Are you scared to ride? (sport bike)

so having more rake means you have more muscle (easier) in the corners. i agree. That builds confidence. Id like to see a shadow try and keep up with me in the twisties. Even on a normal non agressive riding day a cruiser wont touch a sportbike. speed for speed a sport bike wont lean as far and takes less steering input because its lighter and made for handling.

Keeping ahead of cars??? thats not what we are saying. If you dont pick the right line on a cruiser it is hard to change. (example would be going around an exit ramp. generally they start of mild and get tighter as you go around. when you lean on a cruiser the longer rake make it harder to change your lean angle or the tightness of the turn) Plain and simple. so if the op was going around a corner and the line changed he could potentially not be able to correct and would go "straight" instead of making the corner whereas a sport bike would be easier to correct and lean more and tighten the radius

 

Yea, I think you guys are missing the point or I'm not expressing it well.

 

I wouldn't say I am scared to ride... but scared/nervous in some situations. Though, as many people have already said - that is a good thing because you learn to respect the machine. I always say if you respect the machine and respect the road - you'll be fine.

 

Personally, I'm scared of myself. I feel that I can't control my right hand. When I owned mine I found that I would break 3 digits every ride and that was gonna put me in a body bag one day. My next bike is going to be a supermoto for around the yard and in town. I can't wait. It's gonna be a blast

 

my friend has a ninja 650r and i was a bit nervous to ride it at first, mostly because it is his baby and i didn't wanna fuck it up, but after riding it i have a new view of sport bikes. i enjoyed the ride.

 

any1 from augusta GA or SC area wanta get together and ride one weekend?

 

I'm more afraid of road conditions then anything else... sand, oil, and other debris... not to mention pot holes, man-hole covers, etc

 

I have been riding all types of motorcycles for a long time, for a long time I was on the sportsbike craze owning a CBR600R and a FZ6 in the past (I believe a 600cc sportbike is big and fast enough for anybody)
Currently I own a Yamaha Tmax and I love it
The only thing that scares me is the deer running out in front of me, I have no control over that, I have extreme confidence on how to advoid being hit by other drivers and I don't worry about that.
Any sportbike is the best type of motorcycle to get, it offers a easy and comfortable ride, excellent fuel economy, better perfomance, better reliability, the down side is insurance costs are higher on sportbikes.
I suggest the bikes I call the crossover between the sportsbike and the crotchrocket, such as the Yamaha FZ6R, Suzuki SV650S, Kawasaki 650 Ninja or Verseys, these bikes use the same engines as the crotch rockets but have a more upright and comfortable riding postion.

 

I agree completely with that. I have a Kawasaki zzr1200. Same engine as the zx12, but because it is a "sport touring" bike, I only pay $300/year insurance, get an extra fuel pump, and cooling fan. The bars are one inch back, as well as the pegs= more comfortable riding position. Same styling as the zx12, but more comfort. Been riding about 20 seasons. One trick I use is to always take a look in the cagers side mirror. No one looks over their shoulder anymore when changing lanes, nevermind a directional.. I know I am still ok, because I can drive home in the truck, and be thinking, and not remember half the drive. That is never the case on the bike. I remember, because I am 100% focused on the traffic.

 

Mr Dewey7015,, You sound like a very experienced rider, you're right about looking over your shoulder, I also do that, thats why I am very picky about the full face helmet I buy, I want as much side vision from a full face helmet as I can get.
I have also learned when riding the left lane on a 4 lane highway to be extra careful about cars in the right lane cutting you off, I understand they don't see you on a motorcycle and I stay as far left as I can get when passing on the left lane. When people tail gate me I simply either allow them to pass or I pull off to the side or the road give them a wave to pass me, I don't get mad at drivers anymore, it does no good cause the car drivers don't know what they did wrong, its like a game we play riding motorcycles except only the guys on the motorcycles know the rules of the game.

I don't know if you do this or not but when I am driving my truck or car on the roads and come across other people riding motorcycles on the roads I go into "protection mode" I will follow them at an increased and safe distance, even at a slower speed than what I want just to "protect" them from other drivers. I have even cut off other drivers by hogging the left lane with my truck just to "protect" the motorcycles in front of me. I understand what they are going thru and I feel as one with them.

 

I do this. I have had people do it to me too. Sometimes it makes me nervous, but if I can tell they are a rider I appreciate it.

 

I did the sport bike thing when I was younger. More an old man style for me ..

