Anyone have experience with this...
Anyone have experience with this...
Hey all,
Im starting to price bikes for later down the road, and Im sort of stuck. Im in the desert so there is alot of dirt and tons of trails. The problem is with two kids I dont necessarily have time for trail riding. My original thought was an enduro like a WR250R/X or the CRF230L... but with the whole trail problem Im starting to think the ninja 250, or the CBR250R... The main reason is for cutting cost, I figure at 60mpg I would save 80-100 bucks a month on gas and all of those bikes get more than that. Im also avoiding any 1000's and not too sure about a 600 even. I rode a VTR1000F about a year ago and I know I would end up killing myself, that bike scared the living crap out of me. Is there anyone who has been in this boat and has any advice? Also, there are alot of people who ride year round here which is why I am considering this in the first place. A new bike would pay for itself and then some in a matter of 5 years.
Im starting to price bikes for later down the road, and Im sort of stuck. Im in the desert so there is alot of dirt and tons of trails. The problem is with two kids I dont necessarily have time for trail riding. My original thought was an enduro like a WR250R/X or the CRF230L... but with the whole trail problem Im starting to think the ninja 250, or the CBR250R... The main reason is for cutting cost, I figure at 60mpg I would save 80-100 bucks a month on gas and all of those bikes get more than that. Im also avoiding any 1000's and not too sure about a 600 even. I rode a VTR1000F about a year ago and I know I would end up killing myself, that bike scared the living crap out of me. Is there anyone who has been in this boat and has any advice? Also, there are alot of people who ride year round here which is why I am considering this in the first place. A new bike would pay for itself and then some in a matter of 5 years.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
I had a fzr400, Zx900 and an 05 r6 the r6 was heavily modded and being lighter ran all over the 900. By the sound of things you don't want a fast powerful bike? In that case any bike with a 4cyclinder motor is a bad choice my r6 got 35mpg riding 60 65 horsing it got 20 or less. The 900 I was lucky to see 28 my fzr 400 got the best at 50 or 60mpg but it to was very bad on gas if you horsed on it. Your best bet on the street is a street bike those trail bikes are not built to maintain high speed for long distances and will destroy the valves over time. Not to mention braking and cornering. Another thought street and trail bikes are very light to compared a street bike you get blown all over the road weight is a good thing on a street bike along as you can hold it up and if you must pick it up.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
so what do you want to do with the bike, as hardly any of them will be a do all? You'll have to define your priorities, which is why most riders have 2 at least and usually 3 around.
The ninja 250 would be a good overall bike, but not for the trails or sand. A used BMW Dakar 600 would be a pretty much go anywhere, but it's tall but it gets good gas mileage, it's one of the toughest bikes out there. Sport bikes are cool looking but two things against them. One is that hardly any rider is good enough to use them for their performance level, and the ride position sucks. The Ninja 250 has a more upright. The Suzuki Vstrom 650 is also a very good one, and the new Honda 700NCX is a pretty much do everything, and I hear the mpg's are awesome. But it's chain final drive, so a shaft drive Honda NT700V is an excellent buy. Why they spent the money on developing this one, when they had the NTV and could have modded that one for taller off road tires, or put the dual clutch transmission in that one and would have opened a huge market is beyond me.
Finally you have your scooters. They are not to be derided as they have so much to offer. That's why I switched to the Suzuki Burgman 650 for my commuter bike. enormous cargo capacity, which you'll never get on a traditional bike, automatic transmission for ease of riding, especially in heavy traffic, virtually no maintenance, mine gets 54 mpg, and even better when I choose to use the optional manual electric thumbshift, which gives me an overdrive. I have had that bike up to 105 and there's still more, and it's stable as a rock. Low center of gravity because the engine is down low, and overall weighs 638 pounds. Very comfortable riding positions because you have alot of room to put your legs forward and back. I tuck mine back as this gives me the best position, but a couple of buddies have them and they ride feet forward. But it's more like the station wagon of bikes, and some people have ego issues so won't consider them. Too bad really, for what these can do and what you get for the money.
