Which bike brand do you prefer?

[DenverDude2002]

Ok, so I know theres a lot of us who ride on here, so Im curious at to what the opinions are on the different bike brands. personally, Im a Kawasaki person, always had great luck with them. Whats everyones esles opinion?

[van7559]

I 'd have to say honda. I ve owned a honda fourwheeler, and dirt bike, and the both were the most reliable bikes ever.

[Eric]

I always wanted a 954RR so I voted Honda, but Suzuki offered the best bang for the buck so I ended up with a GSX-R 750 (sold it a few years ago). Which, incidentally, was fine at sea level but wow did it take a power hit bringing it up to CO :( Up here you need a liter bike IMO.

[Tiffany]

I love my little Kawi Ninja 250.

Have already started looking at bigger bikes and the Honda CBR600 and the Kawasaki ZX-6R are both in my line of sight.

[DenverDude2002]

My dad rides a Kawasaki Voyager, his 5th bike and the one hes liked the most, he started out with a Nighthawk 750, then an Shadow ACE 750, then an Shadow Ace 1100, which we're all solid bulletproof bikes but a pita the get into neutral, then a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 classic, which was greta but the seat hurt like hell after 50 miles.

I started out on a Yamaha XT225 dual sport, then went to a 1989 Ninja 500, both we're great, the Ninja was just fun, then took a 2 year break then got a 1983 Suzuki GS550E which was a pos.

Next bike Im gonna get is a late 80s/early 90s Ninja 600 (the original Kawasaki 600) because its more of a sport tourer and pretty cheap.

Me and my dad also have a CX500 which was made late 70s/early 80s and is a Moto Guzi style V twin from Honda, currently getting a full rebuild but a really cool looking machine that looks nothing like anything else from that era. Also the first Honda to have shaft drive/non spoke rims. And a powerful little mofo for a 500 to, it could keep up with the 600s of the early 80s with no issues.

[Jeffro600]

Ive owned ALOT of bikes throughout the years and ive always felt that Honda was pretty much in its best form in the street bike scene in terms of quality and reliablity. Had a couple Kawis, a few yamahas but i can honestly say ive never been happy with the build quality on anything but a Honda.

[FirecrackerKTM]

Eurotrash!!!!

(but until I can afford a Monster, I'm saving for a SV650)

[Jeffro600]

Eurotrash!!!!

(but until I can afford a Monster


Over priced......trendy...over engineered...UGLY...rediculous maintenance schedule and costs...UGLY....italian trash....over priced....

Did i mention over priced and UGLY?? :flipoff2:

[Guammy]

Any of the top 3 and sorry a kawi isn't one of them. They suck to work on and hated seeing every one that came in the door.

I've had only Suzuki street bikes since the 80's and worked in a Honda/Suzuki dealership for almost 15 years so I have some experiencxe top back my speak.

I almost bought a Ducati 998 recently and then I woke up,,, it's like a harley with the cult status,, $1100 for an alternator is just raping the customers in my book, it's looks like a $200 chevy version. So I'll stick to my TLR fetish, the SV's big racing brother.

[FirecrackerKTM]

Over priced......trendy...over engineered...UGLY...rediculous maintenance schedule and costs...UGLY....italian trash....over priced....

Did i mention over priced and UGLY?? :flipoff2:
What about Aprilia? Cagiva? Moto Guzzi? KTM's new big adventure model?

Overpriced, I'll give you that. But ugly? Nah.

[Jeffro600]

Not all ducatis are ugly...but you can take my above statement and subtract the uglies out of it and thats still what i feel about them! :D

Their a status symbol more than anything in my eyes...ive ridden a few and i dont get it..:shrug:

[Tiffany]

THe other bike I have my eye on is the Triumph 675. That thing is sick!

[DenverDude2002]

Shouldve added ducati and bmw to the poll, my bad

[Guammy]

Here's a little bit of everything

http://dontlr.smugmug.com/photos/6825362-L.jpg

[salsashark]

Over priced......trendy...over engineered...UGLY...rediculous maintenance schedule and costs...UGLY....italian trash....over priced....

Did i mention over priced and UGLY?? :flipoff2:

Not all Eurotrash bikes are ugly and overpriced... My Triumph was the same as any comparible bikes from the big 4, oh wait, there were no comparible bikes! :laughing:

[FirecrackerKTM]

I like some of the BMW rally kind of bikes too--for adventure touring or whatever. I don't know their models very well though.

