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[Fallout-NL]

Current bike - 2009 Yamaha R1, 29,xxxmi:

Haha, you really are pretty much exclusively a sportsbike kinda guy huh? As for the R1, that model year had the crossplane crankshaft thing, right?

There is nothing that can beat a 916 or 998 Ducati in the look and sound department. I had a mate with a 916 and the only complaint was the expensive servicing parts but the looks and sound makes up for that.

Indeed, if I ever do end up getting another Ducati, it would be a pristine 916.

I'm looking to buy a new bike this weekend. A few months a go i bought a beat up ninja 250 off CL and it died on me. I had a blast on it tho.

I'm torn between the new yamaha fz07 or a ninja 300. Does anyone have a 300 here? I'm leaning towards the 300 because it's cheaper, gets better gas mileage, and is cheaper to insure but damn the yamaha is sexy. Any insight would be appreciated

Pretty big difference between those two bikes. (In price as well, I reckon) Do you have a lot of experience riding, or is that limited to the short time you've spent on the 250?

As the FZ07 isn't an insanely powerful bike, it's entirely possible you'd be fine on it (if you feel comfortable riding motorcycles). If you still feel you have a lot to learn however, the lighter 300 could be the more sensible choice.

What I do like about getting the 'bigger' bike over a smaller one though (if 'bigger' doesn't mean > 125 hp fuckin' monster, which the FZ07 isn't) is that they do come equipped with vastly superior brakes, tires, suspension and everything. If you manage to restrain yourself by acquainting yourself with the larger reserve in power over a longer period of time, you could make an argument for the bigger bike offering more in terms of safety. As an added bonus, you likely won't outgrow the FZ07 as quick.

 

[maxheadwound]

I suppose I will put up my own bike history...


First bike - 2004 Honda CBR600RR, 5,000mi:

Although it cannot be seen, this bike was a little beat up (had a couple owners). It ran fine and the frame was good, so that part was ideal for a starting bike. I will say the ergos of this bike sucked, especially for a first bike. That's actually now the main reason I tell people starting on a "600" (sportbike that is only a couple small mods away from being able to be used in an amateur racing class) is a bad idea - learning to ride is already difficult enough. Learning how to ride on a racing machine can be brutal.

Second bike - 2007 Suzuki GSX-R750, 6,000mi:

It's the bike that didn't have the good, long life it should have. It ended November 6, 2008 when a new driver ran a red light.

RIP in pieces.

Current bike - 2009 Yamaha R1, 29,xxxmi:

It's been my favorite so far. I love the power delivery and the way it sounds. It's not a bad-looking bike, either.

Total: ~40,000mi

Just love the colour on that R1... it just works. Some nice knee down photos

 

[Dougald]

Finally had some time do my own bike history:
<snip>

All I'm getting here is "Doug you should totally buy a Buell and a Ducati"

Current bike - 2009 Yamaha R1, 29,xxxmi:

It's been my favorite so far. I love the power delivery and the way it sounds. It's not a bad-looking bike, either.

Total: ~40,000mi

I love that R1, best colour scheme, imo.

 

[thesoapster]

Haha, you really are pretty much exclusively a sportsbike kinda guy huh? As for the R1, that model year had the crossplane crankshaft thing, right?

That's been my history. I will say if I bought another bike now I'd be heavily tempted by the Tuono V4R. And yes, 09-14 (we will see for 2015...) R1 has i4 crossplane crank.

I love that R1, best colour scheme, imo.

It was my favorite for U.S. 2009. I have to say the UK 09 white/red is also high up there. The "wine" color looks good on the frame. My favorite R1 color scheme is probably the 2012 LE white/red with the old school Yamaha stripes.

 

[Fallout-NL]

All I'm getting here is "Doug you should totally buy a Buell and a Ducati"

Haha, there may have been some (not so) subliminal messaging there.

That's been my history. I will say if I bought another bike now I'd be heavily tempted by the Tuono V4R. And yes, 09-14 (we will see for 2015...) R1 has i4 crossplane crank.

Nice, best sounding Yamaha by far.

 

[Hilti92]

Mine was just the basics.. hazards, lane positioning, space around you, things like that.