But bottom line is you need to decide what's really important, and then narrow the choices. For me chain drives are out, I'll take a belt or a shaft drive anyday. Shaft preferably for the long run. Chains just are more of a fussier thing. I like the option of the automatic and having the manual shift when I want it. More bikes are coming out with this, like the Honda VFR 1200, awesome, and basically a scooter on mega steroids. The world racers love that bike in general because it can shift faster than a human can and keeps it in the powerband ALL the time. But it's very pricey do to that.
as far as engines go, the 250's are singles, which are fine, and around 500 cc's they switch to twins. on bikes bigger isn't necessarily better as you well know, the smaller ones have plenty of power and are more fun to ride, but not on a long interstate trip. But I would hate to take the RoadKing on my runs to the grocery store. I can carry like 4 bags of groceries in my Burg. The RoadKing maybe a loaf of bread.
A 650 is a very nice all around compromise for power yet economy, the 400's are good too and there's nothing lacking there.
Hope this helps Sk8r
The ninja 250 would be a good overall bike, but not for the trails or sand. A used BMW Dakar 600 would be a pretty much go anywhere, but it's tall but it gets good gas mileage, it's one of the toughest bikes out there. Sport bikes are cool looking but two things against them. One is that hardly any rider is good enough to use them for their performance level, and the ride position sucks. The Ninja 250 has a more upright. The Suzuki Vstrom 650 is also a very good one, and the new Honda 700NCX is a pretty much do everything, and I hear the mpg's are awesome. But it's chain final drive, so a shaft drive Honda NT700V is an excellent buy. Why they spent the money on developing this one, when they had the NTV and could have modded that one for taller off road tires, or put the dual clutch transmission in that one and would have opened a huge market is beyond me.
Finally you have your scooters. They are not to be derided as they have so much to offer. That's why I switched to the Suzuki Burgman 650 for my commuter bike. enormous cargo capacity, which you'll never get on a traditional bike, automatic transmission for ease of riding, especially in heavy traffic, virtually no maintenance, mine gets 54 mpg, and even better when I choose to use the optional manual electric thumbshift, which gives me an overdrive. I have had that bike up to 105 and there's still more, and it's stable as a rock. Low center of gravity because the engine is down low, and overall weighs 638 pounds. Very comfortable riding positions because you have alot of room to put your legs forward and back. I tuck mine back as this gives me the best position, but a couple of buddies have them and they ride feet forward. But it's more like the station wagon of bikes, and some people have ego issues so won't consider them. Too bad really, for what these can do and what you get for the money.
But bottom line is you need to decide what's really important, and then narrow the choices. For me chain drives are out, I'll take a belt or a shaft drive anyday. Shaft preferably for the long run. Chains just are more of a fussier thing. I like the option of the automatic and having the manual shift when I want it. More bikes are coming out with this, like the Honda VFR 1200, awesome, and basically a scooter on mega steroids. The world racers love that bike in general because it can shift faster than a human can and keeps it in the powerband ALL the time. But it's very pricey do to that.
as far as engines go, the 250's are singles, which are fine, and around 500 cc's they switch to twins. on bikes bigger isn't necessarily better as you well know, the smaller ones have plenty of power and are more fun to ride, but not on a long interstate trip. But I would hate to take the RoadKing on my runs to the grocery store. I can carry like 4 bags of groceries in my Burg. The RoadKing maybe a loaf of bread.
A 650 is a very nice all around compromise for power yet economy, the 400's are good too and there's nothing lacking there.Hope this helps Sk8r
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Originally Posted by jmk41
I had a fzr400, Zx900 and an 05 r6 the r6 was heavily modded and being lighter ran all over the 900. By the sound of things you don't want a fast powerful bike? In that case any bike with a 4cyclinder motor is a bad choice my r6 got 35mpg riding 60 65 horsing it got 20 or less. The 900 I was lucky to see 28 my fzr 400 got the best at 50 or 60mpg but it to was very bad on gas if you horsed on it. Your best bet on the street is a street bike those trail bikes are not built to maintain high speed for long distances and will destroy the valves over time. Not to mention braking and cornering. Another thought street and trail bikes are very light to compared a street bike you get blown all over the road weight is a good thing on a street bike along as you can hold it up and if you must pick it up.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Originally Posted by mdaniels4
so what do you want to do with the bike, as hardly any of them will be a do all? You'll have to define your priorities, which is why most riders have 2 at least and usually 3 around.
