Kawasaki Ninja 650R or HD Sportster 883

Message

DivideOverflow · Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:58 am

650R is a much better bike for the money. It is lighter, more powerful, faster, handles better, etc.

#12 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:21 pm

Locopez · #13 Unread post by **Locopez** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 4:12 pm

two completely different bikes.......can not even compare them.

Maybe a better idea would be to see if any dealer are any "Demo" days coming up....with spring now here...my local HD in the area are all starting to have there demo days...like they do every year...that might help in your decision.

Marauder · #14 Unread post by **Marauder** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:39 pm

Again best all around, 650r. I own a cruiser and a ninja. I'm not sure how my marauder compares to a sporty or my 250r compares to a 650r but i can say that the 250r is a HECK of alot funner. !!!!

OldBlock · #15 Unread post by **OldBlock** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:36 am

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I will be visiting the dealers this weekend to check out both bikes. From the sounds of it, it looks as if either one could be an enjoyable bike. After speaking with a colleague at work, I am leaning towards the ninja, I'll let you all know.

celt · #16 Unread post by **celt** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:42 am

Nalian wrote:You need to figure out your riding style.

I have a sportster that I think I'll be getting rid of in the next week or so - I'm currently fighting with myself over an 06 599 at one dealer, and an 07 650r at another.

My sportster is a great bike and it's been pretty good to me. Its not the right riding style for me though. I should have known (my dad is a sport/sport tourer fanatic) that it'd be in the blood, but hey.

On that note..if you do want the sporty I happen to know one that's been babied and never laid down.

have you thought about turning your 883 into a 1200 or 1250?

the good thing about sporties is that they can be very versatile and you can make them exactly into the bike you want.

getting a 1200/1250 job, new bars and rearset pegs might be cheaper and more fun than just buying another bike.

of course, it would be even easier if you started out with a roaster instead of a custom, but it's still very doable.

Nalian · #17 Unread post by **Nalian** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:30 am

celt wrote:
Nalian wrote:You need to figure out your riding style.

I have a sportster that I think I'll be getting rid of in the next week or so - I'm currently fighting with myself over an 06 599 at one dealer, and an 07 650r at another.

My sportster is a great bike and it's been pretty good to me. Its not the right riding style for me though. I should have known (my dad is a sport/sport tourer fanatic) that it'd be in the blood, but hey.

On that note..if you do want the sporty I happen to know one that's been babied and never laid down.
have you thought about turning your 883 into a 1200 or 1250?

the good thing about sporties is that they can be very versatile and you can make them exactly into the bike you want.

getting a 1200/1250 job, new bars and rearset pegs might be cheaper and more fun than just buying another bike.

of course, it would be even easier if you started out with a roaster instead of a custom, but it's still very doable.

Yup - and all of those are much cheaper. Its the wrong riding style for me though, I just don't think I'm a cruiser person. At least not at this point in my life. If I could have 2 bikes I'd keep it, because it is nice when you're just cruising around. And despite what moto said - I've never had problems getting away from traffic either from a dead start, or at 70 mph.

celt · #18 Unread post by **celt** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:58 am

Nalian wrote:
Yup - and all of those are much cheaper. Its the wrong riding style for me though, I just don't think I'm a cruiser person. At least not at this point in my life. If I could have 2 bikes I'd keep it, because it is nice when you're just cruising around. And despite what moto said - I've never had problems getting away from traffic either from a dead start, or at 70 mph.

but my point is, if you do all those things (and maybe even more extreme things) you won't HAVE a cruiser anymore.

you'll have something that acts like a standard or maybe even a sport-standard if you do it right.

so you'll be saving money, changing the riding style entirely, and making something fun and completely unique.

have you ridden a sporty with midmounts or rearsets (and bars to match)? i definitely don't consider my bike a full blooded cruiser. it rides very similar to a standard (feels similar to a bonnie).

and for inspiration:

http://www.xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/ ... hp?t=10225
http://www.caferace.com/xlcafe.html

Nalian · #19 Unread post by **Nalian** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:09 am

celt wrote:but my point is, if you do all those things (and maybe even more extreme things) you won't HAVE a cruiser anymore.

you'll have something that acts like a standard or maybe even a sport-standard if you do it right.

so you'll be saving money, changing the riding style entirely, and making something fun and completely unique.

have you ridden a sporty with midmounts or rearsets (and bars to match)? i definitely don't consider my bike a full blooded cruiser. it rides very similar to a standard (feels similar to a bonnie).

and for inspiration:

I understand the point - trust me, I've thought a lot about this. I've ridden a 1200r with mids and a drag bag. It was a lot of fun, but not comfortable for me after a while. It just wasn't the feel I was looking for even though it'd be fun to have around.

It would be cheaper to do the 1250 upgrade and get pipes/mids/drag bar, but once we start changing rearsets it gets way more expensive than the move other bike. The nice thing is the sporty has held its value very well and I'm not getting killed trading in after just a year.

celt · #20 Unread post by **celt** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:20 am

well, good luck with whatever you choose.

i do like the looks of the 599, although i have never had a chance to sit on one - i've never seen one at a dealership.

they're much lighter & quicker than your sporty, so i'm sure you'll have a ball if that's the way you go.

cheers!