Motorcycles - Bikes and Riders

I love those movies.

I've ridden the Beamer too. Great bike. Top heaviness takes a bit of getting used to when your normal ride is a V-Rod, but they are engineered beautifully.

Have you tried either of the new Triumph Tigers? the 800XC is a hoot, i am yet to ride the new 1200 but it is shaft drive, with a hell of a lot of fancy electrical extra's. IMO much better than the BM.

I have a '09 ZX10R although it is currently in the shop getting the regulator replaced. Heading down to to the GP this year got my tickets and booked my flights today! Anyone else heading down?

or across or up for that matter..

Speaking of kawas, has anyone ridden/owned a z750?

I'm looking at getting a new bike in the next couple of months and the Aprilia Shiver Sport and KTM 690 Duke are top of the list atm. All the other stuff I like is non-Japanese but I quite like the look of the Zed and they're a fair bit cheaper than the Euro bikes so I thought they might be worth a shot.

I rode a Honda Hornet 600 for a couple of months but it really felt heavy and dull so I guess that put me off middleweight Jap 4s.

I've also borrowed a mate's Duc 848 a few times recently and that thing puts a ridiculous grin on my face - it's ridiculous (and beautiful)

Never ridden one but have heard good things about them. Best bet is to go down to a dealer and take a test ride and compare them all. Price is the reason I went Jap plus i love the look of my 10! Performance wise my old R1 definitely stood my hairs up a bit more, but that may have been because I was a bit younger and had more hair..

great show (and long way down too). Though off in outer mongolia, their camera man was happy on a piddly 250 or something, becuase it was lighter. The BMWs are heavy bikes, and they got stuck in places lighter bikes wouldn't have.

I used to ride a CBR600, which was so much fun. A perfectly balanced bike for sports, touring, commuting. But the speeding fines and the fact that it was a luxury caught up with me.

Now I have a KLR250 dirt bike that I go out in the local gippsland forest. Fun, but often pretty scary too. I'm not much of a dirt rider, I tootle along much slower than most, but who cares, it's not a race. I don't like riding alone but I don't know anyone who doesn't want to roar around at top speed. So I don't get out as much as I like.

Z750 is not a bad bike. More of a cushy ride than an 848, but a sport bike that will feel a touch torquier than a race inspired 600.

Be careful comparing a Hornet 600 to "other" middleweight Japanese supersport bikes. Take any of the current crop of CBR, ZX, R6 or GSXR Jap 600 supersports and you will find they are a lot sharper than the old Hornet. Fair enough they will not get up and go until they are above 8000rpm, but if you can keep them above that they will keep a grin on your face. My little R6 is capable of over 100km/h in first, revs to 16500rpm and has 6 gears to play with, sure you have to keep the little mill on the boil, but if you do, it is lightweight, agile and rewarding.

Step up to a 1000 and you will not have to try as hard to go fast (well on the straights anyway) and it will feel a bit heavier, but there is so much more potential to get yourself into "OH SH*T" territory haha.

Just saying, try a "proper" 600 before you bag them out for being slow. A word of warning, most 600's are track weapons in disguise, the suspension is designed to handle "spirited" riding on smooth surfaces and does not lend itself to touring on less than perfect roads. Your feet are tucked up your arse for ground clearance, there is bugger all screen to get out of the wind, and you are hunched well forward in an agressive riding position. Short blasts up into the mountains are the order of the day, not epic "long way down" touring rides. But.when you get onto the track with some Pirelli supercorsa's or Metzeller K2's you will forget all that and have tonnes of fun going hard and not worrying about the Police.

I have done some long rides on My R6, 1200km in 2 days night in a country pub enjoying the hospitality. You end up wishing the last 200km was not there and you were home, being in the riding position for so long with a mild hang over, with some short transit sections on bumpy roads, you will wish you got a tourer haha

If you like the naked stuff, have a look at a Triumph Street Triple 675. My mate has one and loves it. Bit easier to ride on the street than my R6, slightly more road oriented suspension and its not Japanese and being a triple it is that little bit different. My mate has Ti Arrow exhausts on his which look sweet too!