I need to confess something here. My SD is my first ever street bike. And yes I absolutely love this bike. I've been riding street for just about a year now and I've fallen in love with it. Now I have been riding and racing off-road most of my life so I do know how to ride on two wheels...but man do I have a lot to learn when it comes to street. And I'm not young at almost 51, but I am athletic and in good shape. I can tell you all that I have absolutely fallen in love with street riding. I guess sometimes we find new passions later in life. Maybe that's a good thing as now I have more to lose so I don't do anything crazy...I try to ride safe. But the bug definitely bit me and I'm trying to gobble up every bit of information on sportbike riding that I can to gain more skills. I still suck pretty badly but I am getting a little better each time I ride. The question I have may have been asked before here but I just have to ask all of you who have the benefit of experience...am I missing anything by not trying out a Japanese sport bike? I mean I constantly see R1's and GSXR's, etc. and I always wonder if they are somehow better or more fun or easier to ride and maybe better as a first bike to learn how to corner, etc, etc.??? Don't get me wrong...the SD rocks for me but it's just one of those things I wonder about. So am I missing anything?
I love my SD but am I missing anything?
16 posts · Started by Katoom · 20 May 2011
Post 2 by cdlabate,
#2Your thoughts and experience are much like my own...ever try SUPERMOTO? It's like describing an orgasm to a virgin.
Post 3 by Katoom,
#3Ha! That's a good one. Haven't done the Supermoto thing yet but it's definitely on my list.
Post 4 by matt_black,
#4Nope, you're not missing a thing. In fact, the people you see riding the Gixxers and R1s, etc are the ones missing something, IMHO.
For street riding, those bikes are pure excess and total overkill. Awesome power, no doubt. But torture-rack ergos and the ability to do damn near 100mph in 1st gear do not make a practical streetbike.
You own one of the best streetbikes available. Ride the fook out of it!
For street riding, those bikes are pure excess and total overkill. Awesome power, no doubt. But torture-rack ergos and the ability to do damn near 100mph in 1st gear do not make a practical streetbike.
You own one of the best streetbikes available. Ride the fook out of it!
Post 5 by bic_bicknell,
#5Very few of the Japanese bikes have a soul. Like a real motorcycle soul that you get to know and love. Before the SD I bought a Honda VFR 800i because I'd read so much about what an amazing bike it was and maybe the "best all rounder ever made". It was the most boring bike I've ever owned. It was very capably, you couldn't really fault it but everything was just boring. It wasn't super scary fast, it didn't handle like a razor, the suspension was not good really, the bike was good looking but not beautiful, and the linked brakes were truly a bad idea. I was so disappointed. It didn't have a soul. It was stolen from outside Amy's house when we first started dating and I was very happy because I used the insurance payout to pay the deposit on my current SD.
I have ridden a lot of different modern Jap sportbikes and I don't like inline fours. I do like Honda SP1s and Suzuki TL's but they are the Japanese trying to be a Ducati or an Aprilia and they still don't have the same soul.
Japanese sportbike riders will pass you on the straights and have more gadgets and power but I'm not sure if they sit in their garages at night with a beer just looking at their bikes.
I have ridden a lot of different modern Jap sportbikes and I don't like inline fours. I do like Honda SP1s and Suzuki TL's but they are the Japanese trying to be a Ducati or an Aprilia and they still don't have the same soul.
Japanese sportbike riders will pass you on the straights and have more gadgets and power but I'm not sure if they sit in their garages at night with a beer just looking at their bikes.
Post 6 by Davo-Singapore,
#6Post missing
This post could not be recovered from the original forum.
Post 7 by AGRO!,
#7What you need to do is just go and have a test ride on some 1ltr sports bikes and you will soon see that having a bike that does 186mph is not what its all about. I've owned a Hayabusa, 06 Gsxr 1000, 05R1 and these bike go like hell but in the real world they are a pain in the back and wrists. The SD is so different and it goes heaps fast enough in the real world. But to me riding is about the corners and the SD is better in this environment
By the way I will be 55 in July and can still ride a sports bike for 2 hours till I think it sucks but the SD is comfort and can ride it all day.
By the way I will be 55 in July and can still ride a sports bike for 2 hours till I think it sucks but the SD is comfort and can ride it all day.