Yup, that was pretty well what was said. I do two 9 hour on bike classes over the next two days and I have my license. Looking forward to it. The theory class was actually pretty good though. Actually useful.

 

[maxheadwound]

Yup, that was pretty well what was said. I do two 9 hour on bike classes over the next two days and I have my license. Looking forward to it. The theory class was actually pretty good though. Actually useful.

great stuff... and good luck

 

[NaturalHigh]

Hitting up bike rally in southern Ohio tonight and tomorrow. Always makes for a good time and getting to see some sexy bikes.

 

[maxheadwound]

Hitting up bike rally in southern Ohio tonight and tomorrow. Always makes for a good time and getting to see some sexy bikes.

Grab some pictures if you can

 

[Watevaman]

had to get a pie home from work today:

 

[thesoapster]

Nice, best sounding Yamaha by far.

http://youtu.be/ZqSr0EvfsPk - from my first trackday in 2011. Brand new to the track...lots of sloppy lines, throttle control, plus some hesitation (but you get to hear the bike)

 

[MoGamesXNA]

.

 

[Dougald]

had to get a pie home from work today:

Haha nice one, very creative!

 

[Dougald]

Woke up early this morning so went out for breakfast

An old friend!

 

[Gritesh]

Just woke up, waiting for my guys to show up and we leave for the Canadian Rockies, should be on the road within 2 hours.

I'll be sure to post lots of pics when we get back.

We are supposed to hit some crappy weather today, but then +30 every day after that and sunshine!

Woooo

 

[Fixed1979]

Just woke up, waiting for my guys to show up and we leave for the Canadian Rockies, should be on the road within 2 hours.

I'll be sure to post lots of pics when we get back.

We are supposed to hit some crappy weather today, but then +30 every day after that and sunshine!

Woooo

It's been so fucking hot here in Alberta, enjoy the ride can't wait to see some pics.

 

[Fallout-NL]

http://youtu.be/ZqSr0EvfsPk - from my first trackday in 2011. Brand new to the track...lots of sloppy lines, throttle control, plus some hesitation (but you get to hear the bike)

Yeah, it's definitely very pronounced as opposed to the more 'filled out' scream of other I4s.

Woke up early this morning so went out for breakfast

Wish we had a place like that. What did you get?


/edit: speaking of sound, I managed to remove the DB killer from the M2's new exhaust today. It's pretty damn loud now . I'll try to shoot some vid next week.

 

[freakzilla149]

I got the CFB 125! What do I do now? I want to spend all day on the bike tomorrow.

 

[Dougald]

Wish we had a place like that. What did you get?

It's a British bike cafe so a sausage and egg sandwich, and a mug of coffee (not tea, I should have been shot). World's finest cuisine

Thinking of going back in September for their London to Brighton ride out.

 

[Watcher]

Haha, you really are pretty much exclusively a sportsbike kinda guy huh? As for the R1, that model year had the crossplane crankshaft thing, right?



Indeed, if I ever do end up getting another Ducati, it would be a pristine 916.



Pretty big difference between those two bikes. (In price as well, I reckon) Do you have a lot of experience riding, or is that limited to the short time you've spent on the 250?

As the FZ07 isn't an insanely powerful bike, it's entirely possible you'd be fine on it (if you feel comfortable riding motorcycles). If you still feel you have a lot to learn however, the lighter 300 could be the more sensible choice.

What I do like about getting the 'bigger' bike over a smaller one though (if 'bigger' doesn't mean > 125 hp fuckin' monster, which the FZ07 isn't) is that they do come equipped with vastly superior brakes, tires, suspension and everything. If you manage to restrain yourself by acquainting yourself with the larger reserve in power over a longer period of time, you could make an argument for the bigger bike offering more in terms of safety. As an added bonus, you likely won't outgrow the FZ07 as quick.

Thanks for the advice. I just came back from the dealership and checked out both bikes. The FZ07 feels slightly intimidating considering I'm not very experienced. I will say it felt better to sit on tho (I'm 6'3) the bike fit me well. However they weren't willing to negotiate much on the price seeing how it's a brand new bike so it kinda fell out of my budget.

