Kawasaki Mean Streak 1600 - Just Ride Ep. 7

[@wolftheshade7946]

I have never ridden before, and I was wondering if this would be good for someone who not only never has ridden, but is only around 5 foot 9ish?

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Hey, thanks for swinging by the channel! My personal opinion is that I don't think the Mean Streak is too much for a starter bike. Although it's 1600cc & offers good grunt, it's nothing like a (Liter/Liter+) Sport Bike in terms of overall speed/acceleration. The main thing is getting used to the weight of the bike, rather than the power/speed (especially at slow speeds & stand stills). Feels a lot different than the light bikes they let us use in the Motorcycle Safety courses (we had Honda Rebels, Yamaha Star 250's, and a couple Supermoto's when I took my class). The Meanie makes sense for where I live, but say I lived in a City/urban setting & that was primarily where most of my riding took place, I would definitely opt for a Supermoto (imho). Check out the bikes in person to see how you fit & how it feels under you etc. When I was shopping around for bikes, I had a long list that got narrowed down pretty quickly because certain models just didn't feel comfortable/fit right.

[@wolftheshade7946]

@@jayrandomvlogs3526 You're welcome. Enjoyed the video and the sound of the machine. Thank you for the info and advice. I'll keep in in mind when the time comes. If money permitted when I finally get a bike I would get multiple and different types. This I think would be my main. I love muscle cars and once I found out about muscle bikes like this beauty I love them. Your video is a big reason. If I could only get one I feel this would be it, but of course I would try out bikes first and base by decision mostly on that. Thanks again.

[@kieranwilliams2080]

Wolf Gardiner I would recommend a Suzuki sv650 or a Yamaha fz07 as starter bikes. If you want a cruiser maybe a Vulcan 900 custom? The mean streak isn’t impossible, but it is a heavier bike. Then again, everyone learns at different speeds. If you have dirt bike/quad experience then a motorcycle will be a quick learn for you.

[@wolftheshade7946]

@@kieranwilliams2080 Thank you for your input and info. I will also take it into consideration. Vulcan 900 is one I have in mind as well. Will look into the other two you mentioned as well.

[@kieranwilliams2080]

Wolf Gardiner I test rode a Vulcan 900 custom and it was one of the easiest bikes to ride that I’ve ever been on. Very smooth, very comfortable, very maneuverable. Relatively cheap to buy, plus, Kawasaki’s reliability. There are a lot of pros, and only one con. It’s not a super powerful bike. It’s no slug, but it’s no rocket.

[@WayRoo34]

Man you tore up the road!!! Watched the whole video while I rode my elliptical. The engine sound was awesome, I just got a 04 and really like it alot.

[@meanstreak2549]

You can remove the key while riding. I own the same bike for 2 years now and love it.

[@mikelissandrello7655]

Sounds like somebody will be replacing the bevel gear on that motorcycle soon. You can really hear it wine

[@qazmlp2810]

100%

[@stan4930]

The exhaust sounds awesome! Great video!

[@surfingalien30]

Yep! that's how I ride! Ride it like you stole it! LOL

[@Shastar271828]

Hey Jay, love the vids and the Meanie. I've got a 2003 Meanie, it's a blast. Still remember the first time out on it, riding back from the dealer. Total thrill. :) These videos are great, keeping me sane in winter when there is snow and sand on the ground! Thanks!

[@jeffhoffmann3620]

Stout bike...runs superb...really thinking on buying a meanstreak...DOON.

[@nyinfamous2k2]

Oh man , I remember when I had that stock yellow bulb on my MS. couldnt see a damn thing , ive since upgraded to LED, sooo much better. bike sounds good, nice ride, think im going to jump on the horse after work now lol

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

nyinfamous2k2 Thanks for checking out the vid, man! Cool Pits on your channel too! A lot of my bud's have Pits; really awesome dogs that are often misunderstood/get a bad rap. High energy for sure, but great companions. Have a good ride, brotha 👍 Unfortunately I'm waiting for a new battery to come in lol. Should be back in the saddle this coming week. New vids/edits in the works though.

[@nyinfamous2k2]

lol Right on man, yea pits got a messed up wrap thats for sure. mine are maniacs but just because of the incredible amount of energy they have, like you said. But they are big mushes. funny bc my male is about 98 lbs now and when I walk him, people always clear a path, little do they know all he'll do is lick them to death. where are you out of, Roads out here in NY are shit compared to what your cruisin on.

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

nyinfamous2k2 Lol I hear ya, man! Great dogs 👍 I'm around the PA & DE area. About 30mins South of Philadelphia.

[@coffeeNTrees]

Hey was the led conversion very difficult?

[@coffeeNTrees]

Great video. Helps us in the north with cabin fever. Also, personally I prefer your videos w.o music.

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Thanks for swingin' by the channel! Appreciate the Sub. & input as well. I'm looking forward to cranking out more videos this riding season; just waiting for the weather to stabilize & gotta do a couple maintenance/repairs things.

[@coffeeNTrees]

Looking forward to seeing them. We had a nice 65 degree day up here in NY then got slammed by a winter storm a couple days later. I figure weather should stabilize up here around 2027.

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Lets Go Flying Lol!! I hear ya; the wind & rain was pretty crazy down here from that storm too.

[@samsononyt]

Is the position of the handle bars any more or less comfortable than typical cruiser wide highway bars?

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

I think they’re really comfortable, but that can vary with personal preferences and body size etc. I’m 6ft tall and to me these stock bars feel great 👍

[@jbaby2.0]

Hello . What kind of mirrors are those

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Hey, thanks for dropping by! I’m not sure the exact model (it’s been years ago now lol), but they were a model of bar-end mirrors from a company called Kuryakyn.

