Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

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ronrex
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Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#1 Unread post by ronrex »

Hi folks! I am gathering information for some possible future acquisition. I currently ride a Kawasaki zrx1100. I like the standard position, but could stand a slightly more aggressive one for joyriding in twisty back roads on short joyrides. Lighter weight, forward leaning, feet a little further back...stuff like that. But.....i really like the current torque/power delivery of my zrx, so i would like a similar feel that way (negotiable upon your inputs).

I am a 57 year-old guy, 5'6" and 165-170 pounds depending on which jacket/boots/etc. Seat height could be a player for me...29 inch inseam.

Budget is going to be under $3000 and used will be the route.

I really like the zrx, but see something like a nice lightweight sv650 or something like that in my future. Peppy, and nimble, not that the rex isn't pretty capable, but let's face it....variety can't hurt. I might sacrifice some city torque for enough easy corner-carving as the upside.

What say you?

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ronrex
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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#2 Unread post by ronrex »

oh...and the rex stays. I have no interest in getting rid of it.

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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#3 Unread post by BRUMBEAR »

Find a nice 08 1125R Buell the 08's are pretty much bullet proof delivering a boat load of torque and a very usable 146hp bone stock while coming in at near 400 plbs they are fine machines.
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/4709469920.html
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/4667049203.html
there aint nothin like it

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ronrex
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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#4 Unread post by ronrex »

Great input! Thanks.

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ronrex
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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#5 Unread post by ronrex »

so, today i finally got out for a joyride for the first time in a couple of weeks. I haven't managed to hit all my favorite roads around here yet with the rex. Today i saw another disappointing erosion of one of my favorites, turning it into a wavy, bumpy ride, but still pretty enjoyable in the curves.

I am also realizing my bike is fast and i am only half-fast these days. I am not even getting close to the potential of this bike, but it appears doing so would require some pretty dramatic, over the speed limit, hooliganism....way over the speed limit. The curvy roads out here are not like the dragon, where you can scrub off your chicken stripes with a few super smooth turns under 40 Mph. out here, you'd have to be doing 85 or 90 on most of these curves and then there are those unsettling bumps and waves in the pavement. There are also Semis barreling around these roads and not always staying on their own side in these s-turns on their way too and from all the tyson farms around here.

Hopefully the road surfaces will eventually improve on some of the better state roads and i can keep looking at the 1125r...i really like that suggestion. For now, i realize i have a lot of fun to do with this one and more of my old favorites to explore before i even NEED a lighter ride. Maybe some of the northern roads from here....haven't been there yet.

Oh, and today i turned onto a city BLVD and they were suddenly patching it with oil and sand! Too much oil in some spots, sand piled in others...all the way across both lanes...ugh. so that was a joy for my joyride.

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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#6 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

If you have "done" the inline-4 thing and want to try something different I'd definitively try the V-Twin sport route. Lots of great torquey bikes out there for $3-4k. Small to large in cc. If you want something light, the SV650 and SV650S is pretty darn awesome, won tonnes of awards in it's day. VTR1000 is a great choice, or a Ninja 650R or a Aprilia Shiver 750, even a Guzzi V11 would be ultracool. Of course, there are classics as well like the Honda CX650E, the VX800 or even a new Royal Enfield Continental GT... so many bikes to choose. :D

You could also go the thumper route, parallel twin or the Boxer twin too. Each engine will offer something uniquely different. :D

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ronrex
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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#7 Unread post by ronrex »

yeah, i seriously considered the sv650 before i got this one. It's a strong contender...with my son having an rc51, i also love the v-twin rumble in a sport bike package.

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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#8 Unread post by ronrex »

i have decided to do some personal fitment, more seriously, like i did with my old kz650. This bike is pretty large for me at 5'6" and 165 (without gear)lbs.

So....in the next few days i have adjustable pegs and hand controls coming. They will be a slight cosmetic upgrade as well.

I also modified my mirrors to get them out past my shoulders and down closer to where i was used to looking with my old fabbed bar-end mirrors. I cut, bent and welded them to nearly parallel with the bars, instead of the alien bug antenna position they were in. They sit forward of the handgrips so as not to interfere with hand movements on and off of the bars, for visor adjustments, etc. They are now all the way out to the ends of the bars, just an inch or so shy of where a bar end would end up i think, but with full stock mirror surface area. I really like them there. I had already moved them a little and decided this extra amount would make them perfect for me. My last ride was on a newly repaved stretch of a state road. I don't need a sportbike ...i just need this one to fit a little closer to my ideal position requirements. The bike is amazing on a good road. Getting it fitted will make it better on bad ones too. I'll post up some pics when i get the mods done. The bike is already black and gold, except for a touch of silver here and there, so i have black and gold bits coming to match.

Thanks for the suggestions....they will still be considered, maybe next year.

here's the new mirror position...no more alien antennae and a very very good view now.
Image

and the original paint and mirror location, for comparison:
Image

and today, with new pegs and levers:
Image
Last edited by ronrex on Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:26 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#9 Unread post by fzrbiker »

The zrex is really a classic muscle bike. If I were you i just keep it. Why? Coz surely as we age we would look for more comfortable bike with a decent power.

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Re: Your opinions/experiences on sportbike purchase..

#10 Unread post by ronrex »

here is the current staus of my bike. The front is lowered 10mm with the forks raised in the triple trees. the gold billet adjustable pegs and levers transform it ergonomically with the front end lowered for me at 5'6" and shrinking in my old age.

The passenger grab handles have been replaced with handmade bolts/brass plugs that thread into the frame to duplicate the support of the plastic afforded by the grab handles.

the passenger pegs and all hardware except the allen bolts have been removed.

the bolts are painted gold and over brass bushings, .40 cal s&w brass on the right and compression fittings on the left. The extra turn signal mounting bolt hole in the chopped rear fender is filled with a 7.62x51 brass on each side.

The muffle hanger is fabricated to support the exhaust from the upper shock mounting bolt. Weight reduction of nearly 5 pounds above the original CG, between the grab handle and peg removal mods.

The front fender has been cut 2 inches in the front for a little cosmetic tweak i wanted.

Gold brass washers are under the windscreen bolts now at a cost of a couple bucks at lowes for now until i can get some anodized allen bolts. Radiator shroud bolts painted gold, barend bolts are gold too...can't see those in this pic.

eventually the hydraulic lines will get replaced with gold banjo bolted stainless black lines.

All the cosmetic changes are dirt cheap here from stuff laying around my shop or a single quick trip to lowes for under 10 bucks. Some of them provide improved performance to boot.

the shifter has been cut and moved back an inch with a custom peg made from a 7/16 socket and wrapped in silicone tape. the brake pedal is also wrapped in that. both have been blacked out on the lever with high grade electrical tape carefully placed.

that's about it and the bike is now in the shop getting a thorough going through for the winter, with the valves up first and shims in the mail.

The mirrors have also been cut, bent, welded and painted to a very much improved position, and this bike won't get bar-ends now. these are perfect. reduced helmet buffeting at 70mph to boot!
enjoy...
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