Terrified in Pennsylvania

2392 Views 14 Replies 10 Participants Last post by cowasockee, Jun 18, 2015

Alien

Discussion Starter · Jun 13, 2015

10

I'm 39 years old, have owned 27 bikes since I was 16, have ridden through 36 states so far, have hit 7 deer while riding and was hit once by a drunk driver in a pickup truck. ATGATT.

I love motorcycles. But I do love some more than others.

A few favorites from my list of owned bikes are: 1994 Ducati 900ss, 2002 Honda RC51, 2003 Honda VFR 800, Buell XB12X Ulysses (owned 4!), ZX14 and my current 2004 ZX10R.

What terrifies me is that my 10R is being sold today and I am looking to pick up a Ninja 1000 tomorrow.

After owning 27 bikes, the ZX10R has been a revelation in sport bike ownership. The thing is simply amazing. The handling is incredible and I truly feel like I am in touch with the road. But pushing 40 and having the urge to tour again, I'm looking for something with great handling and power that is also capable of touring. I have toured on my RC51 and while that sounds torturesome, it wasn't as bad as you might think. And my God, that v-twin motor!!! But now I must also take my lady into account.

I found a mint, stock 2011 Ninja 1000 with 11,000 miles for $5800. I've talked the seller down to $5200 which seems like a good deal. It's two hours away.

I have read many reviews and read many articles about the Ninja 1000 and it seems like it will fit my needs and desires pretty well. But unfortunately, I have not had a chance to ride one so I will be "buying blind".

I did have a chance to sit on a Z1000 and from what I've heard, the ergonomics are similar. They feel similar to my old VFR and I toured on that bike adequately. I'm sure the ninja will have more power than the
VFR did but considerably less than my ZX14 which I rode from Pennsylvania to Florida to California and back. Unfortunately after that 13 week trip, I hit a deer and destroyed it the day after I got home. Crazy.

After destroying the ZX14, I discovered the Buell Ulysses and fell in love. I owned four of those bikes consecutively and did some touring as well. While they are fantastic machines, I was really missing the pure sport aspect of a supersport/superbike. So I traded my last Buell for this ZX10R. I have not owned it long but it is a remarkable machine.

I am getting the itch to tour again and my girlfriend is up for taking a ride. So I am looking for something that I can tour with but something that I still feel connected with the road on. I really hope that the Ninja 1000 is the ticket.

So the 10R will be sold today and I should be sitting aboard my new ninja 1000 tomorrow. I will post pics and update after I take possession.

In the meantime, can somebody please convince me that I'm not crazy?!?

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1 - 15 of 15 Posts

ToNY97

· #2 · Jun 13, 2015

Welcome Keystone

That's quite an introduction. Yes, the fact that you choose to ride a two wheeled machine among four wheeled cages would classify you as insane.
But choosing the N1K would demonstrate some level of intelligence and due diligence. It's a mature gentleman's sport bike with strong touring capabilities.

That pix on the bridge looks like Santa's sleigh. That is loaded. You would make a mule jealous.

You got road burns/abrasions with or without your gear? Who won, the deer or you or was it a split decision? Since your still healthy and among us, I would say you won even though you had to put the bike down.

Alien

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 13, 2015

I definitely won. The deer is dead. Mesh gear does NOT work! That picture on the bridge was taken at the Royal Gorge near Colorado Springs.

Alien

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 13, 2015

Well, the douchebag sold the ninja out from under me without so much as a phone call. I HATE craigslist. So, my search for a reasonably priced ninja 1000 continues...

ToNY97

· #5 · Jun 13, 2015

Sorry about the seller. I guess it wasn't the one for you.

I don't mean to relive the trauma, but so that I and others avoid faulty gear or material:

Even on mesh isn't there back, shoulder and elbow padding? What brand or model was this? The jacket just rode up and exposed your waist?

maniak

· #6 · Jun 14, 2015

ToNY97 said:
Sorry about the seller. I guess it wasn't the one for you.

I don't mean to relive the trauma, but so that I and others avoid faulty gear or material:

Even on mesh isn't there back, shoulder and elbow padding? What brand or model was this? The jacket just rode up and exposed your waist?

Ditto on this...

I'm running a mesh jacket with CE certified shoulder/elbow/back protectors and is only mesh on the inside of the arms, front and some parts of the back. The rest is textile..

I'm hoping the failed mesh was all mesh without armor and I'd really like to keep the piece of mind I have with my current jacket.

