from 90 to 9 questions

[kendall]

Been a while since I've been signed on here. I sold my 90 last Oct due to my wife being diagnosed with cervical cancer. I figured I was going to need that money for dr. bills so I sold it. I really liked the bike alot, it fit me (6ft 170lbs) or I fit it just right. I had lowered it 2 1/2" and had drilled the stock pipes and added a GMan TRE and some LED's. Had a blast on it putting just over 8500 miles on it in just over the year I owned it. If they were still producing the bike I would definitely purchase another but seein's how they aren't I have been thinking about purchasing a 9. The 90 was easy to handle in stop and go traffic or cruising down the interstate. I put over 1500 miles on it in a 3 day trip to the black hills of south dakota with no issues. I was actually called while on that trip to use my bike in a calendar photo shoot which is why the trip was cut short to get home for the shoot

My question is for those that were once 90 owners and now 9 owners is how is the 9 treating you? Any issues in stop and go traffic? Because of the tanks width does it feel like you are more fatigued after riding for a long while on the 9 compared to the 90? Any years of 9 to stay away from, I think the ones before 07 had a few more tranny problems? ( I said tranny) Thanks for any input guys/gals. I miss riding and I miss the commrodery of all the bikers you meet on the forums and on the road.

Here's my 90 in all its glory. I should add of the 15 or so bikes at the shoot its the only one that two girls wanted to be on at the same time. There was even a bike there that the guy had over $60k into his bike, you can guess what kind of bike it was.

[antmor69]

Nice picture! If you get the 9 there will be 5 girls on it! Good luck! You won't be disappointed.

[Beedub109R]

The bike is balanced. It's a little cumbersome putting through a parking lot but other than that, you wont be dissapointed. it will feel like a 90 on steriods and race fuel!

[RRobertson]

I have never ridden, or sat on a 90, so take this with a grain of salt. But I am 5'9" with a 30" inseam. My bike is at the stock height and the tank width is not an issue at all. I don't think you will be disappointed if you go with a 9.

[ralew2]

I moved from the 90 to the 9. No regrets. The 90 was a little easier in the turns but the 9 handles well and the power more than makes up for the minute difference. Plus there are way more mods available. Get the 9 and you'll wonder why you ever had any doubts.

[kendall]

Thanks for the input guys, any of you go for extended rides? 200-300 miles a day? I've done a lot of research on them and searching here for things and i definitely like the styling of the 9 its whether or not if the urge gets me can I do the long ride without me feeling like I've been riding a clydesdale all day? RRobertson whats the longest ride you've done if I may ask?

[cosmo440]

Yea, I put the 3 in. risers on . It helps on those long rides for sure !

[antmor69]

Thanks for the input guys, any of you go for extended rides? 200-300 miles a day? I've done a lot of research on them and searching here for things and i definitely like the styling of the 9 its whether or not if the urge gets me can I do the long ride without me feeling like I've been riding a clydesdale all day? RRobertson whats the longest ride you've done if I may ask?

I've ridden 560 miles in one day on two different occasions. No problem. 2nd time was with Corbin seat and air ride and it was a breeze.

[greyisfaster]

I ride mine as my primary transportation and it's nothing for me to ride 400 - 500 miles in a day. You'll get comfortable and I'm 6'4" 227 and if I can stretch and get comfy anybody can. That's also with stock bars and lowered 2 1/2 inch. Oh, and no windshield.

[Zoom]

I'm only 5'8" and I've never even noticed the tank being a problem. You kind of sit behind it, and the only time I pay any attention to the tank is when cornering and I kind of grip it with my knees. And considering the weight difference between the two is not that much, if you get a 9 and swap to an aftermarket exhaust they weigh close to the same. And the 9 is balanced really well so even low speed stuff isn't a problem to me. Lowering it helps make it more stable too. When I sit down on mine it almost stands up by itself.

[kendall]

Good info guys i really appreciate it. Over the next few months i will be watching c-list and here. Gonna be a couple months before i'm in a position to buy. May get a better deal in the winter i figure also.

[vanguard]

I own a 90 and the only worry everytime while on a long ride is about the fuel station. In highways I am going in an average speed of 120-140kmph, and a full tank gives me a ride of around 55kms in that speed. I am not worried about the fuel economy, but it troubles me to find the fuel stations after every 60kms. so when swiching to a bigger bore engine (to 9) what could be the result for a similar ride?

I am also planning to sit on a 9.

[LOFLYR]

I am 6' weigh 190, long rides are not a problem for me. I did 750 in two days this summer. Since then I have swapped the stock seat for a Corbin and have added Rivco highway pegs as well as Kury switchblades for my primary pegs.

The things I noticed on my long ride were, hot spot on the foot from the skinny stock peg, stock seat left a lot to be desired, and I had nowhere to change my leg position. The leg position wasn't a big deal, I just got a good deal on the highway pegs. But the regular pegs and seat are definitely worth addressing.

Only other thing would be 2" risers. I am still undecided on if I want them or not. Going to do 1,200 miles in 4 days in September. Will be the first big test for the Corbin seat. If I am comfy on this trip I will forget about the risers, if my shoulders start to ache I will look into risers.