[Joker]

:drool: KTM Superduke :drool:

http://www.bikez.com/pictures/ktm/2006/23058_0_1_2_990%20superduke%20orange_Image%20credits%20-%20KTM.jpg (http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/FCx(this.href);)

[Guammy]

I like some of the BMW rally kind of bikes too--for adventure touring or whatever. I don't know their models very well though.

In the above photo the big one is an 1150 Adventure and the other is a 650 Dakar. I bought the blue one for the wife and rode it back from Seatle. The other one is too big with 8 gallons of gas for much more than fire roads. Some people ride them harder like over Mosquito but it would be a $$ fall. I've done 4 1K + miles days on it and it just plugs along.

[FirecrackerKTM]

:drool: KTM Superduke :drool:

http://www.bikez.com/pictures/ktm/2006/23058_0_1_2_990%20superduke%20orange_Image%20credits%20-%20KTM.jpg (http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/FCx(this.href);)
Ohhh, beautiful. i want one.

[FirecrackerKTM]

In the above photo the big one is an 1150 Adventure and the other is a 650 Dakar. I bought the blue one for the wife and rode it back from Seatle. The other one is too big with 8 gallons of gas for much more than fire roads. Some people ride them harder like over Mosquito but it would be a $$ fall. I've done 4 1K + miles days on it and it just plugs along.
That does look like a pretty big bike.

I have a good friend with a Cagiva adventure type bike and it looked really, really nice. She just rode it here from Washington state. She traded her FLHT in for it. Big change!

[Camp]

Not all ducatis are ugly...but you can take my above statement and subtract the uglies out of it and thats still what i feel about them! :D

Their a status symbol more than anything in my eyes...ive ridden a few and i dont get it..:shrug:

I'd hazard to say that there isn't much running around town on the street faster than my Ducati........straight line or in a canyon :evil: I do know there is at least one on this board though that is faster in a straight line :D

I can afford to own a Ducati because I was a mechanic on them in college. Getting rid of labor costs brings the ownership cost down to that of a normally priced bike :D Also, the new Duc's don't have near the maintenance schedule or cost of the ones from the 90's. My bike orignally is a '95 916.

[Joker]

I'd hazard to say that there isn't much running around town on the street faster than my Ducati........straight line or in a canyon :evil: I do know there is at least one on this board though that is faster in a straight line :D

I can afford to own a Ducati because I was a mechanic on them in college. Getting rid of labor costs brings the ownership cost down to that of a normally priced bike :D Also, the new Duc's don't have near the maintenance schedule or cost of the ones from the 90's. My bike orignally is a '95 916.

I'd almost bet money that most Hayabusa's will eat you Ducati for lunch on the straights Camp.

I know yours was setup for racing......but mostly for turns.

[Guammy]

I'd hazard to say that there isn't much running around town on the street faster than my Ducati........straight line or in a canyon :evil: I do know there is at least one on this board though that is faster in a straight line :D



Hmmm Ok we start at any of the 3 canyons of your choice at the bottom, fisrt one to the top keep both bikes :D
Golden Gate, Coal Creek or Boulder, your choice.....

Deal :D

[Camp]

Hmmm Ok we start at any of the 3 canyons of your choice at the bottom, fisrt one to the top keep both bikes :D
Golden Gate, Coal Creek or Boulder, your choice.....

Deal :D

At no point did I say my bike was fast with ME on it. Only that the bike was fast :D Besides, I live on Morrison Rd so, is that one off limits due to home field advantage? :D J/K

I'd almost bet money that most Hayabusa's will eat you Ducati for lunch on the straights Camp.

Top speed I'm sure you are right but, I have a hard time believing they would out accelerate me to the 150 mph mark. I haven't had my bike on the scales yet but, it should be right at or just under 400 lbs. It puts down (at sea level) in the mid 150 hp range on the dyno, at the rear wheel. You might be right though, not like I've tried racing anyone. I do know the bike will hang with a GSXR1000. Not sure how they compare to the 'busa for acceleration.

[Joker]

I do know the bike will hang with a GSXR1000. Not sure how they compare to the 'busa for acceleration.

:D When your riding a Hayabusa...you're the king of the road.