 

Same boat here, I am getting too old for the sport bike - crotch rocket thing, but any sport bike is more comfortable than any cruiser bike in my opnion.
A cruiser bike you have to constantly fight the the heavy weight of the thing and after a full day of riding a cruiser it physically wears me out.
Currently I own a Yamaha Tmax scooter, I know its a scooter, but this is a crotch rocket scooter! It will go above any speed limit out there, but what I really love about it is the low center of gravity handling, I can take the twisties faster and with more confidence than any of my past sport bikes. It keeps the wind and rain off or me, very comfortable, almost boring to ride, and with the under seat and the added rear trunk storage I can haul 7 bags of food from the grorciery store.
I wanted the Suzuki Burgman 650 instead of the Tmax, but only one dealer in 3 states stocked them and he held them hostage with over msrp price, so I got the Yamaha Tmax instead and i'm glad I did, LOVE IT!

Most guys over-do it on the size of bikes, in the past I was guilty of that too, any type of street bike (sport bike, or cruiser) between 500 to 800 cc is big enough for anybody a bigger 1000 cc sport bike, or a 1600 cc cruiser is just too big, much harder to ride and control. Guys that want a first cruiser bike I always recommend the Honda 750 Shadow, its a great bike that will exceed any posted speed limit, I tell them you don't ride all day at 110 mph.
I don't own a bike to impress other people, I own a bike that impresses me, I am a motorcycle addict, when the weather is nice as soon as I come home from work I have to get out and ride, its my stress reliever, my past problems of the day go away while I ride, I love the air in my face, I love the smell of nature, love to look down and watch the road rushing under my feet, its my way of getting away from people, no radio, no cell phones, I am free!

 

Are you trying to say your, very nice looking, ZRX is an old man's bike?

I don't think so, those things are bad@ss!

 

More my style as I get older. I belong to a group ZRXOA and alot of them are in their 40' and 50's. I like the older bikes of the 80's. Nowadays everythings looks so Star Warish...if that a word...
Mine's a 2000 and I put on over 51,000 miles without a problem....

 

The only thing that sucks is living in Minnesota. I have to park the bike in October and wait til at least late March to ride again. I did have a snowmobile to fill the void but sold it in November.

 

I love tha bike, it reminds me of an old school bike, simple and comfortable.
The new bikes with the radial tires, low center or gravity, better brakes sometimes make them almost too easy to ride, like the beginners that buy a new motorcycle for the first time would be terrible riding the old school bikes.
I am a good rider because I have been riding for a long time, a lot of experience.
So when these new guys are doing tricks on their newer sport bikes it doesn't impress me cause I know these newer bikes with almost perfect balance makes it easy for anybody to ride, but these same guys would have problems riding the old school bikes.

 

My first post, and my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt but...

It's my opinion (<--disclaimer) that I am not afraid of any motorcycle, I respect them. I am afraid of some enviroments I ride them in.

I've had too many sport-bikes than I really care to list...Right now I have a '06 CBR1000RR that I use for commuting and joy-riding on the back roads with. In all honesty, it's like trying to control a quarter-horse with a dog leash. Excessive response and power everywhere, but extremely addictive to ride. I have a "track-only" 2006 Yamaha R6 that has seen over 165mph at Road America. For some reason that most people won't understand, I feel safer at a racetrack with my knee on the ground and coming out of a turn at 100+ with the engine spinning at 15,000 RPM than I do riding to work at 35MPH.

If you do own a sportbike/crotch rocket, one of the best training tools/events you could do for yourselves is to gear up and go to a dedicated racetrack. You can learn more in one day about YOUR and YOUR MOTORCYCLES abilities than you can in years of riding on the street. You'd be surprised.

Also, why do I keep reading about guys "locking up the rear" on sportbikes? Nearly 70% of your effective braking (on anything but a chopper) comes from the front brake. The rear brake rotor on modern sportbikes is an average of 220mm OD, versus the average of the fronts 310mm OD...and you have two of them up front. If nothing else, find an abandoned parking lot or road to see how hard you can squeeze that brake lever before something bad happens. You'll stop a lot shorter than stomping on that pedal under your foot.

 

yeah Old School ! Like the Honda Nighthawk S I had before the ZRX. Or like the 1985 V-Max. New one look like crap. I just dont care for some of the styling. Same thing with my sled. It was a 2002 and the ones now have no kind of wind protection. Plus the sleds are getting into the $10,000 area for a sled. My next bike might be the Yamaha FJR1300 those look sweet...

 

i agree with you 1000% I spent some time on a track in NH and you learn alot!!!! also, like you said, that front brake is so under used. people are so afraid to endo or skid the front tire they have no idea how much it takes to do that...

Edit: riding in a controlled environment makes the real world streets that much more scarry