New rider Which bike to get?>

4701 Views 19 Replies 6 Participants Last post by DCS, Jan 14, 2004

Discussion Starter · Nov 6, 2003

I am a freshmen in college and recentyl got my license taking the MSS course. I have never owned a bike but love to ride. I am thinking between a Katana 600 or Volusia. I know they are different but I have never really ridden and like both of the style and feel of both. I am just looking to get a bike which I can use anywhere and will last me. If there are any other bikes anyone can recommend then feel free.

Thanks

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vstrombc

· #5 · Nov 7, 2003

although it is not as coool looking as the katana or volusia, the DR650SE is a real bike and will smoke the volusia on any road and keep up with the katana on winding roads. The DR has more low end torque than the katana so it will feel much stronger off the line. The upright seating and wide bars are excellent for new riders and you would feel much more confident. My 97 DR650 Se was also a great highway bike with many weekend trips and a trip from vancouver bc to pikes peak colorado.
the most fun part of the bike was keeping up with sport bikes on roads tight enough where power was less important - the DR650 surprised the hell out of a lot of sportriders at the sportbike west rally a couple of years ago.

or check out the upcoming V-Strom 650

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vstrombc

· #7 · Nov 7, 2003

all good points uncle bob, but the katana 600 is dead below 6000rpm & by then a torquey bike is gone. I even found the Katana 750 sluggish at low revs - I'm glasd I waited for the V-Strom. Of course the dr top end is not in the same class as the katana, but it gets there pretty quick. The kind of road I am talking about is very tight with many corners posted at 20 -50kph - this is where the dr excels. My intention is not to portray the dr as some kind of racer, I just want to let riders know it is way more capable than it looks and it is really way more sensible than cruisers or sportbikes.

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vstrombc

· #10 · Nov 8, 2003

greetings from the west. Yes we do have many roads out here that keep the speed down, but the aversion to high speeds goes beyond the road design. other hazards or issues keep most riders from riding too much at high speeds. our local news & sportbike websites chronicle the tragic results of the ones who lose it on a weekly basis - many lose more than traction of their tires.
~ sand, gravel & rocks rolling off the mountains
~ no run-off area - cliff face on one side - dropoffs on the other
~ big-times fines for excessive speed
~ slow bc car drivers
~ blind corners hiding any # of hazards (deer, bears, slow campers)
~ really hard things at the road side such as 5' thick trees or boulders
~ oil on the road from trucks and heavy traffic - super scary when it rains

I realize that ALL parts of north America have most of these hazards. We try to be aware of these hazards so we can all ride motrocycles well into old age - so it is rare we ride WFO
attached pics are mt baker alpine road in washington state just southeast of vancouver where slow to 15mph is no joke

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vstrombc

· #11 · Nov 8, 2003

another pic

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vstrombc

· #12 · Nov 8, 2003

last pic

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vstrombc

· #15 · Nov 16, 2003

mt baker snow report

here you go - pretty wet & stormy in vancouver - but a good base is starting. we need a winter like a few years ago where baker had 60 feet of snowfall ( info below front mt baker website today) attached pic is how things looked at the end of may this year

MT. BAKER CURRENT CONDITIONS
SNOWFALL
NEW: 9 in 23 cm
LAST 24 HOURS: 9 in 23 cm
TEMPERATURE: 31 °F ° C
WEATHER: Snowing HEAVILY
BASE AT HEATHER MEADOWS: 18-20" depending on how wind moved it in 46 cm
BASE AT PAN DOME : NA in NA cm
SLOPE CONDITIONS: POSSIBLE opening Thursday

Sunday November 16th , 11:00am
Another 10-17 inches of new snow is expected today and on into Monday. Depending on how the next front on Tuesday moves in on us, we are still anticipating a possible Thursday partial opening.
OTHER INFO
UPDATE SCHEDULE: The Mt. Baker Snow Report is now in pre-season mode . . . we try to update it before noon each day and more often as there is significant snowfall or weather changes. Once the season begins, the snow report is updated at 5:30am and 2:00pm each day.

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New rider Which bike to get?>

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