Buying A Crotch Rocket

Off Topic
1

I’ve been thinking about buying a crotch rocket for well over a year, and have been putting aside some money for one for almost as long. I haven’t really done a lot of research (looking into the issue for 15-20 minutes every couple weeks or so), and I plan on doing a lot more before finally making a purchase. Summer’s coming up in a couple months, just long enough for me to finalize an idea of what I want.

So I ask: What do you know about crotch rockets that you consider “need to know” info before deciding on a sale? What’s been the best (most reliable, price, etc) brand over the last 5 years? 10 years? Ever? What’s a good mileage number on used crotch rockets? Obviously zero is the best, but how high will you go? What’s a good CC number?

I realize this is predominately a lifting site, and information on crotch rockets isn’t high, so whatever information I get here won’t be the deciding factor. I’m still curious as to what information I can get though.

Let’s hear your thoughts!

2

What the fish is a crotch rocket?! Is it like some kinda sex toy? lol

3

what’s you experience level? have you been riding street bikes for a while or are you a dirtbike kind of guy?

or are you new to the scene altogether?

4

i too am very interested in this topic!

please continue.

my dad has a 750cc honda shadow that i ride around comfortably. however i am looking to get a street bike.

nothing crazy. not looking for like a 1000cc or something like that, i already have a car and just want a toy

5

You can’t go wrong with a honda cbr600rr. Those bikes are awesome and they are super forgiving. Light and flickable with good linear power.

The new kawasaki ninja is supposed to be the model to beat, but i’m not such a kawi fan. I haven’t ridden one, but i chose my current bike over it, it wasn’t that comfortable just sitting on it.

I currently ride a 08 gsxr 750, my third bike and best so far. Good power, handling and i like the styling too. also, they have a shorter seat height and better clip on placement which makes cruising around more comfortable.

Consider and R6 if you wanna track it. That was my last bike. It was super peaky and felt like a torture rack after an hour. They also don’t come standard with a steering stabilizer…which is bad. still, it was a blast to ride.

You really cant go wrong no matter what you chose, just make sure you find something comfortable for you.

P.S Honda is a real pain in the ass to work on, everything is so compact and the fairings are a bitch to get off.

6

do a rider safety course… start with a 600cc bike if youve never road before, with in the past 5 years they have really increased the horsepower and dropped the weight. try to find one with less than 5000miles and i would go with an yamaha R6 or suzuki gsx600…

7

i’ve owned a 600 Katana and ridden my friend’s gsxr600 on a couple of occasions, and i’ve never been disappointed. Suzuki is pretty reliable.

8

I’ve been riding street bikes for about 5 years now so my advice:

I started too small, bout a kawi 250 and it was just not enough, tons of fun but too buzzy on the highway

Rode my buddies R6 for a while, good bike but not real comfortable and I did some stupid shit on it.

Last year I came across a nice used zx11 bought it and haven’t looked back
- its huge 1100cc and comfortable so good for long rides
- none of my buddies can keep up with me unless they are a really good rider and were not on the highway
- i really feel safer on it than the R6 because it has so much power you respect it, those 600’s, especially the new ones, can sneak up on you
- my girl actually likes riding on the zx11 and its so much better 2 up than the 600’s
- anyway basic theme don’t think the smaller bikes are safer or more fun until you’ve ridden both.

9

Baretta knows his shit…CBR600 is an awesome bike. gsxr600, or 650, or whatever they are called know are also great starter bikes.

Whatever you do don’t be a pussy and get a 250, you will out grow it in your first 2 weeks. I told a friend over 9000 times not to do it, but he bought a ninja 250 because it was like $2000 brand new. 3 weeks later he hated it, 2 months later he sold it for $1000.

10

your dick just grew immensely (and mine). Get a helmet with a mohawk and you are set.

11

A lot of people like to suggest starting with a 250 and I understand why they say that but everyone outgrows those. So unless you’re just looking for a A to B bike stick with a 600. Oh and btw I wouldn’t buy a brand new new bike, you’re gonna drop it and I know I’d be pissed if I dropped my new new bike.

EDIT

Don’t be a squid either, buy some decent gear and WEAR it.

12

pic of the baby

13

You should get whatever you want. Its not about the size of the engine its about the maturity and common sense of the rider. The power is in the wrist. If you take a riding class it will help alot. You dont buy a car to wreck it, so why buy a motorcycle to drop it. I hate when people say you are going to drop your bike. Good luck.

14

Take the MSF class. Get a Ninja 250 or a 500. Learn how to drag pegs with it and get yourself into and out of bad spots. Sell it in a year for as much as you bought it for. Then buy race rep of your choice. It’s a lot less glamorous than hopping onto a CBR-RR or GSX-R, but it’s a lot safer.

A 600cc race rep is a serious machine. Most will outrun and out brake all but the fastest cars. Youcould give a 16 year old kid the keys to a Ferrari Enzo, but they won’t be able to do much with it. They haven’t developed the skills to handle one properly near the limits. Similarly, you might be able to ride a 600 or liter bike, but when something bad happens, will you be able to handle it safely? The guy above me says you don’t buy a car to crash it, so why buy a bike to drop it? Well, riding a bike is a lot harder than driving a car. Everything happens a lot faster and you don’t get the stability of 4 wheels. A race rep is on the fine line of performance and can be unforgiving.

It’s not even just the engine, it’s the suspension geometry and the brakes. A more forgiving and cheaper bike means you can push your limits more gradually without the bike biting you in the ass. And if you have a bad crash,it’s also not going to hurt your wallet as much.

In a car, you make a mistake, you lock up the wheels, it skids a bit, you shake up your nerves and life goes on. In a bike, you lock up the wheels, you stop turning, the bike might get traction and throw you off, it might slide under. A lot of things you can get away with in a car, can be damaging, costly or even fatal on a bike.

