bmart
Control Rider
Why do you ride what you ride?
- Thread starter bmart
- Start date
bmart
Control Rider
You've got that right. The SV is a potent package at any level. Granted, VIR North is the course I run the worst at, I still remember getting passed by an instructor on an SV years ago...he was two up.
mdhokie
Member
- 1974 Yamaha RD200 (two stroke smoker) - got this bike off e-Bay in college, because my buddy had an RD also, and it was the cheapest motorcycle I could find. Over 10 years I learned a lot of detail on how many components of a bike there are to go wrong (experienced nearly every one of them at least once). The two stroke scream was awesome but I couldn't maintain speed going up a steep hill at 60mph (either 50mph 4th gear or 70mph 5th gear would work if I was in the powerband).
- 1973 Honda CBR500 - I got it because a friend gave it to me for free. It was a project he and his brother started, and were never able to get working right. I fixed a mis-assembled clutch and couple odds and ends and rode it a while, but it wasn't as much fun as my RD200 (heavier, no powerband, lack of howling blue smoke generator). I passed it on to another friend when I got bored with it.
- 2009 Yamaha FZ1 - my wife tolerated my motorcycle enthusiasm since it was a pre-existing condition, but she didn't like riding on the RD because of the small banana seat and nothing to grab onto (besides me). The fact that I had to replace missing bolts that rattled loose nearly every time I drove it also didn't help her confidence. Knowing nothing about bikes, she picked out the Ninja 1000 and FZ1 as having the nicest passenger seat and handles...I could live with that! Rode the FZ1 on the street for a number of years, and on track the last two years.
- 2010 Yamaha R1 - I was actually looking for an R6, but I found a deal on a race-ready R1 for cheaper than I could find a comparable 600cc bike. It's more bike than I probably can use, but I couldn't turn it down. I used to dream of riding an R1 back when I was a college kid, at least once in my life! I can't wait to get it out on track, and I hope it doesn't throw me over the handlebars the first time I ride it in earnest! The aggressive on-off-throttle response is a little scary, and I'm finding it really hard to be smooth, compared to the lightweight two-stroke that I learned on.
- 1973 Honda CBR500 - I got it because a friend gave it to me for free. It was a project he and his brother started, and were never able to get working right. I fixed a mis-assembled clutch and couple odds and ends and rode it a while, but it wasn't as much fun as my RD200 (heavier, no powerband, lack of howling blue smoke generator). I passed it on to another friend when I got bored with it.
- 2009 Yamaha FZ1 - my wife tolerated my motorcycle enthusiasm since it was a pre-existing condition, but she didn't like riding on the RD because of the small banana seat and nothing to grab onto (besides me). The fact that I had to replace missing bolts that rattled loose nearly every time I drove it also didn't help her confidence. Knowing nothing about bikes, she picked out the Ninja 1000 and FZ1 as having the nicest passenger seat and handles...I could live with that! Rode the FZ1 on the street for a number of years, and on track the last two years.
- 2010 Yamaha R1 - I was actually looking for an R6, but I found a deal on a race-ready R1 for cheaper than I could find a comparable 600cc bike. It's more bike than I probably can use, but I couldn't turn it down. I used to dream of riding an R1 back when I was a college kid, at least once in my life! I can't wait to get it out on track, and I hope it doesn't throw me over the handlebars the first time I ride it in earnest! The aggressive on-off-throttle response is a little scary, and I'm finding it really hard to be smooth, compared to the lightweight two-stroke that I learned on.
