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[Fallout-NL]

Yeah, it's difficult. I suppose if a bit of character is what you're looking for in the 'fun' bike in your garage, the VFR800 might actually be a little similar to the Tiger in what kind of riding it's good for? V4 vs I3 is of course plenty different, but they're both touring / sports touring oriented I think.

 

[maxheadwound]

i don't know HOW they could make the bike better than the '14/'15 -- there's few bikes that do PRECISELY what you ask of them and let you tweak them electronically the way you can with the tuono -- plus being moderately comfortable and streetable. especially now that they've addressed the stator issues. (the plastic tank is what it is.) i'll probably just bum my pal's ninja 300 for the track while i wait for the 2016 to get in...

What model of the VFR are you looking at? Loads of guys here love the bike for it go anywhere nature. Red or White....

 

[Damaged]

i don't know HOW they could make the bike better than the '14/'15 -- there's few bikes that do PRECISELY what you ask of them and let you tweak them electronically the way you can with the tuono -- plus being moderately comfortable and streetable. especially now that they've addressed the stator issues. (the plastic tank is what it is.) i'll probably just bum my pal's ninja 300 for the track while i wait for the 2016 to get in...

I'm in the shop tomorrow (working weekends while I finish my notice at my old place) so I'll ask what they thought they had improved on

 

[Drinky Crow]

was looking at the deluxe model (it only comes in red). rode it and it IS a bit boring under 7k rpms, but it is super comfy and makes a good sound, and the fit-and-finish is IN-FREAKIN-SANE. it feels so premium! think i'll wait for some more info on the 2016 tuono, though. bike is in the shop for at least the next two weeks at LEAST, so i'll be adv'ing it up in the interim... #thestruggleisreal

 

[Drinky Crow]

I'm in the shop tomorrow (working weekends while I finish my notice at my old place) so I'll ask what they thought they had improved on

much appreciated!

 

[Piggus]

Getting about 90 mpg on my PCX 150. Could probably get more if I were easier on the throttle, but what's the fun in that?

 

[maxheadwound]

Had a quick blast to go and get some meat for the BBQ tonight. The country side is looking very nice indeed

 

[Damaged]

much appreciated!

Sorry man, the two people who have actually ridden one were both off today So please accept a picture of the limited edition 2015 RSV4 Factory we have in at the moment as an apology!

 

[Dougald]

Looks awesome! I am stuck on call today so spent the half of the day I wasn't working changing my coolant out, bike is now all good for another year.

 

[Watevaman]

Was pretty sad today. Last night went to a buddy's house to use his rear stand and lube my chain. Put the bike down, tried to start it, no go. Left it there, put the battery on a tender overnight, went home. Went over this morning, put the battery back in and it started back up, so I rode it back home. About an hour later I went back out to try and start it again and no go. Was the best day to ride so far this year and I have a dead battery.

 

[GONZO]

Video of today's ride, man the weather was insanely beautiful. And yes I know I was riding at an elevated pace. Please excuse my recklessness

https://youtu.be/QZqzGS1YfxM

 

[Makki]

Dream bike right there, although I just want the factory edition.

Today was brake and clutch fluid change since they looked dark yellow... and I stripped a screw FML

Bought a Grabbit bit at Lowes and I get to have fun with that tomorrow, it was getting dark by the time I stripped it.

 

[Jackson]

I'm in Germany this week and I have to say... I've noticed that the squid to ATGATT ratio is very, very low. And on superbikes it's probably like single digit %. Maybe due to the autobahn's unlimited speed? I dunno, but I'm impressed! Also... people drive so much better here it's not funny.

 

[Dougald]

Squids seem to be a bit more common in warmer climates. Not many in the UK but when I was in the Mediterranean I am pretty sure I was the only rider within 50 miles with gear on.

 

[Jackson]

Squids seem to be a bit more common in warmer climates. Not many in the UK but when I was in the Mediterranean I am pretty sure I was the only rider within 50 miles with gear on.

Makes sense!

 

[demented]

I ride without gear (except helmet, sometimes gloves too) when I'm going around town, really low speeds, super hot weather etc, but when going anywhere else fully geared.
Not gonna wear 1 piece suit to drive 2-3km to get to the bar or beach nowhere to put gear. But most of the time I'll be driving my scooter in such occasions.

