Opinions on second bike

[adem]

Hey guys,

I'm looking into getting my second bike here pretty soon. My first bike was an M750, only had it for about 3 months due to some complications, but man I LOVED that bike. So basically, I'm looking for a second bike now. A have a few different options... First would be a Japanese bike, like a Suzuki sv650 or something. I really don't want to do that, because I don't think I'd be happy with that. Second option is another monster, which I know I'd be happy with. Third option is a sport bike, like a 748. There are actually some that I could conceivably afford.

Here is my situation. I've been riding dirt bikes for about 2 years, so I'm pretty comfortable on a bike. I took the MSF course, and starting riding this year on the street. I was very comfortable on the m750, and it was a pretty easy bike to ride. I never had any problems with it. My question is this. Would a 748 be too much bike for me? I know ultimately only I can be the judge, but I value your opinions. I'd say my riding is 80% pleasure (usually 1-4 hour trips with my friends on backroads), and maybe 20% commute. I stand an impressive 5' 5," so I'm used to tip toes. I'd probably be riding about 2000 miles/year. Though I am 18, I would like to consider myself a responsible driver and rider. I don't get pressured into doing stupid stuff and I've never had a moving violation.

Is the 748 too much of a jump for a second (street) bike? Are the maintenance costs going to be a lot more than the m750? I know Ducatis cost a lot to keep up, but is the 748 much worse? I read the extensive thread on the problems with 748s... nice job by the way! Are those problems fairly typical? The reason I'm considering a 748 is that it doesn't affect my insurance too much, and I've kind of wanted a bike with a more aggressive riding position, and of course, I love the look.

Anyways, let me know what you think.

[zarn02]

hm.

i haven't ridden any of the superbikes, but i would imagine that a 748 would be reasonably manageable, as far as they go. slick looking, too.

given that you'll be doing mainly pleasure riding, the harsh (i hear) riding position won't be too bad. and if you respect the throttle, you'll most likely be fine with it. like you said, only you can judge that.

i've no comment on any height issues. i'm 6'2"... my only issues are finding pants.

you've read the problem list for the 748, so you know to ask carefully about rocker issues, etc. i know that the 748's were more prone to this as they spun higher than the literbikes. as for the other tamburini-bike issues, it depends on the year. if you could find a late model 748, i assume they came with a sleeved testastretta mill, so you could maybe save yourself from the rocker problems.

another option, and one i would consider, is looking at a fuel-injected 900. with mine, i put clip-ons on it, and it was about as aggressive as i could get without springing for higher rearsets. definitely had grunt.

hopefully something in there was helpful in some way.

[ducatania]

You might also want to consider an 800SS. Air cooled 2v mill, less maintenance.

[Blueshark928]

You might also consider an ST2. You get all day comfort on a bike that will be more than enough for your hooligan needs. Used ones are typically less than 5k and usually owned by riders who dont do squiddy things with them and keep up the maintainence.

[ODrides]

You'd definitely be able to handle the power. You'll get used to it very quickly. The riding position is dramatically different from the M750, and that will take some getting used to. My 998 is not fun in traffic. The 748 had the Desmoquattro engine (the 749 got the Testastretta), but I've heard great things about the 748. I think you'd be very happy with it -- assuming you're not too tip-toe on it.

[yuu]

Blue's got a good point - perhaps looking for an st2 or st3 might suit the bill a little better. Though a 2v super sport might as well.

Folks pointed out the big issue when it comes to the rockers that you'd need to look out for. For ongoing costs, a fully faired 4v duc is going to cost more to maintain than a naked 2v. Twice as many valves to check and the extra time (if you take it to a shop) to pull the fairings. If you do the work yourself, you need a couple special tools like a Cam lock widget to hold the cam rollers locked in the proper orientation if/when you pull the belts off. - But that's a rare bit of work.

For the ergos, the other bikes mentioned before might be friendlier to the body. When the 916 came out a reviewer called it the best 30 minute motorcycle in the world. FOr that 30 minutes you felt incredible and the bike was a wonder. After that... you started to get real sore real fast... But a fit 18 y/o might not suffer as much in the 748/916 crouch.