Considering new bike! Thoughts? Pros/cons?

[Laura600]

Hello boys and girls. I know, I've dissapeared for a bit but hopefully that's over! 😬 Kinda miss you guys, even you GM! Haha 😘 So, I'm starting to ponder a new bike next season. I've been a Sportbike girl for 11 years, but let's face it, I will never fully utilize the capabilities of a sport bike. And why not be a little more comfortable when I ride. Long rides hurt and having sore wrists and neck the next day isn't worth it to me anymore. Looking at the SV650 or FZ6/7.....I'm short and the Suzukis tend to fit better, but I fell in love w the new fz7 I saw last weekend! And major pro's or con's, or any other suggestions? Ya'll know more than me! 😊

[GreenMachine]

You should light up the SSA women's area, really trash it up with whatever you feel like saying.  Give it some life.   

Laura, I think a better way of approaching it would be to ask yourself what it is you are looking from your new bike.  All the bikes you listed have their pros & cons.  But what kind of riding are you looking to do? 

You can go for an FZ-7, but find that you don't like it's riding position or wind protection.  Or the SV, with it's more upright riding position, if that's what you're really after.  But I think the bike you have is a good match for you.  You're going to give up something to accommodate something else. 

Bigger bikes, like mine, tend to be easier to ride in a lazy fashion, but mine also requires a heavier rider to make it transition in corners.  Smaller lighter bikes tend to be more nimble with far less input.  Bigger displacement up here tends to be more favorable, while smaller displacement works just as well for lower altitudes.

I'm sure some may have said this to you before, but with a sportbike or any motorcycle, if you want to ride it for longer distances, just 'toughen up' by riding it more.  The act of doing it should help you extend your range and comfort.  SLmoto has your same bike.  He's ridden 700 miles on it in a day cold-turkey, so it is possible to do even without working up to it (distance riding).

Can you give us a little better idea of what it is you're looking for from a new bike or what direction you're wanting to go in with your riding expereience?

[Laura600]

Thank you, everything you said is valid. Ya I've ridden other bikes before and the lack of windscreen is noticeable, but I know there are add ons. My neck and my wrists hurt after I ride on long rides. I don't need more cc's I don't think. Well maybe a 700, but no way am I considering 1000! I don't ride like you, and probably never will! 😉 I've been riding a long time and gone on many long rides and the "toughening up" isn't working.

[Laura600]

And that is awesome that SLmoto can ride for that length of time. But that is not a fair comparison. We are two different people w different riding styles and different bodies. At this point in my life I doubt my riding style is going to change. But I'm looking for something that is still sporty and lightweight that I won't be hurting in at the end of the day. I mean some discomfort is guaranteed, I know that. And am just seeing if anyone else has had similar experience, or if they have suggestions on type of bike.

[RichVee4]

I will throw out a couple options you may want to consider that are similar to what you have now, assuming you arent thinking cruiser.   I have an idea of your riding style and think you can find something more comfortable than your current bike.  Like previously mentioned picking one over the other is  compromise of some sort. 

CBR650F - It a honda,     This model is setup more toward touring than track. Offers a more relaxed sitting position and tuned for power at lower RPM.   Would have to look at seat height but said to be lower than RR style.  Still has clip ons but are higher.  It a little heavier so have to consider that also.

Ninja 300 - Dont know much about them but you might like the lower weight.   From a power perspective you would have to work it a little harder but they are not slow.   In my few track days I'm always impressed how quick the 300 are, especially in the corners.

Both have fairings so offer some wind protection.   SV's are fun too, and have an easy to use power band.   They have a street version with one piece bar but no fairing.  You could try Gregs sometime if interested.

[GreenMachine]

I think you doubled your post count in under 24 hours.  Look out, here comes Laura!    

Actually wasn't comparing you to SL, just passing on that long rides on your current bike are possible.  I think SL found some different positions to ride in that helped for resting and taking pressure off his hands, neck, shoulders and back.  I can tell you from riding my bike long distances that if I don't get out of the wind or if I had to ride upright, I couldn't do it.  I'd be looking at something more touring oriented, probably bigger too.  In town, upright is fine though for me.

I'm surprised you don't think your riding style will ever change.  I suppose that's just how I feel.  Learning, adapting, trying to be as safe as possible (improving bike control) and still have some fun.  Those are my rewards.  And I was lucky.  The bike I stumbled upon was ideally suited for teaching me all of those.  My match!

I like the bikes suggested thus far, the FZ-7, CBR650, SV-650, & Ninja 300.  I'd also throw in Rich's 900.  Probably similar to the FZ-7, only more appealing in the power department.  Get some wind protection and you might feel like joining us next year for OoB III.

[slmoto]

What GM forgot to mention that while I may have done over 700 miles in a day on the same bike you have I am also tired of the discomfort of my bike for long distances too. I've been pondering a different bike for some time as well for pretty much the same reasons you've described.

I demo'd a FZ6 recently, I really liked the bike and thought it would do well and eliminate some of the discomforts you described but I did feel myself wanting a little more power so maybe the FZ7 would help that out.

I also demo'd the Yamaha xsr900. I'm not completely sold on the retro styling but the engine was a blast and I think it may share the same engine as the FZ9. If you can, try and ride one of these so you can see how the larger engine suits you.

I wouldn't worry too much about going up in displacement if you're switching to a different style of bike. Engines are tuned differently and I've found some larger displacement engines I've ridden don't feel any more powerful than the 600 I currently have, sometimes even less peppy or powerful.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to test any of the bikes for long distances so the wind factors didn't really kick in. But I've been riding my KLR long distances, it has minimal wind protection (it's the older version, newer ones have a little  more protection) and has not bothered me yet. Sure more wind protection might be nice but for me I'm finding out it's been less of a factor than I originally thought it may be.

Along the lines of what Rich mentioned with the CBR650F Suzuki also makes a similar bike GSX650F so you may want to look into that if you're partial towards Suzuki.

You should take Rich up on his offer to try Gregs SV. I've been riding a lot of different bikes lately and I've been surprised by how different my feelings about bikes are than what I gathered from reading/watching reviews. I don't think there is anything more valuable than some actual seat time if you can get it.

[dub]

It's an exciting time for naked sportbike market. There are a lot of great bikes out there with comfortable ergonomics that have fun motors and great handling. Not long ago it was kind of a niche market. Now nearly every manufacturer makes great naked bikes across the whole spectrum. Both manufacturers and the riding public are finally realizing you can have a really fun bike, without being hunched over in a repli-racer crouch to do it.

I'm thinking of selling my SV650 for an FZ-09.

[Laura600]

Thank you so much for all your suggestions. Ya, definetly no cruiser GM! Not till I'm like 80 years old maybe! Haha. It does seam like there are a lot more options for sporty/touring bikes now than even a few years ago. Ya I really liked my bike but I'm just not feeling it anymore. I move around and adjust my body position on it when I can but that's just temporary! Heck, depending on finances I might be able to keep GSXR and get something else....long rides are definetly doable, but I hurt the next day and it's not worth it anymore. I know that I will add some wind resistance but might add a small windscreen if I can. I've riden a GSXR 750 and even an R1, so I'm comfortable with a bit more cc's but with more power comes more weight so I gotta find a balance there. I haven't looked into the Hondas yet but I know I fit on the Suzukis, the fz's were a bit tall but might be able to bring it down a bit. I usually start out a ride pretty fast and able, then kinda get tired and my neck starts to bother me about an hour in and I slow down. I've noticed that the last few long rides I've been on. Thank you so much for all your suggestions and insight guys! 😘