They quoted be 5300 otd on a 2014 ninja 300. Put 100 dollars down(refundable) for them to hold it for me over the weekend while I think it over. I think that's a great deal and the ninja might be my new bike

 

[Hilti92]

Day 1 of on bike Motorcycle courses is now complete with just tomorrow left. We were taught a lot of the basics on the Honda Grom's and it seems like a pretty fun and easy bike. One guy ended up doing an endo and went pretty well right over the handle bars with the bike hitting the ground. Only thing that gave me trouble at first was finding the sweet spot for the throttle but I eventually got it and seem to have things down pretty good.

 

[NaturalHigh]

Grab some pictures if you can

As requested check the link for pics from Rally on the River in Ironton, Ohio. We will be going back tonight to watch Fuel perform (hopefully they are still good.)

We also watched a couple of guys do some stunts off a semi-truck turned into a ramp. One guy was on a 250 and the other was on a 2-stroke. First time I've been up close for amateur stunts of that type. Got to see a backflip live, my adrenaline was really going for them.

Anyways, here you all go. Post your faves to discuss if you want!

http://imgur.com/a/UPUdv

 

[Dougald]

As requested check the link for pics from Rally on the River in Ironton, Ohio. We will be going back tonight to watch Fuel perform (hopefully they are still good.)

We also watched a couple of guys do some stunts off a semi-truck turned into a ramp. One guy was on a 250 and the other was on a 2-stroke. First time I've been up close for amateur stunts of that type. Got to see a backflip live, my adrenaline was really going for them.

Anyways, here you all go. Post your faves to discuss if you want!

http://imgur.com/a/UPUdv

Not always a huge fan of the overstated harleys - I do quite like this one, understated, great looking tank.

Always been a fan of the superduke though.. definitely NOT understated!

 

[maxheadwound]

As requested check the link for pics from Rally on the River in Ironton, Ohio. We will be going back tonight to watch Fuel perform (hopefully they are still good.)

We also watched a couple of guys do some stunts off a semi-truck turned into a ramp. One guy was on a 250 and the other was on a 2-stroke. First time I've been up close for amateur stunts of that type. Got to see a backflip live, my adrenaline was really going for them.

Anyways, here you all go. Post your faves to discuss if you want!

http://imgur.com/a/UPUdv

wow nice load of pictures... looked like a nice day out. Thanks for the upload

 

[Gritesh]

Just got back from my trip through the Canadian Rockies on the Monster.

I don't have any action shots to show you but we got some nice photos.

Also, I got my buddy to film me for a good 15 minutes of the best motorcycle road in Canada, it's not uploaded yet but I will be sure to link you when it is!

Nice Panoramic shot of us on one of the ferries.

Nice picture of us at the Alberta / British Columbia border

One last one with at least a clear shot of a mountain behind the bikes

 

[Dougald]

Beautiful pics, I'd love to ride North America someday... my long-term dream is to air freight a bike over to the west coast US, and just spend a month exploring the US/Canada before dropping it off on the East coast to be containered up and shipped back to Europe.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Great shots Gritesh! The Monster is not bad at all as a long distance machine, huh?

Beautiful pics, I'd love to ride North America someday... my long-term dream is to air freight a bike over to the west coast US, and just spend a month exploring the US/Canada before dropping it off on the East coast to be containered up and shipped back to Europe.

Well waddayaknow, that's my dream too. Perhaps we should do it together someday.

 

[Dougald]

Well waddayaknow, that's my dream too. Perhaps we should do it together someday.

Ahh that would be awesome...

My other bike-related dream is to do a tour of New Zealand. I hear they have some of the best biking roads in the world.

My half-price SMH10 headsets just arrived from Kentucky. Bless that eBay seller for selling off his old stock at a discount, and bless the incredibly favourable GBP>USD exchange rate!

 

[maxheadwound]

Ahh that would be awesome...

My other bike-related dream is to do a tour of New Zealand. I hear they have some of the best biking roads in the world.



My half-price SMH10 headsets just arrived from Kentucky. Bless that eBay seller for selling off his old stock at a discount, and bless the incredibly favourable GBP>USD exchange rate!

hope it works great man as i did not have much luck with my F5's

 

[opticalmace]

It is hilariously inane to consider going from a Ninja 250 to a 300, right?

