[Rob-SV650]

Not bad...

Nice ride, but what does this mean for the V-Max? Now that it's getting to the point where V65 Sabre parts are getting hard to find, I might eventually want to (need to?) pick up a Max - I hope Yamaha doesn't kill it off...

All whining aside, it's nice to see manufacturers putting some perfomance into "road bikes" (as opposed to track bikes). I think sportbikes are about as much fun to ride on the street as getting a root canal. I'm still waiting for MOTORCYCLES with good power to be made that are not easily catagorizable. The V-Max is all that's left right now, and even it is kinda quirky...

Anyway, this Warrior looks like a pretty nice ride for a cruiser - how does it compare to the rest of the the power cruisers in the shoot out?

 

[sqidbait]

Re: Not bad...

>I'm still waiting for MOTORCYCLES with

>good power to be made that are not easily

>catagorizable

What's wrong with the big standards like

the ZRX, FZ-1, B12, and the soon to be

released Hornet?

One of these will be my next bike...comfort

and horsepower, what more could one ask for?

-- Michael

 

[Rob-SV650]

Re: Not bad...

Those are "sportbikes without fairings" - short wheelbased, low raked bikes that are designed to perform well under racetrack-like conditions. They are designed to be responsive at high speeds, but at typical everyday speeds they are lousy (unless you ride like a squid at all times).

A good example of a real standard is a Nighthawk. It doesn't have that much power, but it's the kind of bike that does everything pretty well. Make one with real power and I'll be interested. The V-Max is close but still quirky (styling emphasized over function, especially the small gas tank). Still, if the Sabre died tomorrow it's probably what I'd buy.

The bikes you mention are weekend toys. Trust me, as an SV650 owner who is about to put it up for sale, I know. I'm sticking with my 17 year old V65 Sabre until something comes out that can do everything as well as it can.

 

[poopypants]

Re: Not bad...

YOU WIMP!!!!! I have a '99 sv650 with over 20k miles on the clock. I commute, sport tour (with a passenger), and ride all winter. My wife and I regularly do 500 mile days on our twin. Calling an SV a "weekend toy" is an insult.

 

[alanheng]

Air cooled, huh?



What's everybody's take on that?



May I add that the last picture of the red Warrior with stacked shot-gun pipes is ABSOLUTELY stunning!

 

[GS1100GK]

Whoa! What a great looking bike...OK guys, show me the comparo with the Kawasaki Mean Streak come out so I can make a decision..hehehe. I've seen the Kawi at the dealership and think it looks great.



Hopefully, Yamaha and Kawasaki will offer some touring parts for these bikes (I know, Kawi has the Nomad, and Yamaha the Road Star Silverado for that, but I want something with some goose to it.) After all, some of us can only afford 1 bike so the bike will have to do double duty for me as a commuter ride as well.



Either of these would be a great replacement for my 1982 GS1100GK!

 

[GS1100GK]

Re: Not bad...

I agree, there are not many bikes left that offer power and comfort that do not require you to "ride" the tank or recline in a lazyboy type seat. That is why I've kept my 82 GS1100GK. However, I could be tempted by this beast for sure!

 

[starvingstudent]

Re: Not bad...

Not to mention the R1150R, ZR7S, SV650, Nighthawk, F650, Monster, W650, Sportster Sport....the list, even in the US, is huge. The market segment exists if you want it.

And if you don't like a Bandit or FZ1's seating position...well change it. That IS why they have tubular handlebars, right?

 

[starvingstudent]

Hey MO...

What's the news on the ZR7/SV650/Monster test? If you decided to drop it, just tell me so I can quit holding my breath...getting a bit blue in the face here...

 

[slowburner_1]

Pipes and fairing and spoiler, O MY !!!

The shotgun pipes should be standard on the Warrior. They look great. The great big can - on a cruiser? - does nothing for me. The bike looks sweet with the chin spoiler and mini fairing, but those might not be for everybody. Let us add those. But the pipes! The bike needs those pipes on the showroom floor. I'd hate to buy a brand new cruiser and then spend more money just to make it look like it should have in the first place.

 

[poopypants]

Re: Hey MO...

Let me sum that up for you starving student. The ZR-7 has a noisy, ancient, air-cooled engine. It weighs nearly a hundred pounds more than the SV while making almost identical HP despite being a 750. SV=1. Unless you put up major cash for the 900, your not going to get the performance of the SV with the smaller monster. In fact, if you compare quarter-mile times between the 900 and the SV, you'll see the suzook wins there too!! SV=1 It looks like an easy choice to me. But don't take my word for it. Go to www.svrider.com and listen to all the happy customers.......

 

[075]

Re: Hey MO...

You say noisy and ancient, I say reliable and bulletproof. The seat height on the ZR is lower. The seat is wider. The fuel tank is 1.5 gallons larger and the ZR gets the same or better mileage.

When you get right down to it, the ZR and SV are two different bikes with two different intended audiences. Probably one of the reasons that the ZR has optional hard luggage and SV doesn't.

Speed isn't a top priority for everyone.

 

[Arrow]

Re: Not bad...

