Author Topic: V twin recommendations? (Read 3855 times)

azuredesign · « **on:** September 24, 2009, 05:15:38 AM »

I found a Suzuki sv650 last fall, and recently started riding it. I am smitten by the v-twin motor, and how much fun it is to ride, but am now considering trying to find a similar liter bike, that's not too long wheel base wise, fuel injected, and almost as light as the 650. I was considering the tl1000, or maybe the sv1000. I had also thought about an rc51. Any recommendations for a sporty used v twin? Thanks for your thoughts.

lordmoonpie · « **Reply #1 on:** September 24, 2009, 05:23:16 AM »

Best you'll get? Ducati :-)

If you cant afford a ducati, I'd go Honda but I'm biased as I raced a VTR1000 firestorm - Superhawk in the US I think?

My Ducati is the best bike I've ever ridden on the road though, nothing like it.

voxonda · « **Reply #2 on:** September 24, 2009, 08:11:11 AM »

Hard to get in the States: VOXAN Caferacer V1000!

azuredesign · « **Reply #3 on:** September 24, 2009, 12:00:26 PM »

Quote from: lordmoonpie on September 24, 2009, 05:23:16 AM

Best you'll get? Ducati :-)

If you cant afford a ducati, I'd go Honda but I'm biased as I raced a VTR1000 firestorm - Superhawk in the US I think?

My Ducati is the best bike I've ever ridden on the road though, nothing like it.

VTR1000 is the Superhawk here. Did they ever make those with fuel injection? I saw a '98 for sale, but it was carburated.
What model Ducati would you recommend? A neighbor stopped by with a really nice looking liter Monster. How frequently do you have to change cam belts, and is there a lot of other maintenance with the Ducatis?
Voxan is not available in the U.S. to the best of my knowledge.

Steve_K · « **Reply #4 on:** September 24, 2009, 06:03:27 PM »

I have a SV1000S and I like it. I had a 1st gen SV650 which I liked much more the 96 Ducati 900 SS/CR I had. The CR had the lesser suspension and I never got it to work the way I wanted. The SV650, I reworked the forks and replaced the shock. Either of the SV's pull at low RPM while the Duc would chug. The Duc, running between 4k to 7k rpms it bellowed some great sounds. I liked my SV650 best(tho the 2nd looks better), then my Hawk GT
followed equally the SV1000 and the 900 Duc.
Steve

bucky katt · « **Reply #5 on:** September 24, 2009, 06:14:35 PM »

harley! just kidding..........though the v-rod is pretty cool.

azuredesign · « **Reply #6 on:** September 24, 2009, 08:30:23 PM »

There is a Superhawk for sale up here I'm going to take a look at. While I appreciate some of the things that make Harley's endearing, I'm not a big fan. After riding jap bikes for most of my life, I find a 6000 rpm rev limiter frustrating, I find the wheelbase too long, and the bikes too heavy feeling. I'm looking for a fairly modern bike with about a 56" wheelbase, at least 100hp and less than 500 lbs wet.

mgbgt89 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 24, 2009, 09:10:23 PM »

I have a friend that rides a 96 Ducati monster 900. That bike is an AMAZING sounding bike. He's spent lots of money keeping it running, but he takes it to the dealer for everything. I would get an RC51. That's one of my dream bikes.

azuredesign · « **Reply #8 on:** September 25, 2009, 01:56:03 AM »

I'm going to have to check out the RC51. They're not cheap around here, but I think they're cool as well. Thanks!

chips1953 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 25, 2009, 03:49:14 AM »

I had a ducati 999, loved it but the cost of service and parts was a nightmare, so I sold it and got an RC51, best thing I ever did, can service most of it all by lonesome, and the torque is awesome, as my son puts it, and riding position is as comfortable as any sports bike you'll ever ride, plus the biggest plus is, it's a Honda, and you meet the nice............

lordmoonpie · « **Reply #10 on:** September 25, 2009, 04:31:53 AM »

I'd recommend an older 888 or if you can find one an 888 SPO in the USA - superb race thoroughbred ducatis and not that hard to service yourself if you want to keep costs down.

Superhawk should be cheaper than the RC51 (or SP1 / SP2) in the UK. Good thing about the Superhawk is it's superbly tractable and easy to maintain. When you want more power etc you just buy whatever you want from Moriwaki and build the sweetest twin you'll ever have. I have a full factory stage 2 and stage 3 endurance Moriwaki VTR and they are just awesome bikes...

andy750 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 25, 2009, 04:37:01 AM »

Does this mean you are selling the Busa Ben?

cheers
Andy

azuredesign · « **Reply #12 on:** September 25, 2009, 08:00:25 AM »

Quote from: andy750 on September 25, 2009, 04:37:01 AM

Does this mean you are selling the Busa Ben?

cheers
Andy

Nope! Thanks guys for the insights, I am leaning towards the RC51, only because I have a friend who's a good wrench who also has one. But it's fun and interesting to find out what's out there.

lordmoonpie · « **Reply #13 on:** September 26, 2009, 02:20:09 AM »

I'd thoroughly recommend the RC51 - very nice bike....but once you're used to it you'll always want one of these... ;-)

azuredesign · « **Reply #14 on:** September 26, 2009, 04:14:22 AM »

They look great, LMP! I'm going to look at a '98 VTR1000f(heck I don't know whether to call it a Superhawk or a Firestorm)this afternoon. Could I use the later, larger fuel tank on the earlier years bike to increase my range? I've heard that it's about 100 miles on a tank max before reserve. Any other issues to watch out for?
Thanks for your help!

lordmoonpie · « **Reply #15 on:** September 26, 2009, 06:32:03 AM »

I believe the frame from the SP1 and SP2 was different to accommodate the ram air through the beams so not sure a newer tank will fit for you. The Superhawk/Firestorm is s stomping bike though - if you change just one thing from stick, get some rearsets that allow you more ground clearance.

