Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes hating the crotch rockets

Seems so many of you hate the sport bikes. I can't understand why. Seems many think they are dangerous. I've owned many of them, and may cruisers, including a speedmaster. Sport bikes are far superior in every way of mechanical performance to the speedmaster. Acceleration is massively improved, braking is substantially better, pure traction of the available rubber for sport bikes is incredible, and they handle like they are on rails. The worst sport bike rubber has far superior traction to cruiser tires. My ME880s on the SM were rocks, and they are considered to be in the upper end of the traction department.

I'm not bashing the speedmaster or the cruiser crowd. I really liked the little speedie, but lets be reasonable people. "Crotch Rockets" are safer to ride than cruisers. Superior acceleration, handling, traction, and braking. Ever think of that?

So the bias must be toward the riders. The same argument could be applied that Speedmaster owners do not bathe, sell drugs and guns, and are missing most of their teeth.

There is deviant behavior in all motorcycling. there are hundreds of forums here about running the "twisties". You like it. You know you do. So why bag on the quintessential carving machine?

Lets not be hypocrites and love our brother sport bikers. If they are actin' the fool, educate them...


Flame on!

Dont fall off your soapbox there.

Wow, you're really begging for it. A couple of months ago a crotch rocket low sided on a corner and went thru a group of riders on crusiers like a bowling ball. The bike took the leg off of a female rider and she bled out on the road. A month ago on the same road a crotch rocket passed a group of riders on a blind corner, double yellow line, head on into a pickup. On the road to Saugus, a crotch rocket, on a street lined with homes, on a corner, t-boned a old lady backing out of her driveway. she had to look at his body for a couple hours while they waited for the coronor. A friend killed himself last weekend on a crotch rocket thinking he could outrun the cops, left 2 kids hanging. Every time Robin and I ride to the Big Oaks we are passed on both the left side and right side by crotch rockets. And this has only been the last few months. Do I like crotch rockets,,, at the track, ok, but on the streets, ****** no!

I hate them because they are uncomfortable. I also hate cruisers because they get covered with windshields and stupid bags and stupid chrome and stupid heated grips and every other useless figment of triumphs marketing imagination. I love my bike because it's not a cruiser anymore. Flame on.

Sorry, I like my Daytona 675. It is a different ride and I don't find it uncomfortable as long as you are riding in the position it is meant to be ridden in. I do hate having to make a choice of riding my BA, 675, or wife's custom Bonneville with permission of course.

I don't like sport bikes because I don't like sport bikes.

I just love them.
I especially love my Aprilia Mille.
I have always had a serious sports bike in my stable and I always will (health and ability permitting).
They're not practical all the time and I don't love all of them.
But I love them.

Now, some of the riders ... that's another story.

I say to each his/her own. However, to say crotch rockets are safer than cruisers is quite ignorant. It's not the bike, unless the bike is a pure piece of crap, it's the rider. Crotch rockets have their place just like the cruisers. But I don't know of any rocket riders that have done 500+ miles in a day and still want more. I definately respect the bike, unfortunately most of the riders I've seen are seriously lacking sense.

mostly I don't like them 'cause they are ugly, look like a farting grasshopper and sound like a monkey farting in a bathtub. I am too old to spend the day sitting like a constipated frog. I do not feel that a motorcycle is safe when it is difficult to keep both wheels on the ground starting or stopping. I don't feel that a motorcycle is safe when it depends on inherent instability to corner well.

Not that I am one to stereotype....BUT...I have never been passed on the highway by ANYONE on a cruiser, tourer, standard, moped, or unicycle doing a wheelie at over 80 mph, I have never witnessed any of the above doing a stoppie at an intersection, NOR a wheelie from that same intersection. I have never seen a tanktop-shorts-flipflop wearing rider on any of the above either, nor have I seen the Capri pant-highheal-belly shirt passenger on any of the above...trust me I have looked for just such a passenger....Sport bikes are marketed to young male drivers whit more balls than brains...IT IS the RIDER...I have been riding for more than 30 years on one form of bike or another...and in that time 80% of the foolish things I have seen (and done) were ALWAYS on a sportbike...is it the bike???? no and YES...no because that would be like blaming the paint can for the graffiti...BUT if you add a special nozzle to that can that is specially designed to better apply paint to trains and walls then it is partly to blame...Sportbikes are the ultimate in handling and power, born and bread on and for the race circuit...they are painted and adorned in a fashion that again markets to the young...often the least experienced rider, who has more power between his legs than they are mature enough to handle (again I generalize) sportbikes are race machines marketed to the young and invincible who fully believe at that stage in their lives that "it won't happen to me" but it does..yet Jonny 18 year old can go the the local shop and buy a hayabusa and propel them selves at over 198 mph...the insurance industry has more statistics on every form of movement life death and everything in between.

