Ducati Scrambler- has the air cooled 796cc twin, gonna be cheap.
(http://www.cycleworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10-DUCATI-SCRAMBLER-590x441.jpg)
Kawasaki H2(R)- limited edition supercharged literbike. 300HP and not street legal in R form, rumored to be 200HP in normal street form. Possibly an indication of Kawi's next phase of engine development
(http://www.cycleworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/15ZX1000P_40SGRYSLFA00D_C-590x441.jpg)
Suzuki GSX-S750/S1000/S1000F- standards using old "street tuned" GSX-R engines. 750s are carryovers from Europe.
(http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GSX-S1000/2016/~/media/15A8BE74F9B54CFBA7F899359E882E35.ashx)
S1000F
(http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GSX-S1000/2016/~/media/6973A1E722EA4B2EBC170B53DFCBB776.ashx)
S1000
(http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/GSX-S750/2015/~/media/6D86B753F3164C679C18182A04397A5D.ashx)
S750
Interestingly the GSX-S750 is 8K... same price as the SFV650 and Ninja 650, and FZ-09. Kawi needs to do something with the 650. Make it a triple. Make the smallest bike a single, bump the 300 up to a 500.
Yami is also rumored to be debuting a new R1 concept.
Few other bikes there I couldn't care less about (adventure bikes and shit). These are the biggies.
The new Zuks look interesting, but they're a fair bit heavier than the new Yamaha FZ-0Xs. The FZ-07 is under 400 lbs and the FZ-09 is only like 415. The GSX-S750 is about 470, which isn't exactly heavy (at least by my standards), but will be noticeably heavier than an FZ (and those feel feather-light to me).
The 1000 looks interesting as well. I'm wondering what the powerband will be like given that it's using a retuned version of the mid-2000s GSXR motor. Curious if it will be really peaky like the FZ-1 or more along the lines of the N1K (which is not a re-purposed supersport motor). This literbike doesn't look quite as touring-capable as an N1k (passenger's seat looks smaller, no place to panniers), but I think would otherwise make a decent competitor as a "real world" liter-class sport bike. And unlike the last, Bandit-based GSXs, these look to be using decent hardware for brakes and suspension as opposed to the budget-bin stuff the 650/1250 had. Doesn't look like the 750 has more than shock preload adjustment for the suspension, though (the FZ-09 has some fork adjustment and rebound on the shock). I'll definitely have to keep my eyes open for these at Daytona next year.
Kawi's biggest problem is they don't really have anything between the Ninja 650 and Ninja 1000 that isn't a hardcore repli-racer. It would be interesting if they brought over the Z800, or made a Ninja 800 based on that platform.
I'm really stoked to see real sportbikes making a comeback for those wanting a sporting bike without the hardcore repli-racer ergos. The Ninja 1K, Honda CBR650F, this new GSX-1K... I'd love to see a fully faired GSX-750 as well as Yamaha to offer up some fully or half-faired sportbikes based on their FZ-0X streetfighters. Revive the Fazer! FZ-R7 and FZ-R9!
I think Kawi needs to "BMWify" its standard engine lineup. Pick a bore/stroke and just add cylinders. I don't know about the 300 downgrading to a single; that might have to stay as is. But it would be cool for Kawi to have a Ninja 600 2 banger, 900 3 banger and 1200 4 banger. Naked, half faired, fully faired, little "monoposto" seat, usable but small 2 passenger seat, beefy 2 passenger + pannier seat. A modular platform with a bunch of shared parts would be cool and I think could spark interest.
The Ninja 650 as it stands is a terrible value proposition. At its 8K price point you have the FZ-09 & now the GSX-S750, with pretty much more everything everywhere you look. Yea the GSX-S750 is a 4 year old GSR-750, but the Ninja 650's roots go back to 06, and it is a mega budget piece. Feels cheap, rides cheap etc.
I think it's very cool that the industry and bike riders had a collective wake up call. Repli racer ergos on a street bike SUCKS. And for street speeds you don't really lose anything sitting up. It's really a no-brainer. I hope Kawi sorts its lineup out... if not though I might have to see about that GSX-S750. They have a "Z" version that will have upgraded suspension and components. Looks like a pretty good deal.
That Kawi is nice! We need a big power RR bike to knock the S1000RR off it's throne!
