What is a good twin cylinder sport bike?

[DanielA1]

I'm 20 years old 6 foot 2 i range from 175 to 180 depending on the day. I'm relatively new to riding but i excelled in my motorcycle class, and the 250's i used just seemed all too unrefined and struggling. I like how easy sport bikes are to toss around and the handling but i love the low end torque of a twin. While i'm 20 im not stupid, i don't want a liter bike because its too much temptation for me. Since I'm 20 money is not the most available thing to me. So what i need is an extensive list of sport bikes with twin cylinder or even triples, that are bigger than 250's but smaller than 9's, and costs less than duc's. It also doesn't matter if they aren't made any more i cant afford a new bike anyways and i love 80's bikes.
I don't mean exactly 600 just looking for a mid sized twin. and no 4 bangers, i don't like going to 9000 rpm for my power
your right about the standard Brad. i was ignorant just looked into it and i placed naked, sport, and standard all under sport. But any one of those 3 or others similar is what i'm looking for

 

[RydeeOn]

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=ush-ans&va=2012+buell+motorcycle

 

[pinemiser]

An RC51 Honda would work, but too much power for a beginner. The bigger 4 bangers have tonnes of low end torque but also not for a beginner. Buell may be an option for you,cheap and in your described power bracket.

 

[Thechamp]

Short answer : The 1988 Honda Hawk GT 650 is the machine that best fits your description.

I like that you are mechanically intune enough to know be able to intelligablly talk about what you want out of your riding experiance (and not just say "I want an r6 because they are badazz and 600s are good for beginners") and I too am a tourque guy. Thats the principal reason I ride large capacity bikes. And the best combination of light weight and tourque is in twin sport bikes. So I will discuss them, staying to the tame end of things with your experiance in mind.

And the obvious choice for a punchy, friendly, nimble, cheap bike is the Suzuki SV650. Now, its not from the 80s, and they run 2500-3500 for a decent one. They are available in two version a "naked" one and the S model with a half fairing (lowers are available and improve looks alot to my eyes). The SV debut in 99 and got updated in 2003. The 03+ dont look as good, but they have fuel injection. These bikes are ubiquitous, so you can find a good deal on a great example without looking too far. Also they have a vast aftermarket, so you can tailor the thing to your taste.

The most direct competitor to the SV is the Kawasaki EX650R Ninja. It has a inline twin though, not a V, and doesnt sound as good. It is a smidge more comfy, but a smidge behind in handling.

The Hyosung GT650 Comet is very mechanically similar to the SV, but a little heavier and a lot newer model for the same money as a decade old SV. It has a naked a half faired and a full faired version, which I find very attractive. Ive never known anyone who owned one, so I cant say about reliablity and the market for them (and so aftermarket) is small.

On the opposite end it the spectrum from the Comet is the Ducati 900SS. For the same money as the above mentioned bikes you can get one from the early 90s. They are exotic and lust worthy. But it is a two decade old exotic, so maitnence will be a very, lets say... hands on experiance. Despite the increased displacement they are in the same performance ballpark with a little more emphasis on handling, and less concession to comfort. They look stunning and make some of the best sounds in motorcycledom.

Also, there is the 650cc Honda Hawk GT. These were built in the late 80s, and are the closest to what you said you wanted. They have some trick bits, like a single sided swing arm, but are generally older tech, and so not as good of a ride as the bikes above. Also not many were sold, so finding one can be tricky. However there is one on craigslist in my are right meow! http://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/2624799734.html

But you had a basic misassumption that only twins have tourque. Not so. The Bandit 1200 is a four and it has low end like a diesel!
And there are others. Some from the 80s too. And they are dirt cheap. I have a KZ1100 that I bought, running, for $700! And I LOVE it. There are many displacements available from 400cc-1300, but I think the best are the 1000 and 1100 cc examples. They are pretty friendly, but maybe a bit heavy for a noob. The Suzuki GS and Yamaha XS are similar, but there are more KZs and more parts for them. These bikes are powerful, comfortable, and handle good. But they are not sportbike nimble.

But I think the most tourquey and nimble and best bikes for beginners are dualsports (XR650,XR400, DR650, DR-Z400, KLR650). They are very rugged, designed to withstand offroad abuse, so you want hurt it if you make a rookie mistake and drop it. They can wheelie and jump and are fun as hell, but not overwhelmingly fast. The brakes and suspensions are very forgiving. The light weight make it easy to manage and gives them good handling. They are very simple to repair and maintain. And as far as cost of purchase, insurance, fuel and maintainence they are unbeatable. Also they are the beginner friendly bike you wont ever really outgrow. The downsides are that they are kinda tall if you're not and not well adapted to the hiway. But I recommend you get one of these, master the fundamentals offroad (away from traffic, laws and where mistakes hurt less) then transition to the street and eventually add to your stable.

 

[john]

if i was you i would go with a cbr 600 honda

 

[AleisterCrowley]

Um...ducati anyone?