Sport Bikes -or- are 4 motorcycles too many for one person?


 

Clint

TVWBB Olympian
There's a decent chance I might be a proud new owner of a sport bike (1000cc something or other) some time this year (are 4 motorcycles too many for one person?). It was a warm day & I bundled up & took the harley over to my cousin's house unannounced. I saw him getting on the freeway onramp near his house, couldn't find my horn (been months since I've ridden it much), a couple cars got between us & he was creating distance. I caught up, we rode around for a bit (he was testing his new chain/sprockets)....went to his house & I got on his other sportbike (another R1) & we took off for ~50 miles. I watched him dice traffic, & I showed him a smoother (imo) technique......& I got a few unintended front-wheel rises, as well as several intentional........... I almost bot a sport bike in 1996 but went with a cruiser instead. Not sure if I'll do it and I know it's not smart, but they are fun! (only ridden his twice this last year, and his old one 20 years ago). I'll just get a cheap/used one (~$4k) if I do.

I've also been considering getting selling my XR650L (fairly modified by yours truly) and switching it for a street legal XR650R or KTM ~450.
 
My company sells Polaris utility carts. I managed to pick up a 2016 Slingshot in 2017 for an insanely good price. I had it shipped directly to the fab shop, for a little more HP..... :)

https://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=9436

Should get it late this year / early next year. It's kinda like a motorcycle....right? :)
 
My company sells Polaris utility carts. I managed to pick up a 2016 Slingshot in 2017 for an insanely good price. I had it shipped directly to the fab shop, for a little more HP..... :)

https://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=9436

Should get it late this year / early next year. It's kinda like a motorcycle....right? :)

I bet it's fun! I think there's a dealership for those near my dad's house so I get to see them every couple months....also saw them at the Nitro World Games (friends had an extra ticket) a few months ago but they couldn't really open them up with the limited space
 
One can never have enough bikes. That being said, be aware at all times that your harley and a sport bike are totally differant monsters.
 
One can never have enough bikes. That being said, be aware at all times that your harley and a sport bike are totally differant monsters.

One of my friends calls them murdercycles. He used to race a cafe racer and had a nasty crash getting off the freeway many years ago.

I have tons of MC tabs open.......................everything from ratbike to mid-end sport bikes, cheap cruisers, now's a good time to buy!

I especially like this one today (and a few others). I'd go grab it but I just put on a new roof and got a new toof and probably shouldn't.

https://www.ksl.com/classifieds/listing/50413150
737795-1511456187-701729.jpeg



Then I keep telling myself I need to get a MC to leave @ the family's house - their property is near a trail systems & wilderness areas. Pretty sure I could get away with storing one bike in their garage.

Certain realities I'm reminded of say no, others say why not, and then part of me says I can't afford not to :)
 
Nice looking bike above Clint..and the price seems too be in your budget.

I'm hoping that Honda makes this little guy, Perfect for putting around campsites, and around town.

 
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Someone say motorcycles?

I've got 2 Yamaha, 1 R6 and another R6s. I use one for the streets and another for the track, some street. After riding the track, the streets just were not the same. Have you considered a track bike?
 
Someone say motorcycles?

I've got 2 Yamaha, 1 R6 and another R6s. I use one for the streets and another for the track, some street. After riding the track, the streets just were not the same. Have you considered a track bike?

not yet but months ago I told my cousin if he likes to ride that fast he should do it on the track. Not sure that the street/sport bike is the best option for me. Sure is fun though.
 
I've been looking every day, yesterday I rode a 2007 BMW dual sport ($3600)
(2007 BMW G650 Xchallenge), I was all excited about it since I heard it had more power than the XR650R (which is supposed to be more powerful than my hopped up XR650L). I turned it right around after <500 yards. I was happy to have ridden it, otherwise it would have remained magical.

Now today this one's got me in panic mode: it's a 2013 Triumph Tiger Explore 1200 - three inline cylinders but redlines @ 10,000 rpms instead of <6000.

2 cylinders is fine & my dyna is plenty fast, but my 1997 honda magna 750 was faster with its inline 4 cylinders.

Seems like a bike I could live with (I'd have to sell the harley)

 
I've cured my sickness...... for now

I took the harley & the XR650L for a spin today and ....I'm no longer feeling inadequate in the motorcycle department. That BMW 650 sure was a letdown compared to my 650 wheelie monster. I'm sure I'd like that 1300cc inline triple, but that'll have to wait.
 