Post 8 by lobster,
#8I'm just going to echo bic really.
Ive had Hondas and kawasakis the most recent being an 07 ZX6R it was a great bike i cant deny it looks really nice, handled well, very quick it did everything it said in the book but .. thats all it did. It just doesn't have a "soul" as some put.
i had an RSVR before my SDR and it had a flatbar conversion (was basically a faired tuono) was an awesome bike, the V-twins a love/hate thing but im most definatly a lover i could never see myself being on an inline 4 again especially for the road.
Theres no way on the road i could ride the RSVR any faster with clipons than with the flatbars (dont know about track but maybe could be a tiny bit faster with clips)
I've always loved the SDR and when the right deal came up thats what made me change and i really wont look back. Theres not one bike out there now that takes my fancy other than my SDR (Sure i like the look of other bikes but the engines wrong normally) The SD is the PERFECT street bike IMO you will never get comfort, power, handling, touring, looks from a sports inline 4.
I will probably get grilled for this but 9 out of 10 sport bike riders are in it for the image and looks. There posers or at least in my area they seem to be i love seeing peoples faces at the cafe down the road when there on Mcguinness Fireblade or a Rossi R1 and they get overtaken by a "naked ktm" its priceless.
However i will say if you have the urge why not give it a go? Just test ride one at first see if you get a feeling i've got one mate who feels the same as me and rides a Tuono and 3 others who will only ride sports bikes ever (ironically me and the Tuono guy are faster than the other 3..)
Oh and i really need to try a Supermoto. I tried off roading and its not for me im a tarmac freak i think but supermoto looks right up my street!
Ive had Hondas and kawasakis the most recent being an 07 ZX6R it was a great bike i cant deny it looks really nice, handled well, very quick it did everything it said in the book but .. thats all it did. It just doesn't have a "soul" as some put.
i had an RSVR before my SDR and it had a flatbar conversion (was basically a faired tuono) was an awesome bike, the V-twins a love/hate thing but im most definatly a lover i could never see myself being on an inline 4 again especially for the road.
Theres no way on the road i could ride the RSVR any faster with clipons than with the flatbars (dont know about track but maybe could be a tiny bit faster with clips)
I've always loved the SDR and when the right deal came up thats what made me change and i really wont look back. Theres not one bike out there now that takes my fancy other than my SDR (Sure i like the look of other bikes but the engines wrong normally) The SD is the PERFECT street bike IMO you will never get comfort, power, handling, touring, looks from a sports inline 4.
I will probably get grilled for this but 9 out of 10 sport bike riders are in it for the image and looks. There posers or at least in my area they seem to be i love seeing peoples faces at the cafe down the road when there on Mcguinness Fireblade or a Rossi R1 and they get overtaken by a "naked ktm" its priceless.
However i will say if you have the urge why not give it a go? Just test ride one at first see if you get a feeling i've got one mate who feels the same as me and rides a Tuono and 3 others who will only ride sports bikes ever (ironically me and the Tuono guy are faster than the other 3..)
Oh and i really need to try a Supermoto. I tried off roading and its not for me im a tarmac freak i think but supermoto looks right up my street!
Post 9 by Aussieduke,
#9I've had a few Jap crotch rockets and whilst they're way better than any of the custom crusiser variety of bike, for the street they're not much fun. The best street bikes I've ridden are
Norton Commando ('74 Interstate)
Guzzi Le Mans
Cagiva V Raptor
Superduke
None of them mega powerful, but all decent handling and all twins.....way to go!
Norton Commando ('74 Interstate)
Guzzi Le Mans
Cagiva V Raptor
Superduke
None of them mega powerful, but all decent handling and all twins.....way to go!
Post 10 by shadowman,
#10Post missing
This post could not be recovered from the original forum.
Post 11 by KTM666,
#11That’s a good question and you are always going to get KTM biased answers in this church of the SD of course!
For several decades I rode nothing but jap 4’s, mostly sports bikes, mostly on the road but with a good few track miles added into the mix. I initially found the transition to the SD quite a shock as the differences in feel are quite significant. Here is what I remember most from the transition.
