So...... As you may or may not know I've got a 2007 HRC blade, rarely ride as pretty useless commuter (crappy 30 limits most the way to work) and mates have sold bikes or stopped riding so don't go for many blasts anymore. Screwed up my back a few years back which means I can't ride too long before it aches..... Thought I'd see what's about and seen a rather nice looking CB1000r 9 that I'm tempted by, can use it for work but still got plenty of poke for fun when I feel like it. Hoping its still there and a straight swap for mine. Anyone ridden one or any thoughts?
I would get a test ride... all backs are different, and all bikes are different. When my mate faced the same dilemma as you, I convinced him a CB1000R was the way to go... he test rode them 3 or 4 times, and never quite gelled, found they didn't help as back as much as he hoped. In the end he bought a Speed Triple, and despite his knackered back, he can still last longer in the saddle than I can on my 'blade!
Planning a test ride before deciding on anything but wondering about opinions as got a lot of experience on here. Haha, that's brilliant, the blade isn't exactly the most forgiving of bikes to ride any kind of distance.....
Mate swapped from a GSXR-750 to one and loves it - his has a custom HRC style paint job with gold wheels by Dream Machine and it looks ace He can't fault it as day to day bike and he uses it every day for his 20 odd mile commute
Street Triple is another good one - some rate the Street higher than the Speed as an urban blat about bike
Yamaha MT-07 I know its brand new, but the list price is incredible (eg low) - little bit of finance maybe to get it
Been looking at different models but love the blade and the cb is the same engine just detuned. None of that style seem to have nice looking lights but the cb seems to be the best that I've found..... So day to day he loves it, any comments of blasts at the weekend?
I would love to put a blade engine in a CB1000R with all the elctrics, must be one mega wheelie machine go and have a test ride one a few bikes and see what you like and don't like
Try a 1098 Streetfighter, no detoured engine here. Think I told you I dad one. Awesome piece of kit apart from the maintenance.
That cb looks awesome, would love a colour scheme like that but thinking its a little out of my price range to begin with. Keep having to remind myself I'm off to california later this year so need to save for that. The 1098 looks lovely but prefer the idea of always being able to ride instead of walking out to a busted lump so matter how nice it is
That CB was a very early one painted up at 12 months old -was a yuk green colour (quickly dropped) when new
Yep, i picked one up 7 days ago after selling my 954 RR2 Blade for the exact same reasons. I too commute 13 miles into work and found the blade just too much in traffic, the CB is just so easy.... and safer ! I can now see over the car roofs and have generally a better view of what the arseholes are doing around me. Loads of torque and i think it looks the mutts nuts. It seems to attract as much attention as my 954 did but is so much easier to live with. My bike is a 60 plated ABS equipped red extreme with 2800 miles on it and i paid £5,000.... its also mint and has a few nice extras on it. Good luck, it sound like you would suit it.
Sounds good, thanks for the run down. gotta see if I can take a half day at some point this week and go for a blast, no point getting all excited if I sit down and hate the ride..... Keep coming back to the fact 90+ is meant to be uncomfortable which will improve the chances of me keeping my license a fair bit One I'm looking at looks well looked after, 09 I think with 20k on the clock listed for a little under 5 grand....but from a shop I trust so thinking it'll be worth the money :s what's the extreme edition?
Hhhmmm I know friends who have bought naked's due to back operations etc but found that they actually hurt more with the riding positions of these bikes. Having owned a Tuono I sort of know how they feel. My blade is probably more comfortable for longer journeys than a naked. Would def agree with the folks who recommend numerous test rides first.
Backs and bikes can be funny things. Years ago I had a bad car accident and damaged my spine at the top end. Had back pain all the time and riding was sometimes actually less painful than walking. Traded my sports bike in for a naked, I found the wind pressure caused me more pain on my upper back on the naked than it did on the sports bike. Tried it for 6 months and then PX'd it for another sports bike. Found it easier on the pain front. I expect a lot depends on where the back problem is and maybe riders height and suspension etc etc. As others have said, have a really good long test ride or rides. Even now I find the bike easier on my back than the car, the slightly forward position is just more comfortable than being upright.
Interesting to hear that sports might be better, always thought the position would be more relaxed on a naked though the wind comments do make a lot of sense. My problem is the lower part of my back so not sure how that'll be. Still really looking forward to the test ride but a lot more open minded now, have to see just how long I can take it out for. The other problem being after watching the gp just love the look of sports bikes!! That said I have always wanted a single sided swingarm without the expense of a duke, gonna be awkward choice this one....
Having ridden the CB1000R, the Speed Triple R and the Street Triple R I can honestly that all 3 bikes are a bloody riot mate. The CB is just a hooligan wheelie machine and the top end is not so silly that you could get there and not notice like on a sports bike. The Speed triple is just bonkers so chuckable and so much torque it accelerates like a cat with scalded testicles. Very maneuverable and a real joy to ride again doesn't have silly top end either and does have the single sided swing arm that you're after plus ohlins and brembos too! The Street triple R has the highest top end of them all but again is such a riot to ride and with the new ones they have altered the gearing so it is more economical around town and comes with a fuel guage that the earlier models did not have. The Street triple R has daytona forks and brakes plus with the arrow system on sounds lush. I do have a soft spot for triples as they sound like something out of the jetsons on the overrun. Personally for me I would probably go with the Street Triple R because if you fancy being naughty you can be and at the same time you can tone it down and just enjoy the ride and the screen actually does something rather then letting the wind feel like it is going to part your head from your shoulders in the name of Henry VIII. It's also the cheapest out of the three however downside is a lot of them get stolen so get a good security system with it datatag, tracker etc and you'll love every minute of it I promise. Same with the Speed Triumph don't have immobilizers built in neither do they have alarms like Honda and Suzuki do so get some aftermarket stuff on there. Hope that helps.
