any bike owners?

[a13xkim]

hey guys,

just wondering if any of you guys have bikes and what kind? i dont have a z4 but i been wanting one reallll bad but the only problem is, i love riding my bike(07 yamaha r6). how do you guys choose between top down or two wheels on a nice sunny day??? (i guess this is roadster specific, sorry coupes haha)

[3002 tii]

i created a thread like this a while back, check it out... i've had few diff bikes, ranging from ducati monster, r6, daytona 675 to a ducati sport classic. i did the opposite of you, recently sold the bike to buy my 2nd car which is a daily... already had the z which was the fun car.


even though i don't have a roady, there are times i still had the bike especially weekends like the last. but i figured i can always buy a bike later, used ones are relatively cheap. plus, as i get older, i ride less... whereas having a nice weekend car is something you can enjoy forever. and if you never need your adrenaline fix, you can get some track time with the z. sure you can do the same with your bike but this won't require you to spend a grand on a suit and buy a 2nd set of plastics.

[Hawkeye]

It is a tough decision. It usually comes down to what my intentions are. If I am just out for a fun/relazing ride and don't want to worry about gear or if the weather is inclimate I will jump in the Zed. If it is sunny, hot and just a gorgeous day it is usually the bike.

The Z4 is the thrill of a bike with a little more protection and cargo space IMO. See sig for my bike

[vdubb2bmw]

i had a 03 cbr 600rr for 4 yrs before i sold it to get my M coupe. As much as i love my M coupe, no car, within my budget, can meet the fun and power of a sportsbike. On the flip side, i would be dead if i had my bike in new england.

[BMWI6]

Just sold my 2004 Ducati Monster s4r today. It had 6,000 miles and I sold it for $3,900!!!! It was perfect, There is no market for bikes now. I wanted to cry when I got offered that but I had to let it go, I never used it. The guy is picking it up on friday.

[vdubb2bmw]

Originally Posted by BMWI6

Just sold my 2004 Ducati Monster s4r today. It had 6,000 miles and I sold it for $3,900!!!! It was perfect, There is no market for bikes now. I wanted to cry when I got offered that but I had to let it go, I never used it. The guy is picking it up on friday.

that sucks. i sold my 600rr in 2008 for my asking price of $4k with some engine cover damage in less than 24hrs on craig's list.

[MR PERSONALITY]

got me a 06 K1200S custom paint work, guess im a bmw freak

[773H HO]

I have a 2008 BMW R1200GSA that compliments the Z4.

However, at 64 with some arthritis in my hands, I am starting to think the bike is going to have to go.

[a13xkim]

Originally Posted by 773H HO

I have a 2008 BMW R1200GSA that compliments the Z4.

However, at 64 with some arthritis in my hands, I am starting to think the bike is going to have to go.

64?? you sound like a sprung chicken!

but guys, how do you guys decide which vehicle to take on a nice day? i feel like if i get the mRoady i might not right my bike as much. and as stated b4 the used bike market sucks

[wasupdu]

'07 Yamaha R1 here

If I need to carry anything with me bigger than a Chipotle burrito I take the Z4.....otherwise it's the R1. Not exactly a ton of storage space on the bike.

[Graham M]

I have a 07 Triumph Daytona 675, but man.... I REALLY want to trade up for the new BMW SS1000R. Thats an absolutely amazing bike, 200hp at the crank... just wow. The reviews for it are incredible. Finally BMW makes a sportbike worth owning.... about time really. Their K1300's are a joke for how much they cost in conjunction to the cost of ownership over performance. I guess you REALLY have to be a BMW fan to want one of those.




It depends on the day, I try to ride the bike a fair bit to work and around the city. Its redundant to have both though, unless you have a GF/wife to enjoy the other vehicle when you're not using it. It sucked last year though, only put 3k km's on the bike The first year I had it I put 15k on it.

