The wrong bike? | GTAMotorcycle.com

The wrong bike?

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DownDeep99ca

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So has anyone else gone out bought the bike they thought they wanted and after riding for a month or two realize it might not have been the right choice? Don't get me wrong I do like the bike, I'm just not sure now it was what I really wanted. Ever after doing the research. That being said I sure a lot of people would love to have 3 or more bikes in the garage! Sport, standard and sport touring. I find it very hard to figure out what I am really looking for in a bike. I guess I will have to waiting a couple of years and try again! lol
 
DownDeep99ca said:
So has anyone else gone out bought the bike they thought they wanted and after riding for a month or two realize it might not have been the right choice? Don't get me wrong I do like the bike, I'm just not sure now it was what I really wanted. Ever after doing the research. That being said I sure a lot of people would love to have 3 or more bikes in the garage! Sport, standard and sport touring. I find it very hard to figure out what I am really looking for in a bike. I guess I will have to waiting a couple of years and try again! lol
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I think just about everybody goes through that at least once in their riding lifetime. My first bike (Burgman 400) I traded in after one season and 13,000 kms - and I paid a pretty penny in depreciation for those 13,000 kms on a new bike - yikes. My second bike (Kawi ZR-7S) I crashed, but I wasn't really crazy about it. On my third bike I struck gold - 2002 Yamaha FZ1 and I didn't buy it because it was my dream bike, but because at the time my ortho cleared me for riding again, it was what I could find in a sport-tourer at the amount the insurer paid out for the Kawi - lol. I fell in love with that bike big time - 7 years and 160,000 kms later I seriously considered putting in the money to keep it on the road for another season or two. But... I thought I wanted to downsize and went with a newer, low kms FZ6R - and the jury is still out on this bike. Lacking in the high end power - but so much fun in the twisties I almost forget that until I hit the highway again.

Unless you only do one style of riding, I agree having a one-size fits all bike is hard. At first I almost hated FZ6R - but am learning to embrace the revs, stop looking for a 7th gear and accept that first gear on this bike is strictly for stopping and starting.

But in the end its just a motorcycle - not a spouse. You don't have to love it forever, if it doesn't suit you there's probably someone else out there who would be happy to ride it.
 
nearace said:
It does happen, just sell it and try again, lol, you may never get the perfect bike.
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I guess I will sell it, just have to wait till what I owe is what I can get for it! lol
 
BeastieGirl said:
I think just about everybody goes through that at least once in their riding lifetime. My first bike (Burgman 400) I traded in after one season and 13,000 kms - and I paid a pretty penny in depreciation for those 13,000 kms on a new bike - yikes. My second bike (Kawi ZR-7S) I crashed, but I wasn't really crazy about it. On my third bike I struck gold - 2002 Yamaha FZ1 and I didn't buy it because it was my dream bike, but because at the time my ortho cleared me for riding again, it was what I could find in a sport-tourer at the amount the insurer paid out for the Kawi - lol. I fell in love with that bike big time - 7 years and 160,000 kms later I seriously considered putting in the money to keep it on the road for another season or two. But... I thought I wanted to downsize and went with a newer, low kms FZ6R - and the jury is still out on this bike. Lacking in the high end power - but so much fun in the twisties I almost forget that until I hit the highway again.

Unless you only do one style of riding, I agree having a one-size fits all bike is hard. At first I almost hated FZ6R - but am learning to embrace the revs, stop looking for a 7th gear and accept that first gear on this bike is strictly for stopping and starting.

But in the end its just a motorcycle - not a spouse. You don't have to love it forever, if it doesn't suit you there's probably someone else out there who would be happy to ride it.
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It's funny you mention the FZ1, before I bought my last four bikes I said to myself "I'm going with the FZ1 this time" and for some reason never end up getting it. I even said this last time! By the time I do get around to it they will stop make it!
 
