Which Sportbike?

[HForrest]

I'm getting pretty "in" to the idea of me becoming a motorcycle rider within a couple years. And while I won't be able to afford any of these bikes (or their insurance, for that matter) for many years, and I most definitely won't start out with a 1200cc crotch rocket, just indulge me here.

You have to choose a sportbike under $15k. What do you choose? What do you choose out of the 3 listed below?
http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/machine/models/model.jsp?model=r1100s
-The BMW 1100s... From what little I know on the subject, this would be my choice. I know many who swear by BMW as superb motorcycles above the rest. In addition, the "Boxer" engine keeps the center of gravity low and the bike more stable.
-http://www.kawasaki.com/product_detail.asp?product=16&category=2&tag=motorcycle
The Kawaskaki Ninja 12R (or 10R)... Seems to be very popular among bikers. Great looks, power.
-http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelspecs/6/0/specs.aspx
The Yamaha YZF-R1... You wouldn't believe how many of these things I see around every day. From what I see, there are a ton on the road, and if they're that popular Yamaha must've done something right.

Which of the 3 would you select, and why? Also, if applicable, what other similar bikes would you choose under $15k?

[InfidelSerf]

Setting aside my initial remarks suggesting anything but a liter bike as your first. (a 600cc sportbike would be the largest I'd suggest as your first, assuming you have previous riding experience. Otherwise a 400cc or smaller would be more realistic if you've never riden before.)

Honestly I would discourage ANYONE from buying a brand new sportbike.  The value will drop at least 1/3 once you roll it off the showroom floor.  With the exception of the BMW. So based on that, I'd get the BMW.

Now when it comes to buying a used sportbike you have to be carefull. Since there are way too many sold to street squids that don't know or care a damn about regular maintenance. You know road hard put away wet.

So if your going to buy a used sportbike.. buy one from a racer. A competative one if possible.  
Why a race bike you ask?   Quite simply this.  Modern sport bikes are designed to be riden hard, as long as it is maintained.
A competative racer will have broken the motor in properly and done basic maintenance if not meticulous.  You can also pick up a bike with thousands of dollars worth of aftermarket parts (aftermarket exhaust, shock modifications, brakepads, frame sliders, etc)
You can often find them with boxes of spares.  I'd suggest checking the classifieds in the back of an issue of http://www.roadracingworld.com/
Oh and did I mention the price of said bike will often be much less than new. And impossible to recreate with all the upgrades by purchasing new and buying all the goodies.

Attend a race at the nearest track in your area.  

You also have the advantage of having a bike that is prepped for the track.  What a great way to get a feel for your bike and learn to truly ride than do a track day or two before ever setting rubber on your local streets.

Now the downside.  
You could easily get hooked on track riding and that will end up costing you all your free time and extra cash from that day forward
Much like going to the range for the first time

As far as the R1 being popular.. yes it is popular among the squids.  But it is a solid bike as well.
That being said there really isn't a single bike being made now that isn't state of the art and ultra reliable.
God bless racing innovations.

[LawDog]

Which of the 3 would you select, and why?

None of them.

Cut your teeth on something in the 250-400cc range.  Something that you can pick up when you lay it down.

Get a Kawa Ninja 250 or a Honda CB1, or something in between, and ride it until the wheels fall off.  Once you've learned, practised, and mastered the basics of motorcycles, then move up to something in the 600cc range.

You'll probably find that a good quality 600cc sportbike will do anything on city streets or highways that the 1000cc bikes will do.

If, however, you spend some time on a 600cc bike and then decide:  "Hey!  I can only get to 140MPH on this thing, and my life won't be complete until I hit 160!" then you can start looking for a litre sportbike, and you'll have the 250cc and 600cc experience to guide your choice.

Just my 0.02 worth, as always YMMV.

LawDog

[HForrest]

Yeah, I know. Read my post before suggesting a smaller bike. I specifically said it would be a long time before I could afford a sportbike... and when I could I wouldn't get a 1+liter racing bike as my first.

Lawdog, did I see you on the BMW forum? I accidentally clicked on the BMW forums and saw "Law Dog" as a poster.

[Sean Smith]

I most definitely won't start out with a 1200cc crotch rocket, just indulge me here.

Funny how people just can't read the post... if it SMELLS like a pet peeve, they jump on it with both feet.  

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Any of the three would be an excellent choice for your theoretical dream bike.  I'm partial to BMW's and the Kaw, but I'd look long and hard at the big Suzuki thumper that they have out- TL1000- or something...but then, I'm a sucker for odd stuff.

First choice of your short list would be the Kawasaki, closely followed by the Beemer, but that's only because there are more Kaw dealers nationwide than Beemer dealers....and it's strictly from a service and maintenance standpoint.

Of course, Honda has an excellent selection of high-speed stuff, too.   You also left out Triumph, Aprilla, Ducati, and Moto Guzzi.  I have lots of friends who left the Harley fold years ago for Goose bikes.  Like I said- I like the odd stuff.  


Regards,
Rabbit.

[InfidelSerf]

Perhaps my point was missed.. I wasn't knocking your question about which of the three.
I just wanted to emphasize the poor logic in buying anything brand new.
That's why IF you are going to buy new.. buy a BMW, Ducati, or Moto Guzzi.
Since they all retain their values much better than the Jap bikes.
And the best Jap bike to buy would probably be a Honda. I would say they have to be the most reliable of the 4 majors.
That being said.  All four (Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki) make super solid bikes that would be great rides.
It's nothing like it was 15 years ago when there were noticable differences in quality between them.

[...has left the building.]

Isn't a Ducati 999R around $30K brand new?

[Dannyboy]

Isn't a Ducati 999R around $30K brand new?

My buddy bought one this past week for about $22k.  Don't quote me on that, though.  I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him about it but I remember hearing something like that.

Edit:  Just to clarify, he didn't say whether it was an R or not.  I'm not sure on the difference in price but maybe that would explain the difference between the two listed.

[InfidelSerf]

I haven't followed the new 999s much but I believe they are in the 20K+ range  

If you want some good Ducati info and great classifieds for them check out
The Ducati Index http://www.cowin-tech.com/Ducati/

[CatsDieNow]

I like the K1200S http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/k1200s/index.jsp

The bumblebee paint job is totally stylin' (unlike BMW's usual slap-on-a-panel-at-random, overstyled output).  Heck, I even like the blue and white one.

Not sure what the MSRP is on it, though.

[atek3]

depends on what you want to do with it...hit the track?  2005 GSXR 1, best liter bike of the bunch.  

General purpose street bike, with a kick, go with a big v-twin... SV1000S, RC51, TL1000R, SuperHawk, Aprillia Mille, Aprillia Tuono, (just so velocie won't feel left out) Ducati 998.

atek3