help me convince the wifey...for a sportsbike!

Multistrada and done!

Except:

PhilB

sportbikes are actually the safest, and if you argue against it you're an idiot. they brake, handle, and accelerate better than other types of bikes. all of which are necessary for getting out of certain situations. might i suggest something like a VFR800 or an FZ1 as a compromise. both are quite capable in the corners and are more touring oriented that a CBR/R1/Ninja/Gixxer etc.

Current generation FZ1. It has a half fairing, upright seating position but the heart of a slightly de-tuned R1 but goes like hell, has decent brakes and suspension.

you are counting _way_ too much on the bike...modern bikes break more than you can handle, a heavy litre bike doesn;t handle better than a 600 and upright positions give better visibility and control, and sportbikes are actually too strong in most emergency situations (in lower gear).

Please keep firmly in mind that a sport bike is a race bike made street legal for the most part. There is no public roadway where you can even come close to using the bike for the purpose it was designed without being illegal within about 3 seconds and only in second gear.

Your statement above might be slightly true (brakes, suspension etc), but seriously contemplate whether your riding skills are up to using a sharp tool like a sport bike. Things happen very, very quickly on a high performance sport mototcycle, and I would bet money right now that you will be way behind the bike almost instantly if you get on the power. Decent modern street bikes all have very good brakes and suspensions, so that is not a good argument anyway.

Sadly, I have had occasions to literally police up the results of riders thinking they had the "right stuff" to take a high performance sport bike for a ride on public roads. One really bad failing of a lot of riders and car drivers is that they think they are way better than they actually are. If they were that good, they would have been on the international race circuit and not on a public roadway acting stupid and killing themselves. High performance suspensions and other gadgets on modern bikes will seduce you into exceeding your skill level so fast you will never know it until the instant you exceed the envelope, crash and die.

Save your life and marriage and get something much more reasonable that is designed as a street bike. If want a sport bike, make it a designated track-day bike and enjoy what the bike was built for, and let the wife know and agree to this. If your wife likes to ride with you, get something like a BMW RT or equivalent, and let her be part of the decision. Your life will be much happier by making it a joint project.

If you want a very sporty naked bike that can play with sport bikes and still makes a decent two-up street bike, go try a BMW R1200R Roadster. That is literally the most versatile bike BMW makes and does not promote. You can put the same luggage the RT uses and hide the sporty part of the bike from your wife because she will think you have a tourer. You will have way more fun on this bike and not have your wife scared sick you are going to kill yourself (with good justification in the high probability you will). You also mentioned you have children in this equation. That statement alone should discourage sport bikes until they are out of school.

get yourself a really old sport bike- then upgrade the suspension and leave the rest alone. it still has the stance, thrills and handling of a sport bike, but at 1/4 the speed. show the specs to your wife, that its less HP than your current ride, and handles better- so actually its safer. tell her its vintage, which it is, and not like even in the same world of the new sport bikes. all very true.

my fz600 looks like a race bike, sounds like a race bike, and pretty much was a race bike back in 1986! but at ~50hp, you have work a little bit to get in trouble.

I get the message, guys! I'm pretty sure i can convince her on a vfr, and rationally it is the best choice. But damn a 'blade or a daytona or a 916 sure looks sexy!!!

Oh well, a nice vfr 750 with some suspension and brake upgrades will do the trick without making me go 150.

Keep the GS for long trips and get a motard to get the hooligan speed demon out.

No, i'm actually not comfortable on the gs for longer rides. Back hurts, legs hurt, more so than on my previous zr7s. And the sitting position forces all my weight on a few spots on my behind. Was not what i expected, but that's how it is.

If you're wife isn't more important than motorcycles, you're doing it wrong.So good job, you're doing it right!

This is the only answer for your sportbike; with no headlight or license plate. Do you have a track near you? Maybe your wife wouldn't be so afraid of the speed if there were no cars or traffic involved.

If you can only have a street legal bike, I think the fun factor can be found in a big supermoto. Does the name Ducati screem sportbike? Get an Aprilia; still Italian, still exotic. The Aprilia Dorsoduro or KTM 9x0 SM could both be considered a "dirt bike". Big supermotos are just dirt bikes with bigger motors to keep up with traffic, right? :huh

Ducati Multistrada.... problem solved.

Looks like you're boned.

in my marriage, boning is EXACTLY what I am after as much as possible.

to the op: sorry for the pile on. but if you ask a group of enthusiasts a question in a forum known for verbose, opinionated self-proclaimed asses who happily salute one another with the middle finger, you get piled on.

salute!

Now that's FUNNY !

OK... if she rides with you, take her for a ride on a naked standard with no windscreen or fairing. Take a LONG ride. Say minimum of 300 miles. The wind will beat her up.

Go find a BMW dealership and let her sit on the RT. Then take her for a ride on one, preferably with the large top case on so she can lean back on it. There will be very little wind for her to contend with, and she will get the idea why there are fairings on touring bikes too.

My wife absolutely loves to ride on the RT for long periods of time.

If she is into statistics, most fatality crashes are below 30 mph, and most are alcohol related. Most of the others are lack of training, exceeding rider capability, or generally being stupid at the wrong time and place. Moral her is to get trained, stay in practice, and be ATGATT.

I know the URAL comment is a joke, but they are Russian knock-offs of a basic WW2 design BMW R bike, and I have a friend who owns one. Says it is tough as nails and a hoot to ride. Does your wife have anything against a butt-ugly sidecar rig ?

Well damn. That is a silly way of looking at things.

Track bikes are out of the question: the closest track is three hours away and almost never open.

I like the supermoto thing, but since they are a recent phenomenon, prices are out of my limited budget. The only supermoto like bike that i can find and afford here is the yamaha xt660x, and i have no idea if it's any fun. Only 50bhp.

And about being piled on: bring it on, this is why i like this place


Four wheels good, two wheels better

How about this as a compromise bike:

http://powersports.honda.com/2012/cbr250r/colors.aspx