Getting the bike on tuesday, i took the MSF class about a month ago, and have been riding locally on my friends ninja500. I dont plan on taking the bike on the freeway tbh, just something to ride with my friends and drive locally. And yes I bought full gear also at Cyclegear, and plan on wearing full gear at all times.
It has a lot of plastic to tear up, but it's a manageable bike. I started on an old Ninja 600R, which is really similar.
Guy who has a motorcycle = organ donor My brother has some kind of sporty looking motorcycle that he only uses to goto work and that doesn't make me too happy. Always be on the defense when driving.
Ya everyone who has a motorcycle is automatically a organ donor whos waiting to get killed. Why did you come in this thread?
Why did I come in this thread? Oh sorry I didn't know you had to have a members only jacket to come in here. Also, for you information my EMT professor is the one who informed me of the "organ donor" given to them. Sorry that the truth makes you so angry. I personally know of 2 people who have been killer or almost killed on one.
I've ridden sportbikes for many years, and used to have a turbo-charged hayabusa. Just be careful and take the time to learn the bike. Just because the number on the tail is "small", doesn't mean that it is a tame bike. From experience, the output and power-to-weight ratio of these newer machines is getting more and more high performance. I used to own a 1991 CBR600F2, which I thought was fast, my first sportbike. Later, I bought a 2001 (still have it) GSXR600 for road course "racing". I was leary about getting another 600, thinking it wouldn't have the power I wanted (since I was currently riding my hayabusa). I was very surprised that that newer 600 was a completely different animal than the older 600. Very quick and plenty fast. The newest bikes of today are even meaner. On the smaller, race replica bikes, be wary of the light weight and short wheelbase, they will wheelie easily in first or second gear. If in a panic braking situation, it's very common for someone to lock up the rear brake, which is BAD. You won't be able to steer the bike with the rear wheel locked up, and on sportbikes, the rear brake is nearly worthless when in a hard braking situation. All the weight gets shifted to the front, making the rear lock up easily. Notice how stunters do "stoppies", which is easy to do on a sportbike vs. a heavier, longer, cruiser. Be careful. I mainly use the rear brake when coming to a slow stop, or when the road surface limits the use of the front brake (slick, or with rocks, dirt, etc). Be careful riding in groups. Many times a few guys will try to ride at a pace others are not comfortable with, or do silly things to show off. That's how accidents happen. I didn't like riding in big groups, with guys I didn't know. I was usually one of the better riders, so didn't have any issues, but I've seen guys go off the road in corners they weren't prepared for. For good fun, and to improve your riding skills, you may want to go to a road course race track, and give it a go. I've been many times to Texas World Speedway, and there are other tracks I have yet to try. Check out www.lonestartrackdays.com . There is also a Ridesmart group, if I'm not mistaken. It's a great way to learn to ride and handle your bike in a private, controlled environment.
It's over-exaggeration, obviously, but on the other hand, it's good not to downplay the statistics, either. http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/motorcycle/ You're 35x more likely to die if you're in a motorcycle crash as compared to a car crash, with a fatality rate 5.5x higher than the rate for passenger car occupants. It's just a fact of life. That said, a lot of things can kill you, so if motorcycle's are your thing, go to town - just try and be as smart and safe and experienced as possible. i know nothing about the bike presented in this thread. it does look ninja-esque and cool, though.