OT: My first motorcycle...

[rice rocket]

Ah, I never looked at it closely and noticed the dots on the Testastretta and Superquadros.

I bet they'll retro-change the other 11DS motors to 18k too, that seems to be their thing. Not sure if the belts are improving or they're sacrificing performance for maintenance schedule (I bet it's the latter). Losing a few more horses towards the end of the maintenance cycle probably isn't a big deal since you get them all back after.

[bluesea]

Went to the bike shops this weekend--first time since I bought my Honda in Jan.

The Triumph ST-R with its upgraded suspension has moved up the list. Most Naked "sport" bike options remind me of the bad old days, where you had more power than the bike could handle.

Not that you can't control going out of control with the throttle, but if you have the power you should to be able to use it if wanted/needed. In than sense I like the Street Triple and the Ducati Hypermotard, leaning towards the latter.

Choosing the Ducati Monster xxx would be an easy choice for me, except for the plastic gas tank which I won't buy into. We don't have a winter so its ethanol based gas from purchase date to the day its sold. Need to check if Ducati made any changes for the 821.

etcetera: Sat on a Harley for the first time in my adult life--a Sportster with low bars and standard foot peg/shifter location. Would be real happy with that one, but not for a primary bike. Too anachronistic, although I've been attracted to road Harley's since the early 90's, when a LEO demonstrated the license test with his full dresser.

Then there's the KTM 690 Duke. If that exact bike was made in Japan I would own it already. In fact I would have owned the SM ver. 20 years ago. I raced Husky's in the 70's--don't want to go there again. Oil leaking from crankcase fittings, changing fork seals, disassembling and cleaning the brakes quite often.



P.S. The 821/1200 Monster have metal tanks, here's hoping they do the same for the whole line.

[bluesea]

Still trying to resist the KTM Duke 690. It has a crazy power to weight ratio, and is the only street thumper with an engine that's not 20-30 years old.

[stephenmarklay]

I was not really looking for a new bike but this used BMW R1200R became available.

I have always liked these bikes sporty and very comfy with a great torquey motor.

The owner of this one bought it 2007 but his hips bothered him on it so bought a more upright bike with his feet more under him.

The bad on this bike is that it has two dents in the tank which is usually the kiss of death for me. Its like a dent in a bicycle frame. It is easier to replace a tank than a frame as it is not the end of the world. I also know a guy local that can go in from the filler and do a dent removal.

The good is that the bike has less that 2k miles and these will go 100k no problem. It rides great too. It is in very very good shape aside for the tank so If the dent removal is not an option I will be ok with it. The tank contours hide it well and it is not obvious casually.

Oh yeah and for $4500 bucks its a steal

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by stephenmarklay

I was not really looking for a new bike but this used BMW R1200R became available.

I have always liked these bikes sporty and very comfy with a great torquey motor.

The owner of this one bought it 2007 but his hips bothered him on it so bought a more upright bike with his feet more under him.

The bad on this bike is that it has two dents in the tank which is usually the kiss of death for me. Its like a dent in a bicycle frame. It is easier to replace a tank than a frame as it is not the end of the world. I also know a guy local that can go in from the filler and do a dent removal.

The good is that the bike has less that 2k miles and these will go 100k no problem. It rides great too. It is in very very good shape aside for the tank so If the dent removal is not an option I will be ok with it. The tank contours hide it well and it is not obvious casually.

Oh yeah and for $4500 bucks its a steal

nice bike-great price. Ohlins shocks front and rear make a huge improvement in ride and handling.

[stephenmarklay]

I have heard that the Ohlins work well on the bike. For now I will just ride it. I was not planning on buying a bike and I have some stuff I need for my F800gs.

This bike had a giant windscreen (see the bracket still attached) was horrible looking so that came off. The first mod

[thirdgenbird]

I had not realized you could pick one of those up so cheap. Very cool bike.

[bluesea]

Always loved Beemers!

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by bluesea

Always loved Beemers!

If you can work on your bicycle, you can work on a boxer Beemer. Valves are dirt simple to do. Little harder to sync the TBs, but not too much different than tuning a derailleur.

M

[stephenmarklay]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

I had not realized you could pick one of those up so cheap. Very cool bike.

I have some advantages. That price is really even low for wholesale. It is about a 7k bike and I think even worth that. It really is a super nice riding bike. The motor feels like a big block chevy. Slow to rev but the torque sets you back. You can easily over ride the suspension tough.

Its a keeper.

[stephenmarklay]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

nice bike-great price. Ohlins shocks front and rear make a huge improvement in ride and handling.

Hey your back!!! I hope you are healing well. My parts manager went down last weekend and broke 7 ribs and his scapula. He is overall really good considering. He actually worked a bit each day. Not that anyone wanted him to.

I am glad to see you back here.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by stephenmarklay

Hey your back!!! I hope you are healing well. My parts manager went down last weekend and broke 7 ribs and his scapula. He is overall really good considering. He actually worked a bit each day. Not that anyone wanted him to.

I am glad to see you back here.

thanks-it's good to feel up to typing a little.

[lil_champ]

I recently got my first motorcycle, a 2001 Ducati Monster 600. It's a perfect size for me, and not too fast since it's a 13 year old 600. It's still plenty fast though.

I think it has actually helped with my bicycle handling skills. I've noticed myself feeling more confident on twisty decents and hard corners. After steering a 400 lb motorcycle around some twisty roads, taking some hard corners on my 16 lb road bike feels like nothing.

[catchourbreath]

I got my first working bike last fall Harley Davidson Sportster (was given a Yamaha 400DT to make run). I'm extremely happy with it, definitely another hobby to spend lots of money on unfortunately.

[dancinkozmo]

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