[@riderread1750]

Where to get some mirror blank off caps like that ? Ive got a bar end mirror on mine and wanna get rid of the org sticky up bits

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Rider Read Hey, thanks for dropping by the channel! I actually stumbled on them at an Ace Hardware store while looking for something else; they were being sold as “bolt covers” if I recall correctly 👍

[@riderread1750]

Oh ok ive got a 02 mean streak and want to find something like that for mine, im in NZ tho so

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Here’s a link to an online place that sells them (as long as they ship to NZ). If you follow the link, it’s on the bottom of the page on the left side, it says “bolt covers” for both standard and metric sizes 👍 I have the plain chrome ones, but they sell others with designs on them too. www.boltdepot.com/chrome-nuts-and-bolts.aspx

[@UserYoutube-i6f]

What are the vers on 5th gear at 70mph?

[@jeffhoffmann3620]

Soon

[@TigerChi30]

Just Ride!

[@stan4930]

What exhaust is on her? Thanks!

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Thanks man! They’re “Vance & Hines Big Shots Staggered” 💨

[@MelloYellow510]

What exhaust do u have?

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Vance & Hines Big Shots Staggered

[@straightedgecutz8500]

i found a really good deal on one of these near me and im wondering if its too much as a starter bike , im pretty cautious and dont plan on doing stupid shit on it, but it will be my first bike after MSF i really dont want anything small im going to get tired of super quick , thoughts?

[@rubo1964]

I like your reasoning that if you buy small bike you will outgrow it quick then buy bigger and possibly lose money.Biggest challenge for you is weight of the bike.If you take your time slowly to get used to it then you will be fine but I have seen lot of new riders dropping heavy bikes even places like gas station... good luck

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Heyoo, thanks for swinging by the channel! Let's jump right into your question... My personal opinion is that I don't think the Mean Streak 1600 is too much for a starter bike. Although it's 1600cc & offers good grunt, it's nothing like a (Liter/Liter+) Sport Bike in terms of overall speed/acceleration. For me, it was more about getting used to the weight of the bike rather than the power/speed (especially at slow speeds & stand stills). Feels a lot different than the light MSF bikes they let us use (we had Honda Rebels, Yamaha Star 250's, and a couple Supermoto's when I took my classes). The Meanie makes sense for where I live, but say I lived in a City/urban setting & that was primarily where most of my riding took place, I would definitely opt for a Supermoto (imho). Definitely check out the bike to see how you fit on it & how it feels under you etc. When I was shopping around for bikes, I had a long list that got narrowed down pretty quickly because certain models just didn't feel comfortable/fit well. Let me know if you have any other questions, & hope to see ya around the channel. I'm ordering a part (stator) for my bike this month; looking forward to getting her back up & running to hit the open road!

[@BigChiefWiggles]

It depends on how physically big you are, the Meanie is not too much in terms of power and its clutch is forgiving but the bike itself is pretty big and heavy, if you are under 200 pounds you wont have much confidence on it at all. In simple terms: when most people begin riding almost any standard bike feels big and heavy to them and as they get used to riding the bike "lightens up" to the point that they can flick it around, well, starting on an actually big and heavy bike will make that problem that much worse and no the Meanie will never lighten up enough for some people, its a muscular bike.

[@straightedgecutz8500]

i ended up getting a kawasaki vulcan 900

[@BigChiefWiggles]

Bryant Zapien yeah thats a perfect starter bike but its also a bike you can keep for a loooong time, good choice!

[@TheRealJamafrican]

Hey man. I read one of your replies and noticed you had to get a new stator. I found an 08 with 8K miles for only $5K. I'm kind of uneasy about buying a bike that's no longer manufactured. But no other bike has satisfied my wants in a machine like the meany has. What i'm trying to ask is, has the bike been reliable other than the stator? Was it a hard to find part? Are you worried about future maintenance of the bike since it is no longer in production and has not been for awhile? I really really REALLY want a mean streak. I just want to know if it's worth the investment from a maintenance perspective.

[@thomasmcmahan2014]

Xavier Edoh, hey I don't know if you're still in the market for a bike or if you ended up getting a mean streak, but I was going to suggest a Yamaha Stryker if you haven't already looked into them. I bought one second hand and have owned it for almost 6 years and everything has been fantastic. Just general maintenance and tires and it has run like a champ. It looks great and runs even better. Very quick and great low end torque, and does really great at interstate speeds, has plenty of power to offer. I own a 2011 as well so it has some wear and age on it too. I was looking into the mean streak as a second bike because I like the look and sound of them and it kind of resembles a Stryker. Hope this helps you if you're still looking at bikes.

[@huckusan]

Hey Jay, are you riding a 1500 or 1600?

[@jayrandomvlogs3526]

Zeth Huckabay Thanks for dropping by! It’s a 1600cc (2006 model).

[@huckusan]

Cool, Im looking at the special edition 06 with less than 10k miles. Ive compared it to every muscle/sport/power cruiser under the sun; from Magna to Vmax and everything in between, for the price its damn near the perfect bike. Lots of mods available, owners love them, self adjusting hydraulic valves, etc... but the hp and torque seem lacking. Have you ever felt you needed more? There are some great deals on 1st gen Rocket III, m109r, warrior 1700; but some inherent flaws associated with those models too. Even with all the mods, apart from the now defunct Thunder Manufacturing intervening, still no 100hp; I was hoping for at least that to keep up with "traffic". Any advice? BTW, I have an FJR1300 all juiced up and a sv650 modded. Im just looking for that perfect power cruiser to add to the family, before they go extinct. Thanks!

[@huckusan]

Oh and love the 'Just Ride' videos. Keep em coming!

[@vn7099]

YO!