parish8

iTrader: (6)

i nearly have the chevy paid for and have been thinking about a bike. i dont even know what is avaliable and have just started reading up on them.

at first i was thinking about doing some adventure touring, i loved my ktm520exc but wanted to ride it on the street too. this got me looking at the bmw 650gs, i was ready to go buy one but they want soo much money for such a simple bike i couldn't do it.

now i am thinking about a sport touring bike. what do you guys think of the fz1?

they say you can ride one for long distances and if your a good rider bust a 10 at the track. suppose to be great around town. 40+mpg, 200mile range and i think it looks prety sweet. they are about $7500 new or $5500 a couple years old.

so, if there are any bike guys out there what other models should i be considering. what questions should i be asking, what issues to look out for. any helpfull ideas or sugestions would be great. i have ridden dirt bikes for years but not much time on street bikes.

mzoomora

iTrader: (31)

FZ1 is hot, SV1000, the Kawasaki ZRX1200 or Z1000(kinda funky looking though). And the Honda, I forget what they call it again, maybe a 959, Hornet or something. Those are the liter size ones that I can think of. The old ZX9's are pretty comfortable and damn fast also. Bandits are kind of dated, but cool, cheap, and have decent power. I used to ride a Buell, they are a lot of fun and have awesome low end and mid range. Tons of torque, but not the big HP numbers of the foreign bikes.

h777

i have a few friend that have Hayabusas made by suzuki they are also a touring bike that runs high 9s stock...... one of my friends did some mods and now is running 8.90s in the 1/4 mile if you look around you can find them for $9k new........my last bike was a suzuki gsxr with a 1498 stroker motor that ran 8.40 at over 160mph in the 1/4 mile.....5.30s at 133mph in the 1/8 mile with a 1.2 60ft time .....if your looking for speed and reliability suzuki is the best hands down ...do some research on the hayabusas and you will see that they are a badass bike ......busas put 170hp at the rear wheel stock and have several mods to get you much more ......theres guys with turbos on them putting 450 to 500hp at the wheels good for a deep 7 second run down the 1/4 mile

parish8

iTrader: (6)

i like the semi naked look of the fz1 and sv1000, i haven't heard much good about the hayabusa other than it is insanely fast. the gsxr is a true sport bike and they say it isn't very comfortable on the road. i need to be able to strap on some junk and ride to work or hit the road for a camping trip. that is what i have in mind, not the track.

there are soo many sweet bikes to choose from this is going to be dificult. i keep thinking i found what i want only to change my mind an hour later.

the head

Just comb the dealerships and sit on the bikes until you find one that "fits". If you want more "sport" than "tour" the FZ1, ZRX1200 (or the ZRX1100 for a lot less), Bandit 1200S (with the fairing) are some of the best choices out there. I used to have a bandit and it is very similar to the small block Chevy - there's nothing for that engine you cannot buy aftermarket...

Trotorx2

Hey Parish...if ya aren't an experienced rider be careful what you get. It is real easy to become a greasy spot on the road. Going fast in a cage is a WHOLE different thing that on 2 wheels! Plus there are idiots out there in cages that WILL NOT see you and run you over...been there and done that. Now I love to ride my Harley and don't really have anything against the crotch rockets but I see alot of guys get more bike than they can safely handle.

Just my 2 cents.

cary00silve

I would say get the beemer. You WON'T be dissapointed. They are insanely reliable and have the best ergonomics around. I have a 1985 BMW K100RS, and I just got back from a 1300 mile trip with not a single problem. Even though this bike is over 20 years old, I would leave tomorrow on a trip to california without a worry on my mind. There are guys running around with 300,000 miles on BMW motorcycles. You won't find that kind of reliability anywhere else. You can read up at www.ibmwr.org. You can even pick up an early to mid 90's K100 for around 3 or 4 grand. They are great bikes. BMW's are way more technologically advanced than any jap bike on the market. They started fuel injection in 1985, and also started the single sided swingarm in the same year. They even put ABS on their bikes starting in 1988. I have owned a suzuki, harley, honda, yamaha, and now the BMW. I know for a fact that I am now a BMW rider for life.

GhettoTy

iTrader: (2)

If you're willing to travel to Az I might be able to convince my friend to get rid of his BMW bike. Not sure of the model but it's an 1150. Looks really comfortable to ride. I can get you the model if you're interested.

chopperbrent

iTrader: (3)

If you want a bike that will last a lomg time , with little or no maintenance and a very comfortable ride then yes the BMW is where you want to be . I never ridden one personally but from a few guys ive talked to they are great bikes for the long hauls .

But this is what i built and ride .

Snake Eater

A ZX6R is very comfy IMO, very fast, and has good range.

The ZX12 would be insanly sweet though.