The VTR will give you so much confidence it's easy to lean far enough to ground out the pegs and if you go too much you can getthem digging you in and flipping you off...have fun!!

bikebitzofvt · « **Reply #16 on:** September 26, 2009, 01:30:51 PM »

IMO, don't rule out the Suzuki offerings. TL1000S's can be had for short money and are a really tough bike, the TL1000R is a blast, too. I've ridden all the above mentioned bikes quite a bit, the only one over looked was an 851 which is, IMO, A 'lil sexier than LMP's (easy to maintain

888's.
Also, what about a Buell? I used to have an X1 with a race kit that made 105 HP and 107 Ft.Lbs of torque. It took some getting used to the short shifting & all, but it was one helluva blast to ride. I've seen pretty inexpensive ones around of late, too.
Sounds like it's time to head to some dealerships and do some testrides?
Good luck with whatever next graces your garage!

azuredesign · « **Reply #17 on:** September 26, 2009, 07:09:51 PM »

Quote from: lordmoonpie on September 26, 2009, 06:32:03 AM

I believe the frame from the SP1 and SP2 was different to accommodate the ram air through the beams so not sure a newer tank will fit for you. The Superhawk/Firestorm is s stomping bike though - if you change just one thing from stick, get some rearsets that allow you more ground clearance.

The VTR will give you so much confidence it's easy to lean far enough to ground out the pegs and if you go too much you can getthem digging you in and flipping you off...have fun!!

Jeeze, I've had people flip me off, now you're suggesting I do it myself!
I rode a somewhat clapped out Superhawk today. Bent right handlebar causing the throttle to stick, soft front brake and clutch, sticky steering head bearings, but I immediately loved the engine, really had heart. It was a bit difficult to evaluate how it handled, with all of the faults I noted I didn't push it at all. I offered the seller short dough as the R and L fairing over the radiators was broken, and it had been left out for a bit in the weather. I'm going to look for others though.

Quote from: bikebitzofvt on September 26, 2009, 01:30:51 PM

IMO, don't rule out the Suzuki offerings. TL1000S's can be had for short money and are a really tough bike, the TL1000R is a blast, too. I've ridden all the above mentioned bikes quite a bit, the only one over looked was an 851 which is, IMO, A 'lil sexier than LMP's (easy to maintain 888's.
Also, what about a Buell? I used to have an X1 with a race kit that made 105 HP and 107 Ft.Lbs of torque. It took some getting used to the short shifting & all, but it was one helluva blast to ride. I've seen pretty inexpensive ones around of late, too.
Sounds like it's time to head to some dealerships and do some testrides?
Good luck with whatever next graces your garage!

I'm going to check out the tl1000r as there is one being offered to me for short dough. I don't really care for the look of the sv1000. While I like the oversized oval frame tubes on the early sv650's, I don't like the way the frame looks on the later bikes. A lame complaint perhaps, but...

ProTeal55 · « **Reply #18 on:** September 27, 2009, 08:41:19 AM »

So I am so late to this topic.
I would say get a few year old Ducati Monster.
Atleast around Chicago you can pick up a used one for the $3k or so range with basically no miles...

azuredesign · « **Reply #19 on:** September 27, 2009, 10:18:24 AM »

I am kind of looking for something that isn't high strung and needy. While I've never owned a Ducati, I kind of wonder if they're not a bit like that. Am I wrong?

crazypj · « **Reply #20 on:** September 27, 2009, 10:49:04 AM »

New Buell 1125R sounds good, its bored version of Aprillia RSV1000 (OK, it has some other mods as well

)

PJ

chips1953 · « **Reply #21 on:** September 27, 2009, 11:16:54 AM »

Here is an interesting article about the Ducati 996, 888, SP1 and the Firestorm. All these are great bikes (I think), I guess it's what you want and are happy to live with and can find the cash for.
Happy hunting!
http://www99.epinions.com/review/2000_Honda_Super_Hawk/auto-review-108C-177C07CD-3A154803-prod2

ColinMc · « **Reply #22 on:** September 28, 2009, 10:16:19 AM »

My 748 converted to 996 Ducati is a blast to ride, and needs more maintenence...but if you do the work yourself it's not hard at all actually...IF you want a ducati with lower maintenence even the 900SS's with the aircooled 2valve motors are a blast and much cheaper/easier to maintain.

I always regret selling my SV650 though, after fully upgrading the suspension that was the ultimate slow bike that was fun to ride fast...instead of completely under-utilizing my 996 lol.

chips1953 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 28, 2009, 02:52:23 PM »

The thing about the sv650 was that you almost hold it at full throttle all the time and it was wonderful, but you had to have something more........
The access to 1000 cc was the thing that was more.

lordmoonpie · « **Reply #24 on:** September 29, 2009, 04:21:06 AM »

Quote from: bikebitzofvt on September 26, 2009, 01:30:51 PM

I've ridden all the above mentioned bikes quite a bit, the only one over looked was an 851 which is, IMO, A 'lil sexier than LMP's (easy to maintain 888's.

Surely not - an 851 sexier than an 888? It's older, slower, less power, less good looking (IMHO) and the 888 is the next design evolution. Why would you want an 851 over an 888? (BTW - my first Duc was an 851). Even the SP variants if you can find one are better in 888 format although the you'll get into the SP4 vs SP5 debate

The SV1000s look like fun I have to say, the SV650 was a laugh but ran out of steam too quickly so the SV1000 might be the answer.

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Author Topic: V twin recommendations? (Read 3855 times)