 

[Dougald]

Everyone knows scooters negate the need for protection against abrasion!

If I lived somewhere where it hit 30c more than a week a year I probably would wear something a bit more lightweight. More likely to crash from heatstroke with all the heavy gear on.

 

[Duderz]

They're all over here in SoCal. People on Harleys with flip flops is not uncommon.

 

[Poindexter]

In Houston my favorite is the dude on a sport bike in khakis and a white t shirt. He is also usually riding with one hand on the throttle and the other on his hip. I dont get it

 

[Cheeseman Battitude]

Everyone knows scooters negate the need for protection against abrasion!

If I lived somewhere where it hit 30c more than a week a year I probably would wear something a bit more lightweight. More likely to crash from heatstroke with all the heavy gear on.

I've got a Honda scooter and there's no way I would ride it without gear on at least my top half in summer. My jacket has a removable lining and if the cuffs are open there's a nice draught

But put it this way. If you were in a car doing 30mph in tshirt and shorts would you open the door and jump out?

 

[Dougald]

I've got a Honda scooter and there's no way I would ride it without gear on at least my top half in summer. My jacket has a removable lining and if the cuffs are open there's a nice draught

But put it this way. If you were in a car doing 30mph in tshirt and shorts would you open the door and jump out?

Preaching to the choir, I wouldn't wear anything less than my fully-Kevlar lined hood jeans. Even my vented textiles can be too much when it's over 30 and humid though, having worn textiles at a very humid 42c I was very tempted to switch to shorts.

A friend of mine has some zip-off bmw reinforced trousers/shorts which seem like a good compromise, though I'm not sure how well they would hold up at highway speeds

 

[maxheadwound]

Video of today's ride, man the weather was insanely beautiful. And yes I know I was riding at an elevated pace. Please excuse my recklessness

https://youtu.be/QZqzGS1YfxM

damn that is a good piece of road and it looks like you know it well. Atleast you got the rear warmed up... lol

 

[GONZO]

damn that is a good piece of road and it looks like you know it well. Atleast you got the rear warmed up... lol

Yeah, people like to make fun of New Jersey but the roads we have up in the northern part are pretty amazing.

 

[Poindexter]

Damn Gonzo. What do you ride?

You guys make me want a sport bike. That exhaust note. Those speeds. Mmmm. At 90mph my bike sounded like it was gonna blow up

 

[GONZO]

Damn Gonzo. What do you ride?

You guys make me want a sport bike. That exhaust note. Those speeds. Mmmm. At 90mph my bike sounded like it was gonna blow up

What bike do you ride Poindexter? I'm not much of a sport bike rider myself anymore. oOr the length of rides that I go on they're just too painful. I ride an MV Agusta Brutale now.

 

[Poindexter]

I ride a Harley Road King. Definitely a different type of bike. I just sometimes want that thrill in your video. I'm a low and slow type guy most of the time. That's a gorgeous ride though, man.

 

[Watevaman]

I ride a Harley Road King. Definitely a different type of bike. I just sometimes want that thrill in your video. I'm a low and slow type guy most of the time. That's a gorgeous ride though, man.

Standard sport bikes are pretty much the best option if you like being comfortable but also doing some low-blow twisties riding. I've ridden my friend's cruisers, supersports, and of course my standards and I just like being comfortable. If I ever had the money for multiple bikes, one would probably be a supersport and one would have to be a standard.

 

[Poindexter]

What's the difference between standard sport and others? Any cheap options? I'm thinking of picking something up for a different pace with my road king. Its a long haul and commuter bike and does that really well. Just looking for variety.

