Motorbikes

[DLM_012]

I'm not saying FZ09s or the speed triple isn't a hoot to ride because I always hear just the opposite. They're just not balanced bikes in every way if you know what I mean. Speed triple is a torque monster but comes in at a hefty 470lbs. A FZ09 is a light torque monster with sub par bits that need more refinement.

Striple 675 does pretty much everything in its class right. I know... I sound crazy and a bit of a fanboy but you won't understand until you ride one. Then it just clicks.

[mopman94]

Wrote this for another website but thought I would share it here as well

I bought my CBR650F new at the beginning of March and at this point have done just over 2000 miles on it. This is mainly commuting but also weekend rides and a few rides with a pillion.

Why the CBR650F?

After having my license for two years and riding around on a KTM Duke 200 (it was a pile of wank) my license became unrestricted and I could upgrade. I wanted a sports bike, but I couldn't afford the insurance on one (I was getting quotes of £3000 per year on an R6). I also wanted a touring bike, but I thought they were a bit old man. So in the end I thought, why not both? The CBR650F was the obvious compromise.

The insurance is cheaper for me than an R6 at around £1000, but it still has that sporty look about it and performs well. I also knew I could get some Givi kit for it, hence the boxes in the image above. I've not done any touring yet but I use the boxes to carry another helmet, gloves and jacket for when I take a pillion.

What else did I try

I test rode three other bikes before settling on this one. The first was the Kawasaki ER6f (or Ninja 650 as it's called in some places). I hated it, it made a horrible noise, the engine was boring and the windscreen was at just the right height to make the wind buffet my helmet like shit at anything over 50mph making the noise unbearable.

I also tried the Honda CBR500RR, this was a great bike but lacked the power I wanted.

The final bike I tried was the Yamaha MT-07 (FZ-07). This was a fantastic bike, but it lost out for one big reason, the physical size of the bike felt to small. The dealer said I could put some after market rear sets onto it to drop my foot lower so my knees didn't feel so high, but with none in the dealer to see how that would fit I wasn't prepared to splash the cash. Other wise the MT-07 was a great bike and I recommend it any day of the week.

Look and Feel

The CBR650F is built fantastically (or at the least significantly better than the KTM I had). My only complaints are that there are some minor panel gaps, but nothing extreme, you have to be looking for them to notice it. The clutch has a little bit of play in it, though it most likely just needs adjusting for me and the grips feel a bit naf.

Those are, obviously, minor points. The foot pegs are nice and chunky making them comfortable, the pillion foot pegs are more sporty but who cares about the comfort of your pillion, just as long as I am OK. The seat is nice and wide making it comfortable for long distances, the seat if firm compared to touring bikes but is like a soft fluffy pillow when compared to super sports bikes. It takes about 2 – 3 hours before I start getting uncomfortable, and that discomfort normally comes from my legs or from my shoulders if I am wearing a rucksack, the arse is all good.

The instruments look OK, they are not revolutionary but they display the information clearly. The cluster consists of a revometer, speedo, clock and fuel gauge. You can then choose from; trip A, trip B, current MPG, average MPG on trip A and the odemeter. There is no temperature gauge or gear indicator.

The plastics on the bike feel of good quality, the paint is great, I think the white paint on the tank is metallic. I am not sure of the quality of paint on the plastics, after 1000 miles I noticed a stone chip on the right fairing which can now not be unseen, though of course I don't know how big the stone was the caused it (that reminds me, I should see if I can get some paint from Honda to patch that up). All of the stickers on the fairing are good quality, none of them are pealing and there is no sign of dirt getting under the edges.

Ride

This is probably the most important part, how does the bike ride? The engine is nice and smooth and the gearbox has a good feel to it. I have to be honest though the bike can be difficult around town, it doesn't like doing under 20mph and to get it to do so without lurching about the place requires some tickling of the clutch. Otherwise the engine is great.

When idling it's not very loud and riding around town its relatively quiet, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, but once you get above 7000 rpm it screams like you would expect any sports bike to do. The quiet sound is largely due to its small under belly exhaust, there do not seem to be many replacements on the market currently.

