older sport bike love | GTAMotorcycle.com

older sport bike love

bengali548

bengali548

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my friends have 2004+ bikes so i started turning into a sheep looking at 600's to upgrade to within that time frame

until i saw a 1995 900rr a 96 1100x and a 96 tl1000r

i now have a love for older model sport bikes and plan to upgrade to one when money is good but i have a few questions

1) how is the parts availability and reliability for these older model bikes?
2) i know theyre severly underpowered in comparison with todays bikes but is the lack of technology really noticeable (im upgrading from an 08 ninja 250)
3) i know a lot of these bikes are ridiculously heavy and big but does this affect handling a lot when used daily? (again im jumping from an 08 250)
 
A tl1000r severly underpowered? Seriously? Coming from a ninja 250 and the tiller is underpowered?

You know one of those cylinders has like more displacement then you entire bike, I don't think you will notice the lack of power compared to the newer bikes.

Consider going for something in between. Maybe a 500 or 600. As for the weight, I have a r1100s and it weighs a lot when not moving. But when you are moving the weight vanishes. It feels more planted at higher speeds than smaller bikes.
 
severely underpowered meaning a 2009 600 cc would outrun a 1995 900-1000cc
or so google has told me
 
"I know they are severely underpowered":lmao::lmao::lmao:Your second choice bike has 155 hp!!!
 
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monkeydonkey said:
"I know they are severely underpowered":lmao::lmao::lmao:Your second choice has 155 hp!!!
Click to expand...

a 96 1100 cc in comparison with an 09 gsxr 750 the 1100 only has 5 bhp on the newer 750 vs a new fireblade which is around 178 ponies

thats what i meant by severely underpowered
 
bengali548 said:
my friends have 2004+ bikes so i started turning into a sheep looking at 600's to upgrade to within that time frame

until i saw a 1995 900rr a 96 1100x and a 96 tl1000r

i now have a love for older model sport bikes and plan to upgrade to one when money is good but i have a few questions

1) how is the parts availability and reliability for these older model bikes?
2) i know theyre severly underpowered in comparison with todays bikes but is the lack of technology really noticeable (im upgrading from an 08 ninja 250)
3) i know a lot of these bikes are ridiculously heavy and big but does this affect handling a lot when used daily? (again im jumping from an 08 250)
Click to expand...

I ride a 1990 Gsxr 1100 now , slightly modded. I can tell you its NOT underpowered haha. I used to ride a 96 gsxr 1100 that was modded and it too was a monster.

1) Ebay is your friend and knowledge on model specific forums. So many parts interchange on these old bikes and you can swap in parts from newer bikes. ( eg. My 96 1100 had a 2008 gsxr1000 rear shock, same length).
2) Trust me , you will be more than satisfied jumping to any of those bikes. Originally I upgraded from a 600 and I thought to myself, this bike is too much.
3) Suspension is the biggest downfall of the older bikes. If there is one mod I did that made the biggest difference it was upgrading my suspension. It handled just like a new 600 after I was done. I had a full race tech front end and rear was done, all set up for my weight. It took some getting used to. Suspension is everything on these old bikes.

The rider is what makes the biggest difference and it does really feel your riding something when it comes to the oldies, also its nice to be different. Its awesome having the oldest bike in the lot heh.

One thing you will definitely have on all your buddies always is extra money cause your insurance will be cheap. Try about 50 bucks a month. 15 year + bikes are not surcharged and go under a dif category = more money for go fast goodies!!

Almost forgot to mention, another huge difference is the way power is delivered on older bikes. All the power comes in down low as opposed to up top like on a Yamaha R6 for example. Of the line , you can pull away from almost anything.

Good luck.
 
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bengali548 said:
severely underpowered meaning a 2009 600 cc would outrun a 1995 900-1000cc
or so google has told me
Click to expand...

Yeah, in a straight line...

Pick the bike you WANT to ride because of the way it feels and how comfortable you are on it.
Please don't pick based on hp alone. The TL is a V-Twin (very torquey) with more than twice the amount of torque than my SV650S (v-twin also).
Believe me when I say this, you will love the torque and you will smoke everyone off the line (as long as your launch technique is good).


edit:
Just wanted to add something (numbers taken from wiki articles).

2008 CBR 600RR (Race Ready)
105.2 bhp (78.4 kW) @ 13,750 rpm
44.1 ft·lb (59.8 N·m) @ 11,250 rpm

All years TL1000R
135 bhp (101 kW) at 9500 rpm
98 ft·lbs at 7500 rpm


The TL has higher numbers in both fields, by a landslide.
Remember that both these bikes are geared differently.

Gearing Commander says:
CBR 600RR top speed: 239kmh (although I do believe it does go faster).
TL1000R top speed: 250kmh
 
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bengali548 said:
until i saw a 1995 900rr a 96 1100x and a 96 tl1000r
Click to expand...

