I think I'm going to be picking up a second bike some time this week. The little Ryca café just isn't cutting it for my interstate commute. As of right now the leading contender is the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja 650. The local dealers have them marked down to $5300 vs an MSRP of $7200. I'm assuming that's because of the time of year and because they just announced a new version of the bike for 2017.  

This is the bike that I'm looking at. http://donandroys.com/Motorcycles-Kawasaki-Ninja-650-2016-6610a5fe-132c-4d3b-... I took it for a test ride on Saturday and I was pretty impressed with how smooth it was and how much wind protection there was.



After going home and doing a little research it looked like the bike was compared to the Yamaha FZ-07 a lot...and the FZ-07 usually won. Of course one of the reasons is that the FZ-07 has a lower MSRP so the argument was always "bang for your buck" the Yamaha is better. They are also going below MSRP but not as low as the Ninja. Of course now I need to try to track one down to test ride before I make a decision. I'm pretty sure the FZ-07 is going to be the more fun bike but I think the wind protection isn't going to be enough. We'll see if the sensible side or the fun side wins.

Anyway....back to the subject.

To this point in my life I've only owned 3 bikes. The first being a Suzuki GS 500E. I think part of the reason I thought the Ninja was so smooth was that I expected it to feel a little more like the GS. That thing vibrated like hell at 70mph. It sure was a great first bike. I had it topped out a number of times and would have kept going faster if I could have. Luckily I couldn't. It also taught me that I'm terrible at wheelies so I shouldn't bother too much on whatever bike I got next.



The next bike couldn't have been much different. I went to the dealer thinking that I would get a Katana. It just happened that a 2003 Kawasaki ZZR1200 was sitting right next to it. I couldn't understand why I would want to only pay about $1500 less for a 600cc Katana (or whatever size it was) instead of getting a 1200cc bike that looked very similar. Well I ended up pulling the trigger on the ZZR and I'm very glad I did. That bike took me on a number of trips around the country that I'll never forget.



Fast forward and a lot of things changed. I moved from St. Louis to Milwaukee and also had twins. Having moved away from the guys that I enjoyed riding with, not being able to ride year round due to weather conditions, and having a job where I commuted with my wife (that hates riding) I was barely riding at all. I WAS spending my time doing something else though. Autocross racing. I got this stupid idea that I should buy a full blown race car instead of using the normal street cars that most people use. Well my wife didn't want me having a bike that I didn't ride AND a race car that I would barely drive so I sold the bike and got this thing:



It's not technically a motorcycle but it had an 08 Honda CBR1000RR motor in it so it's close enough.   It was a blast but if you know anything about autocross you know that there isn't much actual driving. After a year and a half the deal that I made with someone else to trailer and maintain the car fell through so I ended up selling it.

Then came the Savage. My friend had been drooling over the Ryca kit for a while and it got me thinking about a bike again too. I figured with my commute with my wife that most of my riding would just be around town and in the evening for going to work out so I pulled the trigger on it. That brings me to where I am today on bikes that I've owned.

The ZZR is by far the fastest bike that I've ridden. Most of the others are pretty random. Kawasaki GPZ550, a couple Kawasaki Concourses, a handful of Harley Road Kings,  Kawasaki Katana, BMW R1200C, Yamaha YZF600,  Triumph Street Twin, and a Buell Firebolt (I think). I remember test riding a Buell but I can't remember which one.

So what are everyone else's favorite bikes to bikes that you've owned. I know a couple people on here have some smaller sport bikes. Anyone else venture away from cruisers?

I just don't want to go with the big sport touring bike. I had that in the ZZR and felt the exact same way you did with the Deal's Gap area. The Cherohala Skyway was about my favorite road in the area to ride with the dragon being too much of a hustle.

The Ninja 650 is very much a commuter bike. The seating position is right at straight up and down with fairly low pegs. The windshield also has some adjustability to go higher than what it is in the picture.

I thought about the adventure sport style bike and had actually planned on test riding a KLR 650 but I didn't want to after the Ninja. The Ninja was actually a more upright seating position than what I want. If I get one I would lower the bars a bit.

Right now my commute is 28.5 miles with the vast majority being 70mph interstate. Most of the roads in the area are very straight too so even the scenic route only has a couple corners (and it takes an additional 15-20 minutes). I used to ride as long as it was above 32degrees. I've gotten softer over the years though. Plus usually by the time it's down to that temp in this area there is snow and salt on the roads anyway. On the Ryca my cutoff is about 50 degrees in the morning. I think with the Ninja I could make it down to 40 fairly comfortably.

I'm in my mid fifty's and I have been riding since the age of 10. In my nearly half a decade as a rider I've owned just about every style of bike there is and I have gone through just about every phase of riding and ownership.

I happen to like the ZX-650 that you are looking at. I have a friend who has one and she has nothing bad to say about it. It's fun to ride, is economical to own and checks many of my boxes. And yes, I would cross shop that with the FZ-07...and while I was at the Yamaha dealership I'd probably have to throw a leg over the FZ-09 because...well...triple. And while we're on the subject of triples...one that is a perfect commuter/travel bike is the FJ-09.

In my experience, no one can help you with the "what bike" question. A bike either speaks to you or it doesn't. There's no other rational explanation (nor is one needed). If this bike will be a commuter bike; and looking at your commute its probably a mindless blast down the interstate (with the exception of the cages that never see you) - which makes me think cruiser and or tourer. Comfort, protection and the ability to store stuff (lunch, laptop, dry clothes) probably should take precedence over everything else.

Reliability and comfort and the ability to handle the speed and Still have the Ooomph to pass.
You Have a
Cross town, running around bike.
Now, you need a commuter.

I would take a look at a V Strom before your make your purchase.



Best regards,

Ya, the Daytona was my least favorite bike I think. Don't get me wrong it was plenty fast, and fun in the curves, but I just don't think a traditional sport bike is for me. I really miss the Ducati.

BSTON wrote on 10/10/16 at 11:47:39:

Chris H. wrote on 10/10/16 at 13:38:32:



I feel the same way about my little Ninja 250....I just don't like the sportbike squid image. (With my full coverage helmet and tinted visor I look squidlike).

The little Ninja is getting a "sportbikectomy" this winter.

Other than my S40 that I bought 4+ years ago as my first bike ever, I recently acquired this Ninja.  Hope to add to my collection next year with an older retro scrambler or something of the like.