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on October 09, 2014, 07:44:18 AM
I think it's very cool that the industry and bike riders had a collective wake up call. Repli racer ergos on a street bike SUCKS. And for street speeds you don't really lose anything sitting up. It's really a no-brainer. I hope Kawi sorts its lineup out... if not though I might have to see about that GSX-S750. They have a "Z" version that will have upgraded suspension and components. Looks like a pretty good deal.
The "Z" version gets the same suspension as the regular model, unfortunately. It's just an appearance package. It doesn't even come with the Yoshi exhaust or belly pan that the Euro model gets.
Still waiting for somebody other than Triumph to offer higher-end, adjustable suspension bits on a midsize sport/standard package...
The Street Triple R is a bargain, but even still, if you put $1K into the suspension of any of its competitors (FZ09, GSX-S750), you will have bikes with nearly as good suspensions and more power/torque. And the suspension would be custom for you, which can be an issue for certain riders.
Just announced a few days ago, the Yamaha R3. 300cc class parallel twin. The small displacement wars are heating up!
(http://i.imgur.com/ft6LbRX.jpg)
Rumor has it Yamaha has another bike using the FZ-09's triple in the works. Supposedly some sort of sport or adventure touring bike. Not sure if it'll be more like a BMW F800/Honda VFR800 style bike or something more like the Versys or V-Strom. Also talk of the FZ-07's twin getting use in some kind of adventure bike (makes sense as a baby Tenere). I'm hoping the triple lands into something more sportbike than adventure bike, especially if the twin does indeed find itself in an adventure style bike.
Yea I would love something like a Yamaha version of the Sprint ST or VFR800. Significantly lighter though, of course. Wet weight of 450lbs with a legit rear seat and more sporty seating position would be pretty much perfect
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on October 17, 2014, 02:55:07 PM
Yea I would love something like a Yamaha version of the Sprint ST or VFR800. Significantly lighter though, of course. Wet weight of 450lbs with a legit rear seat and more sporty seating position would be pretty much perfect
450 might be a stretch once they beef up the subframe to accommodate bags and a larger passenger seat, a windscreen/fairing, and a larger fuel tank (<4 gallons isn't going to cut it on anything with touring intentions, need at least 5 gallons). But they shouldn't have any trouble keeping it solidly under 500 lbs. An F800GT is 470 wet (without bags). Yamaha should be able to match that.
And less expensive. The VFR's price is ridiculous. Just read Motorcycle-USA's "middleweight" sport-touring comparo with the VFR and N1K. The as-tested price on the VFR was $1200 more than the N1K, and that's despite the N1K's pricy (but well designed) hard bags. And the VFR is essentially a revised version of the 2002 model (new fairing, new subframe, new exhaust, new radiators, revised cams). It's is still running right-side-up (female slider) style forks! And they completely botched the single-sided swingarm by hanging the muffler on the open side, so you have to take the muffler off to get the wheel off. Kind of defeats the purpose, as well as obscures one of the bike's more unique styling features. Granted, Triumph did the same thing on the later years of the Sprint and on the Trophy.
And it's a real pity Triumph replaced the Sprint ST with the larger (and quite a bit heavier) Trophy. My cousin's husband had the last iteration of ST (before they phased it out for the slightly longer, slightly less sporty Sprint GT). It was a sharp bike and by liter+ sport-touring standards, was relatively light (<550 lbs). I had considered replacing my Bandit with one, but they discontinued them. The N1K is something of a spiritual successor, IMO (relatively light, similar power, sportier side of sport touring).
Quote from: Speed_Racer on October 17, 2014, 02:06:08 PM
Just announced a few days ago, the Yamaha R3. 300cc class parallel twin. The small displacement wars are heating up!
(http://i.imgur.com/ft6LbRX.jpg)
KTM entered the ring with their RC390 as well.
RC390 has my attention. With an exhaust and aluminum wheels it should be able to dip under 300lbs fueled up. A Moto3 bike is about 180lbs wet though so there's still more progress to be made.
How are the ergonomics on those 300s? Anything under 500 cc just doesn't seem like it'd fit but these 300s are so tempting.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 18, 2014, 11:27:23 AM
How are the ergonomics on those 300s? Anything under 500 cc just doesn't seem like it'd fit but these 300s are so tempting.
They're designed to accommodate adults. Engine size and chassis size don't necessarily go hand in hand (i.e. a 600 supersport isn't any smaller than a 1000 as far as ergos go). They're sportbikes, so they'll be on the more compact side of the spectrum.
