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Author Topic: Best bike for under 2k?  (Read 9899 times)

Offline Guts (OP)

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Best bike for under 2k?
« on: March 31, 2016, 05:23:36 PM »
I could do the research but you might already know! What's the fastest, 1 liter (I know probably not gonna happen) or closest to it, coolest, most chick getting, bad assest, somewhat reliable, most likely to kill me bike you think I can get for under 2kish or so?
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Offline DeadCat

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2016, 06:00:20 PM »
I could do the research but you might already know! What's the fastest, 1 liter (I know probably not gonna happen) or closest to it, coolest, most chick getting, bad assest, somewhat reliable, most likely to kill me bike you think I can get for under 2kish or so?

I think that depends of the kind of "chick" you want to notice you. Motorcycle people can feel very strongly about "American Iron" vs "Rice Burners."

Consider American, HD and cruiser/chopper styles have you sitting more upright with arms spread a bit, which show off chest and arms and cafe' (racing) style has you hunched over and shows off your ass. Biker chicks or Euro-babes?

Although, that's putting kind of a fine point on it. Girls (people) like excitement and a little danger it just comes in different flavors.

Also for shorter distance and speed you g cafe' longer rides and confort go cruiser.

If you are mechanically inclined you can get more for your money used but if you aren't you can end up buying somebeody else's headache.

TBH, considering the risks and consequences of mistakes (yours and other drivers) you probably want to get competent help from experienced people. Buying a motorcycle you can't handle will kill you. Sheeiit, buying one you CAN is likely to as well.





« Last Edit: March 31, 2016, 06:28:29 PM by DeadCat »
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Offline Guts (OP)

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2016, 06:12:36 PM »
No Harleys... I don't think I can afford any decent sport bike... I love those Hondas that look like ducatis... hawk something or another? Maybe a decent cafe racer type thing? As you can see, I don't really know what I'm talking about.

And I'd mostly be riding within city streets... probably...
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Offline Esoteric Anhydride

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2016, 09:29:58 PM »
Totally not to sound arrogant, just curious.

How much time have you spent on dirt bikes? Ever dumped a bike? (that's usually a good thing, bike accidents that don't kill or maim you are usually a lesson).

Have you ever ridden a street bike? If so, what's the biggest bike you're comfortable on?

Do you have time on other "power toys"? Like a jet-ski/waverunner/quad/race karts?

Can you wrench on shit? Use a torque wrench? Have a solid understanding of how interference motors work?

One more - what's the most important component on a bike or a car (and I don't mean the nut behind the wheel ;) )

Again this isn't meant to be condescending, I'll give you back my opinions if you answer.
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Offline MoeMentim

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2016, 11:12:15 PM »
  ^ Good questions. 

Guts, I have strong opinions on motorbikes & my tastes are probably not yours but I'll first answer as if I were looking for what your post stated.  "Chick getting" aside I'd get a retired police KZ1000 and strip everything unnecessary off of it, put on some superbike style bars, take the seatpan to an upholster & have him make it more streamlined, maybe get a junkyard street kz1000 or z1/kz900 tank.  that'd be the bad-assest you could do for 2k in my old, weird opinion.

  One I think might fit your bill & is more practical especially if you're new to bikes and/or to wrenching is the trusty 'ol ninja EX500.  I've owned 2 & known a dozen.  They were made basically unchanged for something like 20 years.  Parts are cheaper than their weight in scrap but you won't need 'em.  It's a solid, reliable commuter bike in "sporty" clothing. 
 
  I don't believe in the "too much bike for a beginner" idea necessarily - the throttle goes both ways & modern fast bikes are by design very good performers in every other respect as well which means that, in capable hands they are potentially the safest. However, I think it's wise to question when someone unexperienced wants the fastest bike they can get.  Shit, I get it, I want the fastest bike I can get every day of my life.  I bought an 06 R1 with less than 100 miles on it from a guy who'd never ridden a scooter, dirtbike, quad, nothing.  He rode it to his son's soccer game & decided he'd be better off with a porsche.  After the cash he gave me two helmets, one kid sized.  I told him the porsche was the best money he ever spent.  My dad's neighbor has this sick ducati (I'm not up on all the latest) he doesn't ride it much & I don't think he has a lot of time on bikes at all but I can tell he's not out to scare himself I guess. 

  If you are new every aspect of a bike's performance (save straight-line roll-on acceleration) is going be determined more by how comfortable you are with the bike and it's controls than by the bike itself.  Every modern sportbike is capable of way more than I am & I'm not a slouch.  Something with a more upright positition will probably give you a head start for a while. 