The bike is economic, I average about 45 – 50 mpg when I commute, but my commute consists of a lot of stopping between dual carriageways and that stopping then accelerating to 70mph then stopping again is never going to be good for fuel. On a weekend ride I normally get 55 mpg, if you are really frugal and want to save on motion lotion as much as possible you should see 60 – 65 mpg.

Conclusion and What Would I Change?

So over all I am very pleased with this purchase. I love this bike and unlike the KTM I intend to actually keep it for a long time (I got rid of the KTM two years into a three year financial agreement because it was pissing me off so much, I didn't even ride it at all for the last month of ownership). This bike ticks all of the boxes for me, its fun yet practical and it is practical without looking like it's target market are 65+ year olds.

So what would I change? Well I want to put adjustable leavers on it. As stock the front brake is adjustable but the clutch isn't, which doesn't make sense to me because I would have thought the clutch is the one you'd really was to adjust? Either way that is the first thing I hope to do as the clutch lever is to far away for me (which might be why mine has some slack in it now, from me holding it a couple of mm in when my hand is resting on it due to it being to far away). The only other thing I currently want to change is the exhaust but there aren't any affordable options on the UK market currently.

I hope you enjoyed this review and if you have any questions just ask.

[DLM_012]

Wrote this for another website but thought I would share it here as well

-wall of text-

Sounds like a nice bike. It's an i4 so it'll sound really quiet until you put a pipe on it and that also explains it not being so friendly in speeds under 20MPH. 600cc i4s are a pain to ride in traffic because as soon as you get it in the power band to get it rolling you'll have to brake again.

Quite the exercise for your right wrist.

[MadManMarsBar]

Will be working on my bike today

 

Gotta finish mounting the Rear Shock Absorber 

 

if i can get it sat on its wheels then i will take some pics and update this thread

 

Bike Parts list 

 

Any 125cc engine i can get my hands on 

Kawasaki GPX550 unitrak Frame 

Yamaha xj 400 front end ( pre-diversion )

Triumph trophy 1200 4 pot brakes , they bolt straight onto the forks

Hyosung gt125r rear subframe + Swing are wheel etc

Random yamaha fuel tank 

 

hopefully i can get it finished this year

[MG2R]

Will be working on my bike today

 

Gotta finish mounting the Rear Shock Absorber 

 

if i can get it sat on its wheels then i will take some pics and update this thread

 

Bike Parts list 

 

Any 125cc engine i can get my hands on 

Kawasaki GPX550 unitrak Frame 

Yamaha xj 400 front end ( pre-diversion )

Triumph trophy 1200 4 pot brakes , they bolt straight onto the forks

Hyosung gt125r rear subframe + Swing are wheel etc

Random yamaha fuel tank 

 

hopefully i can get it finished this year

Needs moar pictures

[BloodySinner]

Thread bump. Because. Reasons.

I went to a rip today with some buddies.

[melias24]

Went for a weekend of camping and riding with my mates, me in a 2010 Husqvarna TC250 (good bike, bit hard to start) and my other mates on a ttr250 (which blew a head gasket and had a ticking sound in the crank case) and the other on a 2013 KX250f

[xAlphaStick]

I ride a CBR500r. In Australia where LAMS rules rain supreme I can say after riding many different ones that this is my favourite all round LAMS bike.

 

Does anyone know if Linus still owns his motorcycle? I remember from a phone case review he dragged it behind his bike one time but I haven't heard from it since. From what I remember it was an older model GSXR.

[melias24]

I ride a CBR500r. In Australia where LAMS rules rain supreme I can say after riding many different ones that this is my favourite all round LAMS bike.

 

Does anyone know if Linus still owns his motorcycle? I remember from a phone case review he dragged it behind his bike one time but I haven't heard from it since. From what I remember it was an older model GSXR.

LEL if you want something that has extreme power that is LAMs approved, look at a Honda CR500. They made 234 or something like that road registerable. 500 2 stroke on the road? What could possibly go wrong!!

[BloodySinner]

I ride a CBR500r. In Australia where LAMS rules rain supreme I can say after riding many different ones that this is my favourite all round LAMS bike.

