Rode my dream bike.... (Yes, it's a long post)

reaubideux · September 19th, 2011, 11:35 AM

...and achieved many firsts in the process: first ride on a supersport, first ride on anything over a 250, first ride on a fuel-injected bike, and first ride through the city, i.e. lots of traffic, lots of stop lights, lots of pedestrians.

This is more of a story than just a "OMGWTFGreatestBikeEVAR!" type of post, sorry. If you don't like reading lengthy posts I'd recommend you hitting the "back" button right now.

Also, it's a bit melodramatic, you've been warned.

While I was at lunch with my dad last Friday he briefly mentioned someRtthing about Triumph doing a demo ride event that day and Saturday which instantly piqued my interest. He wanted to go and was going to mention it sooner but he had to do some house work so he wouldn't be able to go. I looked up the event and sure enough Moto Europa, local Ducati, Triumph, and KTM dealer, was hosting the event. Pretty cool place, has a museum and restaurant all built into one building; actually going to the Triumph Grill tomorrow for my birthday dinner. I checked the weather forecast and it was partly cloudy and low 70's for Saturday, perfect weather to take a ride up there and go for a test ride.

Trying to keep a long story short, for unrelated yet ulterior reasons, I was able to spring my dad from his house-work in order for us to go up there. Woke up Saturday morning, waaaay too early with my kids, and looked out the window. What are these droplets of water falling from the sky? Looked at the forecast again, scattered showers off and on all day long. Am I the only one who thinks weather forecasters are useless and incompetent? We decided to go anyway but I don't do riding in the rain so we took the car.

Got there around noon, and in the cordoned off street in front of the dealership were 2 lines of bikes and you could see the Triumph reps doing the "safety" briefing before mounting up. Then I saw it.... sticking out like a ballet dancer in a buffet line. The 675 Daytona shone like a svelte blue oasis in a desert of bloated cruisers. Blue with gold wheels. Being a huge Subaru fan I immediately loved the color combination. My favorite bike ever. This wasn't the first time I'd seen one in person, but it would be the first time I'd get to sit on one, let alone ride one.

We went over and registered for the ride. The first time the 675 would be available was 3pm; ugh... 3 hours to kill. My dad was cool with sticking around, he understood this was my dream machine so, in that fatherly fashion he just said "this is what you came to do, do it." Instead of pure, unadulterated joy I started getting nervous, a bit reluctant actually. I was looking to see if they had anything else I'd like to ride instead. Realizing how many "firsts" this represented for me I started thinking this is probably not the best time and environment to do this. I'm still a new rider, 4400 miles on a 250, one low-side and no experience on anything else (outside the beat-up Honda Rebels in the MSF course) is not the way to jump on a 675cc supersport. "Throttle control, throttle control, throttle control" sang ominously in my head with a cadence that seemed to dictate the rapidity of my sentinel-like patrolling of the show-room floor. Continuously passing the identical blue/gold 675 Daytona that they had prominently displayed in the front window, glaring at it with a mix of angst and excitement. I kind of felt like a little kid about to go on their first serious roller coaster ride thinking "yeah, I could die on this thing today" although, unlike the kid's same questioning of their own mortality, mine was very much a true concern. I was absolutely freaked out by the thought of riding this thing. How twitchy would it be w/fuel injection? I know "throttle control" is key, but would I actually be able to exercise it prudently? How firm/soft do I have to be on the front brakes, they're dual discs? The only thing that kept me content was realizing I wouldn't have to worry about shifting, I knew that I wouldn't need to get out of first gear so I could focus more on my right hand controlling that throttle and smooth increased pressure on the front brake when stopping. All I could picture was rolling on too much throttle and looping or giving it too much front brake and high-siding out in front of a truck or something.

After a few minutes of this I sort of snapped out of my trance and snagged some toasted ravioli and hot wings and a diet Coke. I was actually very grateful they had a 675 in the showroom. I must have sat on that thing at least 10 times just to get familiar with the controls, the weight, and seat, etc. I was amazed at how light it was, very comparable to the 250. The seat was a couple of inches higher and dear love of <insert your preferred deity here> that seat was the most uncomfortable thing I'd ever sat on in my life. It felt like a plank of wood, with a few pieces of deli meat on there, and then wrapped it in fabric. It was just soft enough to make me think it wasn't just a piece of wood. It makes the 250's seat feel like a La-Z-Boy by comparison. Not sure if it was the taller seat or if it happened to be a wider seat but the sides of the seat dug into my inner thighs terribly. I'm 5'8" and was almost able to flat foot it, I was securely holding the bike upright using the balls of my toes with my heels barely off the ground.