Sports bike engines rev much higher, some people myself included, quite like the wail of a large capacity four being tortured but that’s a side issue. What it gives you is the ability to hold gears better while accelerating and cranked over, less need to change mid corner and less chance of bumping into the limiter.
By the nature of the design they are also smoother both in general and especially in the on / off throttle transition. Finally, and if I’m honest the thing I miss most, they are much faster! Crack the throttle in third on the last gixer I had and the world went into immediate fast forward as the bike exploded towards the horizon. The people who say it’s irrelevant for road riding are of course right but it is intoxicating, my bike did better than 180MPH in 5th and I visited that area more often than I should have. That’s why I changed in the end. These sports bikes are just incredibly dull to ride under 100MPH and if you have limited self control that adds up to a ticking clock with the alarm set but hidden from view.
The riding position is much less comfortable than the SD, especially over distance. It’s not as excruciating as people make out, I toured Europe on many different sports bikes without problem, but the older you get the harder it is to accommodate.
Handling is an interesting issue. At the outer limits a modern jap sports bike will probably out corner the SD but it takes a better rider than me to explore that region. What is significantly different is the feel and position. After so long on sports bikes the sit up and beg SD took some considerable adjustment and I didn’t like it much to start with. Now I have transitioned I love the handling which I think is at least as good and possible even better for the road than any of the sports bikes I have owned. In fact on the tighter twisty roads I think the SD is probably fasted and certainly more fun!
Brakes are great on both.
A personal view, the SD is close to perfect for the sports biased road rider. If curious you should certainly try other types of road bike, you may even switch to these for a while but it would be no great surprise if the novelty wears thin after a while and you find yourself nestling back here in SD land.
Have fun.
For several decades I rode nothing but jap 4’s, mostly sports bikes, mostly on the road but with a good few track miles added into the mix. I initially found the transition to the SD quite a shock as the differences in feel are quite significant. Here is what I remember most from the transition.
Sports bike engines rev much higher, some people myself included, quite like the wail of a large capacity four being tortured but that’s a side issue. What it gives you is the ability to hold gears better while accelerating and cranked over, less need to change mid corner and less chance of bumping into the limiter.
By the nature of the design they are also smoother both in general and especially in the on / off throttle transition. Finally, and if I’m honest the thing I miss most, they are much faster! Crack the throttle in third on the last gixer I had and the world went into immediate fast forward as the bike exploded towards the horizon. The people who say it’s irrelevant for road riding are of course right but it is intoxicating, my bike did better than 180MPH in 5th and I visited that area more often than I should have. That’s why I changed in the end. These sports bikes are just incredibly dull to ride under 100MPH and if you have limited self control that adds up to a ticking clock with the alarm set but hidden from view.
The riding position is much less comfortable than the SD, especially over distance. It’s not as excruciating as people make out, I toured Europe on many different sports bikes without problem, but the older you get the harder it is to accommodate.
Handling is an interesting issue. At the outer limits a modern jap sports bike will probably out corner the SD but it takes a better rider than me to explore that region. What is significantly different is the feel and position. After so long on sports bikes the sit up and beg SD took some considerable adjustment and I didn’t like it much to start with. Now I have transitioned I love the handling which I think is at least as good and possible even better for the road than any of the sports bikes I have owned. In fact on the tighter twisty roads I think the SD is probably fasted and certainly more fun!
Brakes are great on both.
A personal view, the SD is close to perfect for the sports biased road rider. If curious you should certainly try other types of road bike, you may even switch to these for a while but it would be no great surprise if the novelty wears thin after a while and you find yourself nestling back here in SD land.
Have fun.