I know because I traded my Ninja 500 for a gorgeous Ducati with some giant Brembos up front after 2 months of riding. I’m going around a turn, a van runs a stop, I grab a little too much brake, the front tire locks up, bike wobbles, bites in and throws me over the front. Bike slides 30 feet. That’s scraped knees and bruised wrists for me and about 2 grand in damage to the bike.

Can you start out on a 600 or bigger? Yes. Will you learn more safely if you start smaller, slower and less sporty? Probably. If you buy a used 250 or 500, you can abuse it and resell it without losing any value. You might not look cool riding around on a doofy bike for a few months. But if that keeps you from highsiding your bike if a car cuts you off, then I think it’s a pretty worthy sacrifice.

15

Ninja 250 is not a beginner bike…
It is purpose built for a Japanese race class. They import it here and sell it to beginners to keep volumes up. You have to keep it above 11k rpm…

The 600 class sport bikes are serious machines. Treat them with respect…

The 650 twins: Kawi, sv650 based bikes, are great for new riders. Power to spare, but forgivable power delivery. You won’t outgrow them all that soon.

The Suzuki and kawi 500’s are good practical machines. The Katanas are wonderful machines…

And Hondas are wonderfully built…

16

The 250r is a great beginner bike… if you have no experiance its a great way to learn… When you hit a pot hole and snap the throttle it wont try to kill you like a 600. Its really easy to learn, its light, flickable, easy to pick up, gas is really cheap and honestly, you can have a TON of fun…

Everyone always wants a bigger engine bike but I have had my 250 to 2 years now and love it… The only thing a bigger bike would do is get me to my speed a little faster… going 120 on a bike is enough for me, and until you can drag a knee with it I really dont believe you need a bigger bike…

Just dont be a retard and buy a 1000 as your first… thats a death wish… and if your not gona wear a helmet, make sure your an organ donor…

17

Buy used-

  1. After riding a while you might decide you don’t want to anymore.

  2. You might wreck it.

Brand doesn’t matter, they’re all pretty much equal and it doesn’t matter if it’s your first bike. I won’t bother trying to convince you to go 250 or 600 because ultimately you’ll get what you want, just don’t let your friends pressure you or sway you towards a particular bike, you’re the one that has to ride it.

Take the MSF class first, and don’t practice on your bike in order to do good in the MSF class.

Buy gloves, if you go sliding down the street w/o gloves and grind your hands down to the pink you can’t do anything, like work or wipe your ass, etc.

18

[quote]1porsche wrote:
pic of the baby[/quote]

Awesome, what year?

I didn’t even know Kawi made an 11.

19

Rode a 2002 GSXR 600 for awhile about 5 years ago and loved it, it was a friends but he let me ride when I wanted. Good solid bike with lots of power and really easy to ride, however like others have said sport bikes are no punk, even the 600’s.
Getting the starter 250 is a good idea but may not be practical due to license and registration on it and the upgrade to a bigger bike down the road. Get what is good for you but a training course is a MUST!! Make sure you buy good gear and wear it, there will be a time and place where you’ll lose your mind and get to comfortable with your skills, next thing you know you’re skidding down the highway.

20

[quote]XiaoNio wrote:
Take the MSF class. Get a Ninja 250 or a 500. Learn how to drag pegs with it and get yourself into and out of bad spots. Sell it in a year for as much as you bought it for. Then buy race rep of your choice. It’s a lot less glamorous than hopping onto a CBR-RR or GSX-R, but it’s a lot safer.

A 600cc race rep is a serious machine. Most will outrun and out brake all but the fastest cars. Youcould give a 16 year old kid the keys to a Ferrari Enzo, but they won’t be able to do much with it. They haven’t developed the skills to handle one properly near the limits. Similarly, you might be able to ride a 600 or liter bike, but when something bad happens, will you be able to handle it safely? The guy above me says you don’t buy a car to crash it, so why buy a bike to drop it? Well, riding a bike is a lot harder than driving a car. Everything happens a lot faster and you don’t get the stability of 4 wheels. A race rep is on the fine line of performance and can be unforgiving.

It’s not even just the engine, it’s the suspension geometry and the brakes. A more forgiving and cheaper bike means you can push your limits more gradually without the bike biting you in the ass. And if you have a bad crash,it’s also not going to hurt your wallet as much.

In a car, you make a mistake, you lock up the wheels, it skids a bit, you shake up your nerves and life goes on. In a bike, you lock up the wheels, you stop turning, the bike might get traction and throw you off, it might slide under. A lot of things you can get away with in a car, can be damaging, costly or even fatal on a bike.

I know because I traded my Ninja 500 for a gorgeous Ducati with some giant Brembos up front after 2 months of riding. I’m going around a turn, a van runs a stop, I grab a little too much brake, the front tire locks up, bike wobbles, bites in and throws me over the front. Bike slides 30 feet. That’s scraped knees and bruised wrists for me and about 2 grand in damage to the bike.

Can you start out on a 600 or bigger? Yes. Will you learn more safely if you start smaller, slower and less sporty? Probably. If you buy a used 250 or 500, you can abuse it and resell it without losing any value. You might not look cool riding around on a doofy bike for a few months. But if that keeps you from highsiding your bike if a car cuts you off, then I think it’s a pretty worthy sacrifice.[/quote]

I’ve researched the issue for over a year now. And the above echoes all the reasonable advise I have ever read. Everyone wants to go out and buy what they want, but there is an indisputable wisdom to starting small, learning and progressing. It’s just unassailable advice - not what we want to hear (I wanted a hyabusa), but sound advice.