[Guammy]

At no point did I say my bike was fast with me on it. Only that the bike was fast :D



:D
Just messing with you :beer:
Yes they are very nice bikes and I did a about a 1/2 hour session on a 996 one day at second creek. It was a very sweet handling bike.

It's fun to pass the wanna-be's with an adventure touring bike :D
I have a friend who plays with wanna-bee's racer boys all the time on a KLR650, he's crazy fast on that thing and surprises the hell out of people all the time.
Its all about the rider...

[Camp]

When your riding a Hayabusa...you're the king of the road.

For fun, I did a quick search on the 'busa. I found where Sport Bike tested it. It put down 163.2 hp on the dyno but, it weighs 560 lbs.

'busa: 163.2 hp at 560 lbs = 0.291 hp/lbs
My duc: 150 hp at 400 lbs = 0.375 hp/lbs

:flipoff2:

[DenverDude2002]

Busa is old school, I hear a ZX-14 can run circles around it

[Jeffro600]

Budsa is gold school, I hear a ZX-14 can run cirlces around it

You wont be running much of any sort of circles on either machine...their both HEAVY pigs. If you wanna go fast...in a straight line, then either of them is for you. I sold my busa to get a 600RR and while its nowhere near as fast in terms of sheer acceleration, it will spank it any day of the week if any amount of turns are thrown into the equation. Think of them as more of a touring bike thats just rediculously overpowered. Throw canyon corners, track and other day to day riding, and ill take something lighter and more nimble that will eat either of them when the goin gets twisty, albeit a little slower in the straights.

[Scott39]

HARLEY
http://i11.tinypic.com/2r4riwj.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/44vp207.jpg

[sonofmayhem]

im a volvo man myself........ i mean yamaha.

[lilgreenjeepyj]

Buell is the bike Ill go with one of these days...:drool:

[Jeffro600]

Buell is the bike Ill go with one of these days...:drool:


Yuck.... :barf:

[salsashark]

Buell is the bike Ill go with one of these days...:drool:

Before you committ to that, try taking out a demo before you buy... I thought my teeth were going to fall out due to the vibrations!

Squirrely little buggars as well.

[Joker]

Before you committ to that, try taking out a demo before you buy... I thought my teeth were going to fall out due to the vibrations!

Squirrely little buggars as well.

I'm not following your point?:D

The ladies will thank you for the vibrations!! Trust me!!:D

....and squirrely? Buells are MADE FOR CORNERS!! You need to lean more!!!:flipoff2:

[JRSFITNESS]

As far as brand preference I don't really have one. I own two BMW's, a Ninja, a Honda 650L dirt bike and a custom chopper.

The chopper is great in straight line runs because it has an S&S 124 inch engine with nitrous. It'll keep up with or surpass most of the upper end sport bikes out there up to about 135 miles per hour. My tires are only rated to 141 mph, so I rarely take it past 130.

One of my BMW's is a 2005 Boxer-Cup factory race replica. It's chipped and piped. As far as straight line speed it's kind of a middle of the pack bike, but in the corners in is one of the few bikes out there that will keep pace with the Ducati's.

J. R.

[Gunter]

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/bikes/bike.jsp?b=r1200r
you know how a p51 mustang is everything a prop fighter plane should be,this is the same for a motorcycle to me.

[DenverDude2002]

The BMW dealer at Ft Collins/Loveland had a R1200R at the open house last weekend, very nice bike.

[Joker]

The BMW dealer at Ft Collins/Loveland had a R1200R at the open house last weekend, very nice bike.

I'm not a BMW fan but that is a real nice bike!!!

[jaidmaster]

I voted Yamaha - mostly because I seem to keep going back to them. First bike was a '77 Yamaha DT175. Then got a '89 Yamaha Radian (which I kept 10 years!). Had a '90 Honda Shadow VT1100 for a little while. 2002 Honda XR250. Currently '04 Yamaha FZ1. My wife has a Kawasaki 250 Ninja.
Oh - almost forgot my Suzuki (Samurai...) :)

[simpleman]

Well I've only had an HD and this Suzuki, so they get my vote, just depends on how I feel and what attitude I got that day as to wich wins the tie breaker. This Suzuki is n9ice fast reliable and one sweet bike to ride though......... and did I mention its up for sale:rolleyes:

[DanaT]

For fun, I did a quick search on the 'busa. I found where Sport Bike tested it. It put down 163.2 hp on the dyno but, it weighs 560 lbs.