I've thought about so many possible bikes now I think I've gone loopy. :lol

 

[Watcher]

It is hilariously inane to consider going from a Ninja 250 to a 300, right?

I've thought about so many possible bikes now I think I've gone loopy. :lol

I went from a 250 to a 300. I just bought it today in fact. Granted I only had the 250 for about 2 months so maybe i dont know what the hell im doing. Liking the 300 a lot more than the 250 so far. My only complaint is that damn seat is harder than diamonds

 

[opticalmace]

I went from a 250 to a 300. I just bought it today in fact. Granted I only had the 250 for about 2 months so maybe i dont know what the hell im doing. Liking the 300 a lot more than the 250 so far. My only complaint is that damn seat is harder than diamonds

Congrats on the new bike. Any pictures?

What year was your 250 by the way? Mine's a new-gen, and yeah, the stock seat sure ain't pretty.

 

[Dougald]

It is hilariously inane to consider going from a Ninja 250 to a 300, right?

I've thought about so many possible bikes now I think I've gone loopy. :lol

If you don't need the extra power and you want a new bike, why not?

There's nothing that says you *have* to get a bigger bike each time. I quite like the new cbr500 though, that said.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Or a Ninja 650....

Hmmm, yes sir.

/edit: and yeah, show us some pics Watcher!

 

[Poindexter]

Ahh that would be awesome...

My other bike-related dream is to do a tour of New Zealand. I hear they have some of the best biking roads in the world.



My half-price SMH10 headsets just arrived from Kentucky. Bless that eBay seller for selling off his old stock at a discount, and bless the incredibly favourable GBP>USD exchange rate!

I installed my SMH10 in my Shoei Qwest helmet last week. Friggin amazing little unit Calls are clear. The people on the other end don't even know I'm on a bike. the controls work great. Simple and intuitive. Music is nice and clear (no bass though).

If anyone else is interested in a dual pack for $199 I got mine from here...
http://www.easternperformance.com/s...eadset-plus-intercom-dual-pack-biker-set.html

Use the code SMH10

 

[Fixed1979]

Beautiful pics, I'd love to ride North America someday... my long-term dream is to air freight a bike over to the west coast US, and just spend a month exploring the US/Canada before dropping it off on the East coast to be containered up and shipped back to Europe.

I've been wanted to do Europe, maybe this calls for a triple swap!

 

[Watcher]

Here are some pics as requested. Sry for the cell phone pics i should really invest in a good camera.

Old 250

New 300

I plan on doing a lot of riding this upcoming week so i can really make a good comparison between the two bikes

 

[freakzilla149]

Looks fantastic, this is the bike I was after, but with the licencing, cost and the fact that it's my first ever bike I backed out and went for a CBF 125 instead.

I've heard loads of good things about it, keen to hear your opinion. Did you get the abs version?

On an unrelated note, my brand new CBF is giving me a bit of trouble, for the first two days it was perfect but now I regularly end up in neutral from first instead of second and it keeps getting stuck in neutral when I park it, I know this something that happens with all bikes but should it be happening in the first week of ownership?

 

[opticalmace]

Looks fantastic, this is the bike I was after, but with the licencing, cost and the fact that it's my first ever bike I backed out and went for a CBF 125 instead.

I've heard loads of good things about it, keen to hear your opinion. Did you get the abs version?

On an unrelated note, my brand new CBF is giving me a bit of trouble, for the first two days it was perfect but now I regularly end up in neutral from first instead of second and it keeps getting stuck in neutral when I park it, I know this something that happens with all bikes but should it be happening in the first week of ownership?

Be more decisive with your upshifts. If you do it lightly you can end up in N.

If it's stuck in N roll the bike forward (or back) slightly. It should go into 1st then just fine.

 

[opticalmace]

Do want.

 

[Dougald]

I installed my SMH10 in my Shoei Qwest helmet last week. Friggin amazing little unit Calls are clear. The people on the other end don't even know I'm on a bike. the controls work great. Simple and intuitive. Music is nice and clear (no bass though).