The ninja 250 would be a good overall bike, but not for the trails or sand. A used BMW Dakar 600 would be a pretty much go anywhere, but it's tall but it gets good gas mileage, it's one of the toughest bikes out there. Sport bikes are cool looking but two things against them. One is that hardly any rider is good enough to use them for their performance level, and the ride position sucks. The Ninja 250 has a more upright. The Suzuki Vstrom 650 is also a very good one, and the new Honda 700NCX is a pretty much do everything, and I hear the mpg's are awesome. But it's chain final drive, so a shaft drive Honda NT700V is an excellent buy. Why they spent the money on developing this one, when they had the NTV and could have modded that one for taller off road tires, or put the dual clutch transmission in that one and would have opened a huge market is beyond me.
Finally you have your scooters. They are not to be derided as they have so much to offer. That's why I switched to the Suzuki Burgman 650 for my commuter bike. enormous cargo capacity, which you'll never get on a traditional bike, automatic transmission for ease of riding, especially in heavy traffic, virtually no maintenance, mine gets 54 mpg, and even better when I choose to use the optional manual electric thumbshift, which gives me an overdrive. I have had that bike up to 105 and there's still more, and it's stable as a rock. Low center of gravity because the engine is down low, and overall weighs 638 pounds. Very comfortable riding positions because you have alot of room to put your legs forward and back. I tuck mine back as this gives me the best position, but a couple of buddies have them and they ride feet forward. But it's more like the station wagon of bikes, and some people have ego issues so won't consider them. Too bad really, for what these can do and what you get for the money.
But bottom line is you need to decide what's really important, and then narrow the choices. For me chain drives are out, I'll take a belt or a shaft drive anyday. Shaft preferably for the long run. Chains just are more of a fussier thing. I like the option of the automatic and having the manual shift when I want it. More bikes are coming out with this, like the Honda VFR 1200, awesome, and basically a scooter on mega steroids. The world racers love that bike in general because it can shift faster than a human can and keeps it in the powerband ALL the time. But it's very pricey do to that.
as far as engines go, the 250's are singles, which are fine, and around 500 cc's they switch to twins. on bikes bigger isn't necessarily better as you well know, the smaller ones have plenty of power and are more fun to ride, but not on a long interstate trip. But I would hate to take the RoadKing on my runs to the grocery store. I can carry like 4 bags of groceries in my Burg. The RoadKing maybe a loaf of bread. A 650 is a very nice all around compromise for power yet economy, the 400's are good too and there's nothing lacking there.
Hope this helps Sk8r
The ninja 250 would be a good overall bike, but not for the trails or sand. A used BMW Dakar 600 would be a pretty much go anywhere, but it's tall but it gets good gas mileage, it's one of the toughest bikes out there. Sport bikes are cool looking but two things against them. One is that hardly any rider is good enough to use them for their performance level, and the ride position sucks. The Ninja 250 has a more upright. The Suzuki Vstrom 650 is also a very good one, and the new Honda 700NCX is a pretty much do everything, and I hear the mpg's are awesome. But it's chain final drive, so a shaft drive Honda NT700V is an excellent buy. Why they spent the money on developing this one, when they had the NTV and could have modded that one for taller off road tires, or put the dual clutch transmission in that one and would have opened a huge market is beyond me.
Finally you have your scooters. They are not to be derided as they have so much to offer. That's why I switched to the Suzuki Burgman 650 for my commuter bike. enormous cargo capacity, which you'll never get on a traditional bike, automatic transmission for ease of riding, especially in heavy traffic, virtually no maintenance, mine gets 54 mpg, and even better when I choose to use the optional manual electric thumbshift, which gives me an overdrive. I have had that bike up to 105 and there's still more, and it's stable as a rock. Low center of gravity because the engine is down low, and overall weighs 638 pounds. Very comfortable riding positions because you have alot of room to put your legs forward and back. I tuck mine back as this gives me the best position, but a couple of buddies have them and they ride feet forward. But it's more like the station wagon of bikes, and some people have ego issues so won't consider them. Too bad really, for what these can do and what you get for the money.