'busa: 163.2 hp at 560 lbs = 0.291 hp/lbs
My duc: 150 hp at 400 lbs = 0.375 hp/lbs

:flipoff2:

Should we do the 1320 math???

I can tell ya me and the bike all gassed up are about 690lbs. Now, for hp to weight....well...I guess we would need a calculator to see who is faster...or the 1320 calculator.

Don't always believe what you read. Also, one other *little* problem. If you have a Duc putting down 150rwhp it is not close to stock. You are assuming that every Hayabusa out there is stock when you quote the above hp. Over 200rwhp is not uncommon.

Also, 150rwhp (corrected) is about 118rwhp here.

To put that amount in perspective, on the GSXR I sold, in addition to the engine, I sprayed an additional 88hp into the thing. I was spraying almost as much hp as your bike makes. And that bike weighed, with me on it (in my slimmer years) about 530lbs wet (measured on Bandimere scale).

Be careful. There are 300-400rwhp Hayabusa running around....200+ is childs play now-a-days for them.

-Dana

[kmon35]

Harley Davidson.

I never wanted a motorcycle, but I always wanted a Harley. I dont think I will ever regret buying my '02 Fat Boy.

[fifthcircle]

Suzuki DL-650 V-Strom.

Price was great. Engine is schweet! Lots of aftermarket bits. I can put on sticky rubber and do a track day. Take it COMFORTABLY on cross country trips. Then put TKC-80's on it and run some dirt. It is the only competition for the BMW GS bikes here in the states, and it is 1/3 the price!!!!

I love all bikes. I have no brand loyalty...I want one of each:drool: :drool:

The whole my bike is better than yours is totally irrelevant. I'll give my bike to Nicky Hayden and you ride your Busa or Duc.....Hayden will beat you every time! Ok, maybe not my strom:rolleyes: but any stock rocket.

[Joker]

I love all bikes. I have no brand loyalty...I want one of each:drool: :drool:



Great response!!:thumbsup: I agree!

[DanaT]

The whole my bike is better than yours is totally irrelevant. I'll give my bike to Nicky Hayden and you ride your Busa or Duc.....Hayden will beat you every time! Ok, maybe not my strom:rolleyes: but any stock rocket.

In general, what you are saying is true, that rider skill has a lot ot do with it. However, you can be so out-classed with machinery, that no amount skill can make up the difference.

You are also assuming that people haven't actually raced when you say that.

When you make comments like that I must ask if you have ever NEEDED knee sliders? On motorrcycle race boots have you ever noticed that they have removable plastic on the outer toe edge? Any idea what that is for? Have you ever been glad you had that? To answer the question, they are toe sliders. And yes, they are needed.

Ever wonder why a race bike has a reversed shift pattern (i.e. you push down to upshift)? The reason is so you foot isn't under the shifter in a corner. Why does this matter? See above. Toe Sliders. You give up ground clearance if your foot is under the shifter (its also dangerous) in a turn. You will be upshifting and not down shifting.

If you are talking drag racing, if a big just has you flat out beat with HP, skill isn't going to help much. Yes, you may take them off the line, but if they have enough more they will just run you down.

When I was drag racing my GSXR11, I would leave the line at 8000-9000rpm. There wasn't a lot more that anyone could get out of that bike to go much faster. Skill wouldn't have netted much.

Now-a-day, having not raced in many moons, being fat, etc, a grandma could beat me....

-Dana

[Camp]

Dana, so you know, I was only having fun talking crap in this thread when I was posting in it last year. I know there are plenty of bikes out there that will far out horsepower my bike and yes, you are correct, it is no where near stock. It is a BCM built 955 race motor and I am an unskilled rider so, that bike doesn't go anywhere real fast with my sorry butt on it :D

[Tom N]

Since the heading is Canyoncarvers/commuters I voted Yamaha because I have had 2 Yamaha streetbikes that were/are great for me. This discussion of fastest/most powerful is amusing to me because my old XV920 which I put together out of 2 XV920s is fast enough for me. My commute to work is over a nice Mtn pass and the only problem I have is restraining myself from passing everyone, anywhere, all the time. :D If I had more power it would be even worse. I like to ride so I do. :thumbsup:

[lilgreenjeepyj]

Id like to add triumph and ducati to my list. I saw a NICE ducati in the parking lot today.