~Mark

rcannon409

· #7 · Jun 14, 2015 (Edited)

This is too long, and I'm sorry. If your a mesh gear guy, you probably have not crashed before, and lets keep it that way.

I agree. Mesh is junk compared to real leather. Leather is more forgiving as you are sliding down the road. If mesh fit super tight, it might be semi ok, but typically, all the pads just rotate out of the way as you slide along the roadway.

Mesh is probably better than nothing, if it fits tight so the pads wont slide out of position. At 90 degrees, leather is hot, and I wont be wearing it. sorry.

When you hit the pavement at even 30mph, you cant imagine how violent and traumatic this is. It happens so fast, and 30 is fast when you slide along the roadway. I'd imagine our guy here hit faster than that. If so, hes in remarkable condition.

I know a lot of you watch moto gp. These guys sometimes race at 80-100 degrees. For sure they would be in mesh if it offered a level of protection even remotely close to leather. Note how tight their suits fit. If the padding is not super tight, it rotates out of the way like you'd expect it to.

As you slide along, whatever your wearing just evaporates, unless its leather.

You can test this yourself. Find a belt sander. Grab an old, used textile jacket and set it against the spinning sander. Now try a piece of leather.

Figure the street surface is way more rough than the sander.

Too expensive? Motorcyclegear.com often has closeout leather. Or buy used. I'll take a used leather jacket over new if its an option.

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alang

· #8 · Jun 14, 2015

bike choices

I'm 59 and my 2014 ninja 1000 is bike number 31. I traded in a 2012 zx10r for this. It doesn't handle corners like the zx, but it has more midrange power,
and is even more comfortable than the VFR. had a 95 vfr750 and '10 vfr1200.
I don't miss the extra 40 hp from 10000 to 13500 rpm. The ninja 1000 is pretty fast. A big difference from the zx is gearing. 1st gear zx was way tall.
I had a 2000 rc51 and a 2002 rc51 and 3 ducati's. love the twins, but I can
say the ninja 1000 is one of the best all around bikes; and not too expensive either.

Reactions: 1

sprockethead

· #9 · Jun 14, 2015

Wow, welcome to the forum keystone and good luck in your search. I agree with rcannon about leather being better than textile, especially mesh. There is one exception though. Mesh Kevlar from Motoport. I don't represent the company in any way... just a really satisfied user of their products.

Jubei

· #10 · Jun 15, 2015

Alien, you're in good company and pretty much "in line" with a good many of us on this forum. Have tried to turn plenty of "Ho's into Housewives"...of course I'm talking about buying a sport bike for the excitement and then eventually try to tour on it. I have tried and tried to love the RC51 but I never felt like I was riding it, felt like I was riding on top of it, never really felt connected to it...plus engine was HOT!!

Anyway...Welcome!!

Alien

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 16, 2015

The mesh jacket was an icon timax. The armor did its job as I landed squarely on my elbow and shoulder and tumbled several times. The jacket simply shredded for the distance that I slid down the road. I hit the deer doing around 60mph coming out of a sweeping right hander.

Alien

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 16, 2015 (Edited)

6

UPDATE: I'M A NINJA 1000 OWNER!!!!!!!!!

Unbelievably, I had a second seller pull the plug on the deal after we verbally agreed upon price, location and time. There's really something wrong with the Craigslist crowd.

But then I found a leftover 2013 Ninja 1000 abs for $7999. I guess the frustrations of failed deals were a prelude to success. Picked her up today in Troy, NY at Troy Cycle Garage. It was a 5 hour round trip plus an hour at the dealership but worth the ride.

Literally ZERO miles on the clock. Now I have to suffer through the 1000 mile break in period.

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Reactions: 3

west coast n1k

· #13 · Jun 16, 2015

So cool. I love the excitement of a new bike. Congrats and welcome!

robertv19

· #14 · Jun 18, 2015

Awesome, Alien.
You picked a great bike...I too have the black and green 2013.
I also had a 2003 VFR and ZX14. I wrote my ZX14 off...not on a deer, but on an old fart doing a u-turn in front of me.
Hope you enjoy the bike and just might see you out on the PA roads this summer.

Cheers,

Rob

cowasockee

· #15 · Jun 18, 2015

Green! The fast color.

I will agree on mesh though I do have a nice Astar mesh jacket for around town. I takes my chances...I know.

A good textile, on the other hand, can be pretty close to leather. If you've never seen a good Roadcrafter in action it can be a pleasent surprise.

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