I think I want one of these

[The Buddha]

I've triple looked over on in the shop. That headlight is... wrong.

And a lousy 15.5 litres - 4.1 gallons. Of course, compared to the GS it's lousy  

Michael

This is one of those unique bikes that when you get in a light front end collision, its value shoots up ... just toss a GS headlight on it and ride away.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Electrojake]

I've ridden one a fair bit - given it's water cooled it's not really fair to compare dry weights....think about 550lbs wet vs 400lbs wet!

It's ok, just nothing special....some big bikes hide their mass well....this one doesn't.

Not being a bike aficionado, I had to ask. . .
What's the weight got to do with it?
You mean Top heavy?
Just wondering.
Thanks.

[tt_four]

Weight in general can make a bike a hassle to ride. Once you're moving it can feel more stable, but at low speeds and twisty roads it's a lot more effort to move the bike around. Also the heavier a bike is the harder it needs to work to get moving. Think about how fast you could ride a bicycle up a hill, then think about how fast you could bicycle up a hill pulling a trailer with a 75lb kid in the back. Lighter bikes can use smaller motors to do the same work.

I agree, that headlight is something else. The idea is ok, I like vertically stacked dual headlights, but they've gotta be projectors with a nice little surround to tie them together. That giant setup they came up with is just all wrong.

[Electrojake]

Weight in general can make a bike a hassle to ride. Once you're moving it can feel more stable, but at low speeds and twisty roads it's a lot more effort to move the bike around. Also the heavier a bike is the harder it needs to work to get moving. Think about how fast you could ride a bicycle up a hill, then think about how fast you could bicycle up a hill pulling a trailer with a 75lb kid in the back. Lighter bikes can use smaller motors to do the same work.

I'm not a roadcraft guy, I just commute.
However I would imagine that skilled sportbike riders can feel things in performance, balance, and suspension that I could never detect with my collection of un-fast bikes.

I didn't realize ten or twenty pounds made that much difference.
Thanks for the input on that!

[tt_four]

I don't think I'm the kind of person that would really notice a difference in 10-20 lbs either, but I'm only 5'8 and 145lbs, so I definitely try to find the lightest bikes I can, and keep it under 400lbs dry. I can say though that on my last bike I could notice a huge difference between an empty and a full tank. I'm not sure how much an extra 3-4 gallons of gas weighs, but it definitely makes a bike handle different. You got used to it after a few miles, so I'm sure you'll get used to anything.

If your commute is mostly highway I don't think you'd notice too much. If you spend a lot of time in stop and go city traffic, you'd probably start to notice a difference.

That being said, people ride around on goldwings, so who's to say that a 500lb bike is really 'heavy'

[JB848]

If I were to move up in size though it would be a GSXR 650 (LOL edit 600). Which year do you think was the best?

[ragecage23]

I think I want one of these

[Miraz]

I think I want one of these

No Arguments there....

[tt_four]

If I were to move up in size though it would be a GSXR 650. Which year do you think was the best?

gsxr600 or gsxf650? I don't think there's been too many changes to the 650s. There's definitely some changes since they were the gsxf600s, but I think all the 650s are pretty much the same. If you meant to say 600, I think it's the usual matter of the newer the better. I'm not crazy about the 2006+ version but it's slowly growing on me. My favorite year was the 04-05, which was the first year with UDS forks and radial brakes. The SRAD has always been one of my favorites too, and the later years were fuel injected, but obviously the styling is outdated so it depends how you feel about it. The model after the SRAD worked but looked bulky and still had the original forks. I know the srads were bulky too, but they had style to go with it, the 01-03 version was some weird mix of round and angular that I'm just not sure about. There was a siginificant drop in weight when those bikes came out though.

[fraze11]

My buddy has an 08 GSXR, great bike for sure and fast...If money was limitless I'd have one of these in my garage too

[JB848]

Yeah I was leaning towards getting a 2004 like this one.

Back fender would have to go though and the rims would be painted yellow as soon as I could stop riding it.

[SAFE-T]

Looking for some good reviews of the GSX650F...essentially the 650 Bandit with a fairing. First two are just the GSXF, third one is vs. the FZ6R and 650 Ninja.

http://www.superbike.co.uk/tests/suzuki_gsx650f_review_news_198757.html

http://www.moto123.com/motorcycle-reviews/article,2008-Suzuki-GSX-650F-Review.spy?artid=101602&pg=2

http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2010-kawasaki-ninja-650-vs-2009-suzuki-gsx650f-vs-2010-yamaha-fz6r-89460.html

[tt_four]

I'd be more than happy to ride a yellow one if I had it, but I've always been fond of the red and black color schemes on all years, as well as just black. I had a friend who had the black 04 600 with the orange stickers that looked pretty slick too. I know black can look boring, and I try really hard to stick with colors on things, but sometimes things just look soooo good in black.



My all time favorite paint is the red/black/silver that came on some of the 99-2001 bikes. I want to say I've seen pictures of one or two of the 04-05 bikes painted like this as well, but I could be making that up.



and SRAD

[SAFE-T]

I think I want one of these

That has just been trumped, sir:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/industry-news/2010/11/02/mv-agusta-s-new-f3-motorcycle-fully-revealed

[tt_four]

I was freaking out about that thing the other day. Something I read also said they were going to make a mini sized Brutale, so the Street triple is gonna have some real competition too. Unfortunately there isn't a an MV dealership within some serious hours of where I live.

[ragecage23]

I think I want one of these

This is when Triumph steals a bunch of ideas and incorporates it into the 675. Plus, in my opinion, the 675 looks nicer.

That has just been trumped, sir:

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/industry-news/2010/11/02/mv-agusta-s-new-f3-motorcycle-fully-revealed

This is when Triumph steals a bunch of their ideas and incorporates it into the 675. Plus, in my opinion, the 675 looks nicer.

[tt_four]

the daytona 675 looks good, except from the front of course, but an MV is a work of art. When a manufacturer can make a bike, and keep pretty much the same exact design for over 10 years, and have it still look just as good after all that time you know they're onto something good. Same thing with the old Ducatis. The 916 still looks better than most current bikes.

[mister]

There are some Kwakas I like the look of...

ER5


ZR7


The Honda 919


I ride a naked GS500


See a pattern?

Michael

[Twisted]

No but I can see KFC in the background of the last pic which makes me want some nuggets 

[tt_four]

I've always liked the ZR7. That was actually one of the bikes that got me back into riding after stopping for a few years. Someone used to always have one parked on the walkway to their house, and I always passed it on the way home. I figured it was a good mix of looking good, but still not being stupid fast and light, so it would be nice for just getting around, and actually having some self control.