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Sorry, I'm a newb (As shown in my title..)
I meant the 650.. I confused the two from this thread
http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=24578

Drakan wrote:Sorry, I'm a newb (As shown in my title..)
I meant the 650.. I confused the two from this thread
http://totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=24578

No problem man. You're correct, the 650R is a nice choice.

Veda wrote:
I'm holding out hope that by the time I've become an "intermediate rider" I've built up some thigh more muscle and grow an inch in height. Anyone have any leg lengthening elixir?

I'll sell you this,



it should do you up a treat

mahgnillig:

Have you considered a sport-touring bike?

I am 5'8", but have a short inseam for my height (30"). I just returned to motorcycling and was looking for something similar to what you are looking for: a bike that is comfortable to commute, sporty, has enough power, and has a fairing. I ended up with a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 500, slightly used, that was sold to me for $3300 with warranty. I feel very comfortable on it and it is relatively light at 388lbs. For you, it appears that you are ready for something slightly better. I sat on a bunch of bikes - you definitely should do that and see if you reach the floor easily and the handlebars and what kind of position you will be in, upright or slouched over. I really think the perfect bike for me would have been the Kawasaki Ninja 650. It is a 2 cylinder bike which has most of it's usable power in the low and midrange. It is very light for a 650 with a fairing at 393lbs and it has fuel injection. It does not have a fuel gauge, but has a fuel light. The FZ6 is very powerful (98hp) and very tall. I would worry about being able to lower it to a comfortable position and you would not know it until you buy it and they lower it. The naked SV had a nice riding position stock, though slightly higher seat than the Ninja 500 that I bought. The 599 is way expensive because it is imported from Italy. It is also carburetted and for the price, should have been FI. Let us know what you decide on.
Dani

I would look @ a Bandit 600/650 used or new or a SV650. The Kawi 650R might be a good choice. The reason I picked those is how the power is delivered. The FZ6's power come on really high in the rev range so it takes more of the throttle to keep it going. Now that can be really fun but for everyday riding, I wouldn't recommend it. Sounds like you just want a sportier looking bike but like to just cruise. I'm like you in that way. I wanted to have a sporty bike but just like to cruise. I got a 01' bandit 1200 and love it!

GL on your choice!
Half

I have asked this question and the FZ6 comes out on top but not many say the Ninja 650. That 250cc -> 600cc will be a noticeable jump. Choose wisely.

The Ilizarov procedureentails the systematic bone cutting, lengthening and natural bone growth and repair. After the operation a scary looking metal brace is attached to your long bones and you lengthen them about 1mm or 4/100" each day. The constraints include skin stretching and tendon stretching, possibly reducing joint range of motion.

Be warned it is painful and will result in many lost riding days. And you'll have to relearn how to walk.

It's better to modify your bike.

Well, I went out shopping with my hubby today, fully intending to sit on every bike I could just to try them out, and came home with a Ninja 650

Most of the shops I went in had more super sports than anything, but I did manage to try out most of those listed here. Of the super sports, by far the best fit for me (bearing in mind that I'm 5'2" and 120lbs) was the GSXR600. However, I was looking for a more comfortable riding position, so even though sitting on the GSR600, ZX6R, CBR600 et al was fun, they weren't really for me. Of the bikes recommended in this thread, here is what I thought:

The SV650s I tried felt heavy. I'm not sure exactly how heavy they are, but for some reason getting them upright off the side stand took a lot of effort. I tried a few just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but they all seemed that way.

I didn't really mess with the Honda 599. Call me fickle, but I like fairings. I also live in the desert and absolutely did not want a black bike!

The FZ6 was nice... but the seat seemed quite wide to me, which made it difficult for me to even tiptoe, even though the seat is technically the same height as the Ninja. I'm sure a lower profile seat would have helped, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of trying to find one.

Ninja 650: well, I didn't choose it just because it's a Kawi... though it's nice that all the controls are in the same place. Out of all the bikes I sat on today (probably at least 20 - my butt got a good workout!), this one was the bike where I could get more of my toes on the ground than any other. I got the guy in the showroom to hold it upright for me for a couple of minutes so I could really get a feel for it, and it felt pretty good. One of the things I noticed was that the seating position is quite upright (possibly even more so than the Ninja 250), so there is not much pressure on your hands at all. The mechanic that did my pre-ride walkthrough explained that you can get lowering links for it if you need to, but I just had him set the shock to the lowest sag for the time being. In all honesty, the tiptoe thing really didn't bother me on my ride home, even though we took city streets and stopped at umpteen red lights. I will take it for a proper ride tomorrow and see if my opinion changes

Congratulations on your purchase! It is the bike that I also found the most comfortable. The SV650s' riding position was too slouched down for me. I really liked the Ninja 650 the best, but didn't have the money to spend on a new bike, so bought a used 2006 Ninja 500 for half the price of the Ninja 650. Benefits of the 650 include a low fuel light, slightly higher stock fairing, fuel injection and a new very small/light engine, etc...I think it is the perfect bike. The looks are good, but do require getting used to. The FZ seemed bigger to me too and I don't like that its usable power is much higher up in the range.
Enjoy your bike! Once you ride some post a followup.
Dani