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Have you moved on from sport bikes as you get older?

kxmike said:
I'm 68 in a couple weeks and had to give up sportbikes a few years ago due to arthritis (can't bend my knees that much). I ride upright bikes now...dirt bikes and for street/track and hypermotard which is a big fat dirt bike!View attachment 575491
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Love it! Salute. Dirtbikes and supermotos for me, hope to to still being doing it at your age
 
Arminius said:
I think my RG now has about 120 rwhp and 130 ft/lbs of torque after a cam, intake, and exhaust, but yeah, you can only do so much with an air cooled V-twin. I don't care about high horse power numbers anymore, but if one did, I've seen HDs with over 200 hp and still be very streetable and reliable, believe it or not. Just check out Kruesi Originals or Blockhead Moto builds.

The Indian Challenger has a lot more horsepower than the standard Road Glides, and they are water cooled. The Challenger is a great bike and dominates the Bagger Series, but I like the looks of the RG more.

There is a big performance bagger movement right now, especially in SoCal, and it's not guys in their 50s and 60s either. Check out Thrashin Supply if you're curious.
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Those bikes are made for someone else, they aren’t my bag. I’ve learned that I won’t purchase another motorcycle that weighs over 500lbs. I’m not sure how long the HD will stick around. If it wasn’t so unique, I’d have gotten rid of it already.

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Enchanter said:
Those bikes are made for someone else, they aren’t my bag. I’ve learned that I won’t purchase another motorcycle that weighs over 500lbs. I’m not sure how long the HD will stick around. If it wasn’t so unique, I’d have gotten rid of it already.

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That's a nice looking Harley, love that you put Ohlins on it. That's the next upgrade for mine.

I pretty much love all motorcycles. I don't care what brand or type they are, they're all fun to ride. I even like scooters and rode the shit out of my Vespa. I swear that Vespa paid for itself in the money I saved commuting.

If it were not for the decreased mobility in my neck, I'd still have the S1000RR, but it was too difficult to look over my shoulder in that crouched riding position, and so I felt it was a little unsafe when I wanted to change lanes because I don't trust my mirrors show me everything in back of me.

I'll never buy a trike because those are geezer "bikes" even though one day I too will be a geezer. Might as well just get a convertible Miata instead.
 
Arminius said:
I'll never buy a trike because those are geezer "bikes" even though one day I too will be a geezer. Might as well just get a convertible Miata instead.
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That's exactly how I feel, rather than ride a trike, I'll just drive a convertible. Except that I've had the convertible for 20 years already...
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Oh I like all motorcycles, and will ride anything I’m offered, even scooters. I was clarifying what I’d spend $ on.

Here’s a pic of a $250,000 scooter I was allowed to ride. (That’s not a typo)

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I’ve never had a sport bike. I thought about it when I’d sit on them at a dealer, but I always said no. I ended up with a Honda ST1100 sport tourer. For a 725 lb bike (fully gased) with 100+ HP, it was surprisingly nimble and I could keep up with most sport bikes in the twisties.
 
Sportbikes moved on from me, not I from them. I still think they are the best looking motorcycles in the world. But I'm 56 now and my back told me to get the fuck off of my R6 a few years ago and buy some motorcycles with a more upright seating position. And handlebars. I hadnt been on a track with the R6 since 2009, and find touring a more enjoyable way to spend on a motorcycle, but I do miss owning a true sportbike. Maybe some day I'll buy whatever the fastest bike Ducati makes is and just ride it to the local coffee shop and back after posing for a bit. Or ride it to and from my masseuse's salon.
 
When I started riding, I thought my R50/2 was "sporty", but then I moved on to British Twins, then Italian Twins, then Japanese V4s, and then a garage full of everything, including GS inline 4s, Japanese Twins and ...then found myself back on a German boxer twin.

My neck finally wore out around 2002 from the ergos of bikes like... (Italian Twins, with noisy clutches) and Japanese 4s (Yamaha R1)
All things considered I have found that really extreme race type ergos are really great for track riding, but out in nature with traffic , hazards, wildlife and whatever, they can limit your vision, make me tire out faster and generally look like you showed up to a Water Ballon fight with a Mac10.

I've rented cruisers here and there, and oddly I've mostly hated them. Scrape in turns, controls way out in the front and nearly all made my lower back very sore really fast.

Nope, not for me, gimme a sporty bike with ergos that work for control and comfort.
 