  Here's the most important bit - fun.  Don't discount the fun of a simple old dual-sport or a low displacement street bike.  Riding a slow bike fast is more fun than riding a fast bike slow.
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Offline Guts (OP)

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2016, 11:45:56 PM »
I hear all that... about the driving a slow car fast and all that... I'm still not buying a miata though. But then again I have a stationary POS BMW 850 that doesn't move that I pay $300 a month for... I still love it though.

EA - no to like everything... I've fucked up jacking up a car before lol. I'd like to learn though... really I would. A bike seems like a good place to start, no? I don't think I've ever ridden a bike to be honest... but I'll figure it out. I'd probably take those classes that lead up to your license or whatever. How much do you think those cost? I should probably factor them into my budget. As far as most important part...this sounds like a trick question... the engine?
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Offline Esoteric Anhydride

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2016, 12:38:27 AM »
Fuck I just lost a huge post.

I'm not re-writing that tonight, I'll write it again in the morning.

Fuck that's annoying!!
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Offline DeadCat

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2016, 01:15:40 AM »
Fuck I just lost a huge post.

I'm not re-writing that tonight, I'll write it again in the morning.

Fuck that's annoying!!

If you haven't, back up a few pages on your screen it might still be sitting there. If someone else posts while you are writing a post on the same topic your post will be stalled and at the top of the page in red letters it will ask you if you want to read the  new post before posting your post.

It's a good idea in theory but in practice it is a little buggy. That question should pop up immediately after you post so you don't lose what you have written.

After it happened to me several times I was told I could reset this in my account preferences.
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Offline Thoms

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2016, 01:44:30 AM »
I like the idea of an ex-500 hell I raced one at willow for my novice year. You could probably could find a sv650 on Craigslist. Any 1k you find for under 2 grand is going to be haggard. Just keep an eye on Craigslist. On my local CL I see a zx6r (not an r6, but sort of similar) it's a 2006 for only 1525. There is a 05 gix6 for 3 grand. That's pretty cheap. There is an 01 r6 for 3 grand also.
   Moral of the story is the best bike for you is the one you can afford.
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Fear and self loathing in thoms.

Offline Esoteric Anhydride

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2016, 03:01:34 PM »
@DC ya I tried those, and I tried ctrl-z (undo), no dice :(

The most important part on the vehicle is tires, also probably the most overlooked part. Get the absolute best you can afford and try out as many as you can. DON'T skimp on tires, and constantly check them for abberations.

The recommendation for the SV650 is a great one for a first street bike. But I strongly believe that people without street experience should start in the dirt. Dirt bikes and street bikes handle pretty differently because all the weight is up front on a SB, but there's no replacement for the experience you'll get out on the trails on a dirt bike.

For 2k you can get a beater CR, a decent helmet (make sure it's current) and start collecting gear. It's more than just the bike you need, it's protective gear, tires, maintenance, and shit you break when you dump the bike. If you dump a dirt bike, you're probably out some handlebars and levers. Dump a street bike, and replacing the fairings alone will cost you a grand. Bend the pipe? That's another 3-500+.

My advice is to try and find a supermoto (DRZ400 is PERFECT) that's licensed and an extra set of wheels - one for the dirt, one for the street. Once you have some time on that, then start riding bigger, heavier bikes and see what you think.

That's my $.02
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Offline Guts (OP)

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2016, 04:43:53 PM »
So many dilemmas... I feel like I can get a lot better bike for like 4kish? But then I start thinking, maybe I should just fix my stupid BMW instead... 2 insurances and all...

What year sv650 were yall talking about? Basically new body style or old? One almost looks like the street fighter version of the other... Street fighters are pretty awesome.

What do you guys think about this:

http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/1998-Honda-Superhawk-VTR1000-117639421

I don't even like yellow but that thing is sexy.

And EA I get riding on dirt and being safe and learning how to ride properly but if I did the bike thing, it'd be to solve a transportation need... that needs to be solved... like now. Now I'm not saying that's the best decision or that I even usually make good decisions... but yeah... you're only like 32x more likely to die on a bike and all. It sounds like some shit I'd probably be into.
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Offline MoeMentim

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2016, 05:08:13 PM »
That's not a bad choice if you're set on a bigger bike. Looks like a decent deal too.
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Offline DeadCat

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2016, 05:18:05 PM »
And EA I get riding on dirt and being safe and learning how to ride properly but if I did the bike thing, it'd be to solve a transportation need... that needs to be solved... like now. Now I'm not saying that's the best decision or that I even usually make good decisions... but yeah... you're only like 32x more likely to die on a bike and all. It sounds like some shit I'd probably be into.

