ125 two stroke and some good gear and tear up some dirt. The powerband is wicked for a small bike and will teach you to hold on, and you can lay it down pretty good in tight corners. Less chance of serious injury on grass and mud. In my experience riding safely is all about awareness and timing. Some people never get it, are clumsy, and easily distracted.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Lifeislarge

[GrumpyOne]

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=48231#entry130455

[sigsauerfan]

eeuuu...i've been an instructor for a driving school many years , i don't think at all that a 375lbs 75 HP motor coupled with straight bars is exactly what we can call a ''bike for experienced rider'''.

i've seen countless guys and gals taking their driver's liscence , then jumping on either a sportbike or lazy boy on 2 wheels .once you understand the dynamics of riding on 2 wheels, the rest is awareness and technique,then never riding over your head a.k.a '''over your capacity and out of control'''.

the most common habits i've seen that has to be broke is the braking technique ; people coming from a cage usually display the reflex of standing up on the rear brake pedal, which is a very bad habit. the front brake is what realy slow down a motorcycle fast and safe. the rear should only be lightly trailed. like 90% front 10% rear, and when you're a beginner you should concentrate to get a good feel of the front wheel first, then experimenting with the rear which should only be seen as an ''aid''' to relieve the front a tiny bit. other than that, the fear of leaning a bike to turn is also a reflex that must be defeated and the understanding that to turn a bike smoothly the throttle shouldn't be closed,at least ''coast on'''.

also an other aspect of control is ''countersteering''' which can get you out of sudden troubles like a car turning left playing the wall right in front of you . countersteering which is more or less a fast steering input may save you from a trip to hospital but the dynamics regulating the countersteering action must be understood then practiced to be well mastered enough ; there's always a parking lot where you can practice this drill a little.

of course, the rest is first hand experience, and it has to be done. other than going too fast for the environnement you're riding in at the moment, the rest is common sens and a good control over the brake lever and the rider's body acting on the balance of the motorcycle. weight of the machine have nothing to do with overall control imo.

Edited December 18, 2014 by sigsauerfan

[Magsz]

eeuuu...i've been an instructor for a driving school many years , i don't think at all that a 375lbs 75 HP motor coupled with straight bars is exactly what we can call a ''bike for experienced rider'''.

i've seen countless guys and gals taking their driver's liscence , then jumping on either a sportbike or lazy boy on 2 wheels .once you understand the dynamics of riding on 2 wheels, the rest is awareness and technique,then never riding over your head a.k.a '''over your capacity and out of control'''.

the most common habits i've seen that has to be broke is the braking technique ; people coming from a cage usually display the reflex of standing up on the rear brake pedal, which is a very bad habit. the front brake is what realy slow down a motorcycle fast and safe. the rear should only be lightly trailed. like 90% front 10% rear, and when you're a beginner you should concentrate to get a good feel of the front wheel first, then experimenting with the rear which should only be seen as an ''aid''' to relieve the front a tiny bit. other than that, the fear of leaning a bike to turn is also a reflex that must be defeated and the understanding that to turn a bike smoothly the throttle shouldn't be closed,at least ''coast on'''.

of course, the rest is first hand experience, and it has to be done. other than going too fast for the environnement you're riding in at the moment, the rest is common sens and a good control over the brake lever and the rider's body acting on the balance of the motorcycle. weight of the machine have nothing to do with overall control imo.

Thank you...

This is far from a superbike...