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Back in the day, when Morgan Territory Road wasn't buried in strip malls and there were rattlesnakes on Mines road, my posse and I would fly around with big grins. Me on a GPZ750 and them are various rice grinders and the occasional beemer. Weekends shooting up to Nick's cove for bbq oysters chased by CHP yelling at us about the Lawyer & Doctor killers we were riding. "But officer, if we don't hurry they'll run out of oysters!" - didn't usually work :)
Nowadays, my lovely VFR800 isn't ridden much and sits lonely. Roads have become too bumpy, my wrists too old and my friends hung up their rides rather than tempt the reaper any more.
I'm way into retirement age, but I do miss those rides. And my leather jacket seems to have shrunk :)
 
I really never considered it a sport bike, but it was built as one.
I needed a street bike for the freeway, my 90, setup to race short track,
Get me to High School.
Older bikes unsold, unpopular colors, discounted, new in the crate, a white 305 Super Hawk.
Short low bars, adjustable footpegs & controls, double leading shoe brakes.
I used to do stupid, road race the road, gas to the corner, set up for the turn.
It took a few years but I mellowed to the "Pace" before there was a "Pace"
I did two small low speed dumps, leaves, and wet driveway, and took out a Rivera passenger door.
Spent my Easter vacation walking around town listening to my broken collarbone squeak.
Sport bike story.
 
Black, White, Red, and Blue available.
The black one was my older model, flat seat. Red one newer, with the little nut pad slope up front.
Chrome the side covers and transmission tray.
 
Once I got past retirement age I figured the S1000RR had to go and I should get a bike that was age appropriate.
I bought a used BMW K1600 with dreams of riding down to Baja or touring the Pacific NW.
But of course the free time to do long trips never materialized.
The big beemer was so quiet and comfy but something in me still longed for a loud exhaust and crazy acceleration.
I sold the beemer 6 months after I got it and bought a Hayabusa with a pipe and a tune.
I couldn’t be happier. Ear plugs required, crack the throttle and I’m gone.
Health-wise I’m blessed that I don’t have any physical problems mainly due to a sedentary career all my life.
I guess there’s a kid in me that never grew up.
 
In my case, 23 is too old for a sport bike. :LOL:

My first bike in 1992 was a 1992 Ninja 600R. I ditched it for a 1979 KZ750 (the rare twin version) because I was poor and couldnt afford maintenance, insurance, and speeding tickets.....but couldnt not have a motorcycle. I ended up falling in love with the UJM and upgraded to a Bandit 1200 in 2001. That bike awakened the chubby chaser in me and I only wanted bikes that were monstrous and heavy. R1200GS gave way to KTM 1190 ADV which landed me aboard the porky electric bike I have now.

Sport bikes were a passing fad for me. Once I realized that women would talk to me *despite* the fact that I had a motorcycle, I thought of bikes as any other tool in my life. Like who would pay the extra cost for a sporty hammer or saw. :rofl Function rules.
 
Yeah, Dude....
But "chicks dig fairings." :laughing
(actually, I don't think they do)
A friend of mine's wife said it best: "All sportbike riders are hot.....at least until they take their helmet off."
Truth. I'm a "full face helmet guy" for a reason. I've been told I have a great face for radio.
 
gixxerjeff said:
Yeah, Dude....
But "chicks dig fairings." :laughing
(actually, I don't think they do)
A friend of mine's wife said it best: "All sportbike riders are hot.....at least until they take their helmet off."
Truth. I'm a "full face helmet guy" for a reason. I've been told I have a great face for radio.
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Yep, leaning against my bike, covered in "No Fear" stickers, with red neon tubes in the belly pan, being all twenty and shit in front of Texas Jack"s in Vacaville after a sweaty night of rug cuttin', giving every girl my best "Yo Cat!!...Drop that Zero and get with tha Hero!!"


If you got all those references you are at least 50. lol
 
A few years ago Honda 400 & 750F’s were sport bikes so we raced those and I bought a V45 for a street bike. Did race a GSXR and bought a mid nineties ZX6R to help out a super sport racer. It was only a track bike so occasionally did that. Bought a leftover ‘08 CBR and it’s still in the garage with 14,000 miles, the factory battery and Helibars. I rode from the bay to Reno several times and now just an appreciation ride on 49 to Downieville. I like the sound change of the exhaust valve. Understand the ADV allure and while I can still ride a sport bike I don’t like sleeping on the ground. I do like more suspension travel for long distance comfort and modern infrastructure but don’t like pushing a big bike with 3/4 manpower.

The search for the perfect bike goes on. Enjoying the testing it requires.😊
 
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