Hey I'm 32 years old, in good health and my previous bikes were a z50 honda when I was about 8 years old. Then later when I was a teenager I got a suzuki drz 400 dual sport, then a klr kawasaki 650, again dual sport and my previous bike was actually a cruiser. A suzuki boulevard c50 800cc
What I plan to do with this site is just learn more about gixxers as I'm planning on getting one but I have to learn more about which one is the best one for a "start" for me as I'm all about sport bikes now. I originally almost got one before I got my cruiser. I'm also interested in the Hayabusa and ZX14r but that can be something for later but really.....I'm not really interested in it. I hear that if you learn well on a gixxer that you can lean and turn much tighter than any of the other two bikes that I mentioned in the curves and just have more fun. I'm not here to talk about that.
Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Alex and I live in the Vancouver area. Canada. Thanks
Yes a supersport will teach you to be smooth due too their very sensitive controls , it makes you appreciate how good they really are when you learn to ride them correctly!!!
I used to own a zx14r , was a very quick bike , comfortable and great for sitting the miss' on the back ... Terrible when you hurried it through corners , and quite heavy though you expect that from a bike that size.
You've got experience and have owned bikes. Pick whatever gixxer you want. You'll be fine at this point. Just remember that the liter class is a different animal. Be careful with whatever you go with. They're all stupid fast. I've personally owned all three gixxer variants, 600,750, 1000 and none were slow. Just take your time man.
I'm not sure I agree, if the OP hasn't had a sports bike before then I'd stick to the 600. Car wise it's a like saying I owned a hot hatch, should I buy a Ferrari or Bugatti Veyron next?
Since you already have quite a bit of riding experience you'll be fine;just remember everything happens much quicker on a SS.
In car terms,think of the transition from cruiser to GSXR similar to going from a Prius to a C7 Corvette. Take it easy the first ride,get acclimated to the brakes and throttle,how quickly the bike turns in before you start riding in anger and you'll have a great experience:cheers
Well..the guys who start off as kids riding in the dirt have a shit ton of experience even by the time they turn 18. I got my first track time on a z50 while I was about the same age as the OP. 1st or 2nd grade....:dunno. You'd be surprised at how much those little bikes can teach you as a child. Shit...I even want one now! It's the CRF50 nowadays.
There were only a handful of kids who could handle a dirtbike when they were young and most of them grew older to become great sportbike riders. My Kawi KX100 still sits at my grandma's house in Boston to this day. Still trying to figure out how to get the thing to Florida. :hammer
I'm actually thinking about getting a different bike because I think the older 1000s are becoming obsolete with all of the new electric techno shit coming out which I hate. I'll never sell my bike but I'm thinking of grabbing a sumo (DRZ?) or something so I can keep the gixxer as a museum piece. I also have dreams of building another race bike only for shits and giggles. Fuckin decisions. :hammer
Electronics and rider aids have their place but are not necessary. It's cool what these new bikes are capable of but the ultimate responsibility of control rests on the rider's skills and abilities.
What a lot of you seem to be ignoring is that none of these rider aids were designed for street use.
In order to use something in pro racing, it needs to be on production bikes. That is why there are mode switches, launch control, anti-wheelie control, yo momma control, etc...
So while they serve no purpose on a street-going bike, in order to be competitive racing, you need the best electronics package.
And yes, rider aids do take away from the experience, and it does make the rider's job easier. The old 90% rider/10% machine ratio has gone out the window, and is now like 60% rider/40% machine.
What a lot of you seem to be ignoring is that none of these rider aids were designed for street use.
In order to use something in pro racing, it needs to be on production bikes. That is why there are mode switches, launch control, anti-wheelie control, yo momma control, etc...
So while they serve no purpose on a street-going bike, in order to be competitive racing, you need the best electronics package.
And yes, rider aids do take away from the experience, and it does make the rider's job easier. The old 90% rider/10% machine ratio has gone out the window, and is now like 60% rider/40% machine.
I think some aides can be useful, I can see why you might want ABS on the road, after all very few riders have ever had to use their brakes full on until it's too late....
I've noticed this with the thebmw s1k. A lot of people I know want it because of the rider aids, who can't ride particularly well, as in I personally don't think they need a 1k, but to them the option of having rider aids makes them think it's somehow beginner friendly.