Latest Car Accident Research: Carnegie-Mellon University released a study on January 18, 2007, revealing a number of startling statistics about vehicle accidents...

Male drivers 16-23 are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal vehicle accident than the average driver, due to inexperience and lack of maturity.

• Male drivers are 77% more likely to die in a car accident than women.

Yet THESE are the very same people to whom Sportbikes are marketed and to whom they are most attractive...

Your comment..."So the bias must be toward the riders. The same argument could be applied that Speedmaster owners do not bathe, sell drugs and guns, and are missing most of their teeth." Is based upon your own opinion and an unreasonable desire to prove some point...not on any fact or actual studies...and almost not worth comment on except it is so obviously inflammatory and provocative that I had to comment.

Yet...

The "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures," was a study conducted by the University of Southern California, with funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...they concluded...
Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly over-represented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly under represented. Although the majority of the accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%)


AND FINALLY...this little bit of data for you to wrap your head around....


According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) riders of “supersports” motorcycles have driver death rates per 10,000 registered vehicles nearly four times higher than for drivers of other types of motorcycles. Supersports have more horsepower than conventional motorcycles and can reach speeds of up to 190 mph. They are built on racing platforms and are modified for street use. The bikes are popular with riders under the age of 30. The bikes are light weight and aerodynamically styled. In 2005, these bikes registered 22.5 driver deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles, compared with 10.7 deaths for other sport models (related to supersports but do not have the acceleration, stability and handling of supersports). Standards and cruisers and touring bikes, with upright handlebars, have rates of 5.7 and 6.5 per 10,000 vehicles. In 2005, supersports accounted for 9 percent of registrations, and standards and cruisers made up 51 percent of registrations. Among fatally injured drivers, the IIHS says that drivers of supersports were the youngest—with an average age of 27. Touring motorcycle drivers were the oldest, 51 years old. Fatally injured drivers of other sports models were 34, on average; standard and cruiser drivers were 44 years old. Speeding and driver error were bigger factors in supersport and sport fatal crashes. Speed was cited in 57 percent of supersport riders’ fatal crashes in 2005 and in 46 percent for sport model riders. Speed was a factor in 27 of fatal crashes of riders of cruisers and standards, and for 22 percent of riders of touring models...

So rant about how 'wrong we are in our assesment of the Sportbike's" somewhere else...

to quote Jack..."sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here"

the bike entises you, it teases you into playing. its there, it will do 180mpg it will do it right now, OH WOW look it will bounce the front tire off the ground at 100mph with just the flick of my wrist WOW!!!! the bike makes you think you are a great rider, you are matt mladin, ben spies, it just dont take long and you find yourself little by little crossing lines you never thought you would ever cross, and yet there you are doing it. your doing 100mph without even knowing it and by the time you realize it, its to late, you got a ticket or worse your dead. these things you dont get from a straight bike, your not gonna go crazy on a Bonneville, or nighthawk. your gonna ride them, there is no need to wheelie or stopee, you just ride. but a crotch rocket entises you to play!!! thats whats wrong, those bikes should be for track use and for the factory to learn engineering things tech stuff. there is no place in the U.S.A. that 180mph is legal so why cant they fix them to top out at a reasonable speed.

When I was a young lad my first bike was a honda CB550 very slow compared to todays rice rockets, but at the time it was fast. It begged me to ride and shift all gears at redline, which I gladly did. No accidents but plenty of tickets. When CA DMV sent me a letter stating one more ticket and no more license I had to change my ways. I bought a Bonny 750 and no more tickets. The point of the story is that rice rockets are made to race and when you are young it is IMPOSSIBLE not to use the bike that way.

Crotch Rockets have what I call the Illusion of Slowness.
80mph feels like 40. 120 feels like 70. It isn't until you're in the middle of an emergency situation that you realize you're in way over your head.

Superbikes are to regular motorcycles what submachine guns are to regular pistols. In the right hands, used the right way, they are near-perfect tools for their intended job.

In the hands of testosterone-poisoned idiots, they multiply the damage caused by stupid behavior and sociopathic tendencies.

I don't 'hate' them at all, but I prefer a nice 'moderne' classic ride like the Speedmaster to feeling like my face is going through the windscreen. Some ride Western and some like English. To each their own. Personally, I really dig the Vespa/scooter thing.

