Wow, turned out nice. Can't believe you rebuilt that thing, though!

SVs are fun. One of the few bikes I've had on the track where I felt like I was getting everything it had to give.

 

Awesome SV, glad to see you saved it!

Just broke the beast out of hibernation, gave it an oil change with Amsoil (both holes), and did some brapping.

 

This may be an impossible newb question. Anyone have a tire reccommendation for 50/50 loose sand, and highway, and is extremely resistant to cactus punctures? I'd like to go play out in the arroyos and dual tracks through the cactus forrests on my heavy dual sport.

I don't need to go fast in the sand, but not get stuck. I need to ride some highway without getting run over to get to the sand.

 

So, this weekend, I bought bike #30 (in a little over 30 years of riding). My third Yamaha, an FJ-09:



Replaced my '06 Hayabusa, the faithful 'Tour 'Bus'...



I'll miss the 'Busa, but the riding position was starting to get to me on longer trips, and it was getting a little long in the tooth. Had it 5 years, the longest I've kept a bike in a long time.

The FJ feels like a bicycle by comparison, at almost 100lbs lighter. Great power from the 850cc triple. Going for it's first real ride today...

 

That new bike looks like a riot, hadn't heard of that one. I love triples. Should be a perfect tourer.

 

Just over 200 miles on it now. It's the reincarnation of the UJM... at 460lbs wet with 110whp. 50mpg so far, handles great, and even at 5000ft, the front comes up or gets light in the first three gears...

I think it's going to be a fun bike.

 

The FZ09 and FZ07 are light years ahead of the FZ6 and FZ1. Truly an improvement. The older FZs were ruined sportbikes, where the new ones are excellent little bikes.

 

So the F4i is finally out of the game as of last night. On the way home from work I lost cylinder #2 and the front brakes failed. Not bad for a 25k mile bike that has been laid down and abused its entire life. I sadly don't have the time or energy to fix it, and I just flat out need a more reliable bike. The $2000 special I bought out of high school isn't cutting it anymore.

I was thinking of upgrading to a newer CBR, or even going for something like a used Daytona. But I think I'm sick of laying on the tank all the time. Speed triple maybe? There is something about a triumph has my attention, and I want one. I need something that will get me around all the cruisers without killing my body after a 200+ mile ride. Also 100 miles on a tank of gas sucks, I'd like more than that. When it's nice I would daily it.

I guess I have some shopping to do.

 

Cylinder #2 gave up, AND the front brakes failed? Geeze....

 

Not sure of your budget, but if you like the STriple, you should take a look at the FZ-09... used ones are starting to pop up at good prices.

 

Yeah, I could totally live with an FZ-09.

I wonder if I could find one for somewhere south of 6k locally.

 

How 'bout a Buell? Favorite bike ever.

 

Or a Ducati Monster.

 

You could check out a VFR800/Interceptor (either pre-2010, or the new one). My '09 was good for 220+ miles on a tank on the highway, still very sport-oriented, but a bit more laid-back riding position. It doesn't get up and go like a 600 supersport, of course, but it'll get out of its own way and the VTEC rush (if applicable) is fun times, as is the V-4 sound. The optional hard bags are great and ABS is a great confidence booster if you're going to ride in the wet. People have mixed feelings about the linked brakes, but the later ones are somewhat delinked, and I didn't find them intrusive.

If you want more relaxed and faster, then of course there's a world of full-on sport tourers out there. The Triumph Sprint ST has the triple thing going, and is a bit less mainstream than the Japanese. I was close to buying one before deciding to get the Miata instead.

 

The VFR800 has a lot going on. I know I don't want to spend 9+k on something, especially with the short riding season like we have here. And I don't want another bike with a bunch of miles on it.
Full on sport tourers are out of my budget too. If I lived in a place I could ride year round I'd consider it.

I'm really liking the yz-09. I like the naked look and the 3 cylinder sound. I could probably buy one new and pay it in full. Or even a year old with a few miles on it. Plus I think I have to stay Japanese in order to afford it.

 

For the record, the 25k miles your old bike had is nowhere near "a bunch of miles" for that bike. Like you said, it was abused and dropped. Even my also-abused TL was running well at 35k+. Back when I was still following it, there was a guy on one of the forums I was on with an F4i with like 150k miles on it. Bikes in cold weather climates go bad from age and sitting, not from being ridden. I'd have no problem buying a 40k mile bike if it had been maintained and hadn't spent extended time sitting. In fact, I think I might even prefer it.

 

The bike sat in a climate controlled garage all winter for the past 10 years that I know of and still ruptured a brake line. CCT rattles like hell. Body panels are held on with zip ties. Turn signals don't work. And god knows what's wrong with the engine now.

Bottom line, I don't have time to work on it. I'm on 12 hour days 7 days a week at work. Plus I don't even have a running turbo Miata anymore.
I only bought the bike for 2k, so It won't hurt to just scrap it. I've got my moneys worth out of it.

I'm not opposed to buying a used bike one bit. Just nothing with more than 10000 miles and more than a few years old. I need the reliability.

 

Had an '07 VFR. Vtec was fun for sure, but the bike was HEAVY. Weirdly enough, I also found it less comfortable for long rides than my XB12R. Maybe I am just too short to be comfortable in the VFR (5'7") but either way, traded it straight across for another Buell and never looked back.

 

I wasn't trying to make a case for keeping your current bike. I just wanted you to know that, in general, 25k miles isn't a lot for a well-maintained bike, and you shouldn't necessarily balk at "higher" mileage of a potential purchased based on the condition of your old one.

 

hey gays, remember that K75 i was fixing up? After 2 years i finally got it fixed up



first ride in 2 years