u/BimmerJustin

Just some random thoughts about kawi's current lineup.

The 900 platform, to me, seems underutilized. People seem to love this engine and rightfully so. Theres been rumors and leaks about a potential versys900 (which may or may not be announced in a week). This makes perfect sense. The gap between the versys 650 and 1100 is enormous.

But that same gap plays out in the faired "sport" bike part of the market. Kawi is hanging on to the 600 super sport class with the zx-6r, and thats commendable. But theres no doubt that much of the market has shifted to less track focused sport bikes. Additionally, there seems to be a decent market for traditional sport touring bikes. The 1100sx is a fantastic bike, but it is a $15k-17k bike all in. If you want a traditional sports touring bike, but dont have that kind of budget, you really dont have many options. Theres a few "crossover" style bikes which fill the gap, but those dont have universal appeal. You could retrofit a middleweight "sport" bike, but that gets pricey very quick and aftermarket options are less appealing than factory to many people (myself included).

So lets say kawi releases a ninja 900SX and SX SE. The most likely price is $12k/$13k. The most likely wet weight is 480lbs if they change nothing about the z900 frame. Thats 40lbs lighter than a 1100sx and different enough in price to not be a huge cannibalization risk for the 1100sx The power is close (123 vs 134) which is both a good thing and bad thing. It makes the 1100sx less attractive for the price, but makes the 900sx kind of a perfect bike for the type of touring that most people realistically do, which like a long day out and a few hundred miles, maybe an overnight.

Now, how about a ninja 900. Well this is a pretty attractive offering as well. if it followed their ninja/Z650 pricing, it should be priced around $10k/$12k for the base and SE. Even at $11k/13k, this is still a pretty competitive bike against the r9 and RS660. And realistically, anyone who really wants a true 600cc super sport is unlikely to be moved away from the zx6. They could even combined the two (base 900 and SX), and just make a dealer installed SX package for the ninja 900 which upgrades the seat and adds bag, heated grips, etc to avoid taking too much floor space with different models.

Anyway, thats my analysis. I think the versys900, ninja 900 and ninja 900sx could all potentially exist in the same lineup. I know its unlikely to happen, but to me, these would be a real sweet spot or price, performance and weight.

I found a good deal on a savage axis pro 2 in 243. My son is decent stature at about 5'6" and 130ish pounds. Im sure he could handle the recoil of a larger caliber, but I would like his first experience shooting a scoped, non-rimfire rifle to be pleasant. This would be the first time he's hunted at all (though he's been shooting clay, rimfire target, and handguns for years). This would be for whitetail deer only (and target shooting), in a wooded area, from a ladder stand with shots typically around 50-150yards, but never exceeding 200 yards.

I was thinking of pairing this with a Zeiss V3 3.5-10x42. Any other considerations on the gun, caliber choice, scope, etc.? I've only ever shot .270, 30-06, 308 and 30-30 in a bolt action hunting rifle. I also generally like the idea of adding a smaller caliber to the safe for any other potential future uses, rather than just getting a 270 like I have now.

I recently upgraded from my first bike (cb300r) to a Suzuki gsx-8tt. I love the bike. It’s gorgeous, it’s fun to ride, I got a great deal. I can’t say for sure how long I will keep this bike, but I could see hanging on to it for a while.

Since my previous bike was so small and underpowered, and I was a newer rider, I never took my wife on as a passenger despite her really wanting to go. In the lead up to getting the new bike, I started getting her outfitted with a full set of gear. After getting the bike, we’ve been out together quite a bit over the last couple weeks. Turns out she loves it. This has opened up some longer term possibilities for short (and maybe eventually) longer tours. We both love the idea and would like to work up to it. It’s probably worth noting that right now, she’s pretty comfortable on the back of the 8tt. But she doesn’t really know any better. Our longest ride was about 4 hours out with about 2.5hours seat time and she had no real complaints other than a little stiffness at the end of the day.

Ok so here’s my situation. I would like to lean in to this side of riding. So I got looking at some options for luggage, a top case specifically so she could have a back rest while riding but also helmet storage.

Obviously outfitting the bike with some comforts for touring isn’t close to the price of a new bike, but its also not cheap and got me thinking if it’s worth it. I’m concerned that I’m going to end up spending thousands trying to make this bike tour worthy only to be left with a bike that I no longer love for around town and still is nowhere near as nice to tour as something like a versys/nt/1100sx/gsxs-gt/tiger sport, etc.