My nerves were held at bay for most of the time, I distracted myself by talking with my dad and others in the showroom and falling in love with the Ducati Monster 696 and 796, the latter more so because of that single-sided swingarm.

(more on those bikes at the bottom). I got to try on a few helmets, an Arai (didn't like the fit), a Scorpion (not bad), and a Shoei RF-1100 which I loved. I see now why so many of you like this helmet.

Finally, time came for our "safety" briefing where they basically just told us not to be hooligans and explain what the front/rear escorts would do if we got split up at a traffic light. Right as they started the briefing it started sprinkling. Just. Freakin'. Terrific! I don't ride in rain and just may end up getting stuck in it. They said if it truly rains then no ride but this was just a sprinkle, who's to know if it turns into a downpour 5 minutes after we leave the shop? This just added one more layer of stress to my stress-laden mind. My leg was rapidly shaking the entirety of the briefing, a solid 10 minutes I'd say, I was twiddling the straps on my gloves just as long. This was when I realized I had forgotten my ear plugs as well. With my loud Bell Vortex, this was going to be a bit unpleasant and the added noise, yet another thing distracting me on the ride.

Here we go.. I mosey over to the Daytona, get on, flip on the key, but don't start the engine. I play with the shifter for a minute to try and get a feel for where neutral is. Where is it? Nope, too hard, nope, not enough, nope, nope... NOPE! DAMN IT! Where is neutral? Finally, was able to get it into neutral after finding false neutral while displaying 2nd gear a couple of times. After that it was pretty easy. Started it up, revved it a couple of times to see how responsive the throttle was. Barely twisting the throttle.. I'm talking millimeters of movement and was taken back a bit at how immediate the engine revved. I kept hearing someone revving their bike behind me and kept thinking that their bike had a ridiculously loud exhaust until I realized it was my exhaust.

(This happened a few more times throughout the ride where I kept thinking it was someone else's bike that was so loud.) The under-tail exhaust sounds glorious but it was a lot louder than I had anticipated.

Kickstands up. Heart is in my throat, pounding in my ears and chest. While waiting to roll away I start playing with the clutch, learning the friction zone and getting a feel for the brake lever. Thankfully, shorty adjustable levers were installed so I adjusted them to the shortest length which made them very comfortable. (I'd previously dismissed the levers for my Ninja but now I'm reconsidering a set.) Friction zone was easy to find and at the far end of the lever travel much like the Ninja so I was easily acclimated to clutch pick up on the Daytona. Here we go... my chorus of "throttle control" again playing in my head I cautiously let out the clutch and not even bothering to give any throttle and we roll away. I was a block away before I realized that the light sprinkle had already stopped. I was obviously relieved upon realizing this.

One thing I didn't get the feel for while sitting on one in the showroom was the much more forward, down-angled controls. In the first few blocks after leaving I had to pay much more attention to using my core to hold myself up and not rest on my wrists. Off an on throughout the ride I kept catching myself resting on my wrists a bit. A few times I'd hit a bump and b/c of my poor form I'd grab the grips and roll a bit of throttle giving me a quick zip forward reminding me I've still got a lot to learn about riding. This was a strike against me really wanting a supersport one day, my body position and lack of stronger core made it difficult to continually keep my weight off my wrists and even when I did, the angle of my arms on the grips was such that I couldn't push forward on the bar to turn the bike so much as I felt like I was pushing downward on them making steering a bit less of an involuntary go-where-you-look action. I made a couple of wide turns because of this, but still managed to stay in my lane. I never felt really comfortable with the controls. My back ached for about 15 minutes or so following our 30 minute ride.

The front brakes, I'm happy to say, where very easy to adjust to, I never felt like I was squeezing too much on the front brake. Of course I never had to do any emergency braking where I had to really slow down fast. The rear brake lever was very firm and had very little play to it so I didn't use it that much for fear of locking up the rear.

On the city streets I was barely giving any gas and when I did I was rewarded with the cacophony of the exhaust bouncing off the brick buildings lining the narrow streets. The burbles and pops that occurred on deceleration when slowing for stop signs or traffic lights was very cool. I managed to kill it once in the first few blocks but luckily didn't have that problem after the first time. I was always keeping a good distance between me and the guy in front of me for my fear of "goosing" the throttle and riding up his backside on my way to looping it. I think the guy behind me didn't care too much for the distance as he was constantly right behind me in the staggered position much like an impatient tailgater. Didn't really care though, we weren't getting above 40mph at any given time anyway. A couple of times we passed by buildings with big glass store-front windows so I got to catch a glimpse of myself riding this thing and just loved the way it looked. Call me vain, it was damn cool to see myself on such a sexy bike.