 

[Drinky Crow]

supersports are the revvy track bikes: low clip-ons, full tankhumper position. think: honda's cbr***rr, yamahas r6 or r1, kawasaki's zx-6r or zx-10r, triumph daytona, or the italian race throughbreds (ducati panigale, aprilia rsv4, etc).

standard sport will have a full bar or high-rise clip-ons, and can be faired (ninja 1000, vfr, fz1 etc) or naked/partially faired (z1000, tuono, fz-07/fz09, brutale, monster, street triple, super duke et al). there's also the fast pseudo-adv bikes like ducati's multistrada 1200s and yamaha's fj-09. they're all more comfortable than a supersport.

plain ol' standard is triumph's bonneville, or honda's cb1100.

what's your budget? as gaf seems to agree, the best universal sport hooligan (imho) is the street triple. you ride that bike -- any year from '09 onward is good -- you won't stop laughing into your helmet the whole time you thrash it. it's a great compliment to a beastly long-haul cruiser.

 

[Watevaman]

Standards are the bikes like Gonzo's Brutale, with a more relaxed seat, lower and more forward pegs (usually), and upright handlebars instead of clip-ons. Typically they're all cheaper than a supersport simply due to a lower demand, so that's a plus.

Coming from your Harley, you'd probably be good for any type of power. In the states, they're usually a bit harder to find, but they can still be had. The ones I'd recommend are:

-Suzuki SV650: there's different variants, but the regular (non S/SF) is a good naked bike. Has a v-twin for torque.
-Honda Hornet (599 or 919): a great inline-4 bike. My buddy had the 599 and I loved it. In the states, the 919 is fuel-injected while the 599 (which they stopped in 2006 here) is only carbed.
-Triumph Street/Speed Triple: probably a little more expensive than the others. All you need to do is ask literally anyone in this thread and you'll see why they love it.
-Suzuki GS500/Kawasaki Ninja 500: a lower power (but great fuel economy) option. I had a GS500 and it was great as a first bike but I wouldn't want to putt around on highways for a long time on it.
-Kawasaki ZRX1100/1200R: My bike. Torque for miles, but comfortable. I paid $2200 for my 2000 1100, but they're typically a bit more than that (around 3 grand for most).
-Yamaha FZ1/FZ6/FZ8/FZ-09: Never ridden these but a lot of people praise them, especially the FZ1. The 09 is newer, so it's not cheap yet, but I know when I was searching for a Hornet, I ran across some FZ6s and FZ1s for less than 4 grand.
-BMW F800R: Honestly, can't say much about these in terms of performance or comfort, but I know they look damn great. It's got a parallel twin, not a boxer like some other Beemers but you might have a hard time finding a used one.


If you want to compare the seating position on any of these, I'd use this site:

http://cycle-ergo.com/

 

[thesoapster]

Changed the sparkplugs today. What a pain in the ass. I hate reaching in to press the ignition coil packs back in...murder for my fingers etc. But hey, it worked! Now I just need to change the oil/filter, and with oil out replace the rashed stator cover and then put my new R&G protectors over my stator cover and clutch cover. I've needed to get my fork oil changed for a while now...and now it seems the issue is forced, as my right fork is leaking oil. Yay!!!!!!! I fucking love it. I have to start replacing my fairings (probably the front upper first as it's in the worst shape and is held together with Gorilla Tape). It's going to take so much time/money to get this fucking thing back to the way it's supposed to be. Ugh.

What's the difference between standard sport and others? Any cheap options? I'm thinking of picking something up for a different pace with my road king. Its a long haul and commuter bike and does that really well. Just looking for variety.

A sport standard is going to have some aesthetics similar to a sportbike, but it will likely have more relaxed geometry (not all are this way, though). They tend to have higher and wider bars along with rearsets and seat set up for more upright position.

Since the days of people wrecking sportbikes and not wanting to pay for replacement plastics (I empathize as I need to replace virtually of mine...), people have been making streetfighters. These are more stripped down, and with some nice builds being done, some look really nice and clean. The level of modding for comfort (if comfort is even a concern) varies. Now there are production sport standard bikes that are almost streetfighter-like in that they retain the short wheelbase of a sportbike sibling, maybe only slightly raised bars, etc.

If you want a cheap sport standard, look at 650 twins (Suzuki SV650, Kawasaki Ninja 650/650R). You might also look at Yamaha's FZ bikes (2, 3, and 4 cylinders!).

 

[maxheadwound]

I was riding to work and stopped to get some fuel this morning and a Triumph triple black stopped behind me. I thought is might have been dougald. Damn that bike sounded sweet... the triples do have a very distinct sound

 

[Dougald]

Hah, if it was me, you would have been overtaking the Triumph ;-)

 

[maxheadwound]

I think everyone was out this morning on the bike as the sun was so nice.

