ladies and gents...

the time has arrived!...

i drive a dodge ram srt-10... and got a new job and i don't need to drive the truck back and forth...

and since gas is $500/gallon...i don't want to sell the truck...

so i want a bike...

makes sense, right?...instead of selling the gas hog and buying a more economical vehicle, i'll buy something ELSE to tag and insure!...

BUT...i can't spend a fortune, so i'm looking at older s2r's...and TRYING to spend around $4k... i'm also entertaining the 748's but they're still a little pricey...

my buddy is an ex redbull duc racer, so if i find something i like, he can help me out...

look forward to learning, and hopefully getting something soon...

thanks, guys!

If you're looking for a low price, high MPG monster I'll point you at a 620. There's a lot out there, so they can be had for a relatively low price. Mine got 50-55 MPG even when hooning about on it.

While the 748 is nice, it'll still cost you more and the maintenance costs for the valves will be more than double a 2v air cooled. The desmoquatro heads that the 748 had made checking the valve clearances a giantic pain in the ass. 2v air cooled is sweet and simple.

I'll also point you at the SV650. Not a duc, but a bullet proof twin that can be had cheap and usually sold at the same price it was purchased. All in all, the 620 and SV650 have a lot of similarities, but you'll probably pay less on the SV.

And if this is your first bike, SV replacement bits are a lot cheaper than a monsters for that time you drop it in the driveway...

^ What he said and welcome!

I think you'll have difficulty finding a well cared for S2R for $4k, but plenty of 620s for that price.  I've been riding a 620 around for a bit and its good fun.  Sounds awesome, nice deep noise from the termies, most don't believe its a 620   It isn't blazing fast compared to many bikes, but it still moves along ok, certainly quick enough to do fine in traffic and have fun.  The SV and Kawak 650s are great too.  The SV sounds better, the kawak looks better and feels a bit slimmer/more nimble.

Oh and the 748 can be a back breaker. It's got a an ass up, shoulders down race posture. When the 916 came out one reviewer called it the best bike in the world for 30 minutes. And after that 30 minutes you need a chiro to sort you out. The 748 is the same chassis as the 916