 

Does anyone know if Linus still owns his motorcycle? I remember from a phone case review he dragged it behind his bike one time but I haven't heard from it since. From what I remember it was an older model GSXR.

 

He does not own a GSX-R. I believe he still has his Suzuki SV650. 

[MG2R]

I ride a CBR500r. In Australia where LAMS rules rain supreme I can say after riding many different ones that this is my favourite all round LAMS bike.

 

Does anyone know if Linus still owns his motorcycle? I remember from a phone case review he dragged it behind his bike one time but I haven't heard from it since. From what I remember it was an older model GSXR.

His SV-650 was featured in the intro of a recent new office vlog:

 

[ShadowCaptain]

His SV-650 was featured in the intro of a recent new office vlog:

 

#SV650MASTERRACE

[MG2R]

#SV650MASTERRACE

 

SV650 may be master race, but #XJR1300MONSTERRACE

 

 

 

EDIT: then again, Ducati is the real manufacturer of Monsters

Edited July 27, 2015 by MG2R

[DLM_012]

I came across one of thirty "Team Empire Edition" street triples yesterday at a dealer. I initially thought it was someone's stunt bike that they were trying to trade in but apparently on an annual basis icon sponsors a bike build by this team and "make" them in limited quantities. I use the word make lightly since it's minor cosmetic upgrades from what I understand.

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

 

street triples are one of my favourite bike but that one is hideous

[Real_PhillBert]

street triples are one of my favourite bike but that one is hideous

 

Im really not a fan of those "Team" bikes. If they offered some mechanical differences it might be at least interesting to me, but when it's all style based I just cant get fired up. 

[ShadowCaptain]

Im really not a fan of those "Team" bikes. If they offered some mechanical differences it might be at least interesting to me, but when it's all style based I just cant get fired up. 

 

Yeah its pretty much just a horrible paint job

[DLM_012]

It's not my thing either. The colors clash bad

[xAlphaStick]

#SV650MASTERRACE

The SV650 is everyone's on /r/motorcycles favourite bike

[ShadowCaptain]

The SV650 is everyone's on /r/motorcycles favourite bike

 

Its an amazing bike, its comfy, its fast enough for most people, its easy to use for learners, fun enough for experienced riders, its cheap to buy, its easy to maintain, its super reliable, it has a lovely gearbox, its easy to ride in slow traffic, it goes crazy if you rev it high, you can do stunts on it too, it can be a great track bike, most people fit from short to tall, its gorgeous (especially the naked)

 

Honestly its just one of those rare close to perfect bikes

[BloodySinner]

I came across one of thirty "Team Empire Edition" street triples yesterday at a dealer. I initially thought it was someone's stunt bike that they were trying to trade in but apparently on an annual basis icon sponsors a bike build by this team and "make" them in limited quantities. I use the word make lightly since it's minor cosmetic upgrades from what I understand.

-

 

-

-

 

Basically, Icon Motorsports butchered a perfectly good Street Triple. GG.

[xAlphaStick]

Its an amazing bike, its comfy, its fast enough for most people, its easy to use for learners, fun enough for experienced riders, its cheap to buy, its easy to maintain, its super reliable, it has a lovely gearbox, its easy to ride in slow traffic, it goes crazy if you rev it high, you can do stunts on it too, it can be a great track bike, most people fit from short to tall, its gorgeous (especially the naked)

 

Honestly its just one of those rare close to perfect bikes

 

The sv650 is on my list of bikes to try. Its LAMs approved here in Aus which is awesome. Its very popular in southern states but not so much in my area.

[ShadowCaptain]

The sv650 is on my list of bikes to try. Its LAMs approved here in Aus which is awesome. Its very popular in southern states but not so much in my area.

 

I 100% recommend it, I love mine

[Hazy125]

Rocking a CBR125 here, silly power restrictions in Aus  :angry:  :angry: Can't even get past 100 if going uphill or with a decent headwind 

[MG2R]

Rocking a CBR125 here, silly power restrictions in Aus  :angry:  :angry: Can't even get past 100 if going uphill or with a decent headwind 

Is that FI or with a carb? If carb: put a bigger on there and fly