But bottom line is you need to decide what's really important, and then narrow the choices. For me chain drives are out, I'll take a belt or a shaft drive anyday. Shaft preferably for the long run. Chains just are more of a fussier thing. I like the option of the automatic and having the manual shift when I want it. More bikes are coming out with this, like the Honda VFR 1200, awesome, and basically a scooter on mega steroids. The world racers love that bike in general because it can shift faster than a human can and keeps it in the powerband ALL the time. But it's very pricey do to that.
as far as engines go, the 250's are singles, which are fine, and around 500 cc's they switch to twins. on bikes bigger isn't necessarily better as you well know, the smaller ones have plenty of power and are more fun to ride, but not on a long interstate trip. But I would hate to take the RoadKing on my runs to the grocery store. I can carry like 4 bags of groceries in my Burg. The RoadKing maybe a loaf of bread.
A 650 is a very nice all around compromise for power yet economy, the 400's are good too and there's nothing lacking there.Hope this helps Sk8r
The main use of the bike will be riding to work and back, with maybe short out of town trips. As of now we get too crowded trying to go on any trips (Mom, Dad, Fiance, 2 sons and myself) and I end up taking the crossfire... which isnt bad, but it is alot more expensive than a bike would be. Paying bills around town and going to work are the biggest things as Im paying a huge amount in gas considering our town is only 3mix2mi.
I dont mind scooters....but I didnt realize they had a 650. I will actually have to go look at some of the bigger ones. I was under the assumption that they only made 50-250's. Chain drives dont much bother me, I have been dealing with them forever on dirtbikes but I would prefer belt.
The Honda CBR250R is a single, but the ninja is a twin. One thing I like about the CBR250 and the Suzuki SV650 is the FI. On cold morning start and go, unlike the ninja (and most other bikes) that need the choke played with and warm up which isnt a huge deal unless I am running late.
I keep finding myself looking at price of new, because I would like to buy brand new (or damn close) and I just dont see much competing with the ninja and CBR. Part of that though is the fact that the next biggest street bike is a 600. They need to have 450's or 500's on the market currently for street bikes. Maybe I can find a low mi 4-500 somewhere once I start the purchase phase.
In any case Thanks for the knowledge guys. Im left with only one question. Do you guys know of a reliable 400-500 street bike with FI and a somewhat upright position (nothing like the VTR1000F lol) that I might be able to buy in a decent condition for under $6K? I dont really want to go too old if I can help it.
Thanks again
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
There are a few scoots in that range that I think would be ideal for you. the Burg 400 is wildly popular, I had a yamaha majesty 400 before I traded it on the Burg 650, Honda has the Silverwing 600, and one you don't hear of much is the Kymco 500 Xciting, which is a really good buy, and these are all FI. I test ride scoots for my preferred dealership and then do a write up for them. and one I tested that had sportbike handling that was phenomenal was the Yamaha TMax 500. Little bit less in storage though because of the sportbike slender design. Almost bought one of those because of the way it handled.
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Re: Anyone have experience with this...
A dealership near me (Atlanta) has a "New" 2009 Aprilia Mana for under $6k. Dealers in CA may have similar deals. It is scooter-esque in that it is automatic and the fuel tank is below the seat. What looks like the fuel tank is actually a sizable storage compartment. It is an 850 but it has different drive modes that allow more or less power for different conditions. So if your a little worried about twisting the throttle too much you can just select a more conservative mode. Not certain of the fuel efficiency, but definitely better than most cars.
I rode one the last time I was in the market and I liked it, quite comfortable. I ended up with a MV Agusta Brutale though.
