The 360 Hangout (All Off Topic) - Page 2  

I've always loved Aprilia's.. but that V4 is rumoured to be priced at $38,000. Did you see the clips of Max Biaggi testing it. They are on www.superbikeplanet.com

Also I've had the chance to own a few Aprilia's.. but be aware dealer service is a nightmare. I've had a friend who's bike was knocked over.. and had to wait 6 months on a swingarm from Italy.

A great deal now tho.. is '04-05 Mille 1000 Factory. Full ohlins supsension, Brembo brakes, OZ wheels.. thats $7,000 in factory installed mods.. added to the excellent performing regular Mille. You can find that bike used for about $10k or less.

Not trying to poke into your wallet.. but I think the pricetag of the new V4 is goin to scare alot of people away. Hell I know I'd love to own a V4. Shyt I'd love to just ride a V4 engined bike.

The V4 engine is the best of both worlds in the motorcycle world. You get the torque of a Vtwin.. but the insane uptop power hit of inline4.

I do have to say I liked the Multi-map system on the 1000's. I think they have it on the 600 now as well. It was nie to be able to de-tune the bike to be a bit less aggressive in poor weather. I was averaging about 50k miles a year until the wreck, between moto-commuting, road trips, and general riding around.

I also found myself using it on the track a bit. If the track was a bit wet early in the morning from the fog and dew, it would help keep the bike in line. Ok, so it was relying on electronics instead of rider input, but hey, after nailing the track that hard, I was a bit skiddish.

The V4 engine tech really appealed to me after buying my '04 VFR. Sure, it was only an 800, but for a touring bike it felt smooth, with the power to really get down! I'd throw my tank bag and tail bag on, and be gone for weekends at a time.

I've been a bit concerned with the Aprilia dealer network, especially since my nearest one is about 4 hours away. It really only matters through the warranty, since I can do the work fine myself once that is over. I'll probably pick up a used Buell Uly to take over commuting and touring, so this is really going to be track days and runs through the curves on a Saturday.

I was looking at the Duc 1098R, which was right around $29k last I checked. The Aprilia dealer was expecting somewhere around $35k for the RSV4. I don't carry car loans, and our other expenses are very minimal, so this is kind of my guilty pleasure. Some people pay $40k for a car, I'll take the bike please.

You should give it a try. Theres no freedom or experience that compares with riding a motorcycle.

And thanks.. I'm trying my best not to sell it. I have so enough money invested in that bike that I regret it.


I'd love to own the 1098.. but the S model. The R is nice.. but ridiculously expensive. I love the "exotic" bikes like the Ducatis and MV's of the world. But reality is.. if I paid a whole lot for a bike, I'd be scared to ride it and ride it hard. And in my book thats the best part about these superbikes.

If you cant enjoy the performance.. then I dont want to own it.

Beyond price, myonly other gripe with Ducati was reliability and maintenance issues. The 1098 addressed 'most' of those concerns. While reliability is still questionable compared to the Japanese bikes.. (there were 1098's stalling all over the place 2 years ago) it has been greatly improved. And maintenance is alot better on them. Price.. hey the bike is $15k new. Thats almost Japanese literbike pricing.

The S comes with Ohlins suspension, better brakes and the ECU has data acquistition. The ECU on the S is also capable of traction control with addition of a race ECU component that is sold seperately. So in book.. its worth the extra dollars.

I believe the R comes with the fully enabled race ECU. But the R also retails for $25k.. wayyyy too much dollars out my pocket.

Have you seen the '09 Bayliss 1098R replica. Not sure on MSRP.. I'd guess about 28-30k.. but bike is gorgeous!!

Everybody is doing it now. Yamaha will have it on the '09 R1. Manufacters love it because now they finally market their BEAST 1000cc bikes to everybody. They are like here noob.. ride this.. just make sure its on the noob setting and it wont kill you.