Quote from: MX793 on October 17, 2014, 03:20:31 PM
450 might be a stretch once they beef up the subframe to accommodate bags and a larger passenger seat, a windscreen/fairing, and a larger fuel tank (<4 gallons isn't going to cut it on anything with touring intentions, need at least 5 gallons). But they shouldn't have any trouble keeping it solidly under 500 lbs. An F800GT is 470 wet (without bags). Yamaha should be able to match that.
And less expensive. The VFR's price is ridiculous. Just read Motorcycle-USA's "middleweight" sport-touring comparo with the VFR and N1K. The as-tested price on the VFR was $1200 more than the N1K, and that's despite the N1K's pricy (but well designed) hard bags. And the VFR is essentially a revised version of the 2002 model (new fairing, new subframe, new exhaust, new radiators, revised cams). It's is still running right-side-up (female slider) style forks! And they completely botched the single-sided swingarm by hanging the muffler on the open side, so you have to take the muffler off to get the wheel off. Kind of defeats the purpose, as well as obscures one of the bike's more unique styling features. Granted, Triumph did the same thing on the later years of the Sprint and on the Trophy.
And it's a real pity Triumph replaced the Sprint ST with the larger (and quite a bit heavier) Trophy. My cousin's husband had the last iteration of ST (before they phased it out for the slightly longer, slightly less sporty Sprint GT). It was a sharp bike and by liter+ sport-touring standards, was relatively light (<550 lbs). I had considered replacing my Bandit with one, but they discontinued them. The N1K is something of a spiritual successor, IMO (relatively light, similar power, sportier side of sport touring).
It does seem like the pendulum is swinging back to the side of reason. The GSX-S1000's curb weight is currently "TBD" but I bet it will come in under 500 lbs. One thing I am wondering is what material these bikes are made from.... I am guessing the Z1000 platform has a steel frame instead of an aluminum one to save costs, at the expense of weight. Realistically it's probably not that big of a deal.
And yea, Honda does have a penchant for overpricing its bikes. Its CB1000F is about $2K too much comparable bikes, from what I remember. It only makes about ~110 RWHP- not much more if at all than bikes like the FZ09 and the GSX-S750 (which is really the GSR-750 abroad). That CB1300 is similarly overpriced on paper. Honda has the right idea on its low end... it needs to bring some of those cost cutting strategies up top. I can't do a CB500 but I would be cool with a 100RWHP Honda naked for ~$8K.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 18, 2014, 11:27:23 AM
How are the ergonomics on those 300s? Anything under 500 cc just doesn't seem like it'd fit but these 300s are so tempting.
They are good. They may be a little cramped for you. They are like my bike (650R with Renthal low bars)- definitely upright, but relatively sporty.
Check this site out www.cycle-ergo.com (http://www.cycle-ergo.com)
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on October 18, 2014, 11:51:58 AM
It does seem like the pendulum is swinging back to the side of reason. The GSX-S1000's curb weight is currently "TBD" but I bet it will come in under 500 lbs. One thing I am wondering is what material these bikes are made from.... I am guessing the Z1000 platform has a steel frame instead of an aluminum one to save costs, at the expense of weight. Realistically it's probably not that big of a deal.
Z1000 has an aluminum frame. I'm guessing the naked GSX comes in similar to the Z1000 at around 490 lbs and the faired version will be just over 500 lbs. Maybe a little less. I'm not sure how much beefier the subframe is between the faired and naked GSXs. The Ninja 1K has a heavier subframe than the Z1000 to support luggage and a larger passenger seat, which is largely why it's heavier than the Z1K.
QuoteAnd yea, Honda does have a penchant for overpricing its bikes. Its CB1000F is about $2K too much comparable bikes, from what I remember. It only makes about ~110 RWHP- not much more if at all than bikes like the FZ09 and the GSX-S750 (which is really the GSR-750 abroad). That CB1300 is similarly overpriced on paper. Honda has the right idea on its low end... it needs to bring some of those cost cutting strategies up top. I can't do a CB500 but I would be cool with a 100RWHP Honda naked for ~$8K.
It's not just their upper end. The CBR650F is the priciest bike in class by a pretty big margin and really doesn't offer anything more than the others. Similar power and sophistication.
