Hello, i'm fairly new to riding and for the past year i have been riding around my family's 69' tona 500cc with no signals, no electronic ignition, and no (real) power... I am looking to buy my first real sportbike and can think of nothing else but the 675. Is this a good choice? i figure myself to be a very safe rider for my age (20) but is this simply too much motorcycle for me to handle? Should i get a modern 250 or 500cc bike to get used to "real" riding and then go for a modern daytona?
The idea of learning on a small bike is not to get used to "power" but rather to be able to efficiently learn riding techniques. Some people fare "ok" starting on a bigger bike, but usually advance at a slower rate than those who learned from the bottom (i.e. smaller bike).
In other words, go for it... Just remember that there is a power difference and account for it
I just re-read your post and you said that you are also fairly new to riding. How many miles have you exactly done on the T100? If not so many I'd suggest you keep on riding the T100 for a bit till you feel absolutely certain that you are comfortable on a motorcycle. Then make the move.
When you can comfortably use the capacity of the old Daytona, then it is time for a new one. There's nothing more entertaining and frightening at the same time as finding the limits of a bike's abilities and then finding yours are higher. You can probably do that on the '69, but if you try it on a new Daytona, you will have your hands very full.
Only you can answer the question, because only you know how many miles you have in, what kinds of conditions you are used to, how good your reflexes are, how much restraint you have, etc.
I have been riding for close to a year now, with about 2000 miles under my belt and i suppose being that the limits of the T100 = 65mph and no freeway use i have done about all i can on this bike, i feel comfortable in the corners, confident shifting and controlling the bike. So now all that stands in my way is convincing the mother... :smackglass:
I would recommend that you purchase a Ninja 250 of 500 rather than a 675. A sport bike of any type will have very different handling characteristics than the old daytona you are riding now. Very different seating position and will be much more sensitive to rider input.
After you've put about 4 or 5000 miles on a smaller sport bike, then you could think about moving up to a 675.
I personally think moving to a supersport bike is too big of a jump right now.
Here is another way to think about it. In 1969, a Daytona was getting left behind, but it was still a viable middle weight sport bike. Evolution since then means bikes are getting more and more specialized, and more and more extreme. A Daytona 675 is just about the most extreme middle weight sport bike made these days.
Another thought is a Suzuki SV650 S. It has mild sportbike ergos and a fairly forgiving power curve. It will part your hair relative to a Daytona 500, but it won't try to kill you for any mistake like a modern supersport 600, including a Daytona 675, will.
Get the Daytona. Sounds like you've riden before and have the discipline to deal with the quickness and power. Just the fact that you're asking shows you can handle it. Pace yourself and be in control, you'll be fine.
Whatever you get next, you'll want to push the envelope a bit more to see what your abilities are relative to the new bike. I went from a free '78 kawasaki kz650 to an '03 speed 4 to an 07' 675 over the past 4 years. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason to go for the intermediate bike is the money. Cut your teeth on a halfway decent sportbike (like the sv650) that you can pick up at half the cost of a 675 and resell a year later with minimum loss.
thanks for all the feedback! i am definetly not going to be buying a new bike so i guess it depends on whether i am able to find a good deal on a used 675, if not i would probably go for an sv650s or cbr600f Thanks again for the input.
What part of St. Louis are you in??? I am down in south county. I own an 03 Daytona 955i, and am making the move to the 675.
BTW- if you are interested in sportbikes in St. Louis- I can give you some guidance...I am a committee member for the local track day/race series club, MCRARACING.COM and I am out riding the backroads (which are badass here in MO) on every day that I can get!
Drop me a PM sometime!
-Chris (AKA SKI)
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