[quote]1porsche wrote:
pic of the baby[/quote]
That was the bike to beat, in it’s heyday. She looks in great shape. Has the oil mod been done to prevent starvation to the #3 crank bearing?
[quote]Null wrote:
[quote]Spartiates wrote:
[quote]whateverpratt wrote:
If you want a cruiser, get a jap bike that looks like a harley. It will cost you half the money and perform the same.
[/quote]
But buy “the real deal”, i.e. buy from the company that makes the REAL version of what you want. (Don’t buy a Suzuki if what you really want is a Harley, don’t buy Buell if what you really want is a Ducati, don’t by a Rice-Burner 600, if what you really want is big-displacement.) And if you really don’t know what you want, buy something really cheap.[/quote]
There’s only 2 things “real” about Harley: Marketing, and intentionally bad designs…
Poor geometries, poor engines…
All compromised to marketing under the excuse of “tradition”…
There is not a physical characteristic that they excel at: accelerating, stopping, cornering, comfort, longevity…
But they do sell more in t-shirts then bikes…[/quote]
I take it you’ve owned one?
I owned a '76 Harley 90. So no, not a real one. Put about 60k on that.
'82 night hawk 450 a little over 60k.
2001 Concours (no, not the new monster). Put about 90k on that…
currently jonesing for a bike again… hoping to scratch up enough for a klr, 650nr maybe 500 ninja before too long.
Used to love flat track. Grew up where the east coast Angles used summer… Seen my share of Harleys.
Loved blowing away the (new then) 80 inchers away with my 450 Night hawk…
Didn’t love seeing them pulled over cooling off anytime it went above 90-100 in Houston. The popping of a melted rear intake valve is a sick sound. Still see them pulled over cooling off even in moderate Raleigh.
Holding to archaic tech for marketing sake is well, profitable. Current cylinder angle is due to what they could shoe horn into existing frame when adding a cylinder 100 years ago… Never mind it is inherently unbalanced… w/o cooling they have to run rear rich… they are unbalanced side to side and fore and aft…
They had an incredible v-4 about the time of AMF take over which would have ruled the world. Damn shame that… Never made it to production for fear of offending “the faithful”.
Eric Buel has some amazing talent. Kinda like Britain. OOOH, if only they would have given him free rein.
But gotta admit,m they turn heads.
[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
i really enjoy this thread guys.
when i expressed my interest in a bike iw as initially told to ONLY get a 250 sized bike.
i now plan to go check out some 600 size bikes.[/quote]
Huge difference between the 650 singles, twins and the 600 inline 4’s…
Twins probably have the most tractable power deliver, singles are ok. Rode a F650 gs in SF, LOVED IT! More then the r1150 gs. Even though the igniter went out at 80 in the left lane of the Highway in traffic… Still love that bike. Friend got a newer one and does 1k weekends frequently…
The 600’s have amazing HP output typically up high as they are sport tuned. you might like the 636 triumph.
Personally, I could live with a Honda 599 (Hornet) for the rest of my life and be real happy forever (oh lord let it have anti-locks)… I hear the f6 Yamaha (Fazer) is also very livable…
I’m a dedicated Yami fan. I’ve owned an 06 R6 for three years now and loved everytime I crank the bike up. BMC Race filter, smog plates installed, akra SS race exhaust, power commander, pilot 2CTs, and the list goes on. Every mod I put on that bike has made it ever more enjoyable for both myself and my fiance.
She’s the best rearseat rider anyone can ask for, my bike feels like I’m the only one on it, just a lil heavier. I know for a fact though that the CBR600RR has been the 600 to beat the past few years starting in 07. In 06 the R6 was king of the 600 class trackwise and maintains much of that superiority today. But overall if I was to purchase a bike now I’d have no qualms over getting a CBR, honestly Honda makes a GREAT bike. It’s got a lot of comfort both in the seat and in position.
It’s got a smooth powerband, unlike my bike who is a WHOLE NEW ANIMAL above 10k (I’m talking transformers type stuff here) and almost requires you to stay above that mark when riding track. (The Patriot at VIR is FUN FUN FUN!!!) Gear is an absolute must and I’m almost tempted to tell you to price gear before pricing a bike, don’t remember who said it earlier but ATGATT is no joke, it could be the difference between life and death, or being horribly disfigured via road rash.
I wear a Scorpion EXO 700 helmet (the crackhead model 
) and I think it’s a GREAT helmet for the price and the visors cannot be beaten for fog prevention (I wear glasses). I’ve got some Icon boots and gloves (TImax IIs) and LOVE them completely for street use. I wear an Alpinestars Exoarmor under my jacket (comes with spine protector, kidney wraps, chest plate, shoulder and elbow guards.)
I would recommend starting with an MSF course to get your basics down and go for a 600, they’ve got MORE THAN PLENTY ENOUGH POWER for street use…trust me, I dare you to find a place where you can run it like you can the track…you wont. As long as you are RESPECTFUL of the bike’s power you will do fine. It’ll be tempting but DONT DO STUPID SHIT, like racing high end sportscars and exotics.
Whether you win or lose YOU STILL LOSE! You can lose your bike, your life, your license, etc. They just lose an expensive car and walk away with life to spare. Take it to the track if you really want to gallavant and enjoy your bike to it’s limits.
I didn’t think of these points before : )
prof X - go to get fitted for a helmet. A true measurement of your head is different then the feeling of a helmet, especially when you don’t know what it should feel like. Helmets should be HARD to take on/off. They need to be tight : )
As for the people who suggest a thousand for the first bike - I can guarantee that all of those riders will NEVER reach the capabilities of their liter bikes. Do you realize that a production 600 has the capability to corner hard enough to drag your elbow! Yeah a thousand is for people who are massive AND have the skill to ride. A modern 600 will get you out of any situation needed. Thousands are for big ego’s, nothing more.
Yes I used to ride a 1000. Yet that will never happen again. My future bikes will ONLY be 600’s. I maybe used less than 10% of the bikes capability, on my best day. I will take a 600 and try to reach the limit of one area before I upgrade to the newest fad sweeping the paddock. My riding buddy sold his R1 after his daughter was born and he will never ride a thousand again. Like me his future bikes will be a 600.
As for the people who ride cruisers, that’s fine. I know the most fun for me was found in the corner. Where you knee is buried on the deck and you feel the camber as you ride up and out of the corner. Dragging your knee is a feeling like nothing else. The reason I chose to go slower was because I wasn’t comfortable, not because someone pulled out in front of me. Going over 183mph on the speedo was pretty fucking cool too ; ) A cruiser will touch no were even close to those speeds : ) A production 600o ‘jap bike’ will pull ~160 without too many modifications : D
I’ve been inactive on my own thread for a week due to a heavy workload, and I’ll be on vacation for the next week with low to no internet service. Sadly, TMuscle takes too long to load (or doesn’t at all) so I probably won’t be looking in on this thread until I get back, but keep up the advice, I’m excited to see I have 4 pages of information (hopefully all quality stuff). The more information I have, the better. Cheers.