Irish rider returning to biking !

Hi,

I'm about to buy a bike after 5+ years of not having ridden at all. My last
bike was a ZZR600 which I adored, it was comfortable on the commute and good
enough for twisty turny roads

I'm thinking of a Duke, 800ss, 1000ss or ST4. Does anyone have any comments
on them or indeed suggestions for other makes and models that I should
consider. It will be used for the 20mile commute into Dublin each day and
weekend riding. It needs to be reasonable 2 up, I'm 6'2" and 13stone and
the pillion is 5'2" 9St. Most riding would be just me though.

My main reason for leaning towards Ducati is initially the looks but they
also seem to be cheaper to insure and in Ireland, insurance is extortionate.
Mentioning insurance, does anyone know if an insurer will count my car No
Claim Bonus as I'm getting rid of the car ??

Cheers,

Matt.

 

My wife is from Dublin.

 

You must look like a stick and a space hopper.

 

Are they really that bad ?

 

I see that yours is a ZX6. That's a bike that I would consider but when I
bought my ZZR in 96, I also tried a ZX6 Ninja and it was quite a bit
smaller, how would a 6'2" person be on one now ? The ZX9 or 12 would
probably mean selling a kidney to insure it !

 

I see that yours is a ZX6. That's a bike that I would consider but when I

You want a 2002 zx6r - a 636 carb engine and loads of room. The 2003
zx6r is very small by comparison. Before that I had a cbr6 which was
comfortable but not as large as the zx6r.

I also have a VFR which is plenty big enough.

I know a duke dealer who moans continually about people who buy
ducatis from him to commute on and then bring them back every two
weeks to fix something because (he says) they're not designed for
riding in traffic and that's why they break. Personally I've never
owned one.

steve

 

You should see me at the moment...Space hopper is precisely the term
that came to mind this morning - and that's just 5 months gone
(nearly...)!

 

What, orange with horns?

 

Thanks for the info, a dealer near me has a 2nd hand zx6 so I think I'll go
take a sit on it.

 

<shaggy>

it wasn't me

</shaggy>

 

Have we met?!

 

<fx pulls hat down over eyes>

 

Face it Claire, that's pretty accurate.

 

Depending where you need to be in Dublin, Id say a small bike would be
ideal, especially if it's City Centre. You need a bike that's easy to filter
with.

The older ZX6 is not that small by the way; I've had the (mis)fortune to
ride Andrew's bike and I'm about 6'2" too. I thought it was just the right
height for me, but then I bought a Firestorm

As for insurance: indeed, you must be willing to sell some internals and
limbs to insure.

For buying bikes: may I suggest GP Motorcycles? I've bought a bike off them
and have always had a good experience with them. They're located at the
Centre side of Amiens Street.

 

That's why I think I must have met him! But i don't remember it if I
did... (rohypnol?)

 

*waves*

It helps if you count a throttle cable as a consumables, and you're not
too picky when and where they're consumed.

 

Mine's OK. 24,000-odd miles, one well-publcised spark plug failure, and
it's eaten a neutral light switch.

That's it.

 

The 800 is going to be smoother and sweeter than the 1000, but with less
outright go, if that matters.

The ST4 is much pore powerful a full-on sports tourer, but it will be
much more expensive to run, especially come service time.

My 750SS is one of the most rewarding bikes I've ever owned. Not the
fastest, but you can use every single scrap of performance and handling.
I love it to bits. I think everyone who's blagged a go on it has liked
it, too.

 

Never!

I always had you pegged at around five-nine.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
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\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17
'^'

 

No, that's me and Owen. Him: 6'2" and 10 stone. Me: 5'2" and 12 stone.


--
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