Buyer's remorse - should I have bought a sports bike?

[george formby]

Im 6'1" and a wet 75kgs and throw a 08R1 around, once you get the suspenion settings
to your liking they are a good bike, most people do look strange at me when crusing
as i sit on the metric ton and wander along...

Its nice to have that boggie when needed.. and decent brakes..
long distance, meh better bikes for that out there but still i rack
up the km's and have a good time..

You ride an R1 & have throttle restraint? Better man than me, I can resist everything except temptation.

[carburator]

You ride an R1 & have throttle restraint? Better man than me, I can resist everything except temptation.

Ive been told off by the missues a few times, admittly its a hard machine to keep slow..
its not hard to speed... more so what Ive got a US ECU not the stupid jap one..

though on a family ride, I can stop and have a coffee and a ciggie while she catches up...

[Madness]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-542106397.htm

[george formby]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-542106397.htm

Now that is a lot of bang for your buck.

[DMNTD:Me]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-542106397.htm

Meh...a cruiser is where it's at http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-455203952.htm

[caspernz]

Haha, I don't think it matters what you ride in your early years of biking, you'll always be left wondering. It's been mentioned before, what do you need from your bike, and what do you want from it? Anything beyond that is personal choice, no point asking anyone but yourself.

Ponder those points, then take a few test rides. Just because a bike has mega horsepower doesn't automatically turn it into a widowmaker...

I'm quite a few years in, have had a good selection of bikes over the years...and now I'm pondering what to get next. Funny thing is the more test rides I've done, the more I like the bike I've got right now!

[Grant`]

Meh...a cruiser is where it's at http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-455203952.htm

Until the next bug bites and you find something else..... Your the worst of the bunch for changing bikes.

But most people are the same, whatever bike you have there is always going to be something better, faster, more powerful, more practical or more unpractical for that matter or best of all more wank factor to impress your mates out there that you will want own, its just the endless cycle of owning a motorcycle.

[onearmedbandit]

One thing, horsepower is a buzz with a half-life of a month or so,

I disagree. Owned my thou for about 7yrs now and still enjoy the hp buzz it gives me.

Edit: With big HP machines don't underestimate how suddenly the next corner arrives and the speed you're at when you get there.

This I agree with though.

[swbarnett]

Funny thing is the more test rides I've done, the more I like the bike I've got right now!

I know what you mean. I've had my Katana for about two years now and at this stage I can't see myself on anything else.

[Ocean1]

I disagree. Owned my thou for about 7yrs now and still enjoy the hp buzz it gives me.

Shudup. I'm trying to justify selling the CR.

[Gremlin]

A lot has already been mentioned, so I'll touch on a couple of things.

Only you can decide what sort of bike you want to ride. Also expect your desires to change. I went from learner bikes to full blown sports bikes and now adventure bikes in less than 7 years of riding. I shudder to think what I'm going to want in another half decade (or less).

Sportsbikes are built for speed, not comfort. They don't have large tanks for distance nor comfortable ergonomics. Large bikes don't go as quickly, so they're built as small as physics allows (while having a long enough wheelbase etc to make them controllable). If that's your style of bike, then look for something you find comfortable, as different people have different ideas of comfort and what they're used to as well.

The Vstrom 650 is a very suitable bike for some riding (like all bikes). It's not a bad bike, but depends whether it suits your riding.

You need to think about what you want from riding and what sort of bike suits those wants...

Thankfully, test riding, researching and learning about bikes is rather fun... which is probably why most of us keep doing it (even after we've just bought the "perfect" bike).

[Jantar]

Having owned and ridden all styles of bikes over the years I can add that there is no single bike that does it all. The V-Strom is the most versatile bike I've ever owned, and although it doesn't have the same power as a pure sports bike, it does match the handling in most circumstances.

One memorable ride on my DL 1000 was from Haast back to Makarora in company with a group of three riders all on on CBR 600 RRs. We were part of a much larger group of around 40 bikes in all, but we four wanted a wee play through the best motorcycling road in New Zealand. I had my wife as pillion, but the three sports bikes were all solo. It was not a race, but the 3 of them had a private bet as to how long it would be before they dropped the Strom so far behind that it was out of sight. Well I stayed with them as far as the Gates as Haast before I got bored watching them struggle around the lovely bends, so I passed each of them in turn up the hill after the bridge, and my wife and I were already ordering coffee in Makarora when they arrived. So much for sports bikes outhandling a V-Strom.

I have many similar tales of the V-Strom impressing sports bike riders with its handling, but the real difference with the Strom is the variety of roads it can take. In my experience the V-Strom is the most versatile bike available in New Zealand. It isn't perfect at any aspect of riding, but it does some of everything.

Certainly try a pure sports bike, you'll love it. The feeling of sheer power and the quickness of turning in is invigorating. But whatever bike you decide to stick with will depend on what you want to use it for.

[paturoa]

+1 on the thrill that a sprots bike gives.

I've only ever considerred myself an average skilled biker and after year

[bluninja]

Loved the previous 17 years of sportsbikes (ZZR600, ZX9R, RSVR) but on returning to NZ I thought an all rounder would be better for the road conditions here and bought a v-strom. The bike is everything I expected and capable.....but.......it doesn't have me racing for my helmet to get out and ride any chance I get. Perhaps when I've upgraded the suspension I can ride it harder through the twisties and enjoy it more.

As for the HP buzz......that sharp twist of the wrist on a sportsbike in the right conditions always does it for me, as does laying it into a fast sweeping turn.

[chrisht]

We're all different I guess...depends on your wallet too..I have a friend who has owned all sorts of bikes over the years & is not dis-similar to your specs...Ended up buying a Ducati Multistrada,reckons it's the best bike he has owned & a great all rounder,previous bikes included several R1's/MV F4/999/KTM Duke/GSXRThou/FZ8/Speed Triple.....Good Luck!!