Anybody here have a sportbike?

[Dale_K]

The big discount Honda dealer in Russlleville, AR (only 50 miles away) has new 08 CBR1000RR's on sale for less than $6,900 and I'm thinking about buying one. Now to tell the truth I don't begin to use the full performance of the R12R but the idea of a really sweet handling sport bike kind of appeals to me at that price.

Basically I'd like some feedback from sportbike owners about how enjoyable those bikes are when ridden at '5/10ths'. In other words street riding within 10-15 mph of the speed limit. Also any thoughts about minor mods that could make the sportbike more comfortable without ruining the essential character would be helpful.

[ka5ysy]

FWIW: I can run with several fellow instructors that have nicely setup sport bikes and have no problem on the RR keeping them in my sights without all the shifting and other nonsense you have to do to keep a crotch rocket in the power band. The CBR is a great bike. For about 15 minutes. These bikes are good for going fast on the track and not much else. They are not good cruisers, and are questionable in stop and go city driving at low speeds. If you want to do track days and some racing, go for it.

I have had a recent upsurge in newbies in my Riders Edge classes who buy the CBR's "because all my friends have them". The last lady I had in a class (just purchased a CBR1000RR) was having difficulty with clutch and throttle control of a Buell Blast. She kept dumping the clutch either killing the engine or popping wheelies. Everyone in the class was telling her she was going to die on the CBR. Don't think she was listening !

You have probably the most versatile bike on the planet right now. Save your bucks and farkle up the RR ! You are not going to like the CBR anywhere near as much as the RR.. Besides, if you really need a speed fix, go grab a ride on the K1300GT or S. Way better machines in all aspects, and the GT can embarrass the Busa crowd easily in style and comfort.

ARTICLE:

http://automotiverhythms.com/archive/bi ... K1300S.php

[NeilS]

I have had a recent upsurge in newbies in my Riders Edge classes who buy the CBR's "because all my friends have them". The last lady I had in a class (just purchased a CBR1000RR) was having difficulty with clutch and throttle control of a Buell Blast. She kept dumping the clutch either killing the engine or popping wheelies. Everyone in the class was telling her she was going to die on the CBR. Don't think she was listening !

If y'all will excuse a bit of off-topic comment...

We have a couple of Hyosung 250s in the fleet at one of the places I work. They have similar suspension geometry but way less power than the "real" sport bikes. I put the newbies who want sport bikes on them, and by the time we get to Exercise 6, many of them are questioning their choices. Doesn't help for the person who has already bought the CBR, but it's a useful tool for some of the others.

[crazyhorse]

honestly, if you are riding a cbr1000rr at 5/10s it will be uncomfortable, painful and boring, unless you are just doing it for looks (you pretty much always look good).

superbikes are made to go fast, they don;t feel good unless you do. and you will, the bike brings it out of you. that is why i left sport bike riding. i have had about 10 in my riding years and finally i sold mine because i could not shut its damn influence out when i rode. i was going 100 mph everywhere.

they also only feel great when you are pushing it a bit. if you are going to go to the track then GO FOR IT because it will be the best feeling of your life.

it could be that i'm just a bit constitutionally weak and could not resist the passion of the suspension, engine, wind, etc. the r12r is so much better for me and i still feel moved every time i ride it. i'm just not as sore and scared of the cops any more. and yes, i still go a bit too fast.

wes

[Motorcycle_Girl]

I also teach the motorcycle safety courses (the canadian equivalent to the MSF - CSC Gearing up course) Our campuses have various dirt bikes, small standard street bikes (Honda Titans) and Honda CBR125's. So many of the students want the CBR's and as soon as we start the slow speed portion of the course they realize that sport style bikes are not designed for tight turn slow speed work. If I was to buy a sport bike it would only be if I planned to do occasional track days. You really can't get the full benefit of a sport bike on the street without running the risk of breaking the law. Anytime I have done test rides on sport bikes I just get the feeling that the bike really does not like riding at street speeds. It is almost like it encourages you to go faster and faster....

One of my fellow instructors (a former factory dirt racer) routinely tells students that if you can't run your bike WOT on a regular basis than you are not able to use the bike to it's potential so you have a bike that is way too big. He is trying to discourage the students that want an R1 or a Busa as a street bike...

The problem with motorcycle marketing in North America it seems to be all about bigger is better....To be honest I was just as happy with my 25 year old 650 Nighthawk as I am with my R1200R.

I bought the R1200R because it gave me everything that I need in a motorcycle. The ability to ride the twisties as well as luggage and touring capacity without having to have two bikes. I too thought it would be fun to have a sportbike but in reality by RR can do everything a sport bike can do on the roads that I ride and more. My other half has a 2009 HD Ultra Classic for touring and a 2008 Triumph Bonneville T100 to ride the local twisities. However, on our recent trip to Vermont he could have been in a commercial for the great handling characteristics of the new HD touring bikes. Although it is no sportbike he was the only big touring bike that we saw on some of the more technical roads in Vermont (Rte 17 as an example) He would have loved to be on the Bonnie for those roads but he was pleasently surprised at how well the HD handled.