I'm old school.. where Im from you didnt get a 1000 as your first bike. You worked your way up. I went from 80cc dirtbike to.. 250cc Ninja.. to 600cc FZR.. to Gix1000. Power and control was something I learned with my hand. Not with a computer doing the work for me.

Man, the Bayliss is gorgeous!

I thought the 'S' model lost the Ohlens? If not, then it's definately worth all of the $15k, because the Ohlens suspension is what really makes those bikes!

We grew up starting small as well. First thing I rode was an old Yamaha DT100 enduro, and then moved up to a 125cc Honda, and then to a Yamaha 440 street bike(LT or something). From there I started getting into track sessions and moved to an early GSXR600. I went through all the MSF programs, and even taught MSF for a while. Did a few track schools, including the Suzuki Superbike school.

I have a hard time going into most dealerships today, because if I see some idiot sales guy tell an unsuspecting parent that that 600cc sport bike is too slow to kill their kid, I feel a moral obligation to step in and inform them otherwise. usually its along the lines of " Would you put a new driver behind the wheel of a brand new Ferrari?" Usually I get the NO WAY answer. That's when I look at them, and say "Well, this is a good bit faster, and with less protection." It may look better on someone's commision to sell the $8k bike vs the $5k 500cc bike, but that kid will have the ability to learn how to control the bike before it tries to take him out.

My best friend died last year when he wrecked his R1.... 28 yrsold.

I'm sorry to hear that eck.

Yeah it sucks..

Now my wife absolutely refuses to let me get a bike.. WTF?

Oh and.. my bad, didn't mean to kill the discussion.. just reminded me that's all.

I have a similar issue (wife's cousin was killed on one, one of my best friends in HS was killed on one). I've always been interested, but honestly, I'm scared of them as well...even in my car I have accidents here and there and people are cutting me off and I'm slamming on the brakes or swerving around things. I can't even imagine dealing with that stuff while on a bike.

A good majority of motorcycle injuries and fatalities could be prevented by doing a few things.

1) Proper gear! Don't get cheap here, wear a good quality helmet, proper jacket(textile or leather), proper pants or overpants(Draggin Jeans are even too thin in my book), and proper gloves and boots. Your life is in the care of the gear you choose, so forget the fancy exhaust and buy the better equipment.

2) Education! MSF courses will allow you to bypass the state rider exam in most areas, so why not! Good incentive, and the knowledge gained in the courses will save your life. Don't stop at the basic rider course, either. Take the advanced, and any other courses they offer in your area! And of course, practice! Get out into an empty parking lot once in a while and practice some of those maneuvers. Retake the courses every few years to break out of bad habits you may have developed and learn new techniques you may not know about.

3) Bike Progression- Don't jump on an all-out sportbike when all you've ever been on is your Huffy. This is the single biggest mistake most new, younger riders make. They go for the look and prestige, without the ability to handle the machine. Remember, you don't look cool at all when you're scattered across the pavement.

4) This is mostly for sport-bike riders, but will benefit cruiser riders as well. Enroll in some track day instructions, or track schools. You will not only learn how to be efficient on the race track, you will learn how to properly control the motorcycle at it's limit.

Other than that, remember to keep a sharp focus, and don't ride while impared in any way. The freedom afforded by the motorcycle is unlike anything you will ever feel, but it comes with great responsibility.

Honestly, I've got close to 600k road miles on a bike, and I've only had 2 major accidents. 1 involved me trying to beat the record on Deal's Gap on my '95 CBR900rr, which now has a proud display on the tree of shame(read: riding like a retard), and the other was hitting a dear on a backroad. I walked away from both with no more than a few bruises and a sprained ankle.

On the track is a different story.... I got a bit wild.

You guys arent gonna die. Stop being silly. No offense to anyone who has lost someone in a motorcycle accident but most accidents (especially sportbike accidents) is due to the rider being over aggressive and in alot of situations plain out stupid in the way they ride. Trust me I know.. several times over. That 2002 R1 you see.. I was doing 160+ mph when I hit a car. Luckily I'm still here to talk about it. But add that into the Wheelies gone wrong department, doing 150mph and running up on stopped traffic, coming around a corner at 2 or 3x the speed limit and theres a McDonalds bag in the middle of the street. And its easy to see pretty much all my accidents were my fault. Me riding entirely too wild for the streets. And theres still about 10 more accidents if I had the time to tell.

