Giving up sportsbikes

[Kris]

Something I've had on my mind for a long time. Thought I'd share it with you 'orrible lot. Shutup at the back there...

Britain, as a biking community anyhow, is obsessed with sportsbikes. They sell the most and at most bikers ride them. We'll admit to ourselves that we like the thought of riding these monsters, like the reputation, the danger. We like to look like our racing heroes now and again. It's harmless fun.
However - they are usually the most expensive class of bikes to buy, insure and maintain. The wheels for example require huge mounds of expensive soft sticky rubber which will be useless after a few thousand miles. They are shrouded in unexplicably expensive plastic bodywork, requiring the sum similar to a third world country's debt if they ever need replacing. They are always targeted by thieves. The list goes on and on. I've often popped down to either BoxHill or Stockley and seen the stunts that go on, and I'd love to do them. The high stand-up wheelies, the stupidly quick stoppies etc all performed on a variety of bikes. But I'd never try them. Not on my bike anyhow. Which kinda leads to my point. If a crosser with street tyres (aka supermotard) can wheelie, stoppie etc just as well than a superbike then why aren't we on them? When a crash goes wrong I know which riders will be standing by the side of the road with a handful of plastic bodywork, dreaming up a story to tell his wife - between those who will kick the bars straight and get on with it. Severity of accident depending, of course.
It just seems crazy that us sportsbike owners ride around on these huge expensive missiles, capable of putting us in prison for speeding etc, when the guy on the supermotard is having a much more relaxed time of it.

I ride my bike as quickly as I'm comfortable with, but still I get a nagging thought in my head. I'll be riding around with "If you crash this you'll never afford the repairs" or "At this speed you can get put away" filling my head. Clouding my thoughts. Spoiling my fun. I worry about owning a bike that is worth something. Things were different on my old bikes. I felt I had little to lose - now I have a weight on my shoulders.

I keep dreaming of owning either a supermotard-esque bike or a pre-crashed sportsbike with flat bars etc. More importantly I keep dreaming of riding a *cheap* bike.

Am I alone?

Yours, a truly confused Kristof


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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[nc30 chick]

No you not alone. Me personally only likes the look of sportsbikes but a good friend of ours who currently rides a fireblade is going to be selling it to buy one of the supermotards. My hubby has also been considering it too.
Depends on your taste really.

[Kris]

No you miss my point. My taste is sportsbikes. I just can't seem to enjoy myself as much as when I had cheap bikes
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[nc30 chick]

Then you cant win really, all sportsbikes will all be expensive if binned. If you like the look of the supermotards then great but i could not own or ride one no matter how much cheaper they were.
Its up to you, do you want a bike you really like but is expensive or do you want a bike you dont like so much but know your going to have more fun on as your not worrying about the expense?

[G]

This thought obviously occoured to me a while ago .

Even when I got my zx6 I was initially looking for an older cheaper one, possibly with some fairing damage.

I got a newer shiny one and regretted it.

Since then I've always gone for the cheaper end and haven't regretted it /too/ much.

Thus, also my constant piss taking about tarts . I personally don't see the point in buying a bike and then worrying about riding it because you might get a few scratches. Might as well just leave it in your front garden so everyone can see you got a shiny bike .
Worry about your own health or your licence, maybe, but buying a bike then not wanting to use it seems silly to me.

Also, I would say motards and the like are more for people that worry about their licence's etc; in the same I've got my rs250 so I'm not going stupid-faste everywhere. Would like a decent motard, but can't afford it. Look at all the american stunters that regularly drop their sports bikes.

Also, it should be noted that you are probably a lot less likely to do any serious damage to your bike when you are starting out trying stunts than normal riding. It's when you got more confident and start to know what you are doing that's you should start to worry.

[Danny]

There are problems with something like a supermoto too, they don't handle motorways very well, not great when your bike is your only transport.
Also, instead of doing silly speeds you'll just wheelie everywhere instead.

Can't win.

[Sparks!]

Supermoto's aren't really cheap to be honest...

Not a proper one anyway... anything cheap will be slow/boring and heavy .. depends how much you want to spend I guess.

But even my WR is cheap to fix/get bits for and it's crash proof.

It's completely changed my outlook on biking.. I've decided to sell the R6 (next summer when I can get the most ££ for it) and buy a VOR or KTM race supermoto for the next southern supermotos series...

I ride the R6 to work at the minute but wish I could be on the WR.. (can't bring it to work, too impractical!!) even a 5 minute trip out to the shops/pick something up is great fun on a supermoto - maybe that's just me though...

