Changing bikes, probably not 'til next year - opinions on what to get? (RF 900 maybe)

[MarkH]

The biggest problem I have now is that bikes I'm looking at look so good for the money I really want to buy one now.
It looks like for around $4k I could get quite a good RF900R - maybe it is easier to bargain now being the start of winter when sales are likely to be a bit slow.

I'm starting to wonder what my 400cc scooter is worth, the kms are a bit high but it is still a great city commuter and they are well know for being a reliable machine. If I only got 2k that still wouldn't be bad, only another 2k needed to get a nice bike.

Some bikes on trademe are in the South Island - I'd need a bit more money for a flight and for a fairy crossing as well as a bit of petrol.
But I ride in all weather and wouldn't be opposed to a ride from Christchurch back up to the Waikato right now.

One thought is buying a bike this time of year and then selling my scooter later in the year when the weather is better and there is more demand.
Anyone know how much the time of year affects the price?

[MarkH]

Did I really put "probably not 'til next year", I may have actually meant "tomorrow"

The situation:
I took a Suzuki RF 900 for a test ride today . . .

Now, how can I not go back tomorrow & buy it?

I knew it would go well and have heaps more power than the Burgman, but DAMN!
That beast pulls from any speed in any gear!

[mulletman]

Some of those 900s are governed , personally id go for a GS1200ss, lots more bike for $ i reckon.

[sugilite:Me]

Good article on RF900's in the latest edition of Practical Sports bike mag. (my fave magazine)

[MarkH]

I picked her up and brought her home:



It was a fun ride, ticked along at 4,000rpm in 5th mostly - about 105kph indicated.
On one passing manoeuvre I might have picked up a bit more speed, but then I slowed it back down to that 105 indicated and carried on.
The hotgrips even on minimum were nice and warm.

I guess I'll have to try some longer rides to find out how it is to ride. I'll probably bring her along to the Cold Kiwi this year.

[sugilite:Me]

Looks like a really good clean example, well done that man

[BigAl]

Sweet ride

[Grizzo]

Wicked. Gotta be pleased with that.
Good on ya!

[MarkH]

I was thinking about swapping to a Shorai battery - knock 3kg off the weight and have a bit more grunt for starting, I want to be able to start up and go for a ride whenever I decide to and it could be that the bike sits in the garage for a few weeks now and then. In fact it is the lack of needing the bike for commuting every day that made me want to trade my scooter for something else.

Naturally instead of ringing the Shorai agent in Hamilton (turns out it is Boyd motorcycles, which is where I bought the bike from yesterday) I went for a ride, as you do when you have a new bike. They didn't have the right battery in stock so they are going to order it. That means another ride to Hamilton & back next week, oh darn!

So now I've put ~100kms of ride time on the bike and I'm getting the feel for it - it really does ride well. It is super stable on the road, the scooter wasn't bad but this is definitely better. Overtaking a truck on a long straight bit of road I decided to hold the throttle open for a few more seconds to see what the bike will do, yep - it is quick.
I have a theory that it would be rock solid at 200kph, but of course I would never find out on a public road.
So far - I'm lovin' it!
Gonna be some shitty weather for a few days so I'll let her rest until I go get that battery.

[mulletman]

Sweet looking machine

[fridayflash]

i owned one in the same colour scheme, great bike and very good value
my main gripe was the seat to pegs posi...seat being a bit low and pegs a little forward
but that may not be an issue depending on your height/in seam a bike mate borrowed it for
a week and at about 5'7 in height he found it perfect as is
hope you enjoy owning it mate!

[fridayflash]

looking at the pics of your bike looks like its had an extra layer of foam added to the seat? could help
with the issues i mentioned...i road the final 500km home of a trip once with a folded towel
taped to the seat to give me the extra leg space needed

[MarkH]

I did have a sit on a brand new ST1300 - that was incredibly comfortable, fitted like a glove! If only I had the necessary cash for that one . . .
But the RF900 feels OK, still getting used to it and haven't been on a long enough ride to know if my butt really likes the seat - no problem on a 30 minute ride.
I'm really loving the hotgrips, no cold and numb fingers for me!

I don't have another RF900 handy to compare seats, I got no idea if the seat has been modded or not.

[chrisso]

I had a RF 900 in mind a bout 10 yrs back. Read a test at the time and it compared most favourably with the ZZR1100. Ended up getting a GPZ900R-- only because of the price. Hope It goes well..

[MarkH]

I picked up my Shorai battery (damn, that thing is light) and someone from the service department asked if I had just bought the bike from them, I said "yes", so he said he had a couple of gifts - the original seat and the Ventura grab bar. So I guess the seat on my bike isn't factory, it looks quite different to the factory seat. It feels comfortable enough, maybe if the weather is OK on Sunday I'll go for a decent ride to test it out properly.

When I start the bike with the Shorai battery I can hear that it definitely does crank over faster - I like that!