 

[Dougald]

All this talk of ATGATT, just saw a kid on a scooter in full textile gear, but no gloves. Why even bother

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah, the no gloves thing will never cease to amaze me.

 

[aygomyownroad]

I have booked my CBT test for the 1st of May. Plan to do theory and then final test by September, and spend the winter months saving up for a bike.

My mum went mental at me telling me she forbids it and that I would kill myself.
I'm 30 years old with a family, I plan to do it so me and my best friend who has got a Harley 883 Iron can go on road trips now and again. I planned on getting a Kawasaki Vulcan S as my first bike.

I have a car, but I was never going to take biking lightly. My partner and friend said I should just not tell. I have a garage so would be easy. If I was 17 I would understand her concerns but she is very stubborn!

I won't be listening to her. This is something I wanted to do years ago, but she put me off.

How have your mothers reacted to you learning to ride and getting a motorbike?

 

[GONZO]

If you're looking for a great cheap otpion I would totally go for an sv650. I rode one for a couple years and loved it. The geometry on that bike was just perfect. And the v twins they use are bullet [roof as well. it's not a super fast bike but because of the nature of the engine the torque it produces let's it punch above it's weight class. You can find them on the used market for about 3 grand now.

If you want something new then my suggestion would be the FZ07. Yamaha really nailed it out of the park with that bike. Great engine, great chassis great price. Yamaha is going to sell thousands of those bikes.

 

[Dougald]

I have booked my CBT test for the 1st of May. Plan to do theory and then final test by September, and spend the winter months saving up for a bike.

My mum went mental at me telling me she forbids it and that I would kill myself.
I'm 30 years old with a family, I plan to do it so me and my best friend who has got a Harley 883 Iron can go on road trips now and again. I planned on getting a Kawasaki Vulcan S as my first bike.

I have a car, but I was never going to take biking lightly. My partner and friend said I should just not tell. I have a garage so would be easy. If I was 17 I would understand her concerns but she is very stubborn!

I won't be listening to her. This is something I wanted to do years ago, but she put me off.

How have your mothers reacted to you learning to ride and getting a motorbike?

Congrats! It has been 4 years this week since I passed my DAS Module 2, and 6 months since my wife did the same. It's a long road but worth it

When I told my mother she did her best to pretend that it didn't bother her. My Dad had wanted me to get a bike since I was 16 so he was pretty pleased. My mother in law still isn't too happy with it and I think she partly blames me (despite my wife wanting a bike since she was 10), but has slowly come to terms with it

Good luck with the CBT, Theory and eventually DAS, I'm not sure where you are but if you are near Reading or Oxford I can recommend Lightning Training, nonprofit and very good. The tests themselves are a pain in the arse, but not unfairly so, they really mainly test confidence in my experience.

 

[GONZO]

I have booked my CBT test for the 1st of May. Plan to do theory and then final test by September, and spend the winter months saving up for a bike.

My mum went mental at me telling me she forbids it and that I would kill myself.
I'm 30 years old with a family, I plan to do it so me and my best friend who has got a Harley 883 Iron can go on road trips now and again. I planned on getting a Kawasaki Vulcan S as my first bike.

I have a car, but I was never going to take biking lightly. My partner and friend said I should just not tell. I have a garage so would be easy. If I was 17 I would understand her concerns but she is very stubborn!

I won't be listening to her. This is something I wanted to do years ago, but she put me off.

How have your mothers reacted to you learning to ride and getting a motorbike?

Funny story, My parents forbade me from riding a motorcycle. When I was 17 I bought one with my own money and kept it in my friends garage. I rode it regularly for two years, rode it to my parents house finally one day and my mother exploded. Said I would kill myself on it blah blah. I told her that it was odd seeing as how I had been riding for two years and last I check I was still quite alive. Her argument was pretty much moot. It's not the motorcycles that are dangerous. It's the mentality of the person riding it. Approach it earnestly and with respect and you'll be fine.