Clint back in the day when I was much younger I had three street bikes and one dual purpose bike at the same time. They were an 1981 Honda full dress Goldwing, 1980 Yamaha 750 triple, 1980 Honda four 750 SS and the DP was a 1978 XL350.
I was the rider of all but the master of none.
They all were so different that I couldn't get comfortable driving any of them. The GL drove like a 3/4 ton truck, but super smooth and comfortable. The Yamaha handled like the frame had a hinge in the middle of it. The Honda 750 was the best handling of the three, had good brakes but they were super sensitive. Of course the XL350 was a completely different animal, great for wheelies on the street but not much else brakes were an after thought, also was too heavy to be a really good dirt bike but for trail riding it was fine.
Ended up keeping the Goldwing and the XL for the dirt. Got to know both inside and out and felt much safer driving ether one.
 
Clint back in the day when I was much younger I had three street bikes and one dual purpose bike at the same time. They were an 1981 Honda full dress Goldwing, 1980 Yamaha 750 triple, 1980 Honda four 750 SS and the DP was a 1978 XL350.
I was the rider of all but the master of none.
They all were so different that I couldn't get comfortable driving any of them. The GL drove like a 3/4 ton truck, but super smooth and comfortable. The Yamaha handled like the frame had a hinge in the middle of it. The Honda 750 was the best handling of the three, had good brakes but they were super sensitive. Of course the XL350 was a completely different animal, great for wheelies on the street but not much else brakes were an after thought, also was too heavy to be a really good dirt bike but for trail riding it was fine.
Ended up keeping the Goldwing and the XL for the dirt. Got to know both inside and out and felt much safer driving ether one.

They all sound fun to me!

Do you remember a difference between the triple & quad cylinder 750s? I had 3 bikes of that vintage while growing up - yz80, kx80 (1980, 1978) then a ~1978 4T Kawasaki 250? - don't remember the last

My 2 earlier bikes were 4 cylinder 750s (1983 midnight maxim, & 1997 honda magna) and had enough power to get me in trouble.

the XR's back brake felt buttery (not effective!) yesterday - I have new pads front & rear for both of the hondas........just need to put them on. The moderate weather is making it seem possible to do rt now.

How do you like the look of that Triumph 1200 inline 3 (a couple posts earlier)? I think I might prefer that over my dyna switchback 103. The 650L doesn't like high speed, not fun to ride on the freeway. I ordered a new battery for it last time, & I think I'm going to keep the high compression piston & put the stock cam back in (has a decompression lobe on it....can't bump start it as-is, which has caused ....issues..... in the past).
 
They all sound fun to me!

Do you remember a difference between the triple & quad cylinder 750s? I had 3 bikes of that vintage while growing up - yz80, kx80 (1980, 1978) then a ~1978 4T Kawasaki 250? - don't remember the last

My 2 earlier bikes were 4 cylinder 750s (1983 midnight maxim, & 1997 honda magna) and had enough power to get me in trouble.

the XR's back brake felt buttery (not effective!) yesterday - I have new pads front & rear for both of the hondas........just need to put them on. The moderate weather is making it seem possible to do rt now.

How do you like the look of that Triumph 1200 inline 3 (a couple posts earlier)? I think I might prefer that over my dyna switchback 103. The 650L doesn't like high speed, not fun to ride on the freeway. I ordered a new battery for it last time, & I think I'm going to keep the high compression piston & put the stock cam back in (has a decompression lobe on it....can't bump start it as-is, which has caused ....issues..... in the past).

I haven't really paid to much attention to motorcycles for quite a few years now. The Triumph looks interesting and I'm sure the technology has drastically improved the engine dynamics. My 750 Yamaha triple would shake your fillings out at certain RPMs. Really the only good thing about the bike it was as reliable as a hammer nothing ever went wrong with it.
I did the same to my XL350 put a stroker kit and a big barrel and high compression slug on it and made it an XL465. Almost had to jump from the garage rafters to kick it over. But the thing would pull the front wheel straight up at 70mph in 4th gear finally had to put an after market compression release because it was just to hard to start.
Just before I sold it I took the stroker kit out and put all the stock stuff back in. It was just too nasty in the dirt would not hook up at all and it ate clutches like they were M&Ms.
The guy down the street from me has a full dress Harley bagger for sale that I was thinking about getting, but when I mentioned it to Barb she just stared at me and said "in two months you're going to turn 70 are you nuts" I think that means no way and she's right.
 

 

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