[dogbreath]

I've always been confused by the people who buy a 600RR or a GSX-R1000 just to street ride. To me, supersports and superbikes are track bikes. Even if you keep it street legal, you can only justify owning it by taking it to the track at least once every two months.

A street-only sportbike to me has to meld sharp handling and braking with a few dire requirements for a streetbike that most people don't seem to appreciate (until the experience, usually). Torque and comfort.

When it came time that I could buy my very own, showroom fresh motorcycle, I wanted something I could comfortably drive my 70 mile one-way commute to work. It also had to sate my appetite for lean angle.

I prefered v-twin naked bikes but none of the good ones are in my price range, or sold in America. I settled for the Hayabusa because it was comfortable enough to ride 70 miles at a time (and, later on, 500 miles at a time) and I felt, even if it was too heavy to hang with gixxers, it'd still be a blast.

Well, that's when I saw a streetfighter Hayabusa online and everything fell into place.


:knucks:

 

[BB_DASLER]

I prefered v-twin naked bikes but none of the good ones are in my price range, or sold in America.
:knucks:

The SV1000 is son of the mighty TL and only de-tuned slightly to help bury the widowmaker tag they pinned on that noble bruto.

The Idea with the SV is that it's a "bare canvas" to re-tune and stamp your individaulity on it with aftermarket upgrades and styling to suit your own taste.

Sure, they don't have the charisma of the Duc's and Aprilia Tuono's, but they don't cost an arm and a leg to maintain like them.
Also pound-for-pound they are churning out the same sort of mid-range torque and although they may give a little in outright full BHP to the Italian models, how you use what you have depends on the skill and experience of the rider and can give some of the more upmarket machine riders a few surprises.

I think that's why i'm a fighterer, because If I pit my wits and humble SV against some of the more fancier stuff and blow them into the weeds...well, I'm having a ball. :rock:

 

[sevenpointsixtwo]

:Stupid: I love the sound of a tuned v-twin sportbike above and beyond most other things in this world. The SV650 (meh) and 1000 (mmm) are decent bikes and sound great, I'd happily ride one if I couldnt afford a ducati.

Why I'm a fighterer? How else are you going to make a 13+ year old bike compete in style and performance with some of the newer guys with shiney paint and gobs of torque? The stripped-down, layed-out aesthetic of the streetfighter lets you know that it's a real motorcycle under there, not just a cheap japanese plastic toy.

 

[DougZ]

My fighter is gonna be like a hat to me.....all my bikes are, and it just depends on which hat I feel like wearing on what day.

But I hear what you are saying...if I had to have just one bike for day to day riding, it would not be an inline 4. I loved my Gix track bike, but was glad to get off it at the end of 20 minutes sessions..that is for sure. arty-smiley:

 

[enrico vespa]

As far back as I can remember,
I always wanted to be a streetfighter.

To me...

...being a streetfighter was better than
being president of the United States.

Even before I went to the cafe'
for an after-school job...

...I knew I wanted to be a part of them.

It was there that I knew I belonged.
To me, it meant being somebody...

...in a neighborhood full of nobodies.

They weren't like anybody else.
They did whatever they wanted.

They parked in front of hydrants
and never got a ticket.

When they reved their bikes all night...

...nobody ever called the cops.



... and now I am a fighter....

 

[Motorgasm73]

god bless Haelo for a real thread!

I am who I am and the hat analogie is the best. all of my buddies ride full out custom, or show room fresh cafe style bikes. I want to take an older out of dater, and kick the dust up on em and not feel bad because I am on something they wouldn't look twice at.

Now as far as your comment on "I settled for the hayabusa", nobody settles on a Busa! Pound for Pound the baddest beast ever made, you knew what you were doing when you bought it! I had a 2001 Bandit, then a GSXR750, then a GSXR1000, the next step for me, I thought was a Busa. I am a HP freak!! It wasn't until after I owned it that I realized that I made concessions for having bought it. I gave up carving abilities, for all out balls to the wall straight shooting.

I have been from one end of the spectrum to the other with this bike, I shortened the swing arm to make it flick better, to stretching it out and going crazy with the motor. I am 6'6", 245 lbs, I needed this bike to fit me. now I need something to fit my attitude.

So the reason I am a fighterer!!! manufacturers don't build a bike to suit my inner demon, so I will build it myself!!!!

 

[dogbreath]

To say I settled for the busa is that I'd rather go around corners fast than go fast down the freeway.