If anyone else is interested in a dual pack for $199 I got mine from here...
http://www.easternperformance.com/s...eadset-plus-intercom-dual-pack-biker-set.html

Use the code SMH10

Hah. That's the same place I got mine for the same price, but from their eBay outlet. Thanks to the £>$ rate, after taxes it came out to £190, which is £5 less than the single pack retail for in the UK. Took about 2 weeks to arrive via eBays global shipping program, where you pay the import taxes up front.

Great little unit though, I haven't tried the intercom yet (that's for tomorrow), but you're right about the phone, no-one can even tell you're on the bike! I was doing 50mph and apparently the quality was better than when I'm just using my handset.

 

[maxheadwound]

Here are some pics as requested. Sry for the cell phone pics i should really invest in a good camera.

Old 250

New 300

I plan on doing a lot of riding this upcoming week so i can really make a good comparison between the two bikes

That Kawa is a nice looking machine. It looks like the brands are all making the smaller bikes look more like the bigger bikes.... and I think that is good. Enjoy the sun

 

[Fallout-NL]

Ah, now I see it, that looks like a Top Gun era Kawasaki 250 . I bet that new 300 feels like a pretty huge upgrade? Looks good in black too.

 

[maxheadwound]

Something retro for Friday - enjoy

 

[Watcher]

Looks fantastic, this is the bike I was after, but with the licencing, cost and the fact that it's my first ever bike I backed out and went for a CBF 125 instead.

I've heard loads of good things about it, keen to hear your opinion. Did you get the abs version?

On an unrelated note, my brand new CBF is giving me a bit of trouble, for the first two days it was perfect but now I regularly end up in neutral from first instead of second and it keeps getting stuck in neutral when I park it, I know this something that happens with all bikes but should it be happening in the first week of ownership?

I have the non-ABS version. ive only had it for 2 days but i love it already. It definitely has some more pep in its step compared to my old 250 especially in the low RPM range. Im still in the break-in period so taking it easy on the throttle (ITS TORTURE). ill be glad to answer any more questions you have about it.

That Kawa is a nice looking machine. It looks like the brands are all making the smaller bikes look more like the bigger bikes.... and I think that is good. Enjoy the sun

Thanks! yea it look amazing imo. Looks almost identical to the zx-6r/10r. There are a few giveaways tho(much more narrow rear tire/body).

Ah, now I see it, that looks like a Top Gun era Kawasaki 250 . I bet that new 300 feels like a pretty huge upgrade? Looks good in black too.

Lol yea the 250 is an old dog. The the 88 -2007 ninja 250s all have the same body, the one pictured is a 1996.

 

[Dougald]

Had a little intercom test with the SMH10s today, pretty damn good. Clear reception and no real range issues, though we didn't go much farther than line of sight so I haven't tested the claimed 900m range. Worthwhile if you ride with someone a lot.

 

[Jackson]

I went from a 250 to a 300. I just bought it today in fact. Granted I only had the 250 for about 2 months so maybe i dont know what the hell im doing. Liking the 300 a lot more than the 250 so far. My only complaint is that damn seat is harder than diamonds

I have a 300 ABS and bought the OEM gel seat... It helps, but it's a bit pricey.

 

[senahorse]

Had a little intercom test with the SMH10s today, pretty damn good. Clear reception and no real range issues, though we didn't go much farther than line of sight so I haven't tested the claimed 900m range. Worthwhile if you ride with someone a lot.

Have been using them for about 6 months, fantastic comm system. You will probably get closer to 500M than the claimed 900, and a fair bit less when in bush/forest. Works great for sharing music as well .

 

[Dougald]

Have been using them for about 6 months, fantastic comm system. You will probably get closer to 500M than the claimed 900, and a fair bit less when in bush/forest. Works great for sharing music as well .

I think 500-700 is realistic for line of sight. Yesterday we got about 200 before it cut out, but that was with half a housing estate blocking the signal. Good purchase overall though!

 

[maxheadwound]

Took the K in for a warranty checkup.... and this was standing around. Some pictures

I managed to get a F800GS the new version and what a sweet bike. Its light and it can cruze on the motorway at 80-90 without any problems. Its got nice ride hight and all the bells like heated grips and suspension settings. Only two things I would upgrade is the set of hand guards for some wind deflection and a gel seat. Otherwise its smooth as butter to ride and enough poke to get going. Also great to do some gravel roads