On to the interstate, the nice, busy interstate cluttered with on-ramps and merge lanes in the few miles we'd actually be on it. This was when I decided to experience 2nd gear, and had one of my 2 butt-puckering moments. I let a bit of a gap form in our group and upshifted, the mechanical act was uneventful but as I barely rolled on more throttle, it was so quick and instant I was in a brief state of awe at how powerful this thing was. By no means did I rocket away, I felt in control of the bike and quickly realized it as I went from 40'ish to 70'ish in just a second or two. Later, down the road, the guy in front of me, I swear, was purposely slowing down and speeding up to pace a car that was in the merge lane and trying to get over. The whole time I'd been slowing down to allow ample merge room. Despite the room I was offering the motorist still almost came near to a complete stop in the merge lane. I felt the bike hesitating and chugging, not liking such low speeds in 2nd gear so I went to downshift. Butt-pucker moment #1, inbound. I didn't think about smoothness of easing out the clutch when downshifting. I was used to it on my bike so, forgetting momentarily that this was definitely not my bike, I downshift just as I would on my Ninja. I gave a quick bit of throttle, lunging the bike forward much more rapidly than would have my Ninja as I pulled in the clutch, the quick forward jolt stirred me but I was mentally already into pushing down on the shift lever and re-engaging the clutch and the Triumph didn't like the way I re-engaged and punished me with a jarring shudder before I smoothed it out with a little throttle input. All happening in a matter of a couple of seconds but I got a bit spooked.

Continuing on the ride, we made it off the highway and back onto city streets. We were blessed with the opportunity to hit a bunch of traffic and a lot of pedestrians (not literally

) which kept us in gridlock where I learned yet another thing I didn't like about the bike: it baked my boys and my right leg. Sitting in traffic, it was getting almost unbearable. I was wearing jeans (lambast me later for not being ATGATT) so I don't know if it worked against me in letting more heat through or worked for me in letting more air in to keep me cooler.

Butt-pucker moment #2 occurred on the very last turn before parking in front of the dealership. It was a low speed, Stop-sign right turn so I pushed a bit on the left grip while pulling with the right when my right wrist inexplicably wrenched in a weird manner and hit the tank causing me to feel like I lost the ability to steer and give throttle so I had a mini heart attack thinking with the wheel turned hard right and at low speed and my inability to give it any gas was going to force me to dump the bike. I managed to straighten it out and maintain speed without any real issue which made me think I may have overreacted for the split second there was an issue.

Made it back, turned off the engine. My dad, who'd been further up in the group and gotten split up by traffic lights earlier in our trip, was already dismounted and waiting for me. He came up with a big smile and a "well? How was it?" First thing I said was "yeah, I'm not ready for something like this, I don't think I'll ever want to own one."

It was definitely exhilarating to be able to say I rode my dream bike and I loved the experience despite the overall negative tone of this post. I was more happy to be able to say I'd ridden a supersport, something over 250cc, and my dream bike all in one ride. I came away realizing I've got much to learn about riding and having to accept that a supersport may not be in my future. I won't pass certain judgement until I get to sit on all of them but it would never be a Daytona 675 that's for sure.

My dad managed to find some other guy who owns the same bike he does so he chatted with him a bit further while I went back in, grabbed another Diet Coke, sat on the 696 and 796 again and tried on the RF-1100 again. The co-owner (absolutely smoking hot, btw,

) offered me 10% off for one to which I declined as I am but a broke family man. She offered to "hook me up" when time comes to get a new helmet so I'm sure I'll come back to see what they can do.

Back to the Ducatis....

I loved the 696 and 796 and if the funds and experience are there, I would gladly skip all this sport bike stuff and step up to one of those as my next bike. For every time I sat on the Triumph I must have sat on either of the Ducatis as well, if not more. Both were so comfortable to sit on, with a more straight out, standard handlebar - which I'd want to swap out actually for something a little more angled back. The 796 felt only marginally heavier than the Ninja 250 and I think that may have only been b/c it was a bit taller so the weight was up top. I was amazed at how light the 696 felt though. I could easily flat-foot both bikes and while standing on the 696 I felt like I could just grab the bars and yank up on it to lift the front off the ground like I was popping a wheelie. Just amazed at how they can make a bike with that big of an engine feel that light when I think about how much smaller, engine-wise, the Ninja is by comparison.

If you made it this far, pat yourself on the back, I don't think I made it this far when I re-read it.

Thanks for taking the time to read, assuming you actually read the whole thing.

