B road sportsbike

[swiftb]

Any recommendations for a sportsbike which is suited to fast B road riding (or more suited than my lairy ZX6R).
Something which is a bit less harsh around our bumpy, scabby surfaced B roads, a bit less edge of your pants when pushing it??
I realise a sportsbike is never gonna handle these roads as well as a Ktm/supermoto etc, but something a bit more forgiving / less throw you out of the seat at any given opportunity??




Price range - upto 4k

[G]

If you're happy with the power from your bike, then why not look at getting the suspension set up/revalved etc for what you want to do?

Not going to get much more travel from a sports bike, but not sure more travel is really the answer when the reality is the supermotos are based on designs meant to go over much bigger bumps etc, so the design is otherwise compromised.

If power was an issue, something like an RS250 I find ideal for the sort of 'go' I want.

[swiftb]

Yeh im not looking for a total B road machine, just something whichs compromises a bit better. Ive fully rebuilt/replaced front and rear suspension and whilst a big improvement, I think the stiff/twitchy/harsh ride is just a trait of the bike really.
Travel isnt really an issue its more the ability to cope with fast bumpy roads/crests and our general crap road surface without getting all tied in knots.
I dont want to spend any more on my current bike id rather upgrade the whole package to something more modern.
So in essence, I want a more comfortable and forgiving (suspension wise) sportsbike.

[mad4it028]

for me i find softer shocks better on bumpy b roads which is why i think supermotos are great for this but saying that the older zx6r and cbr600f has very soft suspension that soaked up the bumpy b roads where as i had a few goes on my ex bosses 2008 zx6r and found that even on the softest settings it was too hard and skipped on the bumps
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[DrDonnyBrago]

Never had issue with my CBR6f 01, that said I doubt its much different that yours - the Kwak and CBR at this point weren't the all out supersports that the later models were.

Nowadays around the 600cc mark you only seem to get nakeds and track biased supersports like the CBR600RR, b1 onwards zx6r, R6 and GSXR600. The CBR600f ran for a while alongside the RR, could be worth looking into a newer one of these but bear in mind that around 2003 I think, they lost the fully adjustable suspension on the earlier F models.

How would you feel about a naked i.e. hornet, fazer etc etc?

[temeluchus]

G is spot on. Go and get the suspension looked at.
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[swiftb]

Not really into the nakeds tbh. I like the riding position of a sportsbike. Ive spent a lot of time with the suspension on my bike and while it handles really well, it gets bent out of shape when hitting the bumpier stuff. I find 'lesser bikes' tend to float over these roads while im working my tits off and hanging on for dear life just to keep up with them.
Problem is I prefer the B road riding but still want the power for the occasional longer A road run outs. And I dont want to sacrifice the sports bike riding position.
My worry on spending a fortune on suspension on a ten year old bike is not getting the results I expect. Then end up having a ten year old bike with 800 quids worth of suspension thats worth no more than a standard one.

[mistergixer]

What's always put me off Supermotos is the fact that unless you are either a) in town, or b) on very twisty roads they are relatively limited by their low top speed etc. Longish, straightish bits of roads are a right arseache (literally) and as dull as dishwater.

At least on something with a bit more poke the straight bits get annihilated relatively quickly, leaving you free to piss around the twisty bits again.

However, i don't feel that sportsbikes cope that well with 'real world' riding (poor visibility over hedges, cars etc), so perhaps something somewhere in between with a bit more of an upright riding position, softer suspension but a bit more poke would do the job.

As i'm obsessed by sportsbikes and aren't that familiar with other(lesser) bikes, i'm somewhat at a loss to suggest an exact model.

EDIT - arse. You posted whilst i was typing, now my post looks a bit silly.

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[mad4it028]

[swiftb]

Yep the Hypermotard 'sounds' like I would love it (from the reviews ive read) but 4k wont get me one
@MIsterGixer, no not silly its pretty much describing what I want. But as you state dont want to lose the power of the sportsbike. Me also being a Sportsbike junky I know less of something more suitable.

What I am also considering is a 2nd bike, a KTM duke, but would really rather have one bike that can manage both reasonably well

[DrDonnyBrago]

Are you looking for a not quite so good sports bike or a supermoto?

A naked with clip ons is IMO somewhere in the middle.

[rac3r]

[G]

[thewildblue]

Best B road sportsbike for me was my old ZX7R, if it does get too bumpy then stand up on the pegs, it helps.

Bets overall B road tool was my Duke 2, you could go a bit mental on that, but then again it would never hit the speeds the 7R could.

[neatbik]

The best bumpy b road bike i ever rode was a ccm ft710. It was amazing fun, and i would have one like a shot if it was just a bit more practical.

https://londonbikers.com/galleries/img.ashx?g=1096&i=13647

[swiftb]

Yes G, I have it setup for somewhere in between at the minute, although admittedly more biased towards the smoother roads. I may need to test ride some other sports bikes to see how they compare I suppose. Other than that like you say it could be a case of having two different setups and adjust on the day for the ride.
I do fancy the idea of a 2nd bike that way im not trying to make my bike one thing for one style of road and something else for another.
But its spend 2k on a 2nd bike or around 4k on one bike

@DonnyBrago - could be worth considering

@the wildblue - do find myself doing that a lot when I hit the bumpy stuff, surfing the pegs

[G]

If you're not hanging off, I find that helps slightly - partly it allows the suspension to work better as the bike is more upright, so the suspension is working at the right angle for the bumps and partly to add a little bit of 'play' from your body.

If you took the extreme and the bike was at 89 degrees from vertical somehow, obviously the suspension couldn't do anything useful when a tyre went over a bump.

Your profile doesn't say where you are, but if you're around here, welcome to have a play on the 690 sometime - I have SM wheels to fit, though haven't had them on for a while. Or, similarly, I didn't find it a problem getting a test ride on a Duke from the local KTM dealer despite making it clear I wasn't going to buy it (I did throw some business their way when I did get the 690 as it seemed 'reasonable'.)

[swiftb]

Thats a mighty generous offer G which I would have gladly taken you up on, if I wasnt 300miles away
Live on Teesside and the likes of a Duke 2 etc are rarely the kind of thing you see in a dealer so I might have to have a wonder down to Leeds/Bradford area to inspect.
I will give the hanging off a try, makes sense as the suspension is in a more upright position. I do move around a fair bit but tend not to 'hang off' gibbon style.

[Smooth]

[ram_doom]

Would've thought a speed triple would be just the job?
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[G]

[ram_doom]

[swiftb]

One of these very nearby at a dealer which looks very similar (also similar specs) to the Duke II so im tempted to get a test ride to see whats what

https://www.arpem.com/motos/modelos/bmw/flash/2007/bmw-g-650-xmoto/bmw-g-650-xmoto-rod1.jpg

[G]

G650 isn't too far off the Duke/690SM. Nice long service intervals too.

Only get five gears, but they are actually better spaced than on the KTMs, so it's not a big problem.

[Smooth]

On the subject of Modded Multistrada:
https://jvb-moto.com/rocknroll/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/multi4-web700.jpg
https://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n258/JJGeo/Multistrada%20Re-Build/RighSide-Close.jpg

It's giving me ideas... It would make a superb B-road sports bike.
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