justride
Well-known member
Just curious to know how many riders in the newrider section will be moving to a bigger cc bike next year and how many KMs have you put on the your bike.
You moving up in CC next year?
- Thread starter justride
- Start date
Supernam
Well-known member
I started with 747cc and rode 18,000 kms the first year, then I traded it for a 471cc bike and rode 20,000 kms the following year. The 3rd year I bought a bike with 296cc and I'm a pretty happy camper overall. Not exactly what you asked, but it's close. :agave:
Wait this is your first season riding?!
For the sake of staying on topic I've flipflopped CCs but moved from beginner (250) > crotch rocket (636) > sport touring (599 and then 650) > crotch rocket (675) > sport touring (782)
I wanted a big sport tourer or standard, I REALLY wanted a Triumph Tiger but the 955i was too expensive on insurance and the new Tiger XC is way out of my price range. I could've had a K1200 (BMW) but the insurance was murder, same with the Concours 1400. The Z1000 looked nice, so did the FZ1 and the V-strom but insurance and being under 25 suck. So here we are.
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Rode a 2009 Ninja 250R for about 4 months, around 4000km. I feel I'm about ready to move up to either a 600 super sport, or perhaps a more practical CBR500 for the next season.
The only reason I can't decide is because I have to choose between 'holy-@#!@- that's fast' and 'wow this isn't too bad, and the gas is great'
These stories I found on reddit were pretty helpful and motivating, not a bad read.
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycle...ughts_on_moving_from_a_ninja_300_to_a_13_636/
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/1lgahx/my_experience_with_going_from_a_250_to_a_600/
The only reason I can't decide is because I have to choose between 'holy-@#!@- that's fast' and 'wow this isn't too bad, and the gas is great'
These stories I found on reddit were pretty helpful and motivating, not a bad read.
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycle...ughts_on_moving_from_a_ninja_300_to_a_13_636/
https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/1lgahx/my_experience_with_going_from_a_250_to_a_600/
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conundrum
Well-known member
Moved up over a year ago...had a CBR250RA for 2.5 years, then got a CBR650F. The 650 has more power than I need/can legally use, and I'll probably be keeping it long term. If I ever were to go larger, it would probably be a VFR800, but I like the size of the 650 (VFR is a fairly large and heavy bike).
DECIMIS
Well-known member
Yes, new bike next year. Nothing to do with engine size though.
Two seasons on a Ninja 300, about 15,000km.
Need: more leg room, up-right ergonomics, more wind protection, much better seating, more luggage capacity, greater suspension for rough/dirt roads.
Would never consider a SS or sport bike for street riding in Ontario. Pointless. YMMV.
Two seasons on a Ninja 300, about 15,000km.
Need: more leg room, up-right ergonomics, more wind protection, much better seating, more luggage capacity, greater suspension for rough/dirt roads.
Would never consider a SS or sport bike for street riding in Ontario. Pointless. YMMV.
Yup. Took my course in 2012, started gathering my gear to get a bike. Learned i was gonna be a daddy early 2013 so put off the plans until this year!
It actually works out well... wifey gets to drive my beloved car and i ride places instead and save on go train and on psychotherapy from not becoming depressed about life.
I thought so too, but the VFR is really just a pussycat. Everything about it is just so comfy and easy. Needs a new seat though. And some tank pads for grip.
So you can scrape pegs on that 250? You can do low speed maneuvers without putting your feet down? Complete a U-turn without needing to put your feet down? Ride in adverse and changing conditions? Know what to do when you lock up the rear? You think 4 months with under 50hp has prepared you for something with almost 110?
Just saying, be smart not impatient.
The Versys sounds right up your alley. Or the Wee-strom
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You assume I can't do these things. I think one thing most people fail to recognize is that its not how long you've ridden, but HOW you ride. Within those 4 months, I had taken an MSF course (huge emphasis on low speed maneuvers, extremely helpful), I rode every day, I watched videos, I practiced EVERYTHING. I really pushed myself to progress. So yes, I believe I'm ready.
Sure, I'll say there's still room for improvement, but isn't there always? I can continue to ride the 250 exclusively but then I can only push myself so much. For me, moving up to a 600 would provide me with an entirely new, yet familiar challenge and a way to progress even further.
Also, scraping pegs isn't really a measure of how good a rider you are, more the opposite. If you're good at positioning your body off the bike your pegs shouldn't touch the ground.
But I understand not being impatient is very important. For other riders they really should consider their abilities before doubling in horsepower.
4k is nothing...Ill do that over a few weeks in the summer. Don't kid yourself that it's how you ride....its experience that counts.
Take a ride with really experienced folks, it will be a humbling experience.
Oh yeah I believe it's the amount of mileage that counts. You can't practice everything without putting mileage
VERY.
VERY.
VERY.
Humbling.
At the same time, being able to (barely) keep up while having the smallest CC bike was also kinda ego-boosting... in the end i guessed it cancelled itself out.
I have over 16 years of experience on motorcycles. I've ridden in every Canadian province, one of the territories and through about half of the ConUS. I wasn't assuming anything, those are the questions you need to answer for yourself and be honest about your motives for moving up to a crotch rocket if that's what you're gonna do. You have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes everyone on this forum more experienced than you (which is most of us) has made. With over 16 years, almost 100,000 street km, thousands of hours riding dirt and single track and my fair share of crashes I like to think I can provide some guidance to new riders. Which still includes you.
And scraping pegs is definitely a measure of how fast you are. The ninja 250 (with some minor work) has a lot more balls than you'd think it does. You scrape pegs when you have the ability to push the bike faster than it's "designed" to lean, which is why the peg touches the ground. The reason pegs on crotch rockets rarely if ever scrape is because they're positioned higher up and further back and thus you run out of tire before they touch.
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It's better to have a small cc bike & can't keep up than having a large cc bike & can't keep up. At least you can blame the bike
Let's just say i've had a few opportunities to work on my high-speed shifting. SS bikes dont mess around lolIt's better to have a small cc bike & can't keep up than having a large cc bike & can't keep up. At least you can blame the bike
But being able to WOT it freely is something that i'll miss if i move to something a bunch more powerful with wheelie capability.
Oh and yeah...the scraping pegs actually surprised me. It happened at a 90 degree turn, the same one i always take everyday when coming back home (obviously very comfortable with that corner) and it just happened without me trying to do it.. and my pants had a little bit of poop in them but that's okay! now i know what it feels like.
In these temps now it definitely won't happen as i don't trust the tire's ability to stick to the road in the single digit temps as i've had the one-off skidding in the morning
@hua
but seriously, getting to know your bike and feeling as if you're 'one' with it and feeling like you've tamed it is quite awesome.
Even though i was considering another bike, i know
a) i aint got the money
b) insurance is would be a b!tch
c) i haven't mastered this bike to the level that i want
in that specific order lol
So i understand your want to move up, but i guess once you get to a high level of proficiency with one bike, you'll know what that feels like and you'll want to feel the same way with your next bike which might push you to reach levels you wouldn't have reached had you switched right away...
At least that's what im trying to convince myself of for the next riding season haha