EA/Chops/Opus is right. Ridng a motorcycle is something you have to teach your body to do, very much more so than driving a car. But even if you are 100% perfect in your practice you will still come out the loser when a car driver makes an accident-causing mistake.

My sister nearly died when an old man in a Caddy exited an "early bird" dinner from her right side just a few car lengths in front of her. She managed to put the bike down before she hit it but suffered injuries that left hr debilitatd and began the string of events that ultimately led to her death as she continued to be in pain for 20 years. COMPLETELLY not her faut, but it ruined her life.

To be fair to cops the ONLY reason she got medical care in time was that it happened in front of a motorcycle highway patrol officer who said he was reaching for his radio to call dispatch before she even hit the ground.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2016, 05:20:11 PM by DeadCat »
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Offline Esoteric Anhydride

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2016, 07:42:00 PM »

And EA I get riding on dirt and being safe and learning how to ride properly but if I did the bike thing, it'd be to solve a transportation need... that needs to be solved... like now. Now I'm not saying that's the best decision or that I even usually make good decisions... but yeah... you're only like 32x more likely to die on a bike and all. It sounds like some shit I'd probably be into.

So get a DRZ400 and some 17" wheels for the streets.

No matter what you buy, the bike will be more capable than you, so buy something that's not gonna get you into more trouble than you can handle, if you're lucky.

Impatience just leads to inpatients. <-- You can quote me on that.

Use the $2k as a down payment and go buy a DRZ or a Husqy 510SM and start riding trails. That way, when shit gets hairy out on the street, you'll know how to handle the bike under all kinds of conditions.

If you go buy some old junker, make sure you have it inspected. There is NO room for error on the street. Stretched chain and a worn sprocket while you're WOT in top gear, and you nail the brakes and throw the chain? What happens then, pizza for dinner?

Dude Supermotos are so much better for the city. I'm looking at a literbike now but ONLY because I'm moving to Nevada, and there's room for runoff. If I was staying in SF, it'd be a DRZ or Husqy for sure; and honestly I've still not decided -- I have a thing about XR650Rs (Have you ever watched "From Dust to Glory"? You HAVE to watch that movie, I think it's free on youtube - incredible fucking movie). It documents the Baja 1000 the year Mouse tried to run the whole fucking race on his own. I won't spoil it for you.

Unless you truly ENJOY wrenching, please don't go buy someone's cheap pile of shit - it's probably cheap for a reason, and you don't want to be the guy riding it at 80mph when the motor seizes and then it throws the chain.

Use the 2k as a down payment and then buy as much gear as possible. And ride some trails.

Agile as fuck on the highway, can handle any triples or tabletops you can throw at it. If you drop it in traffic and you're still alive and your bones are intact, you can pick it up and at least push it to the side.

Husqy makes some fuel injected SMs now (there are probably more); and the aftermarket for the Suzi is HUGE. You should go ride one man, seriously. The lightweight SM makes a massive difference in traffic, they're literally like half the weight and my 610 was about 60hp.

And believe it or not, a very good SM rider can use tires and flat-track lines to smoke a GSXR through a canyon. I had an old video of someone schooling fools in Italy with a 610 single, but it's not on youtube anymore. Too bad cos dude was holding class like you wouldn't believe - it would have taken Nikki Hayden to beat this guy.

If nothing else, just think about it and don't buy a bike just cause it's cheap. I made that mistake once, the head was cracked right by the exhaust manifold. I traded a $400 Skyway BMX bike for that pile of shit. :(

Where u live (roughly)?

edit: I guess FD2G isn't on utube, at least from what I can tell. Gotta use torrents. Still, if you haven't seen it, it got great ratings at sundance - bad ass documentary, if you like bikes, watch it.

Oh and hey man, I really don't mean to preach, I'm just alive for a reason. Buy good gear bro, cos someday, you're gonna use it.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2016, 08:11:44 PM by Esoteric Anhydride »
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Offline DeadCat

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Re: Best bike for under 2k?
« Reply #14 on: April 01, 2016, 07:54:33 PM »
FWIW, When I saw the title of this thread I thought the OP was trying to find a good BICYCLE for under $2000 'cause a good touring bicycle can cost twice that now, new.

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