 

[BB_DASLER]

haelo. I'd like you to check out this link particularly. Of course I need all fellow CF-ers to do also, but you know that I didn't just drop out of space into the saddle of an SV1K...It was a concious decision. I don't say I ever owned a Busa, but my last sledge was a BM K1200 R.S. The link below, is to a page that can articulate far better than I could about the merits of this machine in the company of a Busa and a Honduh Blackbird.
It's an entertaining read, and within, the song remains the same in as much as...It's all down to how you ride!
http://www.dropbears.com/m/models/roadtests/jailbait.htm
:knucks:

 

[dogbreath]

If it came to a track session, there’s no question which motorcycle is the pick — the Hayabusa. It has a reasonably track-friendly riding position, much more cornering clearance than the Honda or BMW, more powerful front brakes, and the best compromise between power and feel at the throttle. My only bitch is that the feel of the front stoppers is a tenth or two behind the best in the business.

Give it top marks from this group when it comes to steering accuracy — that’s if you get the front suspension settings softened to sensible levels.

The SV1000 is kinda rare here, BB, I've never seen one up close.

 

[DougZ]

The SV1000 is kinda rare here, BB, I've never seen one up close.

Clicky:

Not up close, but close enough for you.

 

[dogbreath]

I mean I've never seen one in real life.

 

[DougZ]

I mean I've never seen one in real life.

I knew what ya meant....DZ just likes to photwhore. :rock:

 

[dogbreath]

Just showing off your goods eh?

 

[DougZ]

Just showing off your goods eh?

Gotta show off that bike...the fighter aint gonna done for a long time.

 

[sevenpointsixtwo]

I checked out an SV1000 at the stealership today. Awesome bike, wonky front fairing. Would look so much better with the SV650 light + screen.

 

[dogbreath]

Would looks so much better fightered the fuck out

 

[DougZ]

Would looks so much better fightered the fuck out

I am building a fighter to be my fighter...the SV1K is my main street ride..if/when I get back on the track, I'll get another Gix 6. :rock:

 

[enrico vespa]

jus like motorasm said, these manufacturers don'y make bikes for me, they make a general bike that they feel will sell. I got out of bikes for a long time, from a vespa to xl600, to a vfr, then a gsxr750, then I stopped for an extreme;y long time. I wanted to ride again, but didn't want to spend 10 grand uif I just wanted something to rn around town. I researcged and desided on the sv650. Enough power for the street and flickable enough that I would have fun on. It was comfortable to ride and better yet it was cheap.

At first all I wanted to do was put on a different headlight setup and put on an aftermarket pipe. Then someone blew a stop sign. I got my hands on gixer forks and it all started there. Everyone knows you just can't do just one thing on a bike and leave it alone. You just keep adding this and that. Basically, if you run out of things to do, it's not a fighter anymore, it just crossed over the line and becomes a show bike.

 

[sprbeast]

a perfect topic almost brings a tear to my eye........

really.... you all have to think how lucky we are to be the first here in the states to realize (ok some of you lucky bastards across the pond and way way way south east in aussie land allready know) that we are on the for front of the next big thing in motorbiking. people including many of my friends insist on buying sportbikes. i understand the intention but that is neither here nor there. not a single person can use the capability that those bikes have. even on the track. only a select few of us (not me) have the ability to really use the current technology for what it is meant. (aka the higher tier of racers). and now there are these people who are considered bike "tuners" who just apply chrome, NOS, swingarm extensions and 300 series tires on these bikes and completely ruin the ridability of them. i mean what the fek are they thinking? how can they consider themselves tuners? i do remember riding my 92 GSXR 6/750 and being able to enjoy riding it. NO it couldn't compare to what is out now as far as track times but it wasn't a track bike for me it was a streetbike. it fit like a glove, i sat in it, not on it. the bike was heavy, stable, somewhat comfy, and fun. which brings me to what fighters are about to me.....CLEAN, SIMPLE, RAW, TO THE POINT, IN YOUR FACE, AGGRESSIVE, PEICES OF MECHANICAL ART. i believe it gives us a chance to get hands on (regardless of OUR capabilites or the resources we have to work with) with building and modding our bikes. maybe we just like to be more involved with the machine than they are. you know more than just turning the key and swingin a leg over what the guy down the street has. i do believe it starts from back when i was young and the other kids in school had ocean pacific and i was stuck with a K-mart special.

everytime i ride.........i just don't get it...........why are they stuck on those plastic boxes complaining while i am giggling inside my helmet. i am so glad i don't use communicators when i ride in groups. last week jason (bro on his k5 1000 w/ 176hp cams, system, suspension,etc.) and me (on superbeast) went for a ride on sunday and we switched for a short period so i could try out his new dynojet quickshifter (neat neat gadget) and he could see if my honda shock conversion was up to par with the stock TLR crap that had been in its place. when we stopped to swap back jason addmitted he should have rode his TLS fighter and maybe he will keep the gsxr for the track and keep upping the performance of that (it is really his calling card for his shop)

in closing i would like to say....................i just don't get it

 

[sprbeast]

Basically, if you run out of things to do, it's not a fighter anymore, it just crossed over the line and becomes a show bike.

i would like to dispute this....only when you stop riding it does it become a showbike. when you run out of things to do then it's time to get another project