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older sport bike love

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Parts are generally plentiful for the big 4 (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki) unless the bike wasn't sold on this market.

I had a '97 CBR 900 RR. That bike was actually fairly light for the time - just under 400lbs. 128HP, so yes much less than today's litre bikes but still more than plenty enough.

Personally I like the looks of the ZX-7R best but that bike was a bit of a pig, I wouldn't call it ridiculously heavy though. Probably about 440lbs dry.
Most modern SS motorcycles are around 360-390lbs.

Mid 90's super sports had better tech. than your 2008 Ninja 250 so nothing to worry to about. Ninja 250 may have new fairings but it's basically a 20 year old bike with few updates.


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This is all bench racing. Has no real input on real life riding on the streets. BTW, look at torque numbers, not HP numbers.
 
I love me a clean 1st gen R6. ('98-'02)

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Track Trim
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Nice pic of the ZX-7, but (for looks) I prefer the early '90s model:

ZX7R-side-view-600x386.jpg


Also, love the 1990-93 VFR's looks:

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I'd also like to try a '90s sportbike for my next bike. Hopefully a bike that's fairly comfty and tour-able. I grew up in the '90s so I really like the looks with all the fairings and colors.

The only challenge I see is being able to try enough different bikes to find the older one I like. It's easy to demo more recent bikes, but more difficult for older ones. I'd hate to hope on the bike I think looks best, and find out I don't enjoy the way it rides. We'll have to see when the time comes.
 
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To the op, you over looked one of the best deals out there any zx9r after 98 is a fantastic bike.Very underrated only because in 98 when it was released was the first year of the r1`s.The 9r is a bullet with a great motor and frame and because it was over looked, prices for them are cheap.I have a 98 with over 60,000 on it and with simple upgrades like exaust, jetkit and suspension it`s still a wicked bike.and way more stable at speed than a r1 or fireblade.on the track it still kicks ***,and on the street if your upgrading from a 250 it will keep you scared for the next couple of years.:D
 
i can only get a 97 and lower bike cuz im going to use state farms "15 year old bike and its standard" deal. and im still fairly new so im staying away from the big torque monsters (tl1000 anyone?) so i wanted something thats fairly forgiving which is what attracted me to the 900rr

i was also told that the older r6 and r1's were purely race bred and were as comfy as a symbian machine so thats out of the question

my only turn off is that the 900rr is an i4 (correct me if im wrong) so its very wide
 
Comming from an older sport bike, I can tell you that they have more low end grunt than the newer SS. Sure the top end on modern SS is much higher, but I don't want to be there all day. Also the older sport bikes steel frame can take a LOT more beating than an aluminum frame.
 
The tiller is kind of portly so it being a twin doesn't reduce width. I personally think vtwins with the low down torque are easier to ride. You end up cruising around in the low part of the band rather than having to keep the rpms high. Sort of more relaxing.
 
bengali548 said:
i can only get a 97 and lower bike cuz im going to use state farms "15 year old bike and its standard" deal. and im still fairly new so im staying away from the big torque monsters (tl1000 anyone?) so i wanted something thats fairly forgiving which is what attracted me to the 900rr
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I own a '96 ZX7RR. I've had a few friends who own '05 and '06 CBR 1000RR's who are shocked as to how they can't get too far away from me.

Besides, how fast do you really need to be on the street anyway. If you're concerned about insurance costs then one speeding ticket will make your rates sky high.

I can still get parts for both my ZX7's easily and since they made my generation (P models) from '96 to '03 they're everywhere. I'm also on a site of owners that can help you mod and locate parts easily. I'm sure that's true for other bikes as well.
 
Older bikes are more comfortable!! I ride a 1992 CBR250RR and an 01 F4i.. my Wife's 09 ZX-6R is a torture rack in comparison. Maybe its my inner-old-man speaking?
 
Dream bike would be a TL1000R, would be nice as a toy and keep my SV for everyday stuff. Insurance is pretty high though, I looked into it when I got my SV.
 
I get most of the parts for my 92 gixxer off ebay. I love ebay!
 
To the OP, forget about hp/torque statistic, go with the bike you can afford and that suits your style. Newer comparably displaced bikes will be faster in a straight line but on the street the real limiter is who will go further beyond the speed limit before rolling off.

SOAR has a racing category called "Lost Era" that is for bikes at least 12 years old, and if you compare laptimes to other categories, they are amazingly close. So it's not what you have but how you use it that counts.

Good luck in your search.
 
bengali548 said:
i can only get a 97 and lower bike cuz im going to use state farms "15 year old bike and its standard" deal. and im still fairly new so im staying away from the big torque monsters (tl1000 anyone?) so i wanted something thats fairly forgiving which is what attracted me to the 900rr
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Dude you are completely lost. Statefarm rates by CC only...

What you were thinking of is Jevco. And it's bike that are year '95 and older....


And try not to get too obsessed about the stats of a bike. From the sounds of it, this is your first bike, so I am not sure why you would start on a ZX9R or CBR900. Not saying you can't, but even with Jevco being your first your it's going to cost you some.
 
i called john duffy so im assuming theyre with statefarm. they told me that 15 year old thing

and it'll be my second bike i came from an 08 250

and its hard to find dyno maps for stock bikes of this era so all i have are those numbers. plus, ive always been obsessed with tq/hp numbers i owned a lot of cars since i was 18 so naturally it moved to motorcycles

Freestyle72 said:
Dude you are completely lost. Statefarm rates by CC only...

What you were thinking of is Jevco. And it's bike that are year '95 and older....


And try not to get too obsessed about the stats of a bike. From the sounds of it, this is your first bike, so I am not sure why you would start on a ZX9R or CBR900. Not saying you can't, but even with Jevco being your first your it's going to cost you some.
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bengali548 said:
i called john duffy so im assuming theyre with statefarm. they told me that 15 year old thing

and it'll be my second bike i came from an 08 250

and its hard to find dyno maps for stock bikes of this era so all i have are those numbers. plus, ive always been obsessed with tq/hp numbers i owned a lot of cars since i was 18 so naturally it moved to motorcycles
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15 year old rule is with Jevco. And it did not carry over this year. It remains at bike year 1995 or older. I am waiting for them to change it to 96 so I can get me a nice ZX7.
 
bengali548 said:
ive always been obsessed with tq/hp numbers i owned a lot of cars since i was 18 so naturally it moved to motorcycles
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It all comes down to the rider. You won't be able to outride ANY 600cc sportbike until you've got a few years of tracktime under your belt.

Any idiot can go fast in a car. On a bike it's a little more involved.
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