Originally Posted by BMWI6

Just sold my 2004 Ducati Monster s4r today. It had 6,000 miles and I sold it for $3,900!!!! It was perfect, There is no market for bikes now. I wanted to cry when I got offered that but I had to let it go, I never used it. The guy is picking it up on friday.

Yeah there is mass influx of toys on the market given your guys' economic state. Its brutal in Florida especially. I've been browsing the Ferrari 360 Modena's, as you can get a decent early 2000's one for $90-105k.

[em2b96p]

I have a 2003 Honda CBR600RR red/black. I bought it used in 2004 with 10,460 miles and it has, i believe, 22k miles right now.

I did have a 2001 GSX-R 600 that was given to me. It was involved in a wheelie accident and i restored it to streetfighter config. I sold that to my cousin.

Ive never been down but the bike did fall over in the driveway once.

Take the MSF and ride smart.

[wasupdu]

Originally Posted by em2b96p

I
Ive never been down but the bike did fall over in the driveway once.

Funny you should say that....I just changed the oil in my R1 this past weekend and moved it around the garage. Standing on the right side of the bike I moved it a few feet and thought the weight was on the kickstand and BAM....the bike fell over. Only 3,500 miles on it, but thankfully there's virtually zero damage since I caught about 75% of the bike before it fell. The bar end mirror broke off, but I had an extra one I wasn't using. There's some really small scratches on the left fairing sticker, but nothing that can't be fixed or even seen from 2-3 feet away for that mater. What a bonehead move, but thankfully all is okay.

[Hawkeye]

Yeah, talk about bonehead moves, I have never dropped a bike, but I put my helmet on the mirror before I back my bike into my garage since it goes next to my car. Last summer (probably the 250th time I've done that) I leaned the bike a tad too much and my Shoei fell off and struck the pavement

Only from about 3-4' off the ground but still has scratches in the nice paint and from what I read I really should replace it after that. Just difficult to spend another $650 on a helmet when that one looks almost pristine!

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by wasupdu

Funny you should say that....I just changed the oil in my R1 this past weekend and moved it around the garage. Standing on the right side of the bike I moved it a few feet and thought the weight was on the kickstand and BAM....the bike fell over. Only 3,500 miles on it, but thankfully there's virtually zero damage since I caught about 75% of the bike before it fell. The bar end mirror broke off, but I had an extra one I wasn't using. There's some really small scratches on the left fairing sticker, but nothing that can't be fixed or even seen from 2-3 feet away for that mater. What a bonehead move, but thankfully all is okay.

I did something similar with mine. When I lived in a condo the only spicket was along the side of the building where the walkway to the door was. I had my former bike (Yamaha FJ1200) on the walkway and up on the center stand while I washed it. Then I realized that the water was pooling on the grass beside the walkway and anyone coming down the walkway would step in it while walking around my bike. Being a good neighbor, I decided to move the bike out onto the grass. The seat was soaked, so I tried to ease it down off the center stand from the side. It slowly leaned too far away from me and got me off balance. I knew it was going over, but I held on to try to ease the fall. The last few inches went really quickly and caught me by surprise. So much that it launched me over the bike and onto my back in the soaking wet grass.

I stood up and tried set the bike up straight, but I was standing in a couple inches of water on grass. I couldn't get my footing. I finally did manage to get the bike upright. Then I heard chuckling and looked up to the second floor to see the kid upstairs laughing at me. It must have been hilarious to watch. The bike didn't suffer any damage but a little mud on the end of the right grip. My ego took a serious bruising, though.

[Graham M]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

Only from about 3-4' off the ground but still has scratches in the nice paint and from what I read I really should replace it after that. Just difficult to spend another $650 on a helmet when that one looks almost pristine!

Absolutely, After its impact absorbing areas have been used, the helmet is useless. That happened on my Suomy Extreme (Gambler) a whiles back, and the helmet was garbage after that.

Never re-use a helmet that was dropped or crashed in, as that means the level of protection it offers is greatly diminished.