I test rode a Honda CBR1000RR and a Honda Interceptor last week. OMG the acceleration was addictive, but thew bike is inherently uncomfortable, and since you are at 70 mph after two gears, it is quite boring! When I got back from the two test rides (about 40 miles each) I felt like I had died and gone to heaven when I got back on my "litte Speedmaster" give me a break, that cruiser is alot more fun than any crotch rocket. I'm glad I test rode one, now I no longer want one, and trust me the power will tempt you, and u quite possible could ride beyond your limits! and u know what happens then don't ya.

I agree with Jcbullen, having my head out in front was disconcerting to say the least.

I like both..Have fun on both. I seem to want to twist the throttle just as much on my speedi as I do on joe rocket. To each his own. Rising petrol prices may make all of this moot in the very near future anyway..

I can't see fuel getting expensive enough to make me stop riding ever.

This is interesting.
I wonder how many of the people who want sport bikes relegated to the track are of the "cold, dead hands" crowd .

Let's see, I've read stuff here about "crotch rockets" doing all sorts of stupid thing.
No.
They're not.
Some irresponsible riders are doing stupid things while on the bikes.
People do stupid things on cruisers too, as a matter of fact some of the vids have been posted here, like the dude trying to stand up on his HD and it gets away from him.
Look around the net, there's no shortage of idiots on bikes-all kinds (bikes that is).

Then there's the just ignorant, "rice rockets"

As if the Japanese are the only ones who make sport bikes
A little bigoted are we?

So Bryan, to your original post, +1

And +2 from me! I like sportbikes, and I like sports cars too!

HOWEVER, as has been said here already, both of these kinds of machines DO ENTICE one to ride/drive faster than the rest of the befuddled, cellphone-using, clueless SUV drivers out there BECAUSE they ARE more capable machines in almost ALL riding/driving situations and conditions.

And riding a sportbike will also entice you to pass the high percentage of Harley/Cruiser riders who freak out if their exhausts scrape on the tarmac!(which other than Triumph cruisers, they ALL DO much too quickly...hence why I love my Triumph "cruiser")

And so, in other words, way too many "cruiser riders" are BASICALLY LOUSY FRIGGIN' RIDERS who wouldn't know what the term LATE APEXING means if it bite 'em in the A$$!!!(trust me...I'm been caught behind WAY too many Harley/cruiser riders ESPECIALLY out there on the twisties who are all over the place, and most often early apexing and then going wide...clueless, friggin' clueless riders!!!)

HOWEVER...if you DO ride a sportbike, never go anymore than "7/10th" out there on the street, because FIRST...going more than 7/10th is strictly for the RACETRACK, and secondly...you're putting not only your life in danger if you go 8/10th or more out there, but you're also putting all those other "less gifted"/clueless riders and cagers in danger TOO!(bless their clueless little hearts)

BUT...because as Rob stated, sportbikes tend to be owned by the "Yutes" out there who percentage-wise usually haven't the LIFE EXPERIENCES to make INTELLIGENT CHOICES, that's why they do REALLY STUPID THINGS like passing on the right(BTW...NEVER, NEVER, NEVER DO THIS!!!) and often ride much too fast for the conditions, among MANY OTHER boneheaded maneuvers, and why they CRASH AND BURN much too often!

I don't "hate" any mechanical thing, except maybe the shutoff valve in the dishwasher that failed 2 weekends ago, but that's a whole 'nother topic....

What I "hate" is the attitudes on all sides of the subject.

If you want a 'busa, a Ferarri, a Corvette, a Kenworth, a Vespa.. - don't matter to me.

But if you drive/ride with a total disregard for laws, other people's rights, common sense, and become a statistic that can be used against me, or worse yet, kill/injure an innocent, then you are a worthless fool.

But it's human nature to want to be king, so I don't see any resolution to this based on intelligence. It will only come via legislation that takes us all down with a broad sweep of the brush...

I don't hate crotch rockets. But I do hate reading about them making me look bad by association.....