So what did I do? I took it to the race track. No cops, trees, potholes, cars, mail boxes, poles, guardrails, sand, gravel, rocks on the track. Basically all the environmental shyt that could cause me to wreck on the street (that was not rider error) is eliminated by riding on the track. So thats where I get my speed shyts and giggles these days, and I do it all legally.

Trust me. If you ride safe and ride smart on the street, you can enjoy motorcycles for a lifetime. The problem with sportbikes is people buy them to go fast. And thats exactly what they do. What they forget is that goin fast is the easy part, its the sudden stop or loss of control that leads to total disaster.

If youre interested. Take a licensed motorcycle class. Get your license. Get the small to medium bike thats comfortable for you (you dont need the biggest and fastest your first time out.. thats an accident waiting to happen). And learn to appreciate the hobby from the ground up. As your skills increase.. go for the bigger, faster bikes should you so desire.

Obey traffic signs, laws and limits. Increase your awareness of other drivers and double the amount of defensive driving you will normally do. Wear your safety gear. I'm not saying you have to be an angel while riding the thing. But the more you do stupid shyt.. the more likely stupid shyt is goin to happen. Ride smart and the risks are greatly, greatly reduced.

Most of you guys on this 'gaming' forum have lightning fast reflexes to begin with. Way faster than the average motorcycle rider. Thats part of the reason you do so well gaming. Trust me, you dont need reflexes nearly as fast as that to ride a motorcycle safely and smartly.

Is this just bikes now or can I go OT still?

Man, I have been eating so much fast food lately. Need to watch myself, getting that damn belly. So far, or at least right now, my favorite place has got to be Sonic. I love their chili cheese fries and coney's. So yummy. Hey, does anyone here like Frito boats? Well if you do and you go to Sonic go try their Frito chili cheese wrap. It's basically a frito boat but wrapped up on a flour tortilla like a burrito. Sounds odd, I know but it tastes great!

There are some other great places around here too but Im not sure if they will have different names in other parts of the country.

Other than the fast food I have made another food discover this year: Indian food. Not just overly spiced, curry this-and-that sameness that everyone makes it out to be. Good stuff if you like flavor and stuff that can be spicy. I am a sucker for the naan bread too.

How bout pizza? What's your guys' favorite pizza place or type? There are some names around here but I doubt anyone would have heard of them (local guys). Me N Ed's in the central California valley is one not to miss. BC's pizza nearby has tons and tons of toppings for choosing. One of my favorites is a pesto pizza. Instead of regular sauce you substitute with pesto. Again, something that might not sound good at first, well it really is good.

I am a sucker for pepperoni from Round Table Pizza. They own my soul.

Great, now I have the munchies.

You pretty much read my mind. Great advice on both parts..

And on the track I go nutz. I actually TRY and wreck my bike. I figure if theres any place to push it 110%.. its the track.

And trust the only reason I've never hit deals gap.. is because I know somewhere somehow.. I'd end up wrapped around a tree down there. I'm a member of R1-forum.com who has a yearly meeting there. Tons of fun. But every year someone dies pushing their limit at The Dragon.

I grew up in NC, and spent a lot of time on Deal's Gap, apparently trying to commit suicide. The wreck I had was in '98, and that was the 2nd time I had been down on that road. There was a guy behind me that hit the tractor trailer I narroly missed, and it took his life.

For other readers, remember, we were doing well above the posted speed limits, and riding like it was a racetrack.

Daekwon, I feel you on the track. I usually keep a spare set of race plastics and plenty of zip-ties with me in the trailer! lol

I killed my fast food intake. It was horrible for me when I wasn't excercising. Now, it just makes me ill.

