wombat7

My graduation from college is quickly approaching... while I still have a little over a year, that year will go VERY fast. As a "reward" for putting myself through 4 years of hell at the number one engineering school in the country, I am going to upgrade my transportation. Right now my choices are either keep my 944 and get a sportbike or sell the 944 and get a Boxster. I am looking for something that I can use to cruise up and down the beach, since I am most likely going to be stationed at Eglin AFB, FL after graduation.

I love my 944, but it needs to be painted. I was going to spend the extra money and do a complete restore, color change, and some mods, but now I think I may just take it back to the original Guards Red that it was and then save for a 951 or 968 after I have my bike paid for. I have rode dirtbikes as a kid and love the feel of riding a motorcycle, but I've never owned a street bike so that whole thing would be a whole new experience for me.

The other option is to sell the 944 and get a used Boxster S. This would definately be the less economical of the two choices, but would give me a good reliable mode of year round transportation, where the bike and the 44 would be less reliable. I have driven a base model Box and absolutely fell in love with the car, the sound, the handling, the feel, everything was incredible.

If you all were faced with this situation, which would you go with and why??

Thanks in advance

- Chad

Serge944

Well, before I get on a motorcycle I remember that I want to continue living. No offense to sport bike enthusiasts, but it is very dangerous.

I say get the Boxster S.

josephsc

No offense taken -- but a bike has to be a well calculated risk. Unless you've taken a riding class, been on a beater bike for a year and ready to sink additional money into all the protective gear -- do not get a new sportsbike.

Plus, Boxster S rocks!

wombat7

I plan on taking a motorcycle safety course before I get the bike, the Air Force requires me to do this... I am not oging to be stupid on a bike by any means. I have had family members in motorcycle accidents so I am goign to take every precaution that I can to keep myself safe. I personally feel that there is a huge misconception about motorcycles and sportbikes in particular. Yes motorcycles are dangerous, but so is walking across the street, you just have to be careful...

josephsc

The Air Force is making you learn how to ride a motorcycle? That's odd....

I don't think you should reward yourself with a new bike -- used one, sure. I'd recommend against getting anything but a beater bike for the first year or 5000miles (whichever comes later), and graduate to a newer bike once you know your riding style/ability/limits.

Plus, a Boxster S is much better for cruising up and down the beach: women find new Boxsters to be sexy -- and sportbikes to be obnoxious.

wombat7

I'm not planning on getting a brand new bike.. Right now I'm leaning toward 1999-2000 Yamaha R6s, Honda CBR 600 F4is, and Ninja ZX-6Rs. I'm not really looking for something to pick up girls becuase I already have a pretty serious girlfriend.

I definately agree that the Boxster will be the safer of the two choices, but not the safest financially. I am going to have approximately $30K in student loans to pay for on a 2nd Lts Salary... which would make it VERY hard to pull off a car payment... but I really do love the Box, which is what is keeping it in the equation right now...

944CS

boxster s all the way

PCA 944

You deserve a reward for nearly finishing four years of engineering. What field of Engineering have you choosen?

As far as transporation goes, it would be a lot easier on your wallet to choose a street bike. A street bike would be a thrill to enjoy, but would be a dangerous choice. If your mature enough, which I assume you are, and have enough self control I would advise the street bike verses the more expensive boxster. Although a boxster is a great car, you should make sure your finanically in a strong position to afford owning it.

Personally I would love a street bike myself, but lack the trust in myself of owning a street bike. If crashing at 20 mph on a mountain bike hurts as much as it does (don't ask), I don't even want to think about falling off a street bike at 60.

josephsc

Good to hear that you've already thought through the risks already.

Personally, some of the things I enjoy about having a bike are:
* ease of maintance (it's all right there -- nothing to lift, jack up, etc, etc....)
* cheap gas (35mpg) -- and environmentally sound
* cheap insurance (if only liability)
* cheap to replace (I can find something similar to mine for around $3.5k around here)
* easy parking (big issue in San Francisco and Boston)
* free parking (sometimes....)
* easy commute (big issue in Los Angeles)
It's all a matter of risk-reward tradeoff.

If finances are a concern, getting a Boxster S might not be within your reach (pay off that student loan for godsake!). But then, I'm sure your girlfriend would rather be in a top-down Porsche than on the back of a sportsbike....

aeronautica86

[QUOTE=josephsc]I don't think you should reward yourself with a new bike -- used one, sure. I'd recommend against getting anything but a beater bike for the first year or 5000miles (whichever comes later), and graduate to a newer bike once you know your riding style/ability/limits.[QUOTE]

I definately agree with that

Sport bikes can be amazingly fun, so long as you don't hurt yourself. It takes time to learn, and a new sport bike is not the right machine to learn how to ride on the street with.

I say keep the 944, buy an older beginner bike, learn how to ride, sell the bike for basically what you paid for it (this can be done easily with bikes like the ninja 500r - a great beginner bike), buy a newer sport bike and then save up for a 951 or 968

wombat7

Thanks PCA... I'm am a computer engineer... t

he financial aspect of the situation is what has me leaning toward the sport bike. I trust myself enough to have enough self control to ride a street bike. To elaborate somewhat on what I said in an earlier post... If i get a bike, the AF requires me to take the safety course and wear proper riding equipment at all times.. i.e. helmet, jacket, pants, and leather over the ankle shoes...

TrevorW

Rose Hulman is a tough, expensive school. Go with the Boxster. Less chance of getting hurt.

r1moto

I say keep and mod your 44 and get a sport bike, I wouldn't restrict yourself to a 600, people say that thier safer but you can kill yourself just as easily on a 600 as a 1000, even a 50 can kill you you you ride like an idiot, so I would get the best deal on a clean bike that is available.

josephsc

Since we're talking safety....

These days I swear by headlight modulators (makes your headlights oscillate during the day) and brake light blinkers (makes your brake lights flash when engaged -- important because bikes tend to brake faster than cars). Be seen, be safe!

I also like to have a muffler that is loud on the high-end (but not the low-end -- that's just obnoxious). You need to help those drivers on cell phones know that you're there. And, do occasional track days on a bike and take advanced rider classes.

wombat7

Joseph,

I just saw that you had a ZX6R... how do you like it?? I sat on one yesterday and of the 4 bikes I sat on it came in a close second to the R6... Do you have any experience with the R6??

I've seen the headlight modulators.. how expensive are they?? and as far as exhaust goes what have you found that has those characteristics??