to me anyway. Picking up tomorrow a very nicely cared for Honda CBR1000F, a 1995 model. Less than 25 thousand miles. Has a Corbin seat, 40 Liter Givi bags, Heli bars and a couple of different fly screens. Sweet bike, plan on taking some road trips this summer. Pics when I pick it up.

Nice. I'm looking forward to pics. How much are you paying?

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

pics!

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Looks like a nice sport touring bike. I don't think I've ever seen one before. Do tell us this is not your first motorcycle?

Looks like they sell for ~$3500 in nice condition, maybe a bit more fully kitted out with hard bags and aftermarket saddle.

I paid around 3500 for it, part trade, part cash. Has Givi monokey bags with a 3 bag rack, different handlebars, two extra windscreens and a k&n filter and jet kit, and a nice corbin saddle. Not my first bike, been riding for about 35 years, off & on. Very tractable, wouldn't be a bad bike for a beginner who understood it will bite if you are foolish on it.

Is there a reason Americans feel the need for so many cc's?. seems like over-kill .

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

"taking the bait for a senselss debate" It is a sport-tourer, meant to carry a rider & passenger and a bit of stuff over long distances in relative comfort. It's a multi-market bike, sold over the world. And, it's fast & fun. I like & see the need for city bikes, 100-350 cc, and have owned some. Room for a lot of different bikes. That being said, a lot of US riders ride a bigger than they should bike because they don't want to be thought of as a beginner...

I don't feel this way chilcutt and last time I looked the peoples of the south were still Americans (the poor ones).

My favorite ride is a 50cc Yamaha Jog but if I want to go further than town (get on the interstate) I do take something with more cc's and yes, I will say I feel I need them to maintain interstate speed which is 70-80 around here.

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Jim

Only Honda I ever rode was the venerable Honda CB750Four back in 1975.
Like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tGt2fEgmIM

Honda put a lot of firsts into the 750 and it was dubbed a "superbike". And it was pretty much bulletproof. I can't imadgine their quality has done anything but improve over the years. Good luck with the 1000 Jake.
Ride Free. Ride Far. Ride Safe.

(Taking a look at a 95 CBR1000F makes me think I wouldn't find it a comfortable ride. IOW. I'm too old for that type of bike.)

That being said, a lot of US riders ride a bigger than they should bike because Mr. & Ms. Fat Lardass and can't fit into anything smaller ...

If Dressers could talk I'm sure they would be moaning about their aching backs with 500+ lbs of passenger weight sitting on them.


Your point about "Keeping up with the Joneses" with a bigger bike has truth to it. That said, you don't want to be riding 2 up on the Brooklyn Belt Parkway or 495 in DC with less than 1200-1300 cc's under you. I sure don't.

Based on previous bike ownership is how I am baseing my statement that 'Anything over 900cc is overkill'. Had a Kawasaki 500 Triple that was downright fast and frightening,and un-forgiving if you did not respect its wicked power bands. Had a 900cc Kawasaki that was too powerfull for the road conditions-altho, the roads in Metro Detroit at that time may not have been as knarly as they are these days. Have owned several Harley's, and will admit that I was most probably trying to project an image-maybee thats why I owned those bikes.
Favorite Bike was 750 Honda. Quite enough power, good fuel economy, durable, easy to maintain.

I suppose Jake just ran into a good deal, and is not a serious bike rider, which is ok, and in this case a 1,000cc bike would make sense for a recreational vehicle.

Altho lotsa guys entertain the fantasy of a Road Trip, the fact is...'Long road trips are better off done in a car/truck.'

Just my take on the situation.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

been a serious bike rider my entire life. 998 ccs in a 15 year old bike aint gonna win a lot of street races. I have had the same bikes you mentioned and found them fun, tho the 500 Kaw was a suicide macine...fun tho....different strokes...etc. Long trips on a bike are great m I wish fewer people doid them in trucks. They mess up the scenery...

one of my early bikes was a CB750 they were bulletprooof. Quality is great on this gal, just a bit complicated with linked brakes, watet cooling and all that. You might be surprised at the ride; long wheelbase, room to move around. The Heli bars come up & back a bit, still sorta clip on, but not bad. I am 6'4" and 54 years of age. Doesn't hurt too bad, all depends where you like your feet....

Well, it's not really about need...

My bike is a ~1250cc four cylinder machine. It has more high RPM power than I need, but the low RPM torque is just right. A v-twin would deliver the same low RPM thrust with less displacement, but I've never found one that I could stand the vibration. A large displacement four provides an acceptable compromise. The consumption is in the range of 5-6 liters/100K, you won't save much fuel unless downsizing well below 600cc.

Your explanation makes sense...Thank you.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.