Been lurking a while and decided to join up. Looks like a great forum filled with great info and a helpful crew.

I don't have a bike yet so sorry if that's a no no here. I've been wanting a bike for well over a year now so its not some new idea that popped into my head 20 minutes ago. I'm looking for any cbr in the $3000ish range as long as it is taken care of. For some reason F3s have been calling to me lol. I'll be taking a MSF course sometime in the spring hopefully. I've got all the gear picked out...cause gotta wear it all the time. So far its full helmet, jacket, pants (not denim jeans), gloves, chest/back protector, and some riding boots. I like my skin on me and not on the road.

Yes, I'm new to the bike world, but I am eager to learn. I'll probably post more up later with questions.

The reason for a cbr over a yami r6? The yamis are cheaper around here and cheaper to insure. Still not good enough. I've had bad luck with yamaha motors running like poo or exploding...literally lol. I've been into the water skiing world my whole life. Maybe some of the Australians here might know what's going on with that. The motor on my personal boat is a Yamaha V6 with 225 hp. It likes to run at high rpms all day long, but have it anything lower than that its crap. I'm on a water ski team and one of the boats I drive has 2 (yeah 2) Yamaha 225 hp Vmax motors and they have been well maintained. I was going about 45 mph and the driver side one exploded. There was a fist sized hole in the block. Luckily the cover held in the shrapnel.
I've read the yami bikes have the same "feel" low power down low but makes up for it at high rpms. If they are consistent with the boat motors....no way do I want one. Honda FTW!

Sorry for the book.

Can't wait to grow in my knowledge of bikes and the world around them!

 

Well, welcome to CBRF!! :-)

You don't actually need a bike, you just need to love bikes and if you don't we will know ;-)


As to Hondas, well ... my parents had boats on our canal system many years ago ... we used an assortment of outboard motors to power our craft ..all of them had issues, then, one day my dad said enough is enough and fitted our boat with a Honda 7.5 hp outboard that was all the rage on the canals at the time, the result was happiness and bliss all around .. peaceful holidays with no break downs anymore ... so when I grew up I stuck with Honda too, and, I am very happy I did :-)


Jules

 

Thanks for the welcome. When that Vmax exploded it really didn't sound like it. It made a slight but noticeable popping noise and the tach read 0.

I did a little math just for fun...my boat (in the pic) has a higher power to weight ratio than a F3.

Here's my ski team boat doing what we call the barefoot circle. Its my dad behind the boat minus skis. I'm trying to get this thing to turn as tight as possible at 40 mph lol.



Is it summer yet so I can buy a darn bike?!

 

Nice boat, but that water has a terrible drag factor so the F3 wins!! ;-)


Jules

 

Welcome to the forum, man!
Nice boat you got there.

Like classic said, it sounds like you're certainly headed in the right direction as far as gear, and wanting to ride Honda ...

Sorry I can't help you with getting us into summer. lol... Believe me, I'm tired of this winter chit already, too.
You're in Rockford, eh? My dad works out there...

 

3k? You'll have more than enough for an F3 in great shape and all the gear on your list. Only thing I'd add is security for the bike. Locks and possibly alarm. You want to keep the rubber side down AND in your possession

God I miss a good lake. Used to own a waverunner when i lived in Texas. Motorcycles on water Welcome aboard!

 

Thanks for even more welcome.

Oh yeah, I sorta forgot about security stuff. I was planning on at least a disc lock. Are those even that effective? I know nothing is 100% protected from theft.

For some reason even F3s are sorta expensive in my opinion around here. F4i and 600rrs are about $5k-6k. F4s are about $3.5k-4k. F3s are in that $3k and down price range. I suppose I could buy a beat up newer bike, but I want one that at least appears to be taken care of. I don't want a 600rr (yet), they look very panty dropping, but might be a bit much for a n00b like me.

Now all I gotta do is stalk the Northern Illinois MSF course registration. lol

 

You want to layer security if you can. I only have an alarm atm but am looking for a good disc lock. A disc lock will not prevent someone from simply picking up the bike and loading it on a truck. An alarm won't either, but it'll scream bloody murder while they try it.

The more layers (especially visible ones) of security you have on your bike, the more a thief will simply walk past it to the gixxer that has nothing securing it. Theft is about opportunity. The easier it is for a thief to steal something while remaining inconspicuous, the better the target. Nothing will stop a determined thief. But the level of determination required to get past a good alarm and disc lock is better spent on a bike that isn't a decade old.

Widen your search a bit would be my suggestion for finding a good bike. Ebay & Craigslist are actually a pretty good source. You might come up on a steal on Ebay and be able to have it shipped to you for less than $3k. Or find something nearby on either site and be able to rent a UHaul trailer to go get it cheaper. Or use your (or a friend's) truck to haul it back. And arm yourself with the actual value of the bike

 

I was thinking about having a disc lock for when its not at home. Unfortunately, I won't be able to put it in a garage. My dad and I have been talking about a big shed or a separate garage in the future. Until then it will be under a tarp, behind a privacy fence, chained to a tree. Yeah, it sounds redneck but that's the best I've got right now. The garage we have now has a couple cars and lots of crap.

I've been searching craigslist often in the Chicago and Milwaukee area. I've got a couple months to find one. I'm gonna TRY and be patient to make sure I find the right one. I don't want to be like...ooo two wheels and a motor...here's my money!

Thanks a bunch for the advice. I'll take all that I can get.