Now to go see if Ducati puts on demo ride events.....

bdavison · September 19th, 2011, 11:56 AM

Now can you imagine if you started on a supersport....

Now you know why those of us that have been riding a long time cringe when a newb wants a 600 or 1000 as their first bike.

Good post.. I think you now understand why some of us "downgraded" to ninja250s....the 250 is such a joy to ride, and just plain works well.

Xoulrath · September 19th, 2011, 12:13 PM

Glad the day turned out positive for you, despite all the stresses you were dealing with.

Congrats on riding a dream bike, and achieving some riding firsts.

Toly · September 19th, 2011, 12:59 PM

Great story, felt like I was right there... now go ride a M696 and give us report of the same quality

reaubideux · September 19th, 2011, 04:09 PM

I'd be happy to, Toly. If I could find someone willing to let me take one for a joy ride....

Gurk · September 19th, 2011, 04:39 PM

Kudos for dealing with the stress.

I actually rode a cbr600rr 3 years ago (was my first time ever on a bike) and I was pretty confident on it. Possibly because I wasn't as aware of the dangers (not like I had no idea but still...) I respected the power of the machine and was careful with the throttle and it ended up a way more fun experience than it could have been if I wasn't careful.

Now I'm craving a 600cc again but I think I'll wait and get more experience on the ninjette

Glad you had a great time overall

reaubideux · September 19th, 2011, 04:48 PM

From what I heart the cbr600rr has a more comfortable seating position than most other supersports so I think that may be my best bet at getting a super sport I can handle.

Cuongism · September 19th, 2011, 10:57 PM

Amazed I read that wall of text

. Great writing by the way, totally felt like I was there. Do you know if you rode the 675R or the 675? If you ever change your mind about the bike, they make a low gel seat which is more comfortable and tons of higher clipons.

In terms of comfort, I find the GSXR most comfortable followed by the CBR. I owned a few SS's and the 675 is currently my favorite because of its linear torque curve. Most 600's are very high strung.

My friend owns a 695 and I looooove it. I feel so bad for her bike since she rides it like once a month. 696 will probably be my next bike esp since it's so much lighter than the 796. Btw, if you thought the 675 was uncomfortable, you should test ride a 848

reaubideux · September 20th, 2011, 04:54 AM

It was just a 675... looked just like this one. I had thought about the fact that the aftermarket would probably address most of my concerns. I think, honestly, I'll just have to try out the other SS's if I'm that dead set on owning one. I think I'm just going to be too old for a SS by the time I might be ready to step up to another bike. I'm still drawn back to the 696 and 796 w/how almost perfect they both felt for me. I'm sure there are cheaper bikes much like those that will suit me just as well and I just hadn't found them yet. Who knows?

Thanks for the compliments on my story, I tried to make it a bit more immersible than the usual ride reports.

Xoulrath · September 20th, 2011, 08:41 AM

Don't forget that when you actually ride for any length of time at speed, at 60-7- mph, you are lifted a bit by the wind. Still won't be as comfortable as the Ninjette for most people, but it isn't like riding around town.

Also, when you hit the twisties, it gives you a new dimension in control.

If you really want a SS then get one that fits you best used and just be sure to keep the Ninjette for commuting.

Gurk · September 20th, 2011, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reaubideux

From what I heart the cbr600rr has a more comfortable seating position than most other supersports so I think that may be my best bet at getting a super sport I can handle.

That's what I thought until I sat on 2011 GSXR and 2011 ZX-6R. They are the most comfortable of the 4 Japanese 600's by far in that order IMO. Then comes the CBR and last, R6.

nickjpass · September 20th, 2011, 12:41 PM

Nice story! I'm sorry to hear you won't get your dream bike

Toly · September 20th, 2011, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurk

That's what I thought until I sat on 2011 GSXR and 2011 ZX-6R. They are the most comfortable of the 4 Japanese 600's by far in that order IMO. Then comes the CBR and last, R6.

Strange, I also found 2011 ZX-6R quite comfy... felt more at home than with CBR... I thought this couldn't be right...

GeorgiaHooligan · September 20th, 2011, 01:27 PM

Sweet post

I remember the day I rode someones 05 cbr600. I was sold on a 600 after that point. This was two yrs after putting 12,000 miles on the 250 though.

