YOUR BIKE: Why did you choose it? Why is it YOU?!

[Hamel]

Theory is: we choose a bike that suits our needs but also reflects our personality, how we see ourselves. Four questions:
1) What is your bike
2) Why did you choose it
3) Why is it you? (and, out of curiosity)
4) Money no object, What would you ride?

Only fair I begin!
1) Highly modified '89 900ss: 944 Vee Two motor with Flatslides, 916SPS clutch, Supermono Carbon Fairing, Carbon 916 seat, ZXR front end. Everything I could change, changed! Only stock bit is rear wheel.
2) Someone else got it started, loved the concept (I used to work for Britten)
3) Love 90* V-Twin grunt & noise. SANO! (Same As No Other)
4) Ducati 1098R (Customised to bits of course)

[ital916]

1) A beautifully abused 1998 RG150ES...she was mint till i learnt to ride on her.
2)Lightweight, great looks. Easy enough for a noob to learn on *in hindsight two strokes are not learner friendly! lol* and has enough power to kep me happy till my full. Plus two strokes are a dandy to repair if i break it, on the downside they break themselves a lot lol
3) They say opposites attract, so of course if i'm laid back and easy going, I had to get a firecracker of a bike. Can never find the right gear to ride in as she always wants to go faster. She'll corner like a bat out of hell, and until you get used to the fact she'll go horizontal quicker that britney spears, she's butt clencher. Beautiful *well in my eyes, shes a bit banged up now*, light and the smell....mmm i love the smell of two stroke in the morning, plus it comes with an anti cage smoke screen. hehe, in my eyes she's perfect.
4) If i had my way, i would like to design my own bike, if i had unlimited money though, i would design my own bike.... a bike that was practical and fun...a future streetfighter me thinks. In fact i'll get started on the drawings tomorrow.

Edit: In one word why is my bike me.....fun. The rg is a heck of a lot of fun.

[RantyDave]

Oh, good question(s).

1, Triumph Speed 4
2, I wanted a "my first post 250 bike" 600, was not all that keen on fairings, wanted something potentially halfway tourable and halfway comfortable. Was looking at early 2000 CBR600's because they're kinda comfy for sportsbikes. But then the trumpet came up and I decided to just ... y'know ... get it.
3, I like that you can mess around with the suspension, and that it makes a difference. It makes an awesome noise. I don't have the time for touring and, in all likelihood, it'd make a bit of a shitter tourer. It seems to be sprung too softly. It still makes me smile, I'm still learning about it, it's an awesome bike.
4, Strangely, an 848 seems tempting, now.

Dave

[DingoZ]

1) What is your bike 2007 Hyosung GT250R
2) Why did you choose it Price - Looks - Easy to Learn on
3) Why is it you? - Its simple for a learner and reliable
4) Money no object, What would you ride? Haven't got that far - check back in about 6 months

[avrflr]

1) '00 R1100RT
2) Weather protection. Riding 40kms down the motorway at 4am in freezing rain on a GN250 is not as much fun as it sounds.
3) I don't mind being different. Love the tank range, the quiet, the warmth, the comfort, and it handles great (for a 280kg bike).
4) A K1200LT for touring and a 250cc GP bike for trackdays.

[McJim]

1/ 1998 Ducati 600ss.
2/ It's a Ducati, It's reliable, it was cheap.
3/ It makes a lot of noise but when you get right down to it there's not too much substance really
4/ Ducati Desmosedici of course.

[Grub]

1) What is your bike:- 2000 Honda CBR600F4
2) Why did you choose it:- a)Honda. b)It's a 600. c)It had to be a sprotsbike. d)A racer whose opinion I respect said "Sligtly boring but the best all-round 600 you can get". e) This model and the '01 F4i were the last of the comfortable CBR sports tourers. After that they went to the RRs
3) Why is it you? (and, out of curiosity):- a)Honda (I'm ex National Advert & Product Manager for Honda NZ (cars) b)I have confirmed that I can kill myself on a 600 so I don't want anything faster c)Lighter bikes are more nimble, manouverable and fun c)1:29 and 200kmh on the back straight at Manfield without really trying says it does stuff ok - wanting more is just being greedy.
4) Money no object, What would you ride:- The same. I don't see spending more than $6,500 on a bike as a good use of munny. I'd buy a set of Ohlins and some Oggy Knobs though.

[jrandom]

A very well-conceived thread!



Let's see, now.

1. GSX1400 K7

2. Comfort; footpeg ergonomics being the prime consideration. My knees are too rooted to do all my riding on sportbikes.

3. The smooth airflow over the naked bars instead of the noisy buffeting of a sportbike fairing and the big comfy-couch seat that happily accommodates me and SWMBO on thousand-kilometre rides without a twinge are what I'm all about. Not to mention the luxurious feeling of the buttery-smooth 1400cc inline four's fist-of-God torque wafting me silently up hills at a hundred miles an hour.

4. Believe it or not, I'd still have a GSX1400. I honestly can't think of anything else, at any price, which matches my requirements for a Main Bike so perfectly. I'd tart it up with full Givi hard luggage, Ohlins front and rear and some mild intake-and-exhaust fruit, but otherwise leave it untouched.

I would, of course, add a Desmosedici RR for trackdays, but I guess that goes without saying for everyone here. I also wouldn't mind a Brutale 910R for when I wanted something lighter to commute on or take out for a low-stress thrash around the Coromandel.

[bmz2]

1. 2007 zuki m109r 1800cc
2. wanted a wide rear end , 240 rear tyre now 280 and it had to be a heavy weight cruiser and looks and full of bling
3. easy to be customized to what i want in a bike.
4.got the bike i want

[Finn]

MV Augusta Brutale R... because I have more money than sense.

[jrandom]

MV Augusta

I'm hoping you did that on purpose.

[Cache Wraith]

.... I don't see spending more than $6,500 on a bike as a good use of munny.......

Surely your not serious!

[Finn]

I'm hoping you did that on purpose.

I'm very drunk and don't even know what my real name.

P.S. Answer your phone idiot, it was me.

[Finn]

I don't see spending more than $6,500 on a bike as a good use of munny. I'd buy a set of Ohlins and some Oggy Knobs though.

What a complete cock.

[Grub]

Surely your not serious!

Yup. My 600's have been awesome bikes that can keep up with anything else on the road. They look great, they need the same amount of maintenance and lead me into as much trouble as its safe to get into. My first one handles better than anything else I (and others) have ridden and that was a $3,500 1990 model. You cannot do a 1000km ride in a day on a 2007 CBR RR model ... people's backs are not made strong enough.

Why spend $13k and get exactly the same end result? You don't necessarliy get better from newer.