2nd post test bike.... is this sensible?

rtho782 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Karma :

Hi!

I passed my test back in April this year. I had done 4000 miles on my ER-6f, when a front blowout on the M4 caused its premature death.

I'm now looking at a new bike, my 2nd big bike. Just for shits and giggles I did an insurance quote on a 2000 plate Thunderace, expecting it to be thousands.

Wow. £360....

Now I want a Thunderace.

However, I'm slightly worried that getting a 1002cc IL4 sportsbike as my 2nd bike, is a slightly suicidal plan of action.... It is, after all, double the hp of my ER-6....

Thoughts?

Wafer_Thin_Ham · Super Spammer Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Karma :

A thunderace weighs 2.4 tonnes and puts out around 120-130bhp at the wheel. You'll be fine.
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swampy · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 Aug 2004 Karma :

rtho782 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Karma :

Internets say 198kg dry, 145hp but I guess that is at the crank.

Even so, the ER-6 is heavier and ~73hp, I assume also at the crank.

Still, this is encouraging, I expected everyone to tell me I was mad!!

Wafer_Thin_Ham · Super Spammer Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Karma :

J4mes · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Mar 2011 Karma :

It'll be as sensible or as suicidal as your wrist makes it!

rtho782 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Karma :

Pete. · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Karma :

Moxey · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 May 2011 Karma :

Also consider the Thundercat if you don't feel like jumping to a litre bike yet, been perving over my mates new one all weekend and got to say they are beautiful bikes (thought it looked nicer than my Cousins CBR) still kick out 100 bhp but a bit on the heavy side for a sport.
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J4mes · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Mar 2011 Karma :

I've got a thundercat in red and white, it's beautiful and very comfy to ride, as well as being pretty quick! Cheap to insure too because it's more sports tourer than sport!

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

Paulington · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Karma :

I went (admittedly, after riding a Thundercat unrestricted for a while) from a 33bhp SV650S to a 195bhp GSX-R1000 and I haven't flown down the road in four pieces on fire... yet.

A bike will only go as fast as you tell it to, it's not what you ride it's how you ride it.

If you know full well you cannot trust yourself with the power then don't get it as we all know with motorcycles...

"With great horsepower, comes good torque and great responsibility."

It takes a lot of self-discipline to keep from speeding everywhere when you have the kind of power required to do 0-100mph in <6 seconds and see the sharp end of 160mph on your speedo, plus, yes, it's a lot easier to spin the rear end up and it will wheelie in first and second just from the power.

If you aren't ready, don't do it, try a Thundercat first if you want to stick to 600s as they aren't that much more powerful than your ER-6 and are very comfy to boot, plus insurance tends to be pretty good on them, just like the Thunderaces.

However, if you do trust yourself and you really do want it, just get it!
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rtho782 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Karma :

Some good advice, thanks!

Car, bike, whatever, I have never had much regard for speed limits. My normal motorway speed on the ER-6f was sat around the redline at 130mph, and I had a tendency to accelerate flat out.

I guess my biggest concern is that everyone says the big supersports type bikes are "twitchy" and "unforgiving".

I understand any thou is going to be far more likely to lift the front wheel etc, and my driving style will have to account for this, but the stories of others are that I'll touch a cats eye and the bump will make my wrist move 0.1mm, and I'll be doing 130mph....

THAT kinda scares me :/

On the other hand, I have ridden my mate's SV1000S a few times and didn't find that scary, and now I look into it, it's roughly the same power....

It's annoying that as my license is only 5 months old, nobody will let me test ride anything Sad

Recluso · Brolly Dolly Joined: 16 Mar 2011 Karma :

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

Paulington · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Karma :

Alex A · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Karma :

Oh look, it's another 'I'm Paulington. I've got a superbike. I'm an awesome rider. Let me tell you how it is.' thread. You really are a boring tw*t.

195bhp (more like 165 with all the goodies)
190mph+ (180, with enough space if the conditions are right)

And the rest. What you're doing is no different to the OP bullshitting about cruising at 130mph. Perhaps if you didn't exaggerate/boast and lecture, you might gain some credibility.

Recluso · Brolly Dolly Joined: 16 Mar 2011 Karma :

To be honest, I'd hope that ANY driver/rider with even the most basic form of sense would realise that '130mph' on the motorway is just moving you higher up the queue for early soul collection.

Methinks the OP might need to go back to the drawing board.
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Slacker24seve... · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 May 2010 Karma :

Paulington · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Karma :

Couldn't give a toss, cheers for adding to the thread, if you have a problem with me you know where the PM is instead of clogging up a thread with unrelated drivel.

I hope you see what I mean rtho, I'm not trying to be mean but to be fair I was pretty much what you are at one point but I had an accident bad enough to make me realise it's not worth doing, ever since then I've changed my riding completely.

If I could change one thing, it'd be to listen to another person and learn the lesson from them instead of having to learn it the hard (and painful) way, it's not worth it.

Cheers. Smile

.
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"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

rtho782 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Karma :

On my way to IAM, no, I haven't done the others.

The only motorway journeys I regularly do are late night/early morning runs up and down the M4, when there is usually not another vehicle in sight, except the odd HGV two lanes over.

When it's busy, I do slow down, hence the fact that when I had my off it was at 70mph not 130.

Anyway, I always found the ER6 very forgiving, all I really wanted to know is if people thought something like a thunderace would be too "twitchy" etc.... Did not mean to upset any safety camera partnerships.

You may be right, I certainly would want to see what any bike I was riding was capable of, I'd want to take it to it's limit at least once. I guess this could be seen as immature, but why spend thousands on a bit of equipment that can do X if you will never do X, even to see what it is like.

Realistically, a 500cc parallel twin is enough for anyone that wishes to stick within the speed limits at all times... Why go for more...

Everyone says that with a 1000cc supersports the roads are the limiting factor, not the bike, wasn't sure if this would be the case with, say, a thunderace, as its not exactly a 2011 R1.

Certainly, I do have some areas in which I am safer than others. Would NEVER go out without all the gear. Have no desire to try to "get my knee down" or see how far I can wheelie/stoppie for. I believe those behaviours are just as dangerous as breaking the speed limit... And could certainly be classed as "dangerous driving".

Anyway, think I'm going to stay away from the thousand cc class for now Smile

rtho782 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Karma :

Slacker24seve... · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 May 2010 Karma :

P. · Red Rocket Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :

Kris · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Fuck me there's some mong-tastic posts in this thread.

130mph cruising speed can be completely safe, it's the exact cruising speed I did every day along the M26 at 5am for a whole year - and partly why I chose a decent 1L sportsbike for my commute. Effortless doesn't even cover it.

The sky didn't fall in, kittens weren't killed and plagues of locusts failed to appear. In fact, I'd argue I concentrated significantly more than if I was rolling along at 70mph.

Only you know how and when you ride, and what the conditions are like etc etc. By the sounds of it the OP travels along empty M-ways a lot, which is kinda what I did.

Hope you find a decent bike for your cash. Thumbs Up

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