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Recommendations for a 2nd bike

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buck000

buck000

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Uncle Sam will be returning some of the money I loaned him interest-free in a little while. I've told my wife in no uncertain terms that I want a 2nd bike; I'm hoping she puts up with that. :-?

Anyway, I'd like a 2nd bike for the following:

A. Track days, in order to get better at this whole cornering thing, as well as achieve what would be superlegal speeds (i.e. above 70).
B. Back up bike, so I can feed my addiction just in case the 'priller is in the shop.
C. Maybe some back road cruising. I pass a lot of county roads that I'd really like to explore, but the Futura, and me on it, prefer to keep on to the smooth sweepers.

So, I'm thinking about the following:

1. Kawi KLR650 or a dual-purpose 450 or somesuch - great for B and C, above, but I'm wondering if it's reasonable to switch from knobby to grippy tires on it and use it as a track day tool. Ideally, my track bike would be one I could ride to the track, prep, ride, re-streetify, and ride home (or to the hotel ;) ). The aprilia would be a raucous good time on the track, but it's a pain to prep. So, this option would be more super-motard'ish in nature. Top speed is cool, but my dream is to be one of those wittle guys who passes the Big Bad Gixxer 1000s on the outside; who cares about straight line. :twisted: Actually, the main goal of track days is training in bigger lean angles, and increased confidence in bike handling in emergency situations on the street.

2. late model Ninja 250 / 500, mid 90's UJM - Covers A and B above, but not much for C, I'd imagine.

I'd like to spend 3k or less, pre-leathers/farkles. :)

Any ideas on the above, or other thoughts?

Thanks... :chug:
 
Well....nice bikes.

I will jump in here since I owned a KLR 650 for 7 years and 40K miles and currently own an '03 250R. The KLR makes a great backroad explorer. I used to ride it to CO and hit all the jeep trails I could find. As far as track days-the front brake needs upgraded badly for this, but that is about all except for the obvious tire choice. You will not run out of cornering clearance on the KLR or the 250R unless you have a hair shirt in your closet! Obviously, you have more power on the KLR, however, top speed is about the same on each..I saw 106 on the KLR and 103 on the 250R with my 300 lb rear on each. Top gear roll on from 65-70 mph is about equal, but the KLR gets the nod for lower speed roll ons. There are several mods needed to keep a KLR reliable, but these are fairly cheap and easy with a HUGE web link support. This is just my input-it's kind of a choice between two great bikes...have fun! I would.. :eek:
 
BTW

If you'd like input on the 500 Ninja, I'll have my son respond. He has put nearly 35,000 miles on his in the past 2 1/2 years. :shock:
 
What about an earlier model CBR F series? Those can be picked up for 3k and definately can do good on the track still.
 
Maybe the new baby vstrom?

Might be good at the track (may need stiffening up, like the sv650), and would handle most gravel roads.

Doesn't meet your $3k limit, though.

For a track bike, I'd look at a CBR f2 or f3, or maybe YZF600R.
 
There is an F2 for sale here in the For Sale section. I believe the post author is RiceRocketRedhead. It is already prepped for the track. Might need a little refreshing though because I think it has been sitting a while. I seem to recall it being under $3K.

Adios,
 
Thanks for all the responses...

Re: KLR650 -- cool beans, I'm leaning more to that, since it gives a lot of flexibility, if I wanna put knobbies on it and go hit some less pristine paths.

Re: EX500 - thanks for the offer. I've sat on a Ninja 500, and it fits perfectly. It'd probably be a good track bike. Dunno how much power-modding I could do if/when I decide I want more, but that's not a big priority anyway.

Re: 600s -- yup, I'm with ya, there are lots of deals to be had. The YZF-600R always catches my eye, for some reason.

I think I'll pursue the KLR angle, unless folks think it's totally stupid to try to have a single bike that's a dirt-roader AND a supermoto, with just a change of tires...
 
:tab Looks like that one is in pretty good shape. I did not see anything about how many miles it has on it though? The dilemma with buying anything from about 2000 on is that they still command a pretty good resale value. That being the case, you can go buy a brand new one for about $4.5-5K out the door in many places, with the full warranty.