My only advice is to test the bike at highway speeds. My other bike, 09 Yamaha V-star 650 has a tough time reaching real highway speeds. At 55 I'm ok. At 65 I'm really pushing it, At 75 it sounds like one of the pistons is about to come through the tank! Now, granted, it is only a 5 speed (and a cruiser) so a 6th gear would certainly help. It is really uncomfortable on highways with cars flying by you.
Good luck with your search.
I rode one the last time I was in the market and I liked it, quite comfortable. I ended up with a MV Agusta Brutale though.
My only advice is to test the bike at highway speeds. My other bike, 09 Yamaha V-star 650 has a tough time reaching real highway speeds. At 55 I'm ok. At 65 I'm really pushing it, At 75 it sounds like one of the pistons is about to come through the tank! Now, granted, it is only a 5 speed (and a cruiser) so a 6th gear would certainly help. It is really uncomfortable on highways with cars flying by you.
Good luck with your search.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
That Mana is also a good buy, and darn near best overall utility. The different modes include basically an automatic too mode, just twist and go like a scoot. I might almost buy one but again, it's thee storage that I lose. Funny part is last night I had come home from a town about 40 miles south on the Burgman, and I decided to take the freeway home for time saving. Most times I was at indicated 83, which is actually 75 due to the eternally optimistic speedos on mc being 10% off. I easily kept up with the faster traffic, and outdid the vast majority of the others without ever going past 4500 rpms in overdrive, 6th gear. Stable as a rock.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Im glad you brought up the v-star 650. My friend was looking at one of those for a while, Ill tell him to avoid them.
Im still torn but in a different way now. I like the storage and comfort on the big boy scooters but I like the "fun-ness" if you will on the sport bikes. My step-dad just gave me his xt225, so I wont need a smaller bike for fuel economy. Im now thinking one of the 600's-750's sport bikes. The ducati 749 is unique and amazing but really agressive I hear and the cbr600rr is more comfortable but extremely common. Power wise.... I dont really care, they are all over 100hp at that size and honestly I wish they made more 400-500 sport bikes that are newer for that reason. A 400 lb bike with me only weighing 145-150 full gear and 100hp is too much...
I think Im going to find a dealer who sells the scooters your talking about as well as sportbikes and cruisers and just start test riding.
And thanks for all the info and input guys.
Im still torn but in a different way now. I like the storage and comfort on the big boy scooters but I like the "fun-ness" if you will on the sport bikes. My step-dad just gave me his xt225, so I wont need a smaller bike for fuel economy. Im now thinking one of the 600's-750's sport bikes. The ducati 749 is unique and amazing but really agressive I hear and the cbr600rr is more comfortable but extremely common. Power wise.... I dont really care, they are all over 100hp at that size and honestly I wish they made more 400-500 sport bikes that are newer for that reason. A 400 lb bike with me only weighing 145-150 full gear and 100hp is too much...
I think Im going to find a dealer who sells the scooters your talking about as well as sportbikes and cruisers and just start test riding.
And thanks for all the info and input guys.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
My cousin has a ninja 500 it's like an 08 09 with 3200 miles on it. I think he wants like 3000 maybe less it's like new never even saw rain with it. You are in CA though not sure what it would take to get it to ya. If you ride like an idiot on bike of any kind you risk hurting or killing yourself the difference between a 500 and a 600 is night and day. Get a 600 it will keep you happy and get you off every time. A 500 would get ya off for awhile but you'll slowly lose intrest and want a bigger bike any way. 750s are insane for a starter sport bike no fin way.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Originally Posted by jmk41
My cousin has a ninja 500 it's like an 08 09 with 3200 miles on it. I think he wants like 3000 maybe less it's like new never even saw rain with it. You are in CA though not sure what it would take to get it to ya. If you ride like an idiot on bike of any kind you risk hurting or killing yourself the difference between a 500 and a 600 is night and day. Get a 600 it will keep you happy and get you off every time. A 500 would get ya off for awhile but you'll slowly lose intrest and want a bigger bike any way. 750s are insane for a starter sport bike no fin way.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
If you go for an r6 the hottest year you can get are the 05s. 2005 was the first year they were fuel injected. I don't care what the manufacture numbers say. I had a Vance and Hines full pipe and a power commander on mine and I ate r1s for breakfast. If you ran each bike till they were flat out the R1 would win but from 10 to say 175 I'd stomp them. The r6 untill recently had a frame design that made them easy to ride wheelies! Like 3rd grear half throttle just snap your wrist and go. No other bike I have ever road even came close.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Originally Posted by sk8erjosh09
Im glad you brought up the v-star 650. My friend was looking at one of those for a while, Ill tell him to avoid them.
