Buying a streetbike.. need advice!!!

[kiku2sleep]

Originally posted by 1965GTO
Kiku2sleeppeepoo make up your mind you say heavy bikes aren't an advantage and then you say it is bad to be doing wheelies. Well a heavier bike doesn't wheelie as easy. And if a learner gets someone on the back of a light bike and takes off, he might just wheelie clean over ,because he didn't realize the difference having someone on the back would make. I been riding off and on since 1976, street and dragstrip only, no dirt. I haven't seen any advantage to smaller bikes unless you aren't tall enough to get on a bigger one. It doesn't matter if it is a 600 or 1200 if the guy doesn't respect it, and doesn't have the intelligence to ride it, it will probably end badly. A bigger more stable bike seems more comfortable on the freeway to me. A smaller bike that may seem easy to corner may lure the inexperienced into thinking they can carve corners and next thing you know, road rash! I want all the weight I can have when I run over a cat or whatever in the road(adds stability). I'll state my opinion and he can listen to all the opinions then make up his own mind, if he gets killed it isn't my fault or yours, it is his. First motorcycle I rode was in 1975 I just took it for a ride, didn't own it, it was a 500 Kawasaki 3cyl. 2-stroke and it was more of a handful than most bikes today. Crappy brakes, abrupt acceleration, etc. I would have been noworse off if it had been a 900 kawi. ZX9 is one of the best new bikes for the money.

I don't have a problem with people doing wheelies although I don't recommend beginners doing stunts. I specified 2-up stunting because of the comment "get at least a 900 unless you are never going to haul anybody on the back" A 600 sportbike capable of doing 0-60 in 2.8 sec and mid 10s in the 1/4 mile through the stock can, has plenty of power to haul a passenger. My wife rides with me and I have no problems with lack of power, the bike being stable or the front coming up. If you are riding hard enough to bring the front up with a passenger you don't need to have a license. As far as the weight issue, a heavier 900cc bike will still wheelie a lot easier than a 600. I know people on 900s that will bring the front tire up at 90mph, try doing that on a 600… No Dice. "Well a heavier bike doesn't wheelie as easy" What? Only if they have the same amount of HP, but most have about a 15-25lb weight difference with about 30-40 HP increase not to mention gobs more low end torque to get you in trouble. Anyway I am not sure about the 900 Kawi, or what year bikes you are thinking about but there is not that much of a weight difference between the 600s and the big bore bikes anymore. The dry weight of a gixxer 600 is 359lbs the gixxer 1000 374lbs. That is not enough weight to even feel a difference. Besides anyone can drive in a straight line on the highway, but most people will need something to weave through traffic and to be able to control the bike at low speeds, riding once you get up to speed it is easy as long as you understand the counter steering theory. Like I said, I am not trying to be rude but you don't seem to grasp the physics of riding a modern sportbike.