LOL. My homeboy has an R1 and he said bikes are awesome as a well a Tuned 09 GTI, but I want the safety of some doors in the event of a crash on a course, not my body hitting something. LOL. I have thought about a bike though. I work on a Navy base and it would be Madatory for me to take the Sport Bike Course and Motorcyle Safety course on base, which is better than the one that CHP currently has, because the instructor actually teaches you, not just lectures you.

 

I know. The only roadster that is eye appealing to me besides the S is the Viper or the ZR1 (but I aint dropping 6 figures for it LOL). You just cant beat the stretched front body and short rear end. I believe the S and Viper capture these 2 perfectly.

 

I've owned a sport bike since 2006 and I can definitely say...it is not a wise idea for younger guys to buy a sport bike. If I had this bike when I was 20 I would have killed myself. I'm now 30 and age and maturity have made we wiser and I save the triple digits for the track.

 

Completely agree. Speeding should be done on a course, not on the highway. I like twisties but my motto is "take the turn slow, come out of the turn hard", because you can make a mistake and fly off the mountain to your death. Im 24 and got 1 speeding ticket. I hit 110 in my civic 3 years ago, saw CHP, popped in Neutral, slowly braked, and got a ticket at 92. 500 dollars later, an increase in my insurance and looking into the law, I realized I could have been arrested, and since then I dont speed Period. I learned the hard way. In hind sight he was right in giving me a ticket. I couldve killed someone. But I digress. A boosted bike is insane. LOL

 

Fuel economy isn't bad if you are cruising on the hwy. 70 mph is something like 1200 rpm, but drive it like it's meant to be driven and you'll rarely pass a gas station. It uses premium so you don't even get a reprieve.

Buy a hardtop if you're going to get one. The S top fits way better than the Viper top.

 

Really? That's crazy. I bought a Vis Racing Hardtop, and it fits pertfect. So an OEM from Dodge will require modding? That's not good

 

The ZR1 is not a roadster. It only comes as a coupe.

 

Very true. My bad. I handles extremely well from what I seen on top gear UK, which is why I mentioned it.

 

I personally wouldn't consider anything earlier than a 3rd Gen Viper. Are you thinking about an RT/10? Not a terrific vehicle.

I've driven most models and variants (including the ACR) with a wide range of modifications (GTS with PD supercharger, etc.), though not one of the newest Gen 3.5.

I've seriously shopped them a couple of times (3rd Gen/SRT-10), once I was ready to pull the trigger (as in I had the check, and was about to head down to Tampa), but there's something about them that just don't do it for me from a purely subjective/psychological perspective.

Funny enough, I think the S2K and Viper share some common DNA: unique motors (V10 eventually used in other cars), 6-speed manual only, started out as a roadster only (S never added a coupe), minimalist interiors, no/low electronic nannies, etc., and the 3rd gen even has a few common design elements with the S.

You mentioned "nimble". While the Viper handles well, it's like my Z06, it's way more muted vs. an S2K. The shifter is an oar, the brakes while decent (the 3rd gens are excellent) don't have terrific feedback, and up until '02, no ABS (which I think is a critical omission on a street car...)

A few exhaust mods and a tune produces some outstanding results on a Viper, especially when combined with headers (which will set you back about $2K-3K last time I looked). The low end/mid range is as you might imagine, pretty amazing. There are a couple of slow turns at Sebring, that I was taking in 3rd gear (vs. 1/2 in my Z06 depending on entry speed).

If you enjoy the small[er] roadster experience, I'd shop a Z4 M roadster. ~320HP out of the box, terrific driving dynamics, solid build quality, though the maintenance can be high (we've had a few BMW but always under warranty).

You might also consider a supercharger for your S. Something like an SOS Stage II kit, self-lube, with the heavy duty cooler. That's under $6K, and should put down in the area of 350-375rwhp on an otherwise stock motor. A 410-440HP, 2800lb car would be pretty stout, plus it would retain much of the character of an S2000.

The Viper will get noticed, but that's not a factor for me. Hell, when I had my Supra, people would climb over a Viper to see it and to be honest, that got old kind of quick. I get enough people asking about my S!

Good luck.

 

WOW! That was the educated response I was looking for. I guess it's the long road for me. The slow, long and arduos build.