 

[aygomyownroad]

Funny story, My parents forbade me from riding a motorcycle. When I was 17 I bought one with my own money and kept it in my friends garage. I rode it regularly for two years, rode it to my parents house finally one day and my mother exploded. Said I would kill myself on it blah blah. I told her that it was odd seeing as how I had been riding for two years and last I check I was still quite alive. Her argument was pretty much moot. It's not the motorcycles that are dangerous. It's the mentality of the person riding it. Approach it earnestly and with respect and you'll be fine.

Yeah my friend said to tell her after a few years... my partner said to tell her on her deathbed.

Up in Scotland, have a place near me who are quite good.

 

[Poindexter]

supersports are the revvy track bikes: low clip-ons, full tankhumper position. think: honda's cbr***rr, yamahas r6 or r1, kawasaki's zx-6r or zx-10r, triumph daytona, or the italian race throughbreds (ducati panigale, aprilia rsv4, etc).

standard sport will have a full bar or high-rise clip-ons, and can be faired (ninja 1000, vfr, fz1 etc) or naked/partially faired (z1000, tuono, fz-07/fz09, brutale, monster, street triple, super duke et al). there's also the fast pseudo-adv bikes like ducati's multistrada 1200s and yamaha's fj-09. they're all more comfortable than a supersport.

plain ol' standard is triumph's bonneville, or honda's cb1100.

what's your budget? as gaf seems to agree, the best universal sport hooligan (imho) is the street triple. you ride that bike -- any year from '09 onward is good -- you won't stop laughing into your helmet the whole time you thrash it. it's a great compliment to a beastly long-haul cruiser.

Standards are the bikes like Gonzo's Brutale, with a more relaxed seat, lower and more forward pegs (usually), and upright handlebars instead of clip-ons. Typically they're all cheaper than a supersport simply due to a lower demand, so that's a plus.

Coming from your Harley, you'd probably be good for any type of power. In the states, they're usually a bit harder to find, but they can still be had. The ones I'd recommend are:

-Suzuki SV650: there's different variants, but the regular (non S/SF) is a good naked bike. Has a v-twin for torque.
-Honda Hornet (599 or 919): a great inline-4 bike. My buddy had the 599 and I loved it. In the states, the 919 is fuel-injected while the 599 (which they stopped in 2006 here) is only carbed.
-Triumph Street/Speed Triple: probably a little more expensive than the others. All you need to do is ask literally anyone in this thread and you'll see why they love it.
-Suzuki GS500/Kawasaki Ninja 500: a lower power (but great fuel economy) option. I had a GS500 and it was great as a first bike but I wouldn't want to putt around on highways for a long time on it.
-Kawasaki ZRX1100/1200R: My bike. Torque for miles, but comfortable. I paid $2200 for my 2000 1100, but they're typically a bit more than that (around 3 grand for most).
-Yamaha FZ1/FZ6/FZ8/FZ-09: Never ridden these but a lot of people praise them, especially the FZ1. The 09 is newer, so it's not cheap yet, but I know when I was searching for a Hornet, I ran across some FZ6s and FZ1s for less than 4 grand.
-BMW F800R: Honestly, can't say much about these in terms of performance or comfort, but I know they look damn great. It's got a parallel twin, not a boxer like some other Beemers but you might have a hard time finding a used one.


If you want to compare the seating position on any of these, I'd use this site:

http://cycle-ergo.com/

Changed the sparkplugs today. What a pain in the ass. I hate reaching in to press the ignition coil packs back in...murder for my fingers etc. But hey, it worked! Now I just need to change the oil/filter, and with oil out replace the rashed stator cover and then put my new R&G protectors over my stator cover and clutch cover. I've needed to get my fork oil changed for a while now...and now it seems the issue is forced, as my right fork is leaking oil. Yay!!!!!!! I fucking love it. I have to start replacing my fairings (probably the front upper first as it's in the worst shape and is held together with Gorilla Tape). It's going to take so much time/money to get this fucking thing back to the way it's supposed to be. Ugh.



A sport standard is going to have some aesthetics similar to a sportbike, but it will likely have more relaxed geometry (not all are this way, though). They tend to have higher and wider bars along with rearsets and seat set up for more upright position.

