SmithSR wrote:kevlar > leather ??modern protective gear uses both. This aint the hell's angels era.
Where the modern sportbike rider will wear a perforated jacket in summer, leather or Joe Rocket style synthetics both with reinforced and hardened impact and abrasion protection.. the Harley guys just remove layers to beat the heat. Nobody said they were smart...
I had a Joe Rocket ballistic jacket and loved it, as well as Joe Rocket riding gloves. They were very nice. I wish I had been wearing the jacket when I crashed those four times.
Anyway, you guys should research your bikes more. Not saying don't get what you want. I am saying look at some other bikes instead of the all out, full breed sport bikes. The riding position is not all it's cracked up to be. I know. Think it through. Figure out exactly what you want out of a motorcycle. This is something you will have for about four years. That's on average.
Consider these bikes. Do a little research on them. They may be just up your alley.
Suzuki-SV650 (s), SV1000 (s), Katanas 600/750, Vstorm 1000, Vstorm 650, or the legendary Bandit 1200 (s). I belive they discontinued the Bandit 600.
Honda - 599, 919.
Kawasaki-ZZR600, ZZR1200, Z1000, or the ZRX1200R.
Yamaha-FZ6, and the FZ1. They are a little more sport oriented than the others.
Like I said, some of these are not first time rider bikes. But I do reccomend you consider them, before jumping in and buying a 600cc sport bike. The horse power of some of these are in that range of the 600 super sports, which could be a bit much for a novice. I started on a Katana 750. About 75 horse hower.
Anyway, guys, think everything through before you buy one. Just a thought.