2008 Literbike Shootout: ZX-10R vs CBR1000RR vs GSX-R1000 vs YZF-R1

bbtowns said:

The "first" thing may be annoying, but it pales in comparison to degrading a motorcycle discussion into why someone thinks global warming is BS.

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I tend to agree

Pete_Brissette said:

Some deride the maintenance costs and intervals of a Ducati despite the Italian bike maker's leaps of improvement in that area. But pondering this very issue the other day while riding, I concluded two things: Anyone who can pony up 16 large for a 1098 can probably afford the service; or if you'll burn through the miles so fast that service intervals surface quickly, learn how to do the work yourself. Or at least most of it to defray as much cost as possible. Even though it was only ever on used UJMs, it only took me one $600 service bill to figure out that I was doing all future work myself, save for tire changes. And that's just what I did for hundreds of thousands of miles. What once seemed like going where no man had gone before, became an annoying routine after only a year or so.

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Firstly, thanks for the very complete response -- really rounds out the discussion for me. Secondly, this is the same conclusion I came to after realizing just how quickly I was putting miles on the Aprilia. If my inference is correct then, like you when you reached this decision point, wrenching is a new frontier for me. I have both tools and skills to acquire before I can dive into the meatier stuff but I'm committed to learning to do the majority of maintenance myself.

Thanks for the advice. I intended to get a basic set from Sears to start with and slowly but surely replace them with snap-ons. Of course I'm going to have to go metric rather than standard... euro-bike and all.

Yeah, I've only heard about the quality of Snap-On but I've experienced the "replace it no matter what" guarantee of Craftsman first hand. Buying them, for me, isn't so much about the quality as it is about being able to completely destroy them and replace them for free.

For what it's worth:

I get behind the parts of the "solution" that seem to make sense to me when removed from the propaganda that initially surrounds them. Cleaner air is a great idea, better fuel economy is a wonderful notion, a renewable energy source is the cat's meow. If all parties can agree on the end goal the vitriolic huffing and puffing seems senseless.

And in so far as the various podium thumping climate pundits are concerned... I have a universal prejudice towards anyone with a singular message. It often feels to me like anything that could be construed as clear and identifiable fact is buried beneath hyperbole, exaggeration and subjective interpretation. Even assuming there aren't any ulterior motives on the part of the person(s) presenting the "facts" the schism between opposing points of view only grows wider, more extreme, and (subsequently) less rooted in reality.

Just my two cents.