More and more people around here are getting street bikes, and I'm starting to think it's time for me to get one.

Here's the deal: I've been riding dirt bikes for about 4 or 5 years now, long enough that I know the absolute basics, but since there's never been anybody who could teach me anything I'd be incapable of riding on a serious motocross track without killing myself. I've mostly ridden trails so far.

Also, I'm about 6'1" and 260, so as Chris Farley put it I have what doctors would call a little bit of a weight problem. I'm going to try and lose some weight, work out, do some trail riding, and possibly even try to learn some motocross techniques this summer, so hopefully I'll lose some weight, but I'm still going to look like a retard if I try to ride in a sport bike position, so any bike that would put a rider in that position is probably out. I would like something sporty that I could still sit pretty much upright on without getting laughed at by real sport bike riders.

I don't have too much money, so anything new and/or Italian is out. I'm looking for someting fairly inexpensive.

A couple examples I've seen that I really like are the Honda Nighthawk 750 (the '90's models that look a little sportier) and the Yamaha XJ600 SECA II. I don't have much experience riding those and don't know anybody else who does, so I don't know if those would be good bikes for me or not. If anybody else has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em.

Sorry for the long-winded post!

 

well my only advice would be, since youre a pretty big guy (no offense), a 750 would be a pretty good size to go with. since youve been riding dirty bikes for 4 or 5 years now, you should be pretty comfortable on the street with whatever you choose.

just my .02 -- ride safe

 

[QUOTE=EPM04,May 24 2009, 01:31 PM] well my only advice would be, since youre a pretty big guy (no offense), a 750 would be a pretty good size to go with. since youve been riding dirty bikes for 4 or 5 years now, you should be pretty comfortable on the street with whatever you choose.

just my .02 -- ride safe

 

hmm well you might be okay/comfortable on a gsxr 750. you could try finding one and just sitting on it first to see if you like it. if you like the ride position but not the power, you could always drop a tooth in the front sprocket to get it going quicker.

also the hayabusa comes to mind too. i know its a pretty big bike to start with, but after riding my friend's '06 busa, i feel its more tame (less snappy) than a liter bike. the busa has a very comfortable ride position and its longer than a 1000cc, so it doesnt stand up quite as easy. its really easy to throw around the twisties too and im only 170lbs. with your size and 4 or 5 years on dirty bikes, if youre smart and careful on it, the busa should be a good choice. (smart and careful being the key words) haha

 

I'd look at nakeds/Japanese standards like the Nighthawk 750 - its probably an excellent bike for you actually. Since you aren't new to a bike, I'd recommend looking at anything 700-900, especially from a 90s era bike. Fwiw, I've seen 2002 919s for sale for similar prices as some 750 Nighthawks, back when I was looking at bikes for sale.

I'd also take the safety class, riding on the street is nothing like riding off road and you'll learn a lot of new skills.

 

There are definitely enough differences between dirt riding and street riding that I think I'd learn a lot from a class... already I've read about a lot of tips that had me thinking, "that's a lot different from what I'm used to doing on a dirt bike". Some techniques would carry over, and at least I'd be able to handle a bigger bike easily enough without cracking the throttle too hard and dumping myself over backwards, but I still have a lot to learn.

It's good that I have a few suggestions for bikes now. I need to see if I can find a few good examples sitting at dealerships around here and see if I can at least sit on one and get a feel for the riding position. I'm getting a bit more open-minded about my options, and I think that as long as I can at least get a comfortable riding position, I should be good to go.

I do appreciate all the suggestions.

 

Another bike suggestion would be to check out the suzuki standard bikes such as the Bandit 1250S or the B-King, either of those bikes should be able to handle your size no problem, but are still fun to ride.

 

I had heard of the B-King a few times, but until I looked it up a few minutes ago I hadn't gotten a good look at one.

All I can say is,

 

Keep it Honda.

CB919 FTMFW!!!!!!!