Honda CBR650 - $8500 ($9000 for the ABS model)
Kawasaki Ninja 650 ABS - $7600
Suzuki SFV650 - $7700
Yamaha FZ-07 - $7000
Yamaha FZ6R - $7800
When is the RC390 coming out? I want to save up for one.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 18, 2014, 08:33:56 PM
When is the RC390 coming out? I want to save up for one.
That bike has legit supersport ergos. I think you'll find it much more cramped and generally less comfortable than the Honda or Kawi 300s.
Quote from: MX793 on October 19, 2014, 07:38:04 AM
That bike has legit supersport ergos. I think you'll find it much more cramped and generally less comfortable than the Honda or Kawi 300s.
Well, it'd be used just on weekends... not for commuting.
Although, I looked up some insurance rates and I'm definitely not getting a motorcycle anymore. I was quoted $3k/year for a CBR500R and $1500/yr for a Honda Grom. :facepalm:
Quote from: thecarnut on October 19, 2014, 10:51:51 AM
Well, it'd be used just on weekends... not for commuting.
Although, I looked up some insurance rates and I'm definitely not getting a motorcycle anymore. I was quoted $3k/year for a CBR500R and $1500/yr for a Honda Grom. :facepalm:
No way it's that much unless you're quoting full coverage. Liability-only shouldn't be more than a few hundred a year. My Ninja is only ~$175 a year, and it's in one of the worst insurance groups (liter+ sportbikes). Granted, full coverage was in the thousands/year even with the highest possible deductible and my relatively lengthy and clean riding record.
And serious repli-racer ergos suck if you ride more than 40 minutes and are awful at low speeds.
Quote from: MX793 on October 19, 2014, 11:06:52 AM
No way it's that much unless you're quoting full coverage. Liability-only shouldn't be more than a few hundred a year. My Ninja is only ~$175 a year, and it's in one of the worst insurance groups (liter+ sportbikes). Granted, full coverage was in the thousands/year even with the highest possible deductible and my relatively lengthy and clean riding record.
And serious repli-racer ergos suck if you ride more than 40 minutes and are awful at low speeds.
Oh. I had collision and comprehensive ($500 deductible). Without those it's super dirt cheap. I paid $72/year for the Nighthawk with liability only.
Do you think it's a good idea to run liability only on a new bike? If it gets stolen I'd be fucked. With the Nighthawk I didn't care but I don't want someone to walk away with a new bike. Granted, I do have a garage, but still.
If you have a garage you'll be fine. Maybe.
With the cost of insurance vs. new bike, I'd take the risk and only get liability.
I'm so tempted to fart around town on a grom. I should go take a look at some bikes next weekend.
Quote from: hotrodalex on October 19, 2014, 11:30:12 AM
If you have a garage you'll be fine. Maybe.
With the cost of insurance vs. new bike, I'd take the risk and only get liability.
I'd never get collision on a bike, though I'm not sure if you can separate comp and collision with bike insurance (I know my insurer doesn't). Comp protects you from theft, but if the bike spends pretty much every moment you're not riding it parked in a locked garage, the risk of theft is pretty low. I'm assuming the RC690 is going to be priced similarly to a CBR500 (~$6000). If you're paying $3000 a year for for insurance, you'll have paid enough in insurance premiums after 2 years to replace it with another of the same vintage if it does get swiped. The money saved after 3 years would buy you a brand new bike. Not worth it, IMO.
It boggles my mind that anyone would finance a bike (especially a sportbike) given what full coverage insurance costs. It's far, far cheaper to save your pennies for a year and pay cash and then just get liability coverage. Too many short-sighted, month-to-month spenders, I guess...
Wait, if it's financed I can't get liability only?
Well damn. Honda has a 2.99% apr loan on their bikes.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 19, 2014, 11:40:06 AM
I'm so tempted to fart around town on a grom. I should go take a look at some bikes next weekend.
I thought about one of those but the wheels are so tiny and look kinda silly.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 19, 2014, 11:49:55 AM
Wait, if it's financed I can't get liability only?
Well damn. Honda has a 2.99% apr loan on their bikes.
I've never encountered a lender that didn't require full coverage on a financed vehicle. If you total the vehicle and then can't afford to pay off the loan, the lender has nothing of value to repossess and resell to get their money back.
Quote from: MX793 on October 19, 2014, 11:54:11 AM
I've never encountered a lender that didn't require full coverage on a financed vehicle. If you total the vehicle and then can't afford to pay off the loan, the lender has nothing of value to repossess and resell to get their money back.
