Motorcycle thread!

[xero404]

first duc

[srizzors25]

Ready for the weekend!

[D_Thissen]

Hey everyone, total newb here but figured I would post anyway. I'm looking at picking up my first bike in the spring, my brother has an Ninja 650R (2006 I think with <7500km) that he is planning on getting rid of when he upgrades. Would that be something I should consider? Ideally I want a bike that I can keep for a few season and grow with, but also not kill myself.

Cheers!
Dan

[Decay107]

Picked up these little beauties yesterday ...for $30 each

[xero404]

Originally Posted by D_Thissen

Hey everyone, total newb here but figured I would post anyway. I'm looking at picking up my first bike in the spring, my brother has an Ninja 650R (2006 I think with <7500km) that he is planning on getting rid of when he upgrades. Would that be something I should consider? Ideally I want a bike that I can keep for a few season and grow with, but also not kill myself.

Cheers!
Dan

a little fast imo to start riding on unless you have a ton of dirt riding experience. but i come from the start small and work your way up camp. Tracking the ninja 250 was still the most fun i've had on motocycle.

[Decay107]

Originally Posted by D_Thissen

Hey everyone, total newb here but figured I would post anyway. I'm looking at picking up my first bike in the spring, my brother has an Ninja 650R (2006 I think with <7500km) that he is planning on getting rid of when he upgrades. Would that be something I should consider? Ideally I want a bike that I can keep for a few season and grow with, but also not kill myself.

Cheers!
Dan

It's not a bad starter bike, but it would be better to buy a 250 (or a ninja 300). The whole "buy a bike to grow with" can be a real recipe for a bad time. My advice would be to buy a small and light bike and then upgrade if desired once you can get a knee down on it. Keep in mind, 250s and 300s still deliver acceleration that shames most cars on the road.

[srizzors25]

It really depends on your level of responsibility ha. If you think you might get a little over zealous at times, especially as a beginner, don't buy one of those. A ninja 250 is quite tame (~35hp) which is obviously plenty to get around and get fantastic gas mileage.

That being said, the ninja 650r is a solid starter bike. Its a bit on the heavier side but it has decent power (~70hp). So it is definitely something you can grow into if you feel like you can handle it. I'm not saying 70hp is anything crazy, don't get scared by that number. Because its a twin, it has more torque than a standard 4 cyl but it won't rip your arms off the bars.

A friend of mine bought a Yamaha fz6r (4cyl, about 70hp as well) and he loved it as a starter bike. Recently sold it and bought an FZ09 but he had that one for about a year first. Another friend bought the Suzuki S650 and was a fan of that as a starter bike, but then recently sold it and also got the fz09 ha. But those "low power" 600's are great starter bikes in my mind.

Personally I started on a Ducati Monster 750 (~64 hp) which was very tame as well. I didn't even think about power though as I also came from racing dirt bikes for years

What I've heard with the smaller bikes is that they are great to learn on but by about 6 months of riding, most people want to sell and upgrade to something with a bit more go

[Sammakko]

Originally Posted by D_Thissen

Hey everyone, total newb here but figured I would post anyway. I'm looking at picking up my first bike in the spring, my brother has an Ninja 650R (2006 I think with <7500km) that he is planning on getting rid of when he upgrades. Would that be something I should consider? Ideally I want a bike that I can keep for a few season and grow with, but also not kill myself.

Cheers!
Dan

find a supermoto. it does all the things a street bike does, with fewer consequences if you mess up.

lighter than a street bike, more nimble, AMAZING suspension and brakes, and fast enough to wheelie, if you're into that sorta thing. Plus, if you're anywhere near dirt roads, they're totally comfortable doing that as well (with the proper tires, of course).

[pche]

Originally Posted by D_Thissen

Hey everyone, total newb here but figured I would post anyway. I'm looking at picking up my first bike in the spring, my brother has an Ninja 650R (2006 I think with <7500km) that he is planning on getting rid of when he upgrades. Would that be something I should consider? Ideally I want a bike that I can keep for a few season and grow with, but also not kill myself.

Cheers!
Dan

I have to disagree with some of the others had said. IMHO a Ninja 650R is a perfect starter bike. Instead of dropping 4-5g on a 250 or 300 that you'll get tired of in one season or the second your buddies take off and leave you in the dust.

The bike only goes as fast as your right hand lets it. Be smart, be responsible and you'll be perfectly fine starting on a used 650, assuming with a family price too.

I bought my ex a 08 Ninja 250 to learn on, she got tired of it in 3 months and wanted a bigger bike. I had a Hayabusa then and it was a pain in the ass to go riding with her because I can hit her top speed in first gear(92mph).

[srizzors25]

I agree! Like I said as well, just have to be responsible. if you don't trust yourself get a 250/300. Otherwise you can grow into a 600/650 etc.


Tried to race this weekend! but failed lol. Had electrical issues all day in practice, inconsistent power delivery. Thought it was fuel related, pulled the pump and filter. Filter was pretty bad so cleaned it and it appeared to be good at the end of practice Friday. Saturday morning before my race, first practice seemed fine. But the second practice, bike felt super slow, like 3cylinders. Made some changes and went back out for the last practice and the bike shut off before I completed a single lap.

Checked through the bike, checked the filter, injectors etc. Found a blown fuse. Started up, but it sounded like a twin. More exploration and we discovered one of the spark plug tubes/ignition coils had "popped." Whoever "built" the bike had tapped a power wire onto this cylinder's coil harness and it probably grounded on the motor and blew the coil. Lucky for me, no one else races a honda and no shops in the Denver area stock the parts I need ha. So I had to forfeit my weekend :/

Plus side! found parts for cheap, should be able to race in a few weeks.

Also, my good friend is buying an RSV-4 race bike so I should be buying his R6 race bike, which is built and has fantastic everything on it ha

2011 Yamaha AMA spec race bike



(if you want to get into racing btw I suggest an r6 or ninja 600, everyone rides those)

[Decay107]

For those that haven't seen it, one of the most entertaining DIY oil change guides in existence.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft1IkFZkJts"]How to change the oil on a SR500 - YouTube[/ame]

[Decay107]

Yep, I totally fit in with the cruiser crowd at work...

[srizzors25]

Buddy bought a "wrecked" RSV4 Factory for a smoking deal. Track bike build time

[VTR]

Originally Posted by Decay107

Trial run into the office today.



Don't look too close, headlight and ignition are held on with zip ties lol

Looking good!