September 19th, 2011, 12:13 PM	#3
Xoulrath ninjette.org sage Name: T Location: U.S. Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): Current: '11 ZX-6R; Previous: '09 Ninjette; '08 ZX-6R (Ex-Wife '09 TU250X) Posts: 981	Glad the day turned out positive for you, despite all the stresses you were dealing with. Congrats on riding a dream bike, and achieving some riding firsts. __________________________________________________ R.I.P EthioKnight (Alex)

September 20th, 2011, 08:41 AM	#10
Xoulrath ninjette.org sage Name: T Location: U.S. Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): Current: '11 ZX-6R; Previous: '09 Ninjette; '08 ZX-6R (Ex-Wife '09 TU250X) Posts: 981	Don't forget that when you actually ride for any length of time at speed, at 60-7- mph, you are lifted a bit by the wind. Still won't be as comfortable as the Ninjette for most people, but it isn't like riding around town. Also, when you hit the twisties, it gives you a new dimension in control. If you really want a SS then get one that fits you best used and just be sure to keep the Ninjette for commuting. __________________________________________________ R.I.P EthioKnight (Alex)

September 20th, 2011, 12:41 PM	#12
nickjpass #squid Name: nickypoo Location: Five Guys Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): Track dedicated 2008 ZX6R Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jul '16	Nice story! I'm sorry to hear you won't get your dream bike __________________________________________________