Damn. Guess I'll forget a bike, then. I can easily save up the money for it in a couple months, but at that point I'd rather just dump that money into my student loans. I wanted to get a CBR500R or Grom if the payments were ~$200/mo, but not if insurance is going to rape me.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 19, 2014, 11:56:07 AM
Damn. Guess I'll forget a bike, then. I can easily save up the money for it in a couple months, but at that point I'd rather just dump that money into my student loans. I wanted to get a CBR500R or Grom if the payments were ~$200/mo, but not if insurance is going to rape me.
Get cheap bike. Around $1500 gets a nice used 2 wheel thing.
I think you are legally obligated to get full coverage on financed vehicles. It makes sense. Think about it... say you finance a brand new car, and it gets totalled or stolen. Why would you want to be on the hook for that loan AND the replacement cost?
+1 to buying used bikes. I got my bike for $3000 with 250 miles on the clock. There are deals to be had... and there really isn't a ton of difference between 10 year old bikes and bikes of today. I would definitely look at an SV650, can't go wrong with those.
Quote from: MX793 on October 19, 2014, 11:43:59 AM
I'd never get collision on a bike, though I'm not sure if you can separate comp and collision with bike insurance (I know my insurer doesn't). Comp protects you from theft, but if the bike spends pretty much every moment you're not riding it parked in a locked garage, the risk of theft is pretty low. I'm assuming the RC690 is going to be priced similarly to a CBR500 (~$6000). If you're paying $3000 a year for for insurance, you'll have paid enough in insurance premiums after 2 years to replace it with another of the same vintage if it does get swiped. The money saved after 3 years would buy you a brand new bike. Not worth it, IMO.
It boggles my mind that anyone would finance a bike (especially a sportbike) given what full coverage insurance costs. It's far, far cheaper to save your pennies for a year and pay cash and then just get liability coverage. Too many short-sighted, month-to-month spenders, I guess...
Full coverage from Gieco on my 2007 Gixxer is only $375 a year. My boys Honda 2002 954 is 5 bucks more. All the other major Insurance companies were around $750 - $900 a year.
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on October 19, 2014, 01:06:47 PM
+1 to buying used bikes. I got my bike for $3000 with 250 miles on the clock. There are deals to be had... and there really isn't a ton of difference between 10 year old bikes and bikes of today. I would definitely look at an SV650, can't go wrong with those.
+2 and they usually have all the little after market parts (frame sliders,slip on,fender eliminater,tinted winscreens) added also..
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on October 19, 2014, 03:39:05 PM
Full coverage from Gieco on my 2007 Gixxer is only $375 a year. My boys Honda 2002 954 is 5 bucks more. All the other major Insurance companies were around $750 - $900 a year.
At least in NY, GEICO has far and away the highest rates of any of the majors. They want more for liability than you pay for full coverage. I'm sure age of bike matters too. A 7 year old bike is a lot cheaper to replace.
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on October 19, 2014, 03:39:05 PM
Full coverage from Gieco on my 2007 Gixxer is only $375 a year. My boys Honda 2002 954 is 5 bucks more. All the other major Insurance companies were around $750 - $900 a year.
Man, I wish I could get those rates. I'm sure your riding experience has a lot to do with it, too, but still, it's a giant difference.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 19, 2014, 05:20:12 PM
Man, I wish I could get those rates. I'm sure your riding experience has a lot to do with it, too, but still, it's a giant difference.
I'd wager it's location more than experience. Progressive counted my years of off-road riding in my experience tally (which puts me at over 20 years) and while my liability rate is pretty reasonable, they still wanted like $3K for full coverage with a $1000 deductible. And like I said, from my experience (and other NYS residents I know), GEICO has among the worst motorcycle insurance rates of the major insurers (but among the best automobile rates), but I've heard others claim they got far and away the best rates with GEICO. I suspect it's related to how NY's no-fault system works, plus the fact that NYS is in the top 3 states with the highest insurance rates (generally behind only NJ and DC).
Quote from: MX793 on October 19, 2014, 07:26:19 PM
I'd wager it's location more than experience. Progressive counted my years of off-road riding in my experience tally (which puts me at over 20 years) and while my liability rate is pretty reasonable, they still wanted like $3K for full coverage with a $1000 deductible. And like I said, from my experience (and other NYS residents I know), GEICO has among the worst motorcycle insurance rates of the major insurers (but among the best automobile rates), but I've heard others claim they got far and away the best rates with GEICO. I suspect it's related to how NY's no-fault system works, plus the fact that NYS is in the top 3 states with the highest insurance rates (generally behind only NJ and DC).