Either way I would take a 9 over a 90.

[Beedub109R]

We did 777 miles in one day. Me on the 9 and her on the C50. No issues other than standard fatigue with that kind of mileage.

[abejjani]

Not to be nosy or anything how's the wife doing ? I hope she is well on her way to recovery...
If you liked the 90 you will love the 9 a tually you might regret not having the 9 before ...
I use my bike to and from work great in stop and go ... as for long rides am a far a$$ 6ft 250 lbs and some back problems and I never had any problems with long rides so far ... even thought I have had lower back problems for the last couple of years but none on the 9 ...

[ozzy90]

I own a 90 and the only worry everytime while on a long ride is about the fuel station. In highways I am going in an average speed of 120-140kmph, and a full tank gives me a ride of around 55kms in that speed. I am not worried about the fuel economy, but it troubles me to find the fuel stations after every 60kms. so when swiching to a bigger bore engine (to 9) what could be the result for a similar ride?

I am also planning to sit on a 9.

Mate if your only getting 55 ks out of 18 l of fuel you have bigger issues then finding a fuel station,my 90 has open pipes gman intakes and fuel management and ride bloody hard and get at least 240 ks out of a tank. Oh yeah Kendall,sounds like you have made up your mind mate!!

[Wjduke]

One more thought....check the thread called "caught staring"....might help you decide.

[kendall]

One more thought....check the thread called "caught staring"....might help you decide.

I've seen the thread, honestly I love the looks of both the 90 and the 9. Trust me the 90 is a head turner too and I've got pics to prove that as well. More than once I pulled into a large bike night or a ride and was the only 90 there. Heck many times there weren't even a 9 in sight. Thats another reason for liking the suzuki's styling, its not your typical black harley or green gixxer or whatever. With such similiar looks, like I said before the main reason for me checking out the 9's is the fact that they don't make the 90 anymore and I want the aftermarket support and the fact that parts will be available for the 9. I think the manufacturer is supposed to have parts for 7 yrs or something like that after a ride is discontinued. If thats the case theres only 3-4 yrs left for the 90.

Like I've said my main concern is whether or not I'd wanna ride it back home after riding it to the Black Hills or Colorado for a little getaway. Sounds like the typical bike things as far as comfort goes.
any years that may have more issues than others? any particular things to look for when looking at a used 9? etc.

Thanks again guys I definitely appreciate it.


As for my wife things are great, healing up and pretty much back to normal, other than a bike in the garage.

[RRobertson]

Thanks for the input guys, any of you go for extended rides? 200-300 miles a day? I've done a lot of research on them and searching here for things and i definitely like the styling of the 9 its whether or not if the urge gets me can I do the long ride without me feeling like I've been riding a clydesdale all day? RRobertson whats the longest ride you've done if I may ask?

1500 miles in 5 days. I was sore at the end, but it was all in my shoulders. It is a big reach for me to get to the bars. i should really put on risers, but don't really want to deal with the longer cables.

[littleup]

When I traded up my wife was skeptical after all i had just bought the 90. One ride and she was "wow okay you did good". I liked the blue of the 90 but two totally different bikes. My but will get tired sometimes need to upgrade seat. I have xtre, exhaust, and gman controller and bike still has a very throttle, but love the bike. Had a Harley guy bragging about his timing gears, ported and polished, and special map for his bike and after I left him behind all he could say was "wow that's fast."

[bpoisson55]

Bro, I went from a Blue to 90 to a 9. For me, the 9 is much easier to ride than the 90. It's smoother, less shuddering, smoother shifting, and a helluva lot more power. Going from the 90 to the 9 was the best thing I ever did. I am only 5' 9".

[kendall]

Between the responses here and other searches online I'm pretty sure when I am at a point to buy I will be getting 9. Gotta couple dr. bills yet to take care of and the search will start. Probably be waiting another 5-6 months but I'll continue to read stuff and more searching on the site. I did the same when I bought the 90, read read and read some more. Maybe at that time there will be a nice one on here for sale. I'm the type of rider that likes a casual cruise most of the time but every now and then you've gotta do something to get the blood flowing and the 9 definitely has that ability. I rode my 90 pretty easy most of the time and then there were those times not so much.

Thanks again for all the input

[grampi]

I rode KdogM90's and here's what I noticed:

It felt a bit lighter, but once you're moving, that's really a non-factor. The fact that the 90 doesn't have a tach really bugged me. I've been riding the 9 so long I can tell by the sound of the pipes just about exactly what RPM the engine's running at, but the 90 had the stock pipes and I couldn't tell how high it was revving worth a *****. It needed a tach! The 90 seemed to handle a bit better in the curves, but once you get used to the 9, it's no slouch in the twisties. The aftermarket availablility for the 9 is massive compared to what's avaiable for the 90, and oh yeah, the right grip on the 9 works considerably better than that of the 90....

[kendall]

Got another question. How is insurance compared to the 90's? I dont really care but the bosslady wants to know