So I’m seeking some guidance from people who have been here. Should we just enjoy the moment with the bike as is and hang on to any extra money to add a second maybe next year, or should I go down the road of trying to tart up my bike with tour gear which can be enjoyed immediately, but will never be as good as something more dedicated, potentially hurt the normal 1up riding, and cost money which could (maybe) be better used to get a proper bike for this purpose down the line.

Ive been shopping new 2026s. I came across a mint, low mileage 2020 on marketplace for a decent (but not great) deal. I've always had a slight preference for the first gen looks and the chromosphere red is very nice. These bikes rarely come up used in my area. This one has a full akra exhaust which I like and a few other bits that I can take or leave. Savings would be about $2.5k from new with an additional $250/yr saved on insurance.

I dont really care much about eclutch. This would be my second bike. Its not my primary mode of transport. Im coming off a cb300r.

I got thinking that this might be a decent platform to mod a bit with the extra savings. Or maybe just ride it for a year and decide if I want to upgrade from there.

I dont know, give me your thoughts.

I get that the 4cyl makes power at higher rpm and the p2 makes it early, but doesn’t rev high. But I’m having trouble understanding practically what this means for me.

Here’s my story, I’m coming from my first bike a cb300r. I really like everything about this bike (for what it is) which is what draws me to the cb650. I went to check out the 8r yesterday. Ergos are great, I like the look, and the wind protection and would generally prefer a QS to eclutch. All that said, I’m not in love with the bike. It may be irrational but the Honda build quality just feels a little more “special” to me. The suki build quality felt a little rough around the edges where the Hondas just feel more polished, which I really appreciate.

So now I’m trying to figure out this power delivery thing. I don’t do much city riding. I live in a suburban/rural area with lots of long sweeping mountain roads. Not a ton of really technical twisties, but a good bit of 40mph turn transition to 70+mph straight acceleration.

Also, I’m older. I like spirited riding, and would like to build my cornering ability/confidence but I don’t speed excessively and not trying to put my knee down on every turn. I will not be doing felony speeds ever. Another consideration is occasional 2up riding. I take my wife out for 1-2 hours on a nice day up to the mountains. Not a ton of miles, but I need enough and appropriate power to not feel bogged down. I don’t suspect this will be an issue with either bike. She’s like 5’1” 110lbs. I also try to avoid freeway riding whenever possible but it does happen sometimes. I don’t commute to work and this is not my primary mode of transport though I do ride to the gym daily (weather permitting) and have been trying to work riding into more of daily life.

For this style of riding, which engine type would you recommend? I prefer the sound of 4cyl, but outside of that I’m open to whichever is better suited.

42yo, I started a year ago. Took the MSF. I bought a used cb300r and put about 4-5k miles on it in the time since. I really like this bike but it is small for me (6’1”, 210lbs) and quite slow. I have a short list of bikes that would be a great choice for me, but there’s one bike I can’t can’t seem to shake. That’s the 2018-2019 Honda cb1000r. I fell in love with this bike when it came out despite not starting to even ride until 5+ years later.

I’m not worried about the power, I ride pretty conservatively. It’s more power than I will ever use. It’s just that clean examples of this pre-refresh gen are somewhat rare and when they are clean go for 8-10k. For that price, many newer bikes, with better tech and more suited to my needs start to open up. These options are much less of a hassle to acquire as well being more common. I don’t care as much for the later black editions that came out. The 18-19 is the sweet spot in looks for me.

I have not riden one but I sat on one last year (should’ve bought it at the time) and the ergos were nearly perfect for me. Comfortably upright with a little forward tilt and pegs not too high but high enough to feel a little sporty.

I guess my question is to I just go for it and get this bike out of my system or do I acknowledge that i will probably be happier on a newer, “better” bike for the same price

In 2024 I finally got my routine dialed in with gym/exercise/diet. I lost 70lbs over about 1.5years. In that time I also added a good bit of muscle mass. In mid-2025, I basically stalled with weight loss. I believe I hit my limit where more calorie restriction, and more consistency was just beyond what my brain and lifestyle would allow. Like most people here, I’ve struggled with food noise and food obsession my entire life. Eating high protein/high fiber, whole food meals has helped a ton, but I can’t seem to progress any further.

I’m very happy with my progress. All biomarkers are near perfect. I’m sitting at around 29BMI, probably around 20-25%bf. I still lift 5days/wk, run on the weekends, 10k+ steps daily.

But I really want to lose this last 20-30lbs. I guess my biggest concern is muscle loss. I understand that muscle loss is due to calorie deficit, not the drug itself. I would love to hear from folks in a similar situation who built the muscle first then got on glp1 how well they were able to maintain. I would also like to hear from people in a similar situation who were able to break through an impossible plateau and if you were able to transition off the meds and maintain at that lower weight/bf.