[DanaT]

Since the heading is Canyoncarvers/commuters I voted Yamaha because I have had 2 Yamaha streetbikes that were/are great for me. This discussion of fastest/most powerful is amusing to me because my old XV920 which I put together out of 2 XV920s is fast enough for me. My commute to work is over a nice Mtn pass and the only problem I have is restraining myself from passing everyone, anywhere, all the time. :D If I had more power it would be even worse. I like to ride so I do. :thumbsup:

No. No. No.

I think you mis-understood the conversation. We aren't talking about fastest/most powerful motorcycle.

We are talking about the largest pecker size.....

-Dana

[Jeffro600]

As time goes on im being swayed more and more torwards Ducati. Their new 1098s are nothing but freakin sick!!

[Tom N]

No. No. No.

I think you mis-understood the conversation. We aren't talking about fastest/most powerful motorcycle.

We are talking about the largest pecker size.....

-Dana


:laughing: Yeah but hows the saying go, its not the size but what you do with it... j/k

[DanaT]

:laughing: Yeah but hows the saying go, its not the size but what you do with it... j/k

Oh damn. In the last two years, mine has only seen action a few times....

-Dana

[bender]

busa`s may have top speed but theres quite a few bikes that can beat em out of the hole and almost any new crotch rocket will smoke it through the twisties.

i`d probably have to vote for suzuki being the best all around brand, performance,reliablity, price etc.

but I ride a 999R and an R1

[DanaT]

Actualy, as far as "coming out of the hole", I would say that the zx14 and busa are the tops. Getting off the line is all about not wheelieing (sp??). To do that, you need a long wheelbase and low CG.

When I was riding my GSXR (before I sold it) I ended up putting on an 8 inch over swingarm. I has the bike slammed. The reason for this was with the stock wheelbase it wouldn't keep the front on the ground below 100mph. Full power in 3rd gear resulted in monster wheelies (i.e enough so that I would have to back out).

"Out of the hole" I guess depends upon your definition. I am much easier on my Hayabusa than I was on my GSXR (maybe I am old now??). The GSXR was laucnhing (before the 8 over arm) at 8000rpm.

-Dana

[tarded400]

Doesn't really matter to me, but I'll stay with the big 4. KTMs are amazing, super duke, 990 SM, or any of their motards. Buells... gross. Ducatis, I agree on the status symbol. Not saying I wouldn't kill for a monster. MV, Triumph, etc... great looking bikes, but try to get service....
BTW- saw a busa at IMI one day...

[ZappBranigan]

I must be the only Triumph rider on this board. :D Been riding a 2001 Thunderbird since 2005. Bought it from the original purchaser with 1,958 miles - currently has around 25,500. Only problem has been a shock absorber that failed at around the 8k mile mark and which Triumph covered under warranty (actually, they did better than warranty: Rather than just pay for another crappy, non-adjustable Triumph shock, they credited me $500 and I used the money to buy an aftermarket Hagon adjustable!)

Triumphs are great bikes and they have the advantage of being unique - you don't run into 20 clones of your bike everytime you hit the road!

I plan on keeping mine a long time, especially since they've discontinued the model I ride.

[Tiffany]

I love the Triumphs. If I had the cash I would be on a 675 right now.

My buddy rides a TT600, almost bought one of those instead of my ZX-7R, but the guy didn't want to budge on his price one bit.

[salsashark]

I must be the only Triumph rider on this board. :D Been riding a 2001 Thunderbird since 2005. Bought it from the original purchaser with 1,958 miles - currently has around 25,500. Only problem has been a shock absorber that failed at around the 8k mile mark and which Triumph covered under warranty (actually, they did better than warranty: Rather than just pay for another crappy, non-adjustable Triumph shock, they credited me $500 and I used the money to buy an aftermarket Hagon adjustable!)

Triumphs are great bikes and they have the advantage of being unique - you don't run into 20 clones of your bike everytime you hit the road!

I plan on keeping mine a long time, especially since they've discontinued the model I ride.

I had a Triumph up until about a month ago. A Sprint ST that I loved.

But, got a killer deal on an 06 Kawi zx-14 that I couldn't refuse.