Im still torn but in a different way now. I like the storage and comfort on the big boy scooters but I like the "fun-ness" if you will on the sport bikes. My step-dad just gave me his xt225, so I wont need a smaller bike for fuel economy. Im now thinking one of the 600's-750's sport bikes. The ducati 749 is unique and amazing but really agressive I hear and the cbr600rr is more comfortable but extremely common. Power wise.... I dont really care, they are all over 100hp at that size and honestly I wish they made more 400-500 sport bikes that are newer for that reason. A 400 lb bike with me only weighing 145-150 full gear and 100hp is too much...
I think Im going to find a dealer who sells the scooters your talking about as well as sportbikes and cruisers and just start test riding.
And thanks for all the info and input guys.
Im still torn but in a different way now. I like the storage and comfort on the big boy scooters but I like the "fun-ness" if you will on the sport bikes. My step-dad just gave me his xt225, so I wont need a smaller bike for fuel economy. Im now thinking one of the 600's-750's sport bikes. The ducati 749 is unique and amazing but really agressive I hear and the cbr600rr is more comfortable but extremely common. Power wise.... I dont really care, they are all over 100hp at that size and honestly I wish they made more 400-500 sport bikes that are newer for that reason. A 400 lb bike with me only weighing 145-150 full gear and 100hp is too much...
I think Im going to find a dealer who sells the scooters your talking about as well as sportbikes and cruisers and just start test riding.
And thanks for all the info and input guys.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
MrMiata, Ill tell him to ride on highway speeds and see if its good for him. Hes looking for his first bike, Im on my second... road going at least.
I like the way the R6 looks by far. That and my dad has always been a yamaha guy... and thats crazy that they are that fast, how do they feel on the twisties?
Originally Posted by jmk41
If you go for an r6 the hottest year you can get are the 05s. 2005 was the first year they were fuel injected. I don't care what the manufacture numbers say. I had a Vance and Hines full pipe and a power commander on mine and I ate r1s for breakfast. If you ran each bike till they were flat out the R1 would win but from 10 to say 175 I'd stomp them. The r6 untill recently had a frame design that made them easy to ride wheelies! Like 3rd grear half throttle just snap your wrist and go. No other bike I have ever road even came close.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Originally Posted by arejohn
If the title reflected the subject, some of us could have avoided this.
Crossfireforum.org>Off Topic>Other Vehicles>...
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Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Not if you enter through "new posts." Ups. It's in a column I havent been reading.
And poor titles do not help those of us that use search before posting questions. Or should we just discontinue the use of titles.
And poor titles do not help those of us that use search before posting questions. Or should we just discontinue the use of titles.
Last edited by arejohn; 04-19-2012 at 04:59 PM.
Re: Anyone have experience with this...
Im sorry that your so offended you felt the need to comment about it....
In this community, I read pretty much any post regardless of title. Im sure others do too. Im interested in what people are doing with, and without the cross. Next time when you hit "new posts" look to the right, you will see what category its under.
Once again sorry, but the heading is not off subject. I wanted to know what experiences others have on this subject. Next time you enter a thread without looking over at the category, and find that its not interesting to you, just hit that big left arrow in the top left hand corner of the window and leave it be.
In this community, I read pretty much any post regardless of title. Im sure others do too. Im interested in what people are doing with, and without the cross. Next time when you hit "new posts" look to the right, you will see what category its under.
Once again sorry, but the heading is not off subject. I wanted to know what experiences others have on this subject. Next time you enter a thread without looking over at the category, and find that its not interesting to you, just hit that big left arrow in the top left hand corner of the window and leave it be.