GSXR750...

[anutz]

was looking at thundercats earlier, main thing i want is to try a sports bike for a while, so it does not have to be a gsxr 750, it just seemed a good idea as i am used to what i have, to try a 750....and in terms of models i want to spend less than i was thinking so looking at K3's as well now, seem to be cheap enough...

[Hedgetrimmer]

Seems to me the GSXR750 would be a good choice for trying a first sports bike. Plenty of power, not nuts-over-the-top like the litre versions, good compromise for a bit more midrange than a 600. I reckon they'd be plenty fast enough.


Thundercats, whilst perhaps a good bike, are a bit dated now; more like a CBR600F. Neither would be my first choice for a first sports bike experience if I wanted to know what the class was all about. Might as well try something with a few more years of development if the prices are affordable.

[noggythenog]

I would listen to the trimmer of hedges
 




He has lots of experience of crashing.  Riding that class of motorcycle




For what its worth id like to try a gsxr 750 too but i know it wouldnt be comfy for me as my fz1 wasnt. The fz1 was pretty heavy and i think the lightweight 750 would be a good compromise for the roads and corners.

[anutz]

yep i think its still the GSXR then....

[noggythenog]

Is the SRAD a K1 then...or was it SRAD & then K1.....tbh all this K businness irks me, always has done....no need for it.....i like punkstigs review on his one.

[joebloggs]

While on the subject, theres a great book about the early GSXR's, its more like a biography of Jamie Whitam and his early racing carrier, and his time with Mick Grant, it sort of starts on topic then quickly goes off on a tangent.

[Deefer666]

Is the SRAD a K1 then...or was it SRAD & then K1.....tbh all this K businness irks me, always has done....no need for it.....i like punkstigs review on his one.

No an SRAD is pre K series, up to 99, then you had the Y model (same as the K1) in 2000, then K1 for 2001, K2 2002 and so on. The Y and the K1 models are the same bike and as mentioned they have a brutal power delivery, which they tamed down in 2002 onwards. The 750 K1 was quicker than the 1000 of the same age. If you want an easy bike to ride then I would say the 750 k1 is not the bike for you. Try a 750 SRAD.

[noggythenog]

Is the SRAD a K1 then...or was it SRAD & then K1.....tbh all this K businness irks me, always has done....no need for it.....i like punkstigs review on his one.

No an SRAD is pre K series, up to 99, then you had the Y model (same as the K1) in 2000, then K1 for 2001, K2 2002 and so on. The Y and the K1 models are the same bike and as mentioned they have a brutal power delivery, which they tamed down in 2002 onwards. The 750 K1 was quicker than the 1000 of the same age. If you want an easy bike to ride then I would say the 750 k1 is not the bike for you. Try a 750 SRAD.

Cheers deefer....now that you explain it then it suddenly becomes apparent why the K although i suppose you could say that about any bike and stick a k in front instead of 2000......although they shoulda really called the 2K1, 2k2 etc.......god im pernickity




So it is decided.......Anuts.......get one o those SRAD thingies.....should be cheap enough being a bit older.

[anutz]

its looking like the most efficient way to try a sports bike...

[sinto]

its looking like the most efficient way to try a sports bike...

Oh decisions, decisions
Get a move on will ya, it's getting near winter and we want an update before santa arrives

[Deefer666]

Look at the price difference between an SRAD and a K1 and that should tell you all you need to know... Decent Y/K1 series seem to fetch (or have been fetching) more money, As they are highly prized amongst the track day boys. For ease of riding go for an early SRAD as they had carbs, the later ones changed to FI and the standard fueling set up them is fucking horrendous. They can be improved with a PCIII and a custom map but this wont add any value to the bike in the long term if you are using the bike as a stepping stone into sports bikes.

Just as a thought have you looked at FZR's? the 1000 RU exup is still a quick bike, easy to ride & can be picked up quite cheaply?

[joebloggs]

Look at the price difference between an SRAD and a K1 and that should tell you all you need to know... Decent Y/K1 series seem to fetch (or have been fetching) more money, As they are highly prized amongst the track day boys. For ease of riding go for an early SRAD as they had carbs, the later ones changed to FI and the standard fueling set up them is fucking horrendous. They can be improved with a PCIII and a custom map but this wont add any value to the bike in the long term if you are using the bike as a stepping stone into sports bikes.

Just as a thought have you looked at FZR's? the 1000 RU exup is still a quick bike, easy to ride & can be picked up quite cheaply?

I wouldn't go for the 1000 EXUP as first sports bike, very heavy steering in comparison to newer bikes, even using lots of countersteer it still took a lot of muscle to pull it down into turns.

[noggythenog]

Not sure why im getting involved as i cant afford another bike




Always interesting to hear about other bikes


I feel some pics are required.

[noggythenog]

And another pic.......not that im seriously suggesting a TL1000R.......because i believe they are too lardy........but  boy they look sexy.....always lived the look of them........& the gsxrSRAD has a simillar look about it.


The headlights on those SRADs really set them off i reckon......a strange bit to like but there we are.

[joebloggs]

My RU, so dissapointing after wanting one for so long, was like finding out your hot date has meat and two veg

[anutz]

so, i have been looking at K3/4/5, as they are usually between 2-3K, or an SRAD which is less, but i don't want to buy a total rust bucked or something that will need lots of work like my FZS600 did i.e. shocks and springs, so at 18 stone i wonder how well its setup for my big bones

[joebloggs]

so, i have been looking at K3/4/5, as they are usually between 2-3K, or an SRAD which is less, but i don't want to buy a total rust bucked or something that will need lots of work like my FZS600 did i.e. shocks and springs, so at 18 stone i wonder how well its setup for my big bones

You need to consider any bike you look at at this age may require a new shock etc so providing its in fair condition it may be worth going with an earlier bike and spending some of the money you save on the asking price on suspension.