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September 19th, 2011, 11:35 AM	#1
reaubideux Perpetual Newb Name: Jason Location: Imperial, MO Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782	Rode my dream bike.... (Yes, it's a long post) ...and achieved many firsts in the process: first ride on a supersport, first ride on anything over a 250, first ride on a fuel-injected bike, and first ride through the city, i.e. lots of traffic, lots of stop lights, lots of pedestrians. This is more of a story than just a "OMGWTFGreatestBikeEVAR!" type of post, sorry. If you don't like reading lengthy posts I'd recommend you hitting the "back" button right now. Also, it's a bit melodramatic, you've been warned. While I was at lunch with my dad last Friday he briefly mentioned someRtthing about Triumph doing a demo ride event that day and Saturday which instantly piqued my interest. He wanted to go and was going to mention it sooner but he had to do some house work so he wouldn't be able to go. I looked up the event and sure enough Moto Europa, local Ducati, Triumph, and KTM dealer, was hosting the event. Pretty cool place, has a museum and restaurant all built into one building; actually going to the Triumph Grill tomorrow for my birthday dinner. I checked the weather forecast and it was partly cloudy and low 70's for Saturday, perfect weather to take a ride up there and go for a test ride. Trying to keep a long story short, for unrelated yet ulterior reasons, I was able to spring my dad from his house-work in order for us to go up there. Woke up Saturday morning, waaaay too early with my kids, and looked out the window. What are these droplets of water falling from the sky? Looked at the forecast again, scattered showers off and on all day long. Am I the only one who thinks weather forecasters are useless and incompetent? We decided to go anyway but I don't do riding in the rain so we took the car. Got there around noon, and in the cordoned off street in front of the dealership were 2 lines of bikes and you could see the Triumph reps doing the "safety" briefing before mounting up. Then I saw it.... sticking out like a ballet dancer in a buffet line. The 675 Daytona shone like a svelte blue oasis in a desert of bloated cruisers. Blue with gold wheels. Being a huge Subaru fan I immediately loved the color combination. My favorite bike ever. This wasn't the first time I'd seen one in person, but it would be the first time I'd get to sit on one, let alone ride one. We went over and registered for the ride. The first time the 675 would be available was 3pm; ugh... 3 hours to kill. My dad was cool with sticking around, he understood this was my dream machine so, in that fatherly fashion he just said "this is what you came to do, do it." Instead of pure, unadulterated joy I started getting nervous, a bit reluctant actually. I was looking to see if they had anything else I'd like to ride instead. Realizing how many "firsts" this represented for me I started thinking this is probably not the best time and environment to do this. I'm still a new rider, 4400 miles on a 250, one low-side and no experience on anything else (outside the beat-up Honda Rebels in the MSF course) is not the way to jump on a 675cc supersport. "Throttle control, throttle control, throttle control" sang ominously in my head with a cadence that seemed to dictate the rapidity of my sentinel-like patrolling of the show-room floor. Continuously passing the identical blue/gold 675 Daytona that they had prominently displayed in the front window, glaring at it with a mix of angst and excitement. I kind of felt like a little kid about to go on their first serious roller coaster ride thinking "yeah, I could die on this thing today" although, unlike the kid's same questioning of their own mortality, mine was very much a true concern. I was absolutely freaked out by the thought of riding this thing. How twitchy would it be w/fuel injection? I know "throttle control" is key, but would I actually be able to exercise it prudently? How firm/soft do I have to be on the front brakes, they're dual discs? The only thing that kept me content was realizing I wouldn't have to worry about shifting, I knew that I wouldn't need to get out of first gear so I could focus more on my right hand controlling that throttle and smooth increased pressure on the front brake when stopping. All I could picture was rolling on too much throttle and looping or giving it too much front brake and high-siding out in front of a truck or something. After a few minutes of this I sort of snapped out of my trance and snagged some toasted ravioli and hot wings and a diet Coke. I was actually very grateful they had a 675 in the showroom. I must have sat on that thing at least 10 times just to get familiar with the controls, the weight, and seat, etc. I was amazed at how light it was, very comparable to the 250. The seat was a couple of inches higher and dear love of <insert your preferred deity here> that seat was the most uncomfortable thing I'd ever sat on in my life. It felt like a plank of wood, with a few pieces of deli meat on there, and then wrapped it in fabric. It was just soft enough to make me think it wasn't just a piece of wood. It makes the 250's seat feel like a La-Z-Boy by comparison. Not sure if it was the taller seat or if it happened to be a wider seat but the sides of the seat dug into my inner thighs terribly. I'm 5'8" and was almost able to flat foot it, I was securely holding the bike upright using the balls of my toes with my heels barely off the ground. My nerves were held at bay for most of the time, I distracted myself by talking with my dad and others in the showroom and falling in love with the Ducati Monster 696 and 796, the latter more so because of that single-sided swingarm. (more on those bikes at the bottom). I got to try on a few helmets, an Arai (didn't like the fit), a Scorpion (not bad), and a Shoei RF-1100 which I loved. I see now why so many of you like this helmet. Finally, time came for our "safety" briefing where they basically just told us not to be hooligans and explain what the front/rear escorts would do if we got split up at a traffic light. Right as they started the briefing it started sprinkling. Just. Freakin'. Terrific! I don't ride in rain and just may end up getting stuck in it. They said if it truly rains then no ride but this was just a sprinkle, who's to know if it turns into a downpour 5 minutes after we leave the shop? This just added one more layer of stress to my stress-laden mind. My leg was rapidly shaking the entirety of the briefing, a solid 10 minutes I'd say, I was twiddling the straps on my gloves just as long. This was when I realized I had forgotten my ear plugs as well. With my loud Bell Vortex, this was going to be a bit unpleasant and the added noise, yet another thing distracting me on the ride. Here we go.. I mosey over to the Daytona, get on, flip on the key, but don't start the engine. I play with the shifter for a minute to try and get a feel for where neutral is. Where is it? Nope, too hard, nope, not enough, nope, nope... NOPE! DAMN IT! Where is neutral? Finally, was able to get it into neutral after finding false neutral while displaying 2nd gear a couple of times. After that it was pretty easy. Started it up, revved it a couple of times to see how responsive the throttle was. Barely twisting the throttle.. I'm talking millimeters of movement and was taken back a bit at how immediate the engine revved. I kept hearing someone revving their bike behind me and kept thinking that their bike had a ridiculously loud exhaust until I realized it was my exhaust. (This happened a few more times throughout the ride where I kept thinking it was someone else's bike that was so loud.) The under-tail exhaust sounds glorious but it was a lot louder than I had anticipated. Kickstands up. Heart is in my throat, pounding in my ears and chest. While waiting to roll away I start playing with the clutch, learning the friction zone and getting a feel for the brake lever. Thankfully, shorty adjustable levers were installed so I adjusted them to the shortest length which made them very comfortable. (I'd previously dismissed the levers for my Ninja but now I'm reconsidering a set.) Friction zone was easy to find and at the far end of the lever travel much like the Ninja so I was