OK, couldnt stay out of this one!!! I have had a couple of "crotch rockets" and also a few cruisers, and a few standards tooo.. I have to say, if you are going to write off all crotch rockets as being bad then you might as well write off the RIII that I had also as being bad, because that was just as addictive to do the same stupid stuff on as the rest of the "sport bikes" In my case the others being the Speed 4 that I totalled because someone pulled out in front of me when I was doing about 40 and I ran it off the road and layed it down, and the Speed Triple that I sold. I would have to say that when it really came down to it, the way that i behaved on my rocket was about how I did my triple, and u know which I would rate as safer for it. The Triple. I admit I did stupid stuff on both, Nothing like wheelieing a rocket at a 45 degree angle from a stop light next to a euro car with a nitrous bottle to show the youngsters they aint all that. But the Triple was a lot safer doing it. Yes I should know better, especially at almost 40, but u know what, Its all up to the person, its not the bike. I have seen people try wheelies and other stupid stff on other bikes and let me tell u, there is nothing like seeing a $35000 big dog get mangled cuz the rider try a wheelie. And he was almost 50. So its definately not the bikes, its the rider. I would still have a Triple if I could still get comfy on it. But not going to happen anymore.
Mark

man I feel like I have been dropped in the middle of a Grumpy Old Men movie. The funny thing is that I'm on some other "chopper" type boards and you should hear the way they talk about "cruisers" which to most of the guys here is a less harmful way of calling your bike a "bagger." I ride my bike like it is a rocket. In fact I do everything like an animal. Remember when we were all like that or is that huge astronaut helmet and kevlar jumpsuit got you so stifled you can't even think like a kid anymore. Did someone suggest that they are all on steroids? I'll be 37 years old next week and I'm going to ride it like I stole and punch him like he stole something from me. I'm tired of being nice.

Wheelies? Only the province of kids of gixxers? Nah:



I still love all bikes, I just wish I could fit on a sport bike these days but I'm too old and round to ride one. So I'll just dream on about that MV Agusta and ride my Triumphs instead.

You know, the thing I dislike most about the rikiracers (other than being uglier than than an ex mother-in-law) is that they are just too touchy. This applies to the R3 as well. I don't like having to be very very careful about just how far I twist the throttle. I don't like a clutch that has so little travel between nothing and full on that I have to give it a lot of attention. I don't like a bike that lifts the front wheel long before it spins the back one. I don't like a bike that lifts the rear wheel long before it slides the front one, that 30% afforded by rear wheel braking is important too. I don't like a bike that makes me fold all up to sit on it so that my knees bump my elbows and I have to wear bracers (suspenders) because a belt would scratch the tank. I don't like a bike that is a chore to ride unless it is pushed to the point of extreme mortal danger.

Crotch rockets, eh? Yeah, I dig 'em.

As many of you know, I sold my BA and got a VFR...it was the best series of transactions I've ever made when it comes to bikes.

My VFR, does it go over 150 mph? Yes. Have I had it over 150 mph? Yes. Can it wheelie? Yes. Have I had it on one wheel? Yes. Do I consider it a crotch rocket? No...it's my touring bike, although it is definitely leaning further towards the sport bike world than sport touring bike world. Would I someday like to get a proper crotch rocket? Of course I would.

I'm thrilled to finally have what I consider to be a CAPABLE bike. (Yes, we'll get this out of the way right now...I never considered the America or Thruxton to be fully capable bikes...I love each one for what they are, but am indeed thrilled to have a bike that fits my needs.) One that handles well, accelerates well, stops well, has suspension which actually does its job...the America was livable, my Thruxton is better, but the VFR is excellent. I've ridden 1200 miles on it in a day, which I'd never be able to do on the America or Thruxton. I can navigate twisty roads much more proficiently than the America. I always wear a full face helmet, armored gloves and armored jacket. I'm in the market for a good pair of riding pants as well. I think it's a gross oversight when you mention the flipflop/tanktop wearing squids. Per capita, the cruiserbike riders without gear (wearing a skullcap or no helmet, no gloves, and no jacket) vastly outnumber the sportbike riders. If anyone doesn't believe me, I'd be thrilled to sit with a cooler of beer with ya and count the bikes go by and prove my point.

How do I ride the VFR? Well...quicker than the Thruxton or America, of course. But otherwise, no different when I'm in traffic or on the highway. Do I lane split in town? Yes. Do I weave thru traffic on the highway? Yes. Is it because I'm on a certain type of bike? No. I break 100 mph on a regular basis regardless of the bike I ride. Is it because I'm 26 years old? Maybe, but I know and ride with MANY 30somethings 40somethings and 50somethings who ride even faster. I learned how to ride in and around NYC, where it's a necessity to ride how you guys would describe as asinine. I consider myself an excellent rider with exceptional awareness because of my riding history.

You have a good point about the lack of gear on lots of cruiser riders. I'm usually guilty of that. A half helmet, fingerless gloves and a tshirt.

We can still drink a cooler of beer and keep losing count though, right?