Looking to buy a BadAss motorcycle!!

[AirTahoe]

Hey guys. I am looking to buy a sweet superbike to ride around the city of San Francisco. Something cool. Nothing average! I have the money saved up from working hard the past two years and now I am ready to buy. I figure I better enjoy myself while I am young because I never know when I might die. I am looking for the WOW factor. But at the same time I am not looking to pay a ridiculous amount of $ for insurance for a 25 year old.

I need something that can navigate the dense traffic and steep hills of SF. Also, I need something that has enough room to take my hot dates on the back occasionally.

I have never owned a motorcycle before, but have lots of two-wheel experience on a Vespa ET4 (how convient, yet lame). Driven for two years with no accidents or close calls. I am so ready to upgrade. I don't plan to ride on the freeway at all (I don't want to take more risk than I have to) just around the city. I already have my motorcycle license and understand the concept of motorcycle braking and traction. But I don't have experience with manual shifting on a bike, which I am sure is very important.

I have been looking at the Buell Lighting CityX Xb9SX (390 lbs. and 984 cc) or a Ducatti. Any thoughts or recommendations are much appreciated.

And when people say that you will drop a new bike, are they saying you will crash it, or simply it gets out of hand when they are stopped and too heavy for them to keep upright?

[king78]

The first thing I would recommend is to be careful hate to say this but riding a vespa is quite different from riding a ducati with over 900cc's of power I personally started off on a yamaha R6 (still an awesome bike) and upgraded after two years to a Suzuki Hayabusa and believe me there is a huge difference in power, throttle sensitivity, weight, etc.... there are plenty of badass bikes out there that you can start on but you wont feel so badass if you end up in the hospital next to your girlfriend with a totaled $20,000 bike. if you're riding in San Francisco with hills and traffic I think its just a deathwish to start off on a superbike. when people say they drop they're bikes they are usually referring to a loss of control of the bike either at a standstill or at low speeds resulting in the bike on its side get sliders on your new bike wichever one you choose.

[AirTahoe]

Appreciate the honesty man. I certainly am not looking to hurt myself or anyone else, just enjoy life a little more.

Honestly, I probably won't ever get it above 50mph in the city. There is not enough room around here. But I don't want a dorky beginner bike that is anything like my Vespa. Don't get me wrong, the Vespa is well made and plenty powerful for getting around but there is little fun/sex factor for the chicks I take out.

I know everyone says to get a used bike but I am not looking for something that I have to wrench or worry about. I would rather buy new and know that I am getting a reliable bike that has not been modded at all.

Looking to spend under 9K. Maybe add the electronic shifter (Pingel) to make gear changes easier up and down the hills.

[Capt.]

I agree with King'er in that to much power to soon can get ya in trouble. You might consider looking at a Ridley. I have just returned home from a trip to OKC and was given a private tour of Ridleys manufacturing facilities. Their bikes have the WOW factor, most of their models are fully automatic (no shifting), and with a 35 hp air cooled v-twin, it's not more power than you can handle around the shakey city. Not to mention they have models within your budget. Just a thought. Check'em out...ridleymotorcycle.com
Capt.

[Uesque]

If you read around a bit, you'll see that I'm a big naked bike fan(FZ6, Bandit, SV650). Still has the badass factor, but you'll pay a lot less in insurance, be a lot more comfortable, and stand out from the crowd. And my never ending mantra, if you haven't already, TAKE THE MSF COURSE! It will save your life.

[rickymoto]

:) The 600r might be a good choice it should be a good beginner bike?

look for Yamaha 600r motorcycleconnect its a site on bikes.

[AirTahoe]

Ok so I did some more research and the Buell is out. Just too expensive and big for me. The Ridley looks like a cruiser bike. Way to big for city driving and parking but auto shifting would be nice.

I really like the Yahmaha FZ6 but it looks a little plain.


The SV650 is really popular around here and I am looking for something a little different

Which brings me to the new Kawasaki Ninja 650R. The salesman told me that it has been a popular beginner bike and not too powerful. It has the bottom mounted exhaust like the Buell and EFI for $6,400.

And it lets you sit a little more upright which looks more comfortable in traffic and has a short wheel base and seat height. Good for city riding I would think. I would post a photo link, but the forum won't let me.


Any thoughts on the Ninja?

[rickymoto]

if you want to see some specs or pics of the Kawasaki Ninja 650R go to motorcycleconnect its a website ive been checkin out they have alot of bikes you can see the buell to one thing i loke about the buells is most of them you can customize to the tee. Let me know how it goes.

[Maico Shark]

141

Just hit the paperclip icon, upload your photo, then hit the icon again, then the photo and it will appear as a number. The photo will appear after you submit your reply.

[Uesque]

Any thoughts on the Ninja?



I know someone who recently bought one and he loves it. A good choice.

[AirTahoe]

Thanks for the info and the great web forum here.

I decided to go with a Buell Firebold XB12Ss instead of the Ninja. I love the looks of the Ninja 650 but it feels kind of long and strectched out for me to be comfortable in a city environment.

The Buell is more compact and has less plastic to scratch up. (there are some rubber sliders I am going to add to the side of the tank) Plus it has a 1200cc engine and belt drive which will be nice down the road when I become a better rider. Oh and it didn't hurt that I got it just over cost$.

Hope I made the right choice. Happy riding.

[adrian]

I know a guy that has one of those; he is happy with it. Good luck!