Thread: After some opinions on first road bike

Originally Posted by muzza

sounds like you are not already a motorcyclist.

Do not fall into the trap of buying what someone else thinks you need . Go to a bike dealer and sit on a bunch of differant bikes. You need a bike that suits your body shape and height. No good buying a Road King if you are 4'6" tall and weigh 100 lbs....

Sit on a bunch of bikes , shut your eyes and put your hands out to where they are comfortable . If the handle bar controls arent in that same spot then that isnt the right bike for you. When you touch the controls with your eyes shut and arms out you have a starting point to consider that bike.

You dont need a sports bike to commute. A DR650 Suzuki or a KLX Kawasaki would be ideal ,you sit high for visibility and there are heaps around if you need spares. A Suzuki Hayabusa is not a suitable commuter bike......

And buy protective gear. A get-off in heavy commuter traffic is very dangerous cos you have all that traffic right there beside you.

Good luck.

Some good points, and one bad one. A Busa is an entirely suitable commuter bike, am qualified to offer my opinion based on over 100,000 kms across two of them.

Busa is fine filtering if you want, fuel efficient if you want, has "presence" - important to own your bit of real estate riding among the cagers. Busa is an absolute pussycat to ride and a great deal of fun when you want it to be. You will not lose money to depreciation or continual maintenance. Particularly suited to a big bloke.

Got rather a lot to say about Busas, but I really shouldn't!

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

That's my problem. Staying upright on anything with less than four wheels.
And I just had a thought. That might be why South islanders like sheep.

no sport bike will keep up with an SM through the twisties, sticky slick tyres, half the weight and you can slide them for days on the power


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Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

Interesting.
Change of employer?

Nah mate, just different role, bit more specialised.

@Savage1 I will offer you the same suggestions that I have given so many other riders when starting. Dont worry about the flash or expensive bikes for what you are doing. Look at the likes of road user trail bikes like the DR range, Possibly the RE Himalayan, or the various othr trail based bikes.

This is for several reasons. The upright seating position wont be fast in the twisties, but it will give you a good riding position to get used to being amongst traffic - Good vision all around, wide handle bars for better control, simple power delivery, and relatively cheap to fix when the are knocked around.- Almost designed to handle falling over as that happens off road. Throw a set of road / universal tyres for better on road control... They are also the more economical rides. I loved the Himalayan that I had, and in some ways regret passing it on, but I like what I replaced it with. If you were highway hauling with longer distances on the road, trailies will get uncomfortable and the extra power of a 600cc engine means a more relaxed ride.

The royal enfields make a nice range and from memory almost all of them are Lams bikes.


Do you have kids / family? Think abotu what sort of push bike they would find easier to ride....Mountain bike, bmx or road cycle.

Have some fun on the way to and from work.

I wouldn't do it, auckland drivers are absolutely fucking shocking. Are you going to be based out West?

Originally Posted by Spudattack

no sport bike will keep up with an SM through the twisties, sticky slick tyres, half the weight and you can slide them for days on the power


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till the front lets go...

Originally Posted by Spudattack

no sport bike will keep up with an SM through the twisties, sticky slick tyres, half the weight and you can slide them for days on the power


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That depends entirely on the respective pilots......

I never saw a motard beat a sportsbike around the cemetery circuit and the 1000cc sports bikes were in first gear a lot of the time. A few motards did qualify for the open race at the end of the day though.

Originally Posted by Shearer

I never saw a motard beat a sportsbike around the cemetery circuit and the 1000cc sports bikes were in first gear a lot of the time. A few motards did qualify for the open race at the end of the day though.

Straights are a completely different story


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Many years ago I used my Honda 750/4 for commuting into work in Akld central. It worked quite well, but heaps of power is no necessity in the massive queue traffic you may encounter. You can easily spend 2-3 hours per day in traffic - often in fact.

As mentioned above choose a very comfortable ride for the hours you'll do in the saddle, and upright riding position is good for traffic visibility and also for the back. Also fit good quality all weather (not all-terrain) road tyres - essential on the wet and sometimes greasy roads, and white lines etc you'll encounter everywhere in Akld. Rains alot there compared to say canterbury. And you need lots of time and patience..

Many lower output LAMS bikes would be ideal. Someone mentioned the Suzuki 650SV - I think this LAMS bike would be a gem for Akld commute work, and a delightful traveller too. 70-75hp, 210kph top speed, reliable, and a very comfy tourer type ride. From Akld traffic experience I'd be looking at that - or very similar..

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Many years ago I used my Honda 750/4 for commuting into work in Akld central. It worked quite well, but heaps of power is no necessity in the massive queue traffic you may encounter. You can easily spend 2-3 hours per day in traffic - often in fact.

As mentioned above choose a very comfortable ride for the hours you'll do in the saddle, and upright riding position is good for traffic visibility and also for the back. Also fit good quality all weather (not all-terrain) road tyres - essential on the wet and sometimes greasy roads, and white lines etc you'll encounter everywhere in Akld. Rains alot there compared to say canterbury. And you need lots of time and patience..

Many lower output LAMS bikes would be ideal. Someone mentioned the Suzuki 650SV - I think this LAMS bike would be a gem for Akld commute work, and a delightful traveller too. 70-75hp, 210kph top speed, reliable, and a very comfy tourer type ride. From Akld experience I'd be looking at that.

My SV650 with 91 000km on it must be tired now. I can only manage 200kph on it.

I nearly bought an SV650 many years ago but the one I went to look at and test ride had a flat battery so I never got to ride it. Ended up with a Z1000 a week later.

Originally Posted by Spudattack

Straights are a completely different story


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She got more twisties than you could shake a stick at, the Cemetry Circuit.

Originally Posted by Shearer

I nearly bought an SV650 many years ago but the one I went to look at and test ride had a flat battery so I never got to ride it. Ended up with a Z1000 a week later.

I had one of the first Z1000 Kawasaki's in SA, bought in 1976. Never really stacked up to the z900 in looks or balls. At 65, the second generation(2003) SV650 is exactly what any decrepit old codger needs. Enough of everything and some. Wonderful old bicycle.