1st: Where did you find a 96 Tiller? They came out in 98 (the S model came out in 97).

2nd: The TL is an awesome machine. I had a 97 TLS (the original) and loved it; torque, sound, style... amazing. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I grew out of the sportbike riding position and now have a KTM Super Duke which is an absolute blast!

Check out www.tlzone.net and www.tlplanet.com for lots of info (and parts) on the TL.
 
jeero said:
Yeah, in a straight line...

Pick the bike you WANT to ride because of the way it feels and how comfortable you are on it.
Please don't pick based on hp alone. The TL is a V-Twin (very torquey) with more than twice the amount of torque than my SV650S (v-twin also).
Believe me when I say this, you will love the torque and you will smoke everyone off the line (as long as your launch technique is good).


edit:
Just wanted to add something (numbers taken from wiki articles).

2008 CBR 600RR (Race Ready)
105.2 bhp (78.4 kW) @ 13,750 rpm
44.1 ft·lb (59.8 N·m) @ 11,250 rpm

All years TL1000R
135 bhp (101 kW) at 9500 rpm
98 ft·lbs at 7500 rpm


The TL has higher numbers in both fields, by a landslide.
Remember that both these bikes are geared differently.

Gearing Commander says:
CBR 600RR top speed: 239kmh (although I do believe it does go faster).
TL1000R top speed: 250kmh
Click to expand...

The Tiller also weighs about 100lbs more than a modern 600.
 
caboose483 said:
The Tiller also weighs about 100lbs more than a modern 600.
Click to expand...

That's exaggerating a fair bit;

2011 CBR600RR is 386 lbs dry
Any year TL1000R is 424 lbs dry (412 lbs dry for the TLS)

38 lbs more weight in the Tiller than the modern CBR but I will admit that the Tiller (and TLS) carry their weight higher so it feels like more.
 
We can discuss the numbers all day long and keep adding more variables but I think we're provided sufficient reasoning for the OP to follow his gut, and his new-found affection for older sportbikes.
We have provided enough to support that they are definitely comparable to today's bike in terms of output, but as mentioned by someone, it's the suspension technology that will make you feel like you're riding an older bike.
Given that the OP will save heap of money on both purchase of the bike, and on insurance, he can invest his savings of the first year into an updated suspension, and then every year after that is pure savings compared to a modern SS.

OP, pick the bike that you like best based on how it feels when you sit on it, and if you can test drive one, even better.
 
jeero said:
We can discuss the numbers all day long and keep adding more variables but I think we're provided sufficient reasoning for the OP to follow his gut, and his new-found affection for older sportbikes.
We have provided enough to support that they are definitely comparable to today's bike in terms of output, but as mentioned by someone, it's the suspension technology that will make you feel like you're riding an older bike.
Given that the OP will save heap of money on both purchase of the bike, and on insurance, he can invest his savings of the first year into an updated suspension, and then every year after that is pure savings compared to a modern SS.

OP, pick the bike that you like best based on how it feels when you sit on it, and if you can test drive one, even better.
Click to expand...

thanks, i highly doubt ill be able to ride one of the above bikes and decide which feels best which is why im doing a ridiculous amount of research on comfortability and upgrades in terms of suspension on a bunch of diff models below 1997 . but on a side note... the 900rr looks sooo peeeeeeeeerrrrrttttyyyyy
 
I'm just glad you're smart enough, and not afraid to research.
Who knows, maybe one day we'll ride together. :)
 
Early 'blades are still one of my fav bikes. Great power, reliable and pretty comfy too. 16" front wheel as mentioned is a pain for modern rubber but you can swap in a f3 rim to fix that. Make sure second gear is good, cam tensioner and reg rec/charging system are "weak" spots.

Pretty hard to find a clean bike though as they are old and people like to beat on them because they are so much fun!
 
jeero said:
We can discuss the numbers all day long and keep adding more variables but I think we're provided sufficient reasoning for the OP to follow his gut, and his new-found affection for older sportbikes.
We have provided enough to support that they are definitely comparable to today's bike in terms of output, but as mentioned by someone, it's the suspension technology that will make you feel like you're riding an older bike.
Given that the OP will save heap of money on both purchase of the bike, and on insurance, he can invest his savings of the first year into an updated suspension, and then every year after that is pure savings compared to a modern SS.

OP, pick the bike that you like best based on how it feels when you sit on it, and if you can test drive one, even better.
Click to expand...

Agreed,

Doing a full racetech treatment for the front and rear made this bike handle like a new 600 and tons of power.

By far, suspension is the best thing you can do for an old machine. Oh, too save on insurance try to go 1995 and older.
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