Not sure why their auto rates are so good then. I have Geico auto insurance since they were by far the cheapest. I pay ~$1k/year for 2 vehicles. The Miata has both comprehensive and collision (4runner can't get either of those due to its age) and I've got uninsured motorist protection and other things. I just don't get how a bike is so much more.
Anyways, I can't find many good bikes used on craigslist here. Most of them are riced out supersports or cruisers.
Quote from: MX793 on October 19, 2014, 03:58:42 PM
At least in NY, GEICO has far and away the highest rates of any of the majors. They want more for liability than you pay for full coverage. I'm sure age of bike matters too. A 7 year old bike is a lot cheaper to replace.
Sorry fellas! We have State Farm on the bikes! IDK why I typed Geico! They where as high as Progressive!!
GEICO has insane rates. When I was shopping a Street Triple R, they quoted me $2k/yr collision/liability coverage, which was double anyone else. State Farm was the lowest with about $700.
Third on the buy a used bike bandwagon. I paid cash for my SV used and it's been bulletproof for almost three years, 14k miles. And it's $75/yr on liability insurance. I lock it down at night, but it's less likely to be stolen as it's old and has usual exterior wear/tear. I don't worry about it, which is the best part about owning used.
I have Progressive and pay about $200/yr for liability
Good thing about bikes like the SV650 and Ninja 650 is that nothing on them swaps over to other bikes which drops their appeal to thieves considerably. GSX-Rs are the worst for this- you can put a Hayabusa engine in a GSX-R600 frame and thieves know this. Best to get popular one offs. Plus the 650 looks and sounds like a Ducati which is never a bad thing (and is no accident).
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on October 20, 2014, 05:00:14 AM
I have Progressive and pay about $200/yr for liability
Good thing about bikes like the SV650 and Ninja 650 is that nothing on them swaps over to other bikes which drops their appeal to thieves considerably. GSX-Rs are the worst for this- you can put a Hayabusa engine in a GSX-R600 frame and thieves know this. Best to get popular one offs. Plus the 650 looks and sounds like a Ducati which is never a bad thing (and is no accident).
Another good thing about both 650's is that they're a dime a dozen. If you drop yours, replacement parts are cheap and plentiful.
The only problem I have with the SV650 is that the fully faired versions are very hard to come by.
Quote from: thecarnut on October 20, 2014, 10:20:39 AM
The only problem I have with the SV650 is that the fully faired versions are very hard to come by.
Get the half faired version and buy the bottom panels. They are dirt cheap.
Thread has me thinking about SV1000Ss again
Quote from: thecarnut on October 19, 2014, 08:23:32 PM
Not sure why their auto rates are so good then. I have Geico auto insurance since they were by far the cheapest. I pay ~$1k/year for 2 vehicles. The Miata has both comprehensive and collision (4runner can't get either of those due to its age) and I've got uninsured motorist protection and other things. I just don't get how a bike is so much more.
Anyways, I can't find many good bikes used on craigslist here. Most of them are riced out supersports or cruisers.
Accident rates for bikes are higher than cars, if I had to guess. Also, it doesn't take much to cause a fair bit of damage. I had a low speed tip over that, if I'd replaced everything that had been damaged, would have cost over 2 grand to fix. It was largely cosmetic damage and replacing the non-cosmetic stuff was only about $100. I fixed most of the cosmetic items and it cost maybe $750. An actual crash could cause a lot more damage, especially if you have a bike like mine that wasn't very popular and there aren't any used parts on the market. Bend the front forks and you are looking at over 2 grand for replacements. Bend the frame and the insurance company automatically totals the bike.
I really need to stop looking at bikes. I already have two cars I barely use... What's the point of a bike I'll use once or twice a week?
Still, it's so tempting though.
Its nice to have options
Im not quite sure what you are doing with the 4 Runner TBH. That should be a bike IMO
Quote from: 12,000 RPM on October 20, 2014, 11:01:46 AM
Its nice to have options
Im not quite sure what you are doing with the 4 Runner TBH. That should be a bike IMO
I like having a practical vehicle. It can get frustrating having only a two seat car. Plus, the Miata is way too stiff for Houston roads.