Post 12 by fatbob,
#12Wow it is amazing how many of us have similar stories.At the age of 55 I have been riding bikes most of my life.I started on dirt bikes.Husky's Cz's those were the days.I got my first street bike at 16 it was a old BSA.(wish I had it now) I rode differant brands for years.Racing MX always had a dirt bike.I have always felt being good on a dirt bike makes you a better street rider.When you know what it is like to have the rear wheel slide you don't panic.When in doubt gas it.I live by that and it has saved my life.I bought my first new street bike in 1983 a Honda 650 Night hawk. I rode that bike every day rain or shine for years.Put a kerker good tyres stripped it.did what I could to make it fast.Now sportbikes were still on the drawing boards kawi had the gpz. Then Honda came out with it VFR all hell broke loose The GSXR came out and the race was on.It was great back then everything was new.I fell in love with the 1984 fj1100 had 3 of those thru the years.Went to Keith Codes school.Then I got the FZR1000 I raced that at willow springs.Being on the track was the best.I loved to go fast and not have to worry about cars and cops.Did that for a long time.Then one day I told my wife street riding was not fun anymore.I still had my dirtbikes. So I gave up the street in 1996.I moved to Az in 98 gave up all bikes till 02 I bought a Harley 100 year heritage.I loved riding again.but something was missing.I read all the mags about the duke.I wanted one for years.I had a back surgery in 08 I could not do the sportbike thing they have become so hard to ride for any distance.I never thought I could ride anything but a crusier bike position.I got a smoking deal on a aprilia 750 DD bad ass little bike riding that told me what I was missing.I had so many jap bikes they were all the same.The ape was cool because it was so differant.Then I had to sell my DD to pay for my wife medical bills.Then it was like a gift from God I found a 08 duke with 200 miles on it.It was not a demo the guy who had it lets say did not expect the duke be such a powerful bike.He traded in for a bmw.I got it for 8900 out the door.My credit union gave a 2% $386.00 total finance charge for 4 years.I had to do it.So now I have the bike of my dreams.I love this bike It does everything I want it to do.So all I can say is you did the right thing. and so did I. It took a while but we got there.Enjoy brother every day is a good day
Post 13 by jambox,
#13Had tweaked jap 1000's sports bikes and 20+ road bikes over the years all moded and tricked up....all very fast and handled
.......its easy to sum up my SD (and my old 950SM for that matter) does something that no other bike did .....Make's me laugh out loud every time I ride it...Priceless
You need to have a road test on the latest jap 1000 ...and see for yourself
.......its easy to sum up my SD (and my old 950SM for that matter) does something that no other bike did .....Make's me laugh out loud every time I ride it...Priceless
You need to have a road test on the latest jap 1000 ...and see for yourself
Post 14 by Lowrance,
#14sign up for california superbike school. you'll learn alot and rent a SS100RR on the track. it'll change your life
Post 15 by trackday junkie,
#15My first bike was a kawasaki zxr750, fast enough for me but to easy to drive too fast on the highway with behind the fairings so i made a streetfighter out of it, but it was still a bit boring bike.
I owned a kawasaki er6n before, not really powerful but easy to handle and not too windy for a naked bike so i was always driving faster with it than with the sd , for a jap bike that one kind of had a soul.
This winter i just waited for the snow to melt so i could bring out my .....supermoto ... a sherco 5.1, doesn´t go to fast but powerful, very light, easy to ride and so full of soul .
I bought my sd in november and almost felt guilty for longing after my sherco and not the duke, too sad i cant have two bikes but i work 200km away during the weeks, thats why there is a sd in the garage for long fun driving and i think it is a great bike now that the flies and shafts are finally out and i will probably not trade it in for several years and most likely not to a jap sportbike..... mabye for newer ktm
Offtopic: i was really surprised to see the age of the average superduke.net member... i was thinking that i were getting a bit old to have a sd with my 35years
, but i still have a lot of fun years before i have to go harley as it seems
I owned a kawasaki er6n before, not really powerful but easy to handle and not too windy for a naked bike so i was always driving faster with it than with the sd , for a jap bike that one kind of had a soul.
This winter i just waited for the snow to melt so i could bring out my .....supermoto ... a sherco 5.1, doesn´t go to fast but powerful, very light, easy to ride and so full of soul .
I bought my sd in november and almost felt guilty for longing after my sherco and not the duke, too sad i cant have two bikes but i work 200km away during the weeks, thats why there is a sd in the garage for long fun driving and i think it is a great bike now that the flies and shafts are finally out and i will probably not trade it in for several years and most likely not to a jap sportbike..... mabye for newer ktm
Offtopic: i was really surprised to see the age of the average superduke.net member... i was thinking that i were getting a bit old to have a sd with my 35years
, but i still have a lot of fun years before i have to go harley as it seems
Post 16 by Ducati Pete,
#16I have an S1000RR but i miss my SD some days , get both
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