Celeste

[sweatmark]

new 08 CBR1000RR's on sale for less than $6,900

That's a great deal.

I have a Buell XB for trackdays and general nonsense that wouldn't be appropriate for my Rockster. The XB's slow down the straight compared with anything 600cc+, but it's extreme fun in the turns, and it crashes inexpensively.

My advice is to spend some money on trackdays and tires, using your R12R to safely explore its capabilities before launching into full-on crotch rocket mayhem. After you've gone fast on the track and feel you've fully taxed your hexhead's sporting performance envelope, then you can better assess your need for a full-on sportsbike.

[ID.R1200R]

theres a nice 07' f800 on e-bay for $4000. would make a great track bike

[Dale_K]

new 08 CBR1000RR's on sale for less than $6,900

That's a great deal.

I have a Buell XB for trackdays and general nonsense that wouldn't be appropriate for my Rockster. The XB's slow down the straight compared with anything 600cc+, but it's extreme fun in the turns, and it crashes inexpensively.

My advice is to spend some money on trackdays and tires, using your R12R to safely explore its capabilities before launching into full-on crotch rocket mayhem. After you've gone fast on the track and feel you've fully taxed your hexhead's sporting performance envelope, then you can better assess your need for a full-on sportsbike.

I double checked. The price is actually less than $6,700.

http://www.hondaofrussellville.com/new_ ... ov=1093482

I understand the R12R is more rational and I wouldn't be selling it. I may visit the dealership this week. It seems like there is little risk in a financial sense. I could sell it if I didn't like it and not lose much money. I'd like to try a really lightweight bike built for good handling.

[bobw]

That is a lot of motorcycle for the $. The old BlackBirdXX was a great platform for light touring work, but it was a different design group/platform IMO. My recent track school on the R was enjoyed with riders on BMW R/S, KS, KRS, LT and even a G650 as well as all the ape's, Duc's and UJM's. I just spent a weekend riding in NC, VA and TN with a large group of riders that included some from Australia. They rode from CA using very little Interstate and were on a Honda SuperHawk, an RC51 and a Triumph SprintRS. The point of all this is to say it is possible to do most anything on any modern bike. Get the one that calls to you and creates a huge smile. Owning and riding have a different meaning to us all. BTW, one local rider had a brand new HD XR1200, very nicely done and much better looking in person than in mag photo's.

Good luck!

Ref your last post. A test ride would be a good thing. No idea on your level of riding and do not want to insult you, but ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, your shared paremeters are vague at best so I'll just say be careful and enjoy.

[The Meromorph]

If you are serious about staying near the speed limits, and wanting light, good handling, try a Ninja 250. The NInja 500 would be almost as good fun, but the 250 would be easier to sell if you don't like it after a while.

[snag]

Dale

I had a '99 Hayabusa, more Sport SUV than Sportbike. They do just egg you on to ride the wheels off, no neck wringing required. A pile of fun, but the fun really begins at multiples of the posted speed limit. The 12R is as much fun, but at a much safer pace. If you're looking for a thrill on the street, an SV650 or a baby Duc Monster will deliver it in spades. Even the bride's CBR125R can be a blast in the right circumstances. I really miss the Hayabusa, but then again I don't.

Doug

[Ves]

I actually did some touring on my 04 CBR1000RR. The seat sucks; you're constantly sliding into the tank... on the track that's great but day to day it gets old fast. The bars are torture... you'll at least need some Helibars or something to raise them up... that can get pricy... The power is crazy (and the '08 is lighter with more power)... Cruising around at 100 mph is like childs play... Even on the track, there are few tracks where you can let a bike like that stretch it's legs... which isn't all bad cause you can just go around the track short shifting and not worrying about having to crank it to redline all the time. The problem with it being your first track bike is that you will try to make up with the throttle what you lack in skill... and that's not the way to do it...

I read somewhere, maybe on this site, about a study that was done... and there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to more power is more fun... I think the optimal was around the 90 hp range?

Like you said... it's a great price and if you decide to sell it you wont loose a lot of money... so, if you have the money sitting around... buy it...

Oh, they crash really expensive...

[Dale_K]

I visited the dealer today. I'll give them credit, this was a no BS deal. They had choice of colors, etc. I went in really defensive with thoughts like "if they won't give me a test ride I'll leave", etc. The sales guy actually suggested a test ride without any prompting from me so I took a bike with 2 miles on it on a little test loop of about 5 miles, which included about 2 miles of Interstate. Bike ran great, no problems operating all the controls but I could see pretty fast that the riding position was going to be too extreme to actually enjoy riding the bike. Sales guy was dissapointed but said that's why the give test rides. He said somebody else bought one a month ago and had to bring it back. He wound up buying an ST1300 in its place.

[redwing]

Dale_K ... I got two sport bikes.
1) R1200GF
2) R1200GH
One for fishin' and one for huntin' ... the fishin' one has a live bait well

OK ... just bein' silly

Robert