"Those are "sportbikes without fairings" - short wheelbased, low raked bikes that are designed to perform well under racetrack-like conditions. They are designed to be responsive at high speeds, but at typical everyday speeds they are lousy (unless you ride like a squid at all times)."

Excuse me? FZ1/Bandit/ZRX designed for track? Have you compared the wheelbases and weights of those bikes to the likes of R1, GSX-R, ZX, CBR etc? Have you actually tried these bikes? Have you ridden a late model sportsbike? No way these bikes were prepared for racetrack (tubular frames, lower spec suspension, higher weight, long wheelbases), they are everyday machines which can be ridden down a twisty road, toured on or used as a commuter. They are very comfortable and very responsive at city speeds (definitely better than my 2000 ZX6R but I have no problems commuting on my ZX by the way). You seem to have no idea what today's sportsbikes are like because you seem to have an exaggrated idea the level of sportiness of the bikes like Bandit. The fact that they are able to handle competently and accelerate like rockets does not mean they are sportsbikes.

 

[1136]

Is it my computer or all the pics dark. I can't make

out much detail at all. If I was Yamaha, I would

have supplied the pics myself...whats the deal?

The best online mag going needs to by a new camera or get a new operator....Keep the great text coming. I look forward every week for new articles, great work guys....and yes I did donate..LOL

 

[IceWorm]

Re: Not bad...

"Sportbikes without fairings"? Huh? That is the most stupid comment that I have ever heard. I ride my ZRX to work every day, my wife hops on for weekend rides for brunch, I load it down with tank bag and soft luggage for longer trips including camping or riding to Bike Week for eight days. It is plenty comfy with only the addition of a Corbin and is damn fun at legal speeds. This thing is no sportbike my friend and neither is the FZ1, Bandit, or new 919. Sport bikes are replicas of race bikes. If these new standards are replicas of anything they are replicas of motorcycles coming out of Japan 20 years ago.

 

[mandrake_the_mollusk]

They are two very different bikes so...

Yamaha will continue to sell the V-max as long as it sells in numbers significant enough that they can make whatever their target profit is (that's what drives the whole thing, sales, not any scheme by the manufacturers to put you on any particular kind of bike). So people who love the Max should vote by signing on the dotted line down at their dealer, else no whining when Yamaha drops it.

I completely AGREE with you about MOTORCYCLES that are not easily categorized. Another post mentioned quite a few bikes like that but omitted Triumph. Though they have a couple of full-tilt sportbikes and just brought out their first true-to-form "cruiser" they probably make more (as a % of all models offered) than any other manufacturer when it comes to wonderful, very useful bikes that don't pigeon-hole totally into any one category.

 

[pplassm]

Re: Pipes and fairing and spoiler, O MY !!!

I must agree. I may be ready to buy a cruiser shortly....

 

[98Viffer]

Re: Not bad...

>I think sportbikes are about as much fun to ride on the street as getting >a root canal

Then you obviously haven't ridden much of today's machinery. All sportbikes are not the same. Many are amazingly comfy, such as the Honda VFR800, Triumph ST, Suzuki Katana, and the larger BMW RT1100. They all actually *perform*, too, with good brakes, handling and passenger accomodations. You are showing your ignorance of an entire market segment by lumping them all together with the track bikes like the GSX-R750, etc.

Too bad, as you're missing a lot of fun.

I used to feel the same way, however, as I started out for6 years on cruisers, before I saw the light! My ride? Honda VTR1000 - that's a sport V-twin bike. You might not be aware that sport bikes now have various engine layouts, including twins, which you might consider if you like the power delivery. My VTR lets me commute, travel with soft luggage, and even scrape a peg or two on the weekends.

Do yourself a favor and don't discount and entire genre of bike due to misinformation.

 

[1163]

Re: Pipes and fairing and spoiler, O MY !!!

Never owned a Harley have you? Can't take it from the dealer with the stock cans. Not because they're not your style but because they stunt the power.

I kept the stock cans on my TC88 until the break in miles were done and couldn't wait to get the V-H cans (baffles in) and Stage-1 kit (K&N and FI mapping).

Yeah, the duels look ok but then it just looks like everything else. That big can is on there for a reason. You take it off and replace it with straight drag pipes then it'll run just as crappy as all the Harleys on the road that did the same thing.

Anyway, if I could afford a play bike I would seriously consider the Yam over the compatition. It does what the Victory V92SC was going for but it looks like it will do it right. But then you know what happened to the V92SC.

TatdNPrcd

http://Rule62.net-model.com

 

[1163]

Re: Bandit 1200 designed for the track??? BWAHAHAHA!!!

"...designed to be responsive at high speeds"? Stop! You're killing me! My Valkyrie was more stable at 130+ that the B1200 I've ridden.

You probably think the VFR was designed for the track too don't you Rob? I have no experiance with the sv650 so I'll have to concede to those of you who do but as for the large displacement bike mentioned they are perfect for the everyday rider.

A female member of a local rider club resently replaced her Nighthawk 750 with the FZ1 and, after she got a taller windscreen, she won't stop. She's found her new love.

TatdNPrcd

http://www.ridetowork.org