Going from 1000cc to a learner bike? opinions please :)

[rastuscat]

It wasn't usually a big issue, but it did lead to a couple of "that was a bit quicker than I'm comfortable with" moments.

I think of those moments as "pucker" moments, when the butt cheeks clench, and hope becomes the primary plan.

[F5 Dave]

Funnily the other way when I used to ride my CBX550 to Bucket race meetings awaaay back. I stopped that practice when I fired the relatively small light 550 into a corner and was momentarily surprised when it was behaving like a big barge compared with what I had been racing an hour before.

[Grumph]

I went from a Mach 3 to an AC50 when i got married. Bike I dailied and raced to basic transport. Which got thrashed everywhere.

Dave - I always reckoned the daily ride should be bigger than what you raced. Rightly or not it gave you confidence you could handle the race bike at the limit.

[F5 Dave]

On slicks and crazy tight tracks we had lean angles not achieved by anything else ever. Until motogp tyres were invented. But normal bikes no way.

[Addict]

Well it seems the small bike is off the table, I have had an 04 GSXR1000 and a decent sum of cash waved under my nose and my god it smells goooood. Hopefully, the deal goes through and and few years down the track when I have a little less debt I will most likely swap it out for a Daytona 675 (if my body allows, I don't think I'm quite ready for a cruiser).

[F5 Dave]

I think cruisers were made for long straight featureless roads and "stay alive at 55" speed limits. I can't see how they are relevant on our roads baring some desperate fashion statement.

No, when you get pension age; we'll fit you up with a boxer BMW and an old school calculator so you can bore petrol station workers with consumption figures.

[pritch]

I think cruisers were made for long straight featureless roads and "stay alive at 55" speed limits. I can't see how they are relevant on our roads baring some desperate fashion statement.

No, when you get pension age; we'll fit you up with a boxer BMW and an old school calculator so you can bore petrol station workers with consumption figures.

Chortle.

I find cruisers tiring. Even at 100kph you function as some kind of a wind dam. At more normal cruising speeds it would be exhausting.

Note: That's a comment on comfort or the lack thereof. It's not a request for a discussion on cruising speeds.

[SPman]

Having got back on bikes after my wife died, it was drag out the remaining bikes in the barn - XJR1300, FZ1 and Suzuki GT250 X7. For a ride down to the shops or zipping about the local roads, the X7 is a barrel of fun, but for commuting into work, I've found the XJR is great. We didn't call it "the big comfy chair" for nothing, and with the mods done, it sounds and goes well - torque - the first 70km just leave it in top. and this morning it hummed along comfortably at 120 or so outside town ... The FZ1 (Marion's other bike) is just a bit tall and twitchy for general use, even though it's a very capable coverer of distance. But, getting old these days, and the reflexes and balance aren't quite what they were, so also looking at downsizing --- Street Triple probably (What Marion wanted to get to replace the FZ1 before she got ill,)

[nerrrd]

You might like to consider a Honda NC750X. It’s around 50hp, so not far off a LAMS bike, the engine is relaxed and low-revving, but still has plenty of grunt to carry stuff (just not at ballistic speeds) and is very economical.

So it’s a bit like a cruiser with upright ergonomics. It’s a fairly weighty thing, but the weight is carried down low (and the latest one from 2021 is a bit lighter with a bit more poke). I’m told they handle pretty well, not that I would be able to tell.

It’s technologically basic which makes servicing cheap, the styling has always been a bit, um, quirky, plus it has a whiff of scooter about it with a built in luggage compartment where the fuel tank is on other bikes and the actual tank hidden under the pillion seat, which I guess is not what a lot people are looking for in a motorcycle that’s used more for leisure than anything else.

I still manage to have fun on mine, at the same time it’s extremely practical and easy to live with. And very unlikely to be stolen .

[release_the_bees]

I rented an NC700X when I did the TT2000. I don't know how similar it is to the NC750X, but I've never hit the limiter so many times before, going from a bike with a 13,000 RPM redline, to one with 7,000. (if I remember correctly.)

It doesn't surprise me about what you said about the handling. I was pleasantly surprised by its handling, which was much better than I was expecting. The road from Napier to Wairoa was great fun. I can confirm that the brakes work acceptably too, as I gave them a good testing when somebody pulled out in front of me at a T junction in Paeroa.

I reckon the NC750X would make a great commuter. I think I prefer the power delivery of my Street Triple though.

Sent from my SM-S901E using Tapatalk

[nerrrd]

I rented an NC700X when I did the TT2000. I don't know how similar it is to the NC750X, but I've never hit the limiter so many times before, going from a bike with a 13,000 RPM redline, to one with 7,000. (if I remember correctly.)

My 750 looks exactly the same as the 700, redline is 6,500 .

Most of the ones I see on TM are either high mileage (I’ve done 50,000+kms on mine) or very low mileage, which suggests to me riders either love them or hate them.

[wetanz]

although i see youve shelved the thought, for now, it is an interesting question - doesnt really have a definitive answer, each person, each mood and each day, all different - a complete mindfuque
the answer - a stable, full of rideable dreams, 2 wheels-2 legs what does it matter - hell, legless even