:tab Wasn't there a KLR for sale in our For Sale section not long ago?

Adios,
 
650 Super Motard

Buck,

I have been looking for the odd MZ 660 Baghira. It has the killer Yamaha engine used in the Raptor. You can actually find them at a good price. You can even find a new or demo for not much that your looking price. I have been looking but no dinero!!!!

You lucky dog........ :-D
 
I put street tires on my KLX 650, and it handled like a sport bike! :-D

O.K., maybe not that good but, It is a lot more versitile than you could imagine. You might not find the KLX but, it is very similar to the KLR. Same engine and general stance only, not as heavy and a lot less comfy! :twisted: It's the street legal version of the off road race model.

I am converting mine for supermoto use after a theft and recovery provided me with the oportunity to replace many parts. :-|

Try the web site www.thumpertalk.com
Tons of helpfull info. and bikes for sale from all makes and models!

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you end up with. Variety is the spice of life! :mrgreen:
 
Re: 650 Super Motard

Greeves TFS said:
I have been looking for the odd MZ 660 Baghira.
Click to expand...

That is one sweet bike.

For my 2nd bike, though, I want something with a significant aftermarket, handy parts available (although the Yamaha engine of the MZ mitigates that a bit), etc.
 
txmedic, I'd prefer to have a Givi mount for my topcase, and also to carry on the Tourmeister tradition of mounting racks on track bikes. ;-)
 
Track prepped EX500s are floating around well under $3K. More like under $2K. Try to find one with the ZX6 swingarm/F2 rear wheel conversion so you can put modern rubber on. Stay away from the 16" wheels if possible, rubber is a bit limited as they have skinny wheels.

In fact, I have a frame, an F3 front end with wheel, and a ZX6 swingarm and F2 rear I need to get rid of. Keep threatening to put it together, but an early 90 16 inch EX for a donor bike and move everything over. No reasonable offer refused :angel:

An EX will teach you about corner speed, you pretty much have to ride it like a 125... You can't recover from mid-corner mistakes with excess horsepower. Admittedly I'm prejuidiced, as my first race bike was an EX. Now I regret selling it, as a bunch of them have cropped up on the track now. I was the lone ranger there for a while.

EXs are really easy on tires, I'd get several track days and/or races out of a set of tires. Well, except at No Problem Raceway, toasted a set in one day there. An EX will be much cheaper to operate than a 600.

HP mods are limited. Mine had CR carbs, pods and a Muzzy. You can build 'em up to about 70HP reliably, after that they start to grenade.

Does get boring getting passed by wankers on the straights, but it's soooo rewarding to blast around them back in the tight stuff. That's when you know you're starting to get this cornering thing down pat.

Motards are fun, but TWS is kinda brutal on them. Another thought, Honda's liquid cooled 650 is a pretty cool choice.

Daryl
 
I was cruising Cycle trader a few months ago and found an interesting bike. If I had not just accidently bought my VFR on E-bay, I would have looked at it. It was a Cannondale E440 that had been made street legal and was set up with 17" wheels and big brakes. It was a cool looking bike.
 
More questions on the "KLR650 as the Jack of all rides" thought.

Mainly, I'm wondering about availability of tires. I think the KLRs come with 90/90-21 fronts and 130/80-17 rears. My thought is to have two separate sets of tires, one for street/gravel/dirt roads, and one for the track. Am I painting myself into a corner hoping to get decent sticky non-knobbies in the above sizes, or is this all covered?

I will probably ask this in the klr650 forums Out There, but wanted you folks' respected opinions first...


On the other ideas:

* The KLX650 idea is intriguing, but I'd like a tad more comfort if I'm able to ride the bike to the track day, or on a Sunday rough-road jaunt...

* The EX500 idea is really tempting (forget rough roading)... I see where wera.com has a '93 as described by uberhawk for a reasonable (?) price.

Thanks, again, for all the responses.
 
Hmmm, maybe I should just use the kid's college money and get a new red R1 that's almost as pretty my RST and be done with it...

04R1_red_4_1734.jpg


drool
 
Well, that would be the actual model and color combo. But I already HAVE a Rotax twin... :-)
 
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