Supermoto rules! But you won't get much decent for little money..
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[Steve H]

[Sparks!]

[iCraig]

Its probably one of the reasons why I am not going for a sports bike for my next bike.

I'd hate to think I was riding a £4000 600 Supersports machine and throw it down the road cos I was being silly on it and it costing the earth to repair or killing me.

I however ride a resonably cheap 500, I can cane it, and I can ride it hard and its fun. If I crash it or knacker it, its not worth much and theres not much to break or smash:).

Though if you want to buy me a sports bike I'd gladly have one .

[Kickstart]

[G]

[Sparks!]

Thing with the R6 is I'd always be too scared of damaging it.. like Kris says really!

Supermoto, if I flip it, meh.. cost me £50 or so to replace a few things and some cable ties............. sorted

WR400 power wheelies in 3rd and still does about 100 or so mph.... I'm about to lower the gearing though as I want a longer 2nd gear..
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[MarJay]

Sorry to sound like a broken record but:

This is why I want a crash damaged SV650! I want to ditch the headlight, bung on a cheap streetfighter fairing, put some top notch R and G mushrooms on and learn to stunt! As soon as I have some spare cash of course. The other thing with Supermotos (apart from the fact that the tyres on the Smoto are the same as on your big bike, they are uncomfortable, they vibrate, they need expensive services and they couldn't pull the skin off of a rice pudding...) Is that they are too tall for mortals. Whats the point in having a huge uncomfortable wheelie bike, when you can have a small comfortable one, like my SV!

Right I'll shut up now!
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Kris]

Marjay that is the most sense you've ever made on this board

Great idea
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[Sparks!]

Mark, I'm selling the R6 for an SV650 they are cheap to buy, look alright, cheap to get parts for (I think) not too bad power wise, comfortable, do long distance, do commuting, do everything really... good for knee down could probably do a track day on it.. and best of all it's cheap!

May the un-tarting revolution begin.. I can't live up to my custom title any more though
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[tintin]

Kris - I have recently applied similar logic to my biking choice.
My R6 was stolen and I couldn't see the point in replacing it if there was going to be a new model out next year. I tried a whole bunch of bike, everything from commuters to an R1. I ride about 50 miles into London, most of the year from about March to October. The first part of my journey is dual roads, fairly fast then I'm in the traffic, I go for the odd weekend ride and GP but not real long distance stuff anymore. I thought about a SuperMoto but was worried about the lack of comfort.

I eventually settled on an Aprilia Tuono, it ticked all the boxes for me, upright riding position, character, good engine, fast if you want to, quality build, fun, different.

Now the whole journey is a pleasure, traffic is a great laugh. On the fast sections I just find myself riding 20-30mph slower without even thinking about it, and I still feel like I'm going fast (85 instead of 110). Hopefully this will have the added advantage of keeping me out of trouble with the cops.

It's something about the 'attitude' that appeals to me, it's different. I have more people comment on this bike in 6 weeks than I had comment on my previous bikes in the last 6 years. I was even told my bike was 'bling'! (not sure if that's good or bad, but it impresssed my 13 year old daughter).

It wasn't cheap and would probably still come off worse in a crash but it's been a revelation to me
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The older I get the better I was

[Phoenix]

[Sparks!]

Erm, no... buy both

SV is only cheap..
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[iCraig]

[synaptyx]

I've currently got a '99 GSX600F Teapot and I'm slowly getting used to sitting on it comfortably. My arms still protest. I'm not likely to be replacing it soon, but for future reference I'm thinking of something I can sit up on. I've not looked at any, but I'm thinking of a Fazer 6 or the SV650. There's about £950 worth of difference, the Fazer being more expensive. What would be the comfier, more 'sitty uppy' bike?

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

Yer the key is not to buy expensive bikes, or you wont enjoy riding it as much.

All you have to spend is 2-4k to get an excellent second hand bike. You will not care as much about it becuase it is worth less, which means you can give it some stick, and not feel sorry for it, or feel you have to keep it mint...

[Phoenix]

Don't know about you but i'd call 4K an expensive bike! Have to be worth less than £1500 for me not to care too greatly about crashing it, and even then I probably still would.

[tintin]

Sorry can't agree with the cheap bikes route, it's still got to feel good to me and if I've got the money then I'll spend it. Do you really all ride thinking I'm going to crash? OR if you crash a lot anyway then you probably shouldn't be riding a bike...

Isn't the thread about 'different' bikes? I tried a Fazer and SV and Hornet and IMHO they were all a bit dull after a sportsbike...
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The older I get the better I was

[AcIdBuRnZ]