JustinNck1 Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 12 minutes ago, TimTheAzn said: More fun to ride any bike than trailer a bike. Why the hell don't I have a street bike again? FTFY 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 @MidgetTodd is a small sport bike rider. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 passing slower traffic in any low-powered vehicle is about proper planning. Just like at the race track. If you're on a ninja 250 (or daily driving a 2003 corolla), you can't ride the ass of the car in front of you, then cut left and floor it to make a pass happen. You have to hang back, and start accelerating (hard) before the left lane is clear, and time it such that you're already closing on the car in front of you at a 10-15mph deficit when you move left and go around. Accelerate in your own lane, and make a pass at-speed. Don't get into a drag race with the guy you're passing when you're the one heading head-on into traffic. At highway speeds, I agree, a 250 would start to struggle, but the principal is still the same. I don't encounter very many cars doing 90 on the highway, and unless a 250 is badly out of tune, it should hit 90. It probably takes a while to get to that speed, but it will do it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Why is it common to hear that people tend to learn to ride better starting on a smaller bike? What is it about a bigger bike that takes away from learning? I've been turning slower on my new used 650 compared to the 300. Yesterday I started thinking, imagine that the 650 is just a shell around the 300. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 10 minutes ago, hiro said: Why is it common to hear that people tend to learn to ride better starting on a smaller bike? What is it about a bigger bike that takes away from learning? I've been turning slower on my new used 650 compared to the 300. Yesterday I started thinking, imagine that the 650 is just a shell around the 300. hehe Some bikes are more beginner friendly than others. Smaller bikes tend to be less intimidating & more forgiving. You can be less precise with the throttle, braking, and steering inputs on a Ninja 300 then on something like a ZX10R Honestly, a Ninja 650 should still be pretty beginner friendly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 2 hours ago, Tpoppa said: Honestly, a Ninja 650 should still be pretty beginner friendly. It's interesting that you could start on a Ninja 650, or modify it and race in the lightweight Isle of Man TT! Of course there's the Ninja 300 cup in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 The Gladius I had wasn't particularly fast, but I had all kinds of fun to beating the hell out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 3 minutes ago, Tpoppa said: The Gladius I had wasn't particularly fast, but I had all kinds of fun to beating the hell out of it. I was looking at a 2009 for $2900. The only really bad thing I heard was that the seat is terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) BTW, according to LAMS, a 300 or 500 is usually acceptable for a beginner license. A 650 might be if it's limited a little. Edited March 30, 2017 by hiro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Just now, Isaac's Papa said: Almost all seats are terrible until you spend money. There was something about the Gladius seat design that made it expensive or a pain to modify. Don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Oh, if anyone is interested in BECOMING a small sport bike rider, I'm selling my Ninja 300 for $3000 something. 6500 miles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted March 31, 2017 Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 Input precision is the biggest reason smaller bikes are beginner friendly. Teaching a friend to ride this past summer, if he had a liter bike, he'd have launched it into his neighbor's ditch day 1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschaf Posted March 31, 2017 Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 If you're going to be riding the twisties at a spirited pace & haven't been riding that long, get a bike that's got 60-80 HP. These 25-35 HP bikes are no match for a motivated hillbilly in a pickup truck with manly man's syndrome even if you are going 15-20 mph faster when you initiate the overtake. 60-80 HP is not going to make you highside when exiting corners & that's the main concern about higher power bikes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motocat12 Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 On 3/30/2017 at 5:35 PM, hiro said: All this worrying about tires and you let the bike tire sit there flat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiro Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 (edited) 7 minutes ago, motocat12 said: All this worrying about tires and you let the bike tire sit there flat? They're not flat at all. Probably 28-30 pounds front and 30-32 rear. Plus, it was sitting for a long time on stands. Edited April 1, 2017 by hiro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motocat12 Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 Wait for it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 14 hours ago, jschaf said: If you're going to be riding the twisties at a spirited pace & haven't been riding that long, get a bike that's got 60-80 HP. These 25-35 HP bikes are no match for a motivated hillbilly in a pickup truck with manly man's syndrome even if you are going 15-20 mph faster when you initiate the overtake. 60-80 HP is not going to make you highside when exiting corners & that's the main concern about higher power bikes. +1. One of the only safety advantages of (most) motorcycles is the power-to-weight ratio over cages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted April 1, 2017 Report Share Posted April 1, 2017 On 3/29/2017 at 8:09 PM, magley64 said: Yeah, compared to one of the 10 fastest production bikes on the planet... It's not fast, but what is? It's plenty fast enough to pass most idiots on the road. I loved my 2001 Blackbird, except for comfort and gas mileage. Way too far of a stretch to the bars for me, and I dont think I ever got more than 25mpg! But it was the smoothest engine I've ever had my legs around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted April 2, 2017 Report Share Posted April 2, 2017 11 hours ago, Qman said: I loved my 2001 Blackbird, except for comfort and gas mileage. Way too far of a stretch to the bars for me, and I dont think I ever got more than 25mpg! But it was the smoothest engine I've ever had my legs around! Mine gets 30ish mpg in the dry and 40 or 45 in the rain. Corbin seat makes it comfy for long rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snot Posted April 2, 2017 Report Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) Sorry I am late... I was in the kitchen. I love my 300! For me I have no desires to upgrade for a couple more years...if ever. The Brock's system really woke her up and I have no problems keeping up on rides. I am not very experienced on The track with her and I have not experienced her full potential either...doubt I ever will. The KLX250SF I have ran the shit out of on the cart track. But again still have not experienced the full potential. I only traded the 250 for the 300 because I wanted a FI bike and a little more power (potential). I test rode the KTM 390 duke....it was a blast. Edited April 2, 2017 by snot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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