My first bike (GS500F). ****ing dash snapped off on me randomly a month into use. Also, there was a distinct ride one night where I thought I was gonna die and wanted to quit riding during the first month lol
 
I bought a Honda Shadow Phantom for a first bike, started to scrape pegs on too many turns and riding down too many gravel roads so I decided it was the wrong bike and traded it in for a CB500X. Now I need another bike for the track, there really isn't a do-it-all bike.
 
It won't be the ultimate answer, but your best bet is to hit as many demo days as possible. You may not get the sense that it can be a 'forever' bike, but it's better to have a little taste than none at all.
 
Chaos said:
It won't be the ultimate answer, but your best bet is to hit as many demo days as possible. You may not get the sense that it can be a 'forever' bike, but it's better to have a little taste than none at all.
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That is a good answer! I do usually try to go to demo ride but for this current bike I was afraid I would miss out on getting it if I wait to test drive before I bought it. It was a mistake on my part forsure.
 
For sure.
RF900R - Too slow, too boring, too uncomfortable to suffer a bland bike.
YZF750R - Only great at redline.
 
DownDeep99ca said:
So has anyone else gone out bought the bike they thought they wanted and after riding for a month or two realize it might not have been the right choice? Don't get me wrong I do like the bike, I'm just not sure now it was what I really wanted. Ever after doing the research. That being said I sure a lot of people would love to have 3 or more bikes in the garage! Sport, standard and sport touring. I find it very hard to figure out what I am really looking for in a bike. I guess I will have to waiting a couple of years and try again! lol
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When you are in your 20's & adrenaline is pumping into your veins, then your natural inclination would be towards that of an sport bike. In your mid 30's when you want to explore the world by your own Spor Tourer would be of your default choice. When cruising with the wind is what you are seeking for, standard bike would be just there for you.
 
I started on a brand new 650R. Crashed it the first day like everyone said I would so right there that was a mistake. On top of that it was more bike than you need for a beginner. Actually I decided it was more bike than I needed even after 3 years of riding. By 2nd gear I was speeding and always had to be careful not to go too fast. It's a great bike but I quite love my 2 stroke 125 now. Could use a touch more highway power, though. Even then, I'm still speeding most of the time but have to try harder to lose my licence now, lol. So much money lost on paying the extra insurance on that 650. I was paying $430/month in insurance when I got it and it was worth about half what I paid for it as soon as I got out of the dealer lot.
 
sharkmotorcycle said:
When you are in your 20's & adrenaline is pumping into your veins, then your natural inclination would be towards that of an sport bike. In your mid 30's when you want to explore the world by your own Spor Tourer would be of your default choice. When cruising with the wind is what you are seeking for, standard bike would be just there for you.
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I think this is spot on. Atleast it was for me. Not so long ago, all I wanted to do was zip around the roads as fast as possible. Now I feel like I want to enjoy the ride while feeling comfortable and cruisers, sport touring bikes seem a lot more appealing all of a sudden.
 
Standard bikes are for cruising? The FZ1 mentioned above is one hell of a cruiser then.
 
DownDeep99ca said:
So has anyone else gone out bought the bike they thought they wanted and after riding for a month or two realize it might not have been the right choice? Don't get me wrong I do like the bike, I'm just not sure now it was what I really wanted. Ever after doing the research. That being said I sure a lot of people would love to have 3 or more bikes in the garage! Sport, standard and sport touring. I find it very hard to figure out what I am really looking for in a bike. I guess I will have to waiting a couple of years and try again! lol
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Nope. Never had this problem. Always bought exactly what I wanted. If I couldn't buy it, I built it.
 
Matt Rain said:
Standard bikes are for cruising? The FZ1 mentioned above is one hell of a cruiser then.
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I would have to agree here! Standards are not for cruising FZ1, Z1000 or Duc monster are far from cruiser bikes. Hooligan comes to mind! lol
 
I think what I really wanted was Yamaha FZ1 or Kawasaki Ninja1000. I am a power junkie, probably from my drag racing days. But also don't want to feel crippled every time I get off the bike.
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