Go for BSA certification over SNELL. With SNELL certified helmets, you're a lot more likely to end up with brain trauma then with BSA.

BSA (British Standards Association) Believes the goal of the helmet is to destruct in whatever way possible to minimize the energy that gets absorbed by the head. So after an accident, a BSA certified helmet would be a lot worse for wear then would a SNELL cert. helmet.

With SNELL, their design philosophy is to keep the integrity of the helmet in tact as much as possible. So Yes, after a good whack the SNELL cert. helmet would still be good tact, but the chances of their being brain damage or trauma are much higher.

I feel a lot more comfortable sporting a BSA cert. helmet then a SNELL, since in the end after the helmet is used for what its intended for, it *needs* to be discarded, and replaced with a brand new one. As at least with a new helmet it'll have the impact absorbing materials in as-new condition obviously, not partially or fully used as with a damaged helmet.

[Hawkeye]

^^ yeah, but I think I wear a helmet for different reasons than you. No helmet law in Iowa so most of the time I am sans helmet. I wear it mostly just on highway for bugs and debris and to make my mom feel better

[a13xkim]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

^^ yeah, but I think I wear a helmet for different reasons than you. No helmet law in Iowa so most of the time I am sans helmet. I wear it mostly just on highway for bugs and debris and to make my mom feel better

actually i think its still good. I herd that the helmets are made to withstand a 6 foot drop before it is considered as taking "initial impact" and considering suomi and arai and such brands are top end, i wouldnt think they are considered useless after a 4 ft drop. but yea i would change it for just for my own peice of mind. and consider picking up an icon.. i know they are "cheap" but it serves it purpose. I went to icon after my arai, and its not much different as far as wind noise and such

[3002 tii]

when it comes to which to take out... if it's a nice day, not too hot (b/c u know how bad it gets in local traffic) and i see other riders out, i'll take the bike out as well. and it's nothing more than a cruise on roads i know, not trying to get from A->B or run errands.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Graham M

I have a 07 Triumph Daytona 675, but man.... I REALLY want to trade up for the new BMW SS1000R. Thats an absolutely amazing bike, 200hp at the crank... just wow. The reviews for it are incredible. Finally BMW makes a sportbike worth owning.... about time really. Their K1300's are a joke for how much they cost in conjunction to the cost of ownership over performance. I guess you REALLY have to be a BMW fan to want one of those.




It depends on the day, I try to ride the bike a fair bit to work and around the city. Its redundant to have both though, unless you have a GF/wife to enjoy the other vehicle when you're not using it. It sucked last year though, only put 3k km's on the bike The first year I had it I put 15k on it.

i had an 06 d675 in tornado red, awesome bike... but not great for riding 2 up. sold it last season, not sure what to get next... leaning towards a monster again. don't need the high top end anymore. should've never sold my first monster!

[Graham M]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

when it comes to which to take out... if it's a nice day, not too hot (b/c u know how bad it gets in local traffic) and i see other riders out, i'll take the bike out as well. and it's nothing more than a cruise on roads i know, not trying to get from A->B or run errands.

When it gets stupidly hot out, I use a freezer pack in my jacket. It keeps me cool for about 2 hours or so.
All it takes is a good whack against the asphalt at any speed, and you'll receive serious brain trauma. I too love to ride a bike without a helmet, but when it comes to sportbikes/cruisers over dirtbikes, I'd willingly choose to wear a helmet any day, regardless of the current laws.
I dont know about you, but I value the small enjoyment of riding without a helmet to be easily outweighed by the fact that my family would be devastated in the event I was killed or seriously hurt in a bike accident.
Its just not worth the risk of becoming a vegetable from an accident.
I've bailed countless times at the track, sometimes doing over 200kph at the time, and have still always walked away. Somehow; if I was wearing Jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers I dont think the end result would have been the same.

Buy a nice cruiser man! you can get some wicked deals on '09's now.