Since the days of people wrecking sportbikes and not wanting to pay for replacement plastics (I empathize as I need to replace virtually of mine...), people have been making streetfighters. These are more stripped down, and with some nice builds being done, some look really nice and clean. The level of modding for comfort (if comfort is even a concern) varies. Now there are production sport standard bikes that are almost streetfighter-like in that they retain the short wheelbase of a sportbike sibling, maybe only slightly raised bars, etc.

If you want a cheap sport standard, look at 650 twins (Suzuki SV650, Kawasaki Ninja 650/650R). You might also look at Yamaha's FZ bikes (2, 3, and 4 cylinders!).

Thanks, guys. I'm looking for something under ten grand and will probably go the used route. Because everyone seems to love it that means it will probably be the Triumph.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Also try a Buell, Pointdexter.

Can't speak to the qualities of the XBs, but if they are better versions of the tube frame ones I've got, they should be awesome. Look for a low mileage X1, M2 (criminally cheap for what you get), S2 or S3T (difficult to find low mileage as these are classic and pretty rare anyway), or one of the later XBs.

Most fun I've ever had on a bike. And seeing as how you're a Harley guy... you might just be the kind of person who has the required sensibilities to fully appreciate the unique delights the Buell has to offer.

 

[thesoapster]

Thanks, guys. I'm looking for something under ten grand and will probably go the used route. Because everyone seems to love it that means it will probably be the Triumph.

If you're looking at triples, also consider the Yamaha FZ-09. It's a contender

 

[Jackson]

Funny story, My parents forbade me from riding a motorcycle. When I was 17 I bought one with my own money and kept it in my friends garage. I rode it regularly for two years, rode it to my parents house finally one day and my mother exploded. Said I would kill myself on it blah blah. I told her that it was odd seeing as how I had been riding for two years and last I check I was still quite alive. Her argument was pretty much moot. It's not the motorcycles that are dangerous. It's the mentality of the person riding it. Approach it earnestly and with respect and you'll be fine.

To be fair... In the U.S. at least, you're 34x more likely to get in an accident on a motorbike than in a car.

You can do everything right and still get hit by someone not paying attention to your presence. Every single time you ride your bike you're taking a significantly increased risk over a car.

Being constantly aware of you surroundings, riding defensively and cautiously decreases that risk vs a squid blowing through a yellow light, but that risk is still higher than a car. But as a ride you accept that risk.

However, I will say that 34x stat is padded by some people who shouldn't ride bikes. They can't stay calm in sticky situations (taking a tight corner to fast and then targeting locking their vision at a tree for example) or they're simply not coordinated enough to manage it all or they don't take riding seriously enough and do things that increase their risk further (not saying I don't hooligan it up sometimes).

But ya I agree non-bike people have a bit of an irrational fear of bikes, but it's not unfounded.

 

[Dougald]

In the UK, most accidents are multi-vehicle, and the most common cause is the car failing to look properly, so defensive riding is a must.

However, people tend to get caught up in blaming 'cagers'.. one third of accidents here do not involve another vehicle, and most fatalities occur on country roads. There is a lot a rider can do to mitigate that risk by modifying their riding style

I always say, it doesn't matter whose fault it is, the bike is coming off worse. I consider it a personal failure if I ever have a near miss, no matter whose fault it is in the eyes of the law

 

[Piggus]

Took my PCX150 up some random ass roads, found a nice view, then took some shitty, grainy pics.

 

[Drinky Crow]

nice view, piggus! i crib my wife's pcx when she's out. such a fun hooner.

 

[Piggus]

I finally got my motorcycle endorsement today so I'll be riding it a lot. I love it!

 

[blackprophesy]

How have your mothers reacted to you learning to ride and getting a motorbike?

My parents were both pretty good about it when I first started learning, although concerned. My dad used to be a motorcycle cop back in the day and saw more than his share of accidents. Didn't stop him putting me and my brother on the back of his police motorcycle down to driveway

My fiance's mother is another story. My fiance is 35 years old and is hiding the bike and everything bike related. Mother-in-law comes around and everything goes into the locked garage (including mine).

Never mind the secret tattoos! Mothers never stop being mothers.