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First Ride - 2016 Yamaha XSR 900
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I have to say lately I have had my eye on some cafe racers and then Yamaha drops this XSR 900. This thing has just the right mix of retro style with new age technology. It's powered by the same FZ-09 engine that everyone has adored with a little different tune. After spending a little time on the XSR 900 I can say this bike is super comfortable and has a massive amount of power. I personally think the bike has a little too much power. While the bike does include 3 different modes (A, B and Standard) I feel the engine didn't match the bike perfectly. I feel riders that pick this bike up will find themselves in Standard mode for the majority of their riding. I was super excited to finally see a larger naked style bike come out with ABS and Traction Control under the $10,000 price tag though. Having those features in an affordable package makes it much easier for riders to get these features that they would typically have to spend much more on a bike. Overall the XSR 900 was a great bike, with the included modes I can overlook the "too much power" argument for this style of bike and could easily see myself spending an entire day riding this bike. What do you guys think about the bike? Let me know in the comments below! For much more info on my thoughts of this bike make sure to scroll down and check out my YouTube video over on the Chaseontwowheels channel!
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First Ride - 2016 | Kawasaki Versys 1000
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Here we have the first ride of the Kawasaki Versys 1000. Ever since I rode this bike all I can think about is how amazing it would be to do a really long road trip on it because it really is perfect for that kind of thing! It has a seat that is extremely soft and large enough that your entire butt fits on. The handlebars are in a very natural location and with even a small amount of input the bike just leans all the way into a turn. You are also going to find an engine that is very capable while still having that little bite for the fun technical riding. Everything just makes you want to ride it for a long period of time. That being said, if this bike isn't moving down the road you are going to have a very heavy and tall bike on your hands. I guess there's just one solution to dealing with the weight..."keep riding!". I'm personally not really "ready" for this type of bike yet, but I easily see myself getting something in this category down the road or if long trips ever become something I do regularly.
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First Ride - 2016 | Yamaha FZ-07 (MT-07)
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I rode this bike a year ago to do my very first "First Ride" video on my YouTube channel. I remember the bike being a fun and comfortable bike that checked a ton of boxes that I knew a ton of riders would want. Now, over a year later I took it out for another spin. I've been told that not much has changed with the FZ-07 in this time, but for some reason I feel like this bike fit me and my riding style perfectly! It was wheelieing all over the place (a couple times a little too much), the handling was agile like a supermoto and the engine had a beautiful transition from smooth start to torque mid range. The major negative I could find with this bike was the wind at highway speeds ( >75 mph). Granted this could easily be fixed with an aftermarket wind screen. This bike actually surprised me so much with it's engine that it found me re-considering the placement of the FZ-09 on my want list. Aesthetics play a large role in my bike choices and looks wise I feel the FZ-07's symmetry really pushes it farther ahead in the looks department over the FZ-09. All in all I found this bike to be amazing for beginners while still having the available features more experienced riders would want and just being a great all around bike. There is no wonder why this bike is doing so well with today's riders. This bike easily has a spot on my "Top Picks" list!
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First Ride - 2016 | Kawasaki Z800 ABS
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I'll be the first one to admit that before I sat on this bike I had some pretty "meh" preconceived notions. Now, after having done my first ride I can say with confidence this bike blew those thoughts out the window. With a super comfortable riding position, amazing power and a really cool look I'm happy with this bike. The throttle response can be a little twitchy though, so new riders need to be very careful with this one as I could easily see it "getting away from ya". The only other thing I really felt down about was the top end. I know bikes like this aren't made to have too much top end power, but it did feel a bit under-powered while on the highway. As fun as this bike is, the ride to the fun roads might get a little boring. All in all I would highly recommend this bike to a rider that spends most of their time on two wheels in city areas or hitting some fun roads just steer clear of those pesky highways!
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First Ride - 2016 | Kawasaki Ninja 650
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This bike was really surprising to me. I totally expected to jump on this and have a super "just okay" experience, but if you watch the video you will see something very different. The mixture of a fun, mid-ranged power band coupled with a bike that likes to be leaned into turns gives you a recipe for a really fun time. This Kawasaki Ninja 650 was actually the first time I had rode a 650 class bike since owning one 4-5 years ago when I was riding my Suzuki SV 650 and I had just as fun now as I did then! The seating position is extremely comfortable and the engine had plenty of pull to have a good time on. The main downside I felt the bike really had was with wind buffeting. With a bike that could be such a great all around bike I imaging many will be purchasing this for commuting and riding this thing on the highway for long periods of time may get a little tiring. I'm sure it can easily be fixed with some after market accessories, but including an adjustable windscreen could have easily solved the issue. Other than that I feel that this was an amazing bike and I am definitely moving it up into my "Top 5 Motorcycles to start on" list.
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First Ride - 2015 | GSX-R 750
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If you are currently on a 600 and can't decide if you really need to upgrade to a 1000 yet then Suzuki has you handled in the 2015 GSX-R 750. The main difference between this bike and a 600 comes across in two areas. The first is the long first gear, this is where the majority of the bike's power seemed to be. The other place you feel the 750 engine is when cruising down the highway. You are able to maintain a much lower RPM while going 70 mph which makes things like long rides or commuting much more enjoyable. I was also really surprised with what I called the "nimbility" of the bike. I was able to flick this bike back and forth on the road even better than I do on my Yamaha R6! All around this was an amazing bike and if you get the opportunity to ride it I highly recommend it.
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First Ride - 2016 | GSX-S 1000
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After my First Ride on Suzuki's GSX-S 750 I was a little worried about the 1000. I can happily say that the GSX-S 1000 was the bike the 750 was trying really hard to be. This bike felt like a much better package and is overall probably my favorite of the super naked bikes (putting aside my love for the Yamaha FZ-09). The major upsides with this bike are the seating position, amazing engine and fantastic exhaust note (even with a stock exhaust). There were a few let downs which included the weight of the bike while standing still and the agility. Both leaving a ton to be desired on this bike. Overall though I see this bike as being a perfect 1 size fits all bike though I'm not 100% how great it would be at the track.
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