Sportbikes are not beginner bikes

OTB · 04-16-2008, 01:54 PM

My first street bike was a '70's two-stroke two-fiddy, made about 18-20 hp when you wrung it's neck. I then graduated to a 350 sized bike

(380 Suz two-stroker, it made a whopping 32 hp at the crank....mebbe 25-6 at the rear wheel), which carried me over 70,000 miles over the next 3 yrs, over most of the lower 48 states. I raced it, toured on it and used it as my daily commuter. I'm not certain I have EVER needed more power than what that little Suz supplied. Don't get me wrong.....I LOOOOOOVVE hp, speed and quickness in a motorcycle. But riding an "underpowered" bike quickly teaches you the things you may never learn on something that scares the bejeepers out of you;

retaining cornerspeed, finding the true apex, picking a good line, braking properly, smoothness, grace and precision. Make a mistake on a HP bike and you can cover it with a twist of the throttle; be ham-fisted or sloppy on a "slow" bike and it shows up like a whore in a revival meeting.

JMHO

04-16-2008, 01:54 PM	#14
OTB The Man Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: CrabTown USA Moto: 00 Bimota DB4 Posts: 823	My first street bike was a '70's two-stroke two-fiddy, made about 18-20 hp when you wrung it's neck. I then graduated to a 350 sized bike (380 Suz two-stroker, it made a whopping 32 hp at the crank....mebbe 25-6 at the rear wheel), which carried me over 70,000 miles over the next 3 yrs, over most of the lower 48 states. I raced it, toured on it and used it as my daily commuter. I'm not certain I have EVER needed more power than what that little Suz supplied. Don't get me wrong.....I LOOOOOOVVE hp, speed and quickness in a motorcycle. But riding an "underpowered" bike quickly teaches you the things you may never learn on something that scares the bejeepers out of you; retaining cornerspeed, finding the true apex, picking a good line, braking properly, smoothness, grace and precision. Make a mistake on a HP bike and you can cover it with a twist of the throttle; be ham-fisted or sloppy on a "slow" bike and it shows up like a whore in a revival meeting. JMHO Last edited by OTB; 04-16-2008 at 02:51 PM..