easily acclimated to clutch pick up on the Daytona. Here we go... my chorus of "throttle control" again playing in my head I cautiously let out the clutch and not even bothering to give any throttle and we roll away. I was a block away before I realized that the light sprinkle had already stopped. I was obviously relieved upon realizing this. One thing I didn't get the feel for while sitting on one in the showroom was the much more forward, down-angled controls. In the first few blocks after leaving I had to pay much more attention to using my core to hold myself up and not rest on my wrists. Off an on throughout the ride I kept catching myself resting on my wrists a bit. A few times I'd hit a bump and b/c of my poor form I'd grab the grips and roll a bit of throttle giving me a quick zip forward reminding me I've still got a lot to learn about riding. This was a strike against me really wanting a supersport one day, my body position and lack of stronger core made it difficult to continually keep my weight off my wrists and even when I did, the angle of my arms on the grips was such that I couldn't push forward on the bar to turn the bike so much as I felt like I was pushing downward on them making steering a bit less of an involuntary go-where-you-look action. I made a couple of wide turns because of this, but still managed to stay in my lane. I never felt really comfortable with the controls. My back ached for about 15 minutes or so following our 30 minute ride. The front brakes, I'm happy to say, where very easy to adjust to, I never felt like I was squeezing too much on the front brake. Of course I never had to do any emergency braking where I had to really slow down fast. The rear brake lever was very firm and had very little play to it so I didn't use it that much for fear of locking up the rear. On the city streets I was barely giving any gas and when I did I was rewarded with the cacophony of the exhaust bouncing off the brick buildings lining the narrow streets. The burbles and pops that occurred on deceleration when slowing for stop signs or traffic lights was very cool. I managed to kill it once in the first few blocks but luckily didn't have that problem after the first time. I was always keeping a good distance between me and the guy in front of me for my fear of "goosing" the throttle and riding up his backside on my way to looping it. I think the guy behind me didn't care too much for the distance as he was constantly right behind me in the staggered position much like an impatient tailgater. Didn't really care though, we weren't getting above 40mph at any given time anyway. A couple of times we passed by buildings with big glass store-front windows so I got to catch a glimpse of myself riding this thing and just loved the way it looked. Call me vain, it was damn cool to see myself on such a sexy bike. On to the interstate, the nice, busy interstate cluttered with on-ramps and merge lanes in the few miles we'd actually be on it. This was when I decided to experience 2nd gear, and had one of my 2 butt-puckering moments. I let a bit of a gap form in our group and upshifted, the mechanical act was uneventful but as I barely rolled on more throttle, it was so quick and instant I was in a brief state of awe at how powerful this thing was. By no means did I rocket away, I felt in control of the bike and quickly realized it as I went from 40'ish to 70'ish in just a second or two. Later, down the road, the guy in front of me, I swear, was purposely slowing down and speeding up to pace a car that was in the merge lane and trying to get over. The whole time I'd been slowing down to allow ample merge room. Despite the room I was offering the motorist still almost came near to a complete stop in the merge lane. I felt the bike hesitating and chugging, not liking such low speeds in 2nd gear so I went to downshift. Butt-pucker moment #1, inbound. I didn't think about smoothness of easing out the clutch when downshifting. I was used to it on my bike so, forgetting momentarily that this was definitely not my bike, I downshift just as I would on my Ninja. I gave a quick bit of throttle, lunging the bike forward much more rapidly than would have my Ninja as I pulled in the clutch, the quick forward jolt stirred me but I was mentally already into pushing down on the shift lever and re-engaging the clutch and the Triumph didn't like the way I re-engaged and punished me with a jarring shudder before I smoothed it out with a little throttle input. All happening in a matter of a couple of seconds but I got a bit spooked. Continuing on the ride, we made it off the highway and back onto city streets. We were blessed with the opportunity to hit a bunch of traffic and a lot of pedestrians (not literally ) which kept us in gridlock where I learned yet another thing I didn't like about the bike: it baked my boys and my right leg. Sitting in traffic, it was getting almost unbearable. I was wearing jeans (lambast me later for not being ATGATT) so I don't know if it worked against me in letting more heat through or worked for me in letting more air in to keep me cooler. Butt-pucker moment #2 occurred on the very last turn before parking in front of the dealership. It was a low speed, Stop-sign right turn so I pushed a bit on the left grip while pulling with the right when my right wrist inexplicably wrenched in a weird manner and hit the tank causing me to feel like I lost the ability to steer and give throttle so I had a mini heart attack thinking with the wheel turned hard right and at low speed and my inability to give it any gas was going to force me to dump the bike. I managed to straighten it out and maintain speed without any real issue which made me think I may have overreacted for the split second there was an issue. Made it back, turned off the engine. My dad, who'd been further up in the group and gotten split up by traffic lights earlier in our trip, was already dismounted and waiting for me. He came up with a big smile and a "well? How was it?" First thing I said was "yeah, I'm not ready for something like this, I don't think I'll ever want to own one." It was definitely exhilarating to be able to say I rode my dream bike and I loved the experience despite the overall negative tone of this post. I was more happy to be able to say I'd ridden a supersport, something over 250cc, and my dream bike all in one ride. I came away realizing I've got much to learn about riding and having to accept that a supersport may not be in my future. I won't pass certain judgement until I get to sit on all of them but it would never be a Daytona 675 that's for sure. My dad managed to find some other guy who owns the same bike he does so he chatted with him a bit further while I went back in, grabbed another Diet Coke, sat on the 696 and 796 again and tried on the RF-1100 again. The co-owner (absolutely smoking hot, btw, ) offered me 10% off for one to which I declined as I am but a broke family man. She offered to "hook me up" when time comes to get a new helmet so I'm sure I'll come back to see what they can do. Back to the Ducatis.... I loved the 696 and 796 and if the funds and experience are there, I would gladly skip all this sport bike stuff and step up to one of those as my next bike. For every time I sat on the Triumph I must have sat on either of the Ducatis as well, if not more. Both were so comfortable to sit on, with a more straight out, standard handlebar - which I'd want to swap out actually for something a little more angled back. The 796 felt only marginally heavier than the Ninja 250 and I think that may have only been b/c it was a bit taller so the weight was up top. I was amazed at how light the 696 felt though. I could easily flat-foot both bikes and while standing on the 696 I felt like I could just grab the bars and yank up on it to lift the front off the ground like I was popping a wheelie. Just amazed at how they can make a bike with that big of an engine feel that light when I think about how much smaller, engine-wise, the Ninja is by comparison. If you made it this far, pat yourself on the back, I don't think I made it this far when I re-read it. Thanks for taking the time to read, assuming you actually read the whole thing. Now to go see if Ducati puts on demo ride events..... Last futzed with by reaubideux; September 19th, 2011 at 04:38 PM.