As for pizza, we have a place locally called Bill's, and that's my normal hang out. Otherwise, it's Golden Corral. Mmmmmm.... Steak all you can eat...

On another note, it's been friggin snowing up here! Nothing sticking to the ground yet, but I had to brush off the car yesterday. BAH!

Thanks Scott.

Of course you would pick the day I leave my lunch at home, to talk about all the great foods around the world. I'm 33 and starting to get a little gut myself. So I've cut down on red meat, hit the gym 2 or 3x a week, and try not to always order the most fattening thing on the menu. Its amazing the difference in compliments I recieve and the extra energy I have. Fast food makes for lazy Daekwan.

Fast food is for suckers too. If you ever read the calories and amounts of fat in those things. Trust me it would taste disgusting versus delicious. For example the Baconator at Wendys which I love.. is 58 grams of fat. Thats more than your recommended daily allowance in ONE single sandwich. And its just a double cheeseburger with bacon. Imagine when throw in the fries and other shyt. Or get TWO sandwiches like I often did.

Im not saying ur a sucker, Im saying just take a look at whats in tripple cheeseburgers and chili cheese fries. Its something cool to have once in a blue moon, but if you are eating it regularly.. your just askin for a big azz gut.. and to scare away all the ladies.

That said my favourite food is bbq ribs. Steak and lobster would run a close 2nd.

Favourite liquor - Jameson

Favourite beer - Guiness

Favourite woman - Kim Khardashian

Favourite car I could actually afford - Audi S5

Favourite car I cant actually afford - Lambroghini LP 640 roadster aka Murcielago convertible

Favourite movie - Coming to America or Harlem Nights

Favourite pro athelete (because I dont root for pro teams) - Brett Farve

Favorite college team - Virginia Tech in football.. UNC in basketball..



I think thats all the 'man' topics..

In case it wasn't painfully obvious, it is a very slow day at work. I think i've had 3 trouble tickets to do all day. BORING!

I have found time to catch up on some forum reading and flash games though. Anyone else try Pandemic II? You get to eliminate the world with disease!

Nophix.. you are starting to sound eerily like myself. Im a network admin on a windows/unix network. Its pretty quiet here at work today. Of course I work for the fed government.. and tomorrow is a holiday. So im guessin alot of peeps took the monday off and made it a 4 day weekend.

Now here we go! This is the fun part!


Favorite food- Steak or Lobster tail, I'm part midweat, part east coast

Favourite liquor - Rum. To quote Jack Sparrow "Rum is good." Captn Tattoo

Favourite beer - Guiness or Micro brews. O'So mostly, right by my house

Favourite woman - Jessica Alba or Amy Lee

Favourite car I could actually afford - '03-'03 Mustang Cobra

Favourite car I cant actually afford - Aston Martin DB9S...mmmm

Favourite movie - The Crow or Iron Man, with transformers in there as well

Favourite pro athelete- Miguel Duhamel or Lewis Hamilton
Oh wait, you meant sports that only require 1 ball....

LMAO!! We're almost entirely Windows. I work at the data center for a large paper manufacturer. I figured we'd be busy this week with a recent software rollout, but so far it's smooth as silk.

Crap, I just jinxed us. Now something is going to break...

Nice toys everyone!
These are mine.

Anyone have an good pumpkin pie recipe's? I'm working on the Thanksgiving meal list.

I'm with you. I am hoping to be in an RS5 it two years. A beautiful, high performance car (I loved BMW's M series and their insistence on not using forced induction, but I hate what Chris Bangle did to the styling, esp on the rear deck lid of the 6 and 7 series).

For fav that I can't afford, I'd have to go with the Porsche 911 GT2. That car is a monster from the factory and all of that from 3.6 liters. Amazing (I know they say the GT3 is a better deal, but I love how those crazy Porsche engineers are trying to squeeze all that performance out of a small engine).

Dude, I think I just filled the cup!

Wow!!

GM's Garnet Red. I didn't know ford used that color.