[anutz]

good point regards the suspension, after all i had to do the same on my FZS600, new R6 shock and changed fork springs....

[JoeRock]

I would listen to the trimmer of hedges
 




He has lots of experience of crashing.  Riding that class of motorcycle




For what its worth id like to try a gsxr 750 too but i know it wouldnt be comfy for me as my fz1 wasnt. The fz1 was pretty heavy and i think the lightweight 750 would be a good compromise for the roads and corners.

You do know they're completely different riding positions Nogster - the 750 has clipons!
Around town at low speeds, I prefer flat bars. For every other riding, I prefer clipons - so as little of my riding is around town a sports bike made more sense!

[noggythenog]

so, i have been looking at K3/4/5, as they are usually between 2-3K, or an SRAD which is less, but i don't want to buy a total rust bucked or something that will need lots of work like my FZS600 did i.e. shocks and springs, so at 18 stone i wonder how well its setup for my big bones

You need to consider any bike you look at at this age may require a new shock etc so providing its in fair condition it may be worth going with an earlier bike and spending some of the money you save on the asking price on suspension.

Mr bloggs has a good point......but on the other hand you want to try experience the bike as it was meant to be rather than how it is with some fancy shock that might make it far too stiff or unforgiving or whatever......this is what i did with my thou and in hindsight i probably would have much preferred the standard suspension.....but i wouldnt really trust sellers saying "sorted" suspension, just because it says nitron or ohlins doesnt mean it will be right for you.........18 stone is heavy though..........i must be about that fully kitted up and on my noggytrx i have a standard yzf750 rear shock, 90's era and it is spot on.......looks a bit scabby but it is plush.......so a standard shock on a gsxr id hazard a guess at being perfectly fine for you albeit maybe a rebuilt one for peace of mind.

[noggythenog]

I would listen to the trimmer of hedges
 




He has lots of experience of crashing.  Riding that class of motorcycle




For what its worth id like to try a gsxr 750 too but i know it wouldnt be comfy for me as my fz1 wasnt. The fz1 was pretty heavy and i think the lightweight 750 would be a good compromise for the roads and corners.

You do know they're completely different riding positions Nogster - the 750 has clipons!
Around town at low speeds, I prefer flat bars. For every other riding, I prefer clipons - so as little of my riding is around town a sports bike made more sense!

Yeh joe appreciate that mate.......id love to try a bike with clip ons and see what fun i can have.........wrist pain would be less of a concern to me than legs being too cramped....leg cramp is just bloody awful......the lying down position although limiting vision ahead over cars etc i also think i would quite like.


Interested in following anutz here to see what his whole experience is.......then ill be getting a bigger shed so i have room for another bike

[Hedgetrimmer]

I wouldn't go for the 1000 EXUP as first sports bike, very heavy steering in comparison to newer bikes, even using lots of countersteer it still took a lot of muscle to pull it down into turns.

This is what I mean by going for something with a bit more development. Plenty of modern upright bikes probably handle as good or better than earlier sports bikes, so I think you might be short-changing yourself by buying older models. It seems many experienced riders rate the K5 as the best of the bunch - that's the one I would aim for, and even then, you're still talking about a bike that's 10 years behind. My own sports bike experience is waaaay out of date, but I do understand that things have come a long way since I could ride them, and don't see the point of going back to older tech if you want to sample that world. Sports bikes are about cutting edge in handling and performance - I say save a bit more, and go later.

[anutz]

looking at K4/5 models, they are in the 2-3K bracket and there is a few on ebay regularly, cannot afford K6+ as they seem to jump 3K+

[joebloggs]

In reply to Hedgetrimmers last post this was also why I mentioned the 400 market, OK so didn't understand the size of the op but as fars as cutting edge sports bikes go something like a FZR400 RRSP, chassis wise, is going to be up there with the best of them. They were only produced to allow them to compete in the Japanese home race series, and not being to powerful means you can scream the hell out of the engine (17000 rpm) and use the race derived chassis to attack corners like you can only dream of on larger capacity bikes.

I've never ridden the FZR but had a blast on a Tri arm and a ZXR400 and both were amazing fun. I took the Honda down one of my favorite roads and had my foot wedged between the road and frame through one of the corners, completely bonkers.

[JoeRock]

I would listen to the trimmer of hedges
 




He has lots of experience of crashing.  Riding that class of motorcycle




For what its worth id like to try a gsxr 750 too but i know it wouldnt be comfy for me as my fz1 wasnt. The fz1 was pretty heavy and i think the lightweight 750 would be a good compromise for the roads and corners.

You do know they're completely different riding positions Nogster - the 750 has clipons!
Around town at low speeds, I prefer flat bars. For every other riding, I prefer clipons - so as little of my riding is around town a sports bike made more sense!

Yeh joe appreciate that mate.......id love to try a bike with clip ons and see what fun i can have.........wrist pain would be less of a concern to me than legs being too cramped....leg cramp is just bloody awful......the lying down position although limiting vision ahead over cars etc i also think i would quite like.


Interested in following anutz here to see what his whole experience is.......then ill be getting a bigger shed so i have room for another bike

Rearsets - just adjust them down and back!


Time for the shed extension and the "what sports bike should I get" thread?