Sometimes I wish I lived closer to Canada

[makenzie71]

Try getting a quote for a 1999 TL1000S (most common available year).  I bet you'll be suprised.

[ajgs500]

What part of "he doesnt want a liter bike" dont you understand?

[makenzie71]

...not even going to bother...

[Kerry]

Slick move there, mackenzie.  I saw that! 

[Alphamazing]

What part of "he doesnt want a liter bike" dont you understand?

Now that I see the Z1000 has (relatively) cheap insurance...

With 113 RWHP or so, that's about the same as a hopped up 600 with pipe, filter, and FI tuning.

...not even going to bother...

The Z1000 has had a hold on me for a long time now. I'm going to call my insurance company up and see how much they will charge me for it. If it's relatively cheap, it's in the running.

[ajgs500]

Just get a Busa and be done with it. 

[makenzie71]

The Z is a great bike...of course it's got too many cylinders but I guess you can get around that if you must.

There's a lot of liter-bikes out there that will offer you cheap insurance and moderate power while providing a ride you can hang onto for quite a long time.  Plus the torque, heavier bikes are just far more suited to this part of the world.

Most non-R model literbikes offer roughly the same power as the typical SS 600...especially the Twins (my bike dynos 121 at the wheel with every trick minus bore/stroke stuff).

[RVertigo]

Maybe it's just my vision, but it looks like the pegs are folded forward in the two side shots. It's probably just me.

I see it too...   

Cool lookin' bike BTW.



Oh and...  Only really fat people dream about liters...

[Alphamazing]

Oh and...  Only really fat people dream about liters...

Yeah, but 113 RWHP is more like a 750. A mellow 750. Hell, 600 sportbikes can make that much power at the wheel. A stock '05 CBR600RR puts down 108HP.

I got an insurance quote today from my insurance provider for the Z1000: $243/year compared o the $170/year I'm paying with the GS.

I found my next bike.

[12thmonkey]

Wow, Alpha. Who do you get your insurance through? That's an awesome premium for an awesome bike.

And please tell me you're going to get the black/red one... 

[12thmonkey]

Ok, seriously Alpha, who do you get your insurance through? i just got an online quote from Bike-Line for the same policy i have on my GS (for which i pay around $115/yr)...and for an '03 Z1000 i got a quote of $3808. That's like those Canadian quotes i keep hearing about! 

[Alphamazing]

Wow, Alpha. Who do you get your insurance through? That's an awesome premium for an awesome bike.

Dairyland County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas

aka Dairyland. It's minimum liability only, so it'll raise a little bit when I increase the limits. That's alright though, as it's still cheap as $#!&.

And please tell me you're going to get the black/red one... 

Oh hell yeah. I'd keep the stock exhaust too. I love them too much to change them. I sat on one today and DAMN does it feel like a hooligan bike. It felt like my GS did when I stripped it naked for the first time. It was sweet.

[TragicImage]

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 is ugly as sin in my book

Jesus just disowned you for that comment.

[Alphamazing]

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 is ugly as sin in my book

Jesus just disowned you for that comment.

Man, don't even get me started on the craptastic lines on that thing... well... too late.

First off, the front fairing hangs off way too much in the front, like it's got a huge, long, drippy nose. Then, the way the windscreen swoops back makes it look like a crappy Elvis hairstyle.
The lower red fork legs look like crap in the gloss paint too. Fork legs should be texturized to some extent.
If you put a full fairing on a sport bike, it needs low bars. This makes it look like a wannabe sportbike, kinda like the GS500.
The underbelly muffler looks like a car muffler stuck under there and isn't well hidden at all.
The footpeg brackets are GIGANTIC swoopy pieces of crap that look more like an 80s hair metal guitar than a functional piece of motorcycle equipment.
The tail plastics look stuck on as an afterthought, with a huge gap between them and the seat.
The rear shock just doesn't work well. It's trying to be different but it just sucks.
The braced swingarm looks cheap, and cheaper with the brace on it.

[makenzie71]

I like the Ninja 650's...but not cuz they're pretty.  I love the engine...and it's EFI.  I think the biggest thing I dislike about it is the rearsets...that's  abig money piece if it breaks, and no aftermarket company is going to build something for it that incorparates pillion pegs.

I don't expect much from the fairings.  The bike's intent was to appeal to "cheap" markets so fit and finnish and appearance can't be looked down upon because of failed expectations...that's "your" fault, not Kawasaki's.  Hell look at the SV650's lower.  Bleh.  I don't think the nose of "droopy", though...and I think that if the front were loaded 25~35mm, it'd look mean, and the wind screen follows the lines nicely.  It's really not that laid back...it'd be good for moderate touring.

I love the way the exhaust hugs the rear tire, too...I just like underbodies.  I think it looks hot...once Yosh gets around to producing something for it look-out!

The shock and swingarm, though, are awesome.  Again, it's a cheap bike, so being bothered by the "asthetics" of them is your problem.  The swingarm is light as hell (11lbs!) and the shock is really clever!  It uses the same travel as most linked setup shocks while being simpler and lighter...just incorparates a stiffer spring.  Most Penske tripple-clickers and Ducati's Showa and Ohlins factory shocks swap right in if you wrap the ninja's spring around them...or get a new spring.

[Phaedrus]

Honda 599 

[makenzie71]

Honda's VERY proud of the 599...add another grand and just get an F4i.

[annguyen1981]

OOOOOOO!

[12thmonkey]

i can't say i get quite as belligerent when talking about the Ninja 650...but i can't disagree with Alpha - if i could insure a Z1000 for $243/year, that'd definitely be my next bike.

[Alphamazing]

Honda 599 

Only the '05 models aren't carbureted. And they are EXPENSIVE as can be!

Mak - I can see what you mean about the functionality, but I think if you're building a bike you need to blend that with aesthetics too, even if it is a cheap bike. The 1st gen naked SV650s are gorgeous, but I am really sick of dealing with carbs now. I realize that the aesthetics do appeal to some, but they just don't work with me, unfortunately.

There was a thread I started on here earlier regarding the 919 v. Z1000 v. SV1000, and it looks like I'm going back to those again. I'm going to check out the 1st gen Speed Triple and the Honda 919 too.
The FZ1 is too much bike for me: too much power, too much weight, too much. The Honda 919 and Kawasaki Z1000 are a bit more like 750s, which is a good thing in my book. The SV is really portly and not built nearly as well as the SV650 from what I've read. The Speed Triple would need some bracket fabrication to get the gauges and headlights how I like them.