I want to buy a street bike.

[burn_this_city]

I'm surprised considering the Duc has a 10hp advantage and carbon fibre construction.

[metallicat]

I'm picking up my brand new 2009 Suzuki SV650SA on Thursday, and Ive never ridden bikes before.

[pylon]

edit: bad advice

[burn_this_city]

I wouldnt want to replace anything on an 8 valve head. That'd be a mechanics nightmare. Nice looking bike even by todays standards.

That Duc is amazing. If money wasnt an issue I'd have one hidden in my garage.

[pylon]

sorry I tried to help

[an_album_cover]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I'm picking up my brand new 2009 Suzuki SV650SA on Thursday, and Ive never ridden bikes before.

That's not a bad bike to start off with. Lots of usable power, and definitely some room to grow. Good ergos and versatility as well.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

So for a while now I have wanted to purchase a sport bike to rip around town on in the summer time and make my commute to work that much cheaper/more fun.

I am leaning towards purchasing it this summer because they have a sale on at Honda for brand new 2008 CBR 125 at $2800 taxes in.

I did some research on this bike and it would seem it is quite the newbie gutless bike for women and small children, perfect for a beginner rider like myself to learn on.

I have driven a lot of quads and sleds, and have limited time on dirt bikes, but never a street bike.

What do you pros think?

What are the best quality for cheapest price brand name helmet/gloves/jackets?

The bike I am looking at is located here:

http://www.honda.ca/MCPE/Motorcycle/...efault.htm?L=E

Any large city is the wrong place to learn how to drive a street bike and "rip" it up for fun.

But since I probably can't change your mind can I suggest an accessory for you?

[pylon]

nm

[an_album_cover]

Originally Posted by pylon

...
Anyway, someone tell me where my damn riding gloves are!! I want to get going here.

Is this really your first ride of the season? What gives? We've had good weather for the past month. lol

[T@T]

Originally Posted by an_album_cover

Is this really your first ride of the season? What gives? We've had good weather for the past month. lol

Good weather without street cleaning = disaster.

[pylon]

..

[pylon]

..

[an_album_cover]

Originally Posted by T@T

Good weather without street cleaning = disaster.

Well, if you can't appreciate what gravel can do, then I suppose you're correct. That said, I have yet to hear of any motorcycle accidents this year involving gravel that are worth noting. Don't make it sound like, "OMG there's gravel out, riders are going to fall!". If you're a stupid rider, you're going to get into trouble, gravel or not.

[an_album_cover]

Originally Posted by pylon

This. A march ride last year resulted in a broken leg and $2800 worth of parts. Even the most experienced riders are succeptable to mid-corner gravel.

(True enough, regarding experience.)

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. I suppose you have your reasons. That said, I keep to my usual routes, and take it easy, so I guess it's not as much of an issue for me.

Still, most places still haven't been swept, so you're going out against your own advice I guess.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by pylon

I think he means rip around town in the "get things done kind of way". I have used that term in reference to my mountain bike.

Either way, on 250, there isn't much "rippin" to get you into trouble with.

And I totally disagree with your assessment of not learning how to ride in a city. You have to learn how to manage city traffic on a motorcycle, especially if you plan to commute to work on it. You might as well learn right from the beginning, as traffic is not going to get less dense.

Hey I get that but when someones experience is limited to offroad quads,sleds and a little dirtbikin my opinion is a large city is not the place to start.

I drove bikes for 25 years in this city and another 4 years in Toronto so I'll say this, safty wise a 250cc is the same as a 1250cc. there is only one type of bike that should be used for large city driving...

A very loud one.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by an_album_cover

Well, if you can't appreciate what gravel can do, then I suppose you're correct. That said, I have yet to hear of any motorcycle accidents this year involving gravel that are worth noting. Don't make it sound like, "OMG there's gravel out, riders are going to fall!". If you're a stupid rider, you're going to get into trouble, gravel or not.

LOL, you think riders that hit gravel are stupid riders? A buddy of mine last year got cut off by a car, he avoided the car, hit gravel and spent 3 weeks in hospital...this guy raced can-am and ice for 15 years, pretty sure he's far from a stupid rider...it can happen to anyone if it's on the road.

[an_album_cover]

Originally Posted by T@T

LOL, you think riders that hit gravel are stupid riders? A buddy of mine last year got cut off by a car, he avoided the car, hit gravel and spent 3 weeks in hospital...this guy raced can-am and ice for 15 years, pretty sure he's far from a stupid rider...it can happen to anyone if it's on the road.

Read what I wrote again. I said that a stupid rider will get into trouble, gravel OR not. What I'm saying is, if you don't take it easy when you know that there's gravel out, of course you'll be in trouble. But you could easily have no gravel out, and still be dumb enough to wreck. Get it? Your buddy just had some bad luck. Bad luck happens without gravel all the time.

I was stating that your original comment of "gravel = disaster" was a bit extreme. There are plenty of places on Earth with worse roads than Calgary, believe it or not, and riders don't always go down just because of that.

[metallicat]

As a completely inexperienced rider myself, can I suggest something else? The safety lessons. I'm sure a bunch of places put them on in Calgary. Mine was over three days I think, one half day and two full days. 90% of the time was on the bike, learning A LOT. Having never ridden bikes before, even dirt bikes, this was invaluable to me. I can't recommend it enough.

[an_album_cover]

^ Agreed. IMO, a safety course should be mandatory.

[pylon]

enjoy your Honda