September 19th, 2011, 11:56 AM	#2
bdavison Wartown, USA Name: Bryan Location: Warner Robins, GA Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R SE, 2007 Ninja 650R, and assorted other bikes Posts: A lot.	Now can you imagine if you started on a supersport.... Now you know why those of us that have been riding a long time cringe when a newb wants a 600 or 1000 as their first bike. Good post.. I think you now understand why some of us "downgraded" to ninja250s....the 250 is such a joy to ride, and just plain works well.

September 19th, 2011, 12:59 PM	#4
Toly ninjette.org guru Name: Toly Location: NY Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): KTM 390 Duke Posts: 428	Great story, felt like I was right there... now go ride a M696 and give us report of the same quality

September 19th, 2011, 04:09 PM	#5
reaubideux Perpetual Newb Name: Jason Location: Imperial, MO Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782	I'd be happy to, Toly. If I could find someone willing to let me take one for a joy ride....

September 19th, 2011, 04:39 PM	#6
Gurk Done here. Name: - Location: Track Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): - Posts: A lot.	Kudos for dealing with the stress. I actually rode a cbr600rr 3 years ago (was my first time ever on a bike) and I was pretty confident on it. Possibly because I wasn't as aware of the dangers (not like I had no idea but still...) I respected the power of the machine and was careful with the throttle and it ended up a way more fun experience than it could have been if I wasn't careful. Now I'm craving a 600cc again but I think I'll wait and get more experience on the ninjette Glad you had a great time overall

September 19th, 2011, 04:48 PM	#7
reaubideux Perpetual Newb Name: Jason Location: Imperial, MO Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782	From what I heart the cbr600rr has a more comfortable seating position than most other supersports so I think that may be my best bet at getting a super sport I can handle.

September 19th, 2011, 10:57 PM	#8
Cuongism ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Cuong Location: San Diego Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250r, 2007 Daytona 675 Posts: A lot.	Amazed I read that wall of text . Great writing by the way, totally felt like I was there. Do you know if you rode the 675R or the 675? If you ever change your mind about the bike, they make a low gel seat which is more comfortable and tons of higher clipons. In terms of comfort, I find the GSXR most comfortable followed by the CBR. I owned a few SS's and the 675 is currently my favorite because of its linear torque curve. Most 600's are very high strung. My friend owns a 695 and I looooove it. I feel so bad for her bike since she rides it like once a month. 696 will probably be my next bike esp since it's so much lighter than the 796. Btw, if you thought the 675 was uncomfortable, you should test ride a 848

September 20th, 2011, 04:54 AM	#9
reaubideux Perpetual Newb Name: Jason Location: Imperial, MO Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782	It was just a 675... looked just like this one. I had thought about the fact that the aftermarket would probably address most of my concerns. I think, honestly, I'll just have to try out the other SS's if I'm that dead set on owning one. I think I'm just going to be too old for a SS by the time I might be ready to step up to another bike. I'm still drawn back to the 696 and 796 w/how almost perfect they both felt for me. I'm sure there are cheaper bikes much like those that will suit me just as well and I just hadn't found them yet. Who knows? Thanks for the compliments on my story, I tried to make it a bit more immersible than the usual ride reports.

September 20th, 2011, 01:27 PM	#14
GeorgiaHooligan ninjette.org guru Name: Aaron Location: Gone riding. Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 389	Sweet post I remember the day I rode someones 05 cbr600. I was sold on a 600 after that point. This was two yrs after putting 12,000 miles on the 250 though.