Modifying the 4runner? or buy motorcycle

J

johnathanng

New member
Hey all, i have a 2005 4runner v6 sport edition, really love the car, but im at a dilema. After spending hours on the forum, theres so much i want to do to my 4runner but i also really want a motorcycle.
List of wanted mods include:
-retrofit headlights+ HID fogs
- 3M Window tint
-bull bar?
-Satoshi grill

I just got 2 12' subs put in and that set me back ALOOT, and after getting them i realized that it couldnt went toward my bike funding. SO what do you guys think?
 
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I suppose I am only going on my personal experience here but ill give you my two cents. I once had a motorcycle and I almost lost my life. I lived in Houston at the time and had a bad wreck because people like to drive around as if they are the only person on the highway at all times. I see your in Atlanta so your in the same boat, big city, lots of idiots. I personally dont feel it is worth it unless your out in a more rural area. Was it fun? Yes. Would I do it again (in the city)? Definitely not.
 
I own both. It's a tough choice though. In my opinion it really depends on the bike you get. Judging by the mods you are debating over I imagine it would buy much of a bike, however one of my greatest enjoyments in life is riding my touring bike across the U.S. and beyond. If it's just going to be for cruising around Hotlanta, I would mod the T4R.
 
A good bike is going to cost much more than a few mods on the 4Runner. I ordered both my Ducati's direct and they ended up costing more than a few year old 4Runner.
 
You have a site here that I would say at least 95% ( maybe higher)of us mod our runners one way or another, and you REALLY want to ask our opinion on that.

I would say if you would put it on a poll, you would probably get the same 95% saying, MOD THE RUNNER.
 
I've worked in the trauma ER and saw lots of bike accidents. Closed head injuries, nasty road rash, degloved legs, arms, broken bones sticking out...etc. just google a degloved leg or arm on google images and it'll be enough to never get on a bike. Even if you survive a crash, you'll have some kind of impairment for the rest of your life. That's just my experience with seeing these types of accidents at work. I know I have no desire to own/ride a motorcycle, even sharing the road riding a bicycle is crazy!
 
youngr said:
I suppose I am only going on my personal experience here but ill give you my two cents. I once had a motorcycle and I almost lost my life. I lived in Houston at the time and had a bad wreck because people like to drive around as if they are the only person on the highway at all times. I see your in Atlanta so your in the same boat, big city, lots of idiots. I personally dont feel it is worth it unless your out in a more rural area. Was it fun? Yes. Would I do it again (in the city)? Definitely not.
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Ventil8 said:
I've worked in the trauma ER and saw lots of bike accidents. Closed head injuries, nasty road rash, degloved legs, arms, broken bones sticking out...etc. just google a degloved leg or arm on google images and it'll be enough to never get on a bike. Even if you survive a crash, you'll have some kind of impairment for the rest of your life. That's just my experience with seeing these types of accidents at work. I know I have no desire to own/ride a motorcycle, even sharing the road riding a bicycle is crazy!
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i had a motorcycle last year and i got into a minor accident. The car in front of me stopped suddenly out of nowhere, and i didnt realize until too late so i dropped the bike. Afterwards i just sold the bike because it was no longer perfect :Cry:
i know the dangers of motorcycling, i have nasty road rash on my arm and shoulders that prove it, but something about riding a bike is just too exhilarating and fun.
 
ebg18t said:
A good bike is going to cost much more than a few mods on the 4Runner. I ordered both my Ducati's direct and they ended up costing more than a few year old 4Runner.
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:wow: yeah i know the price of those ducatis. Hella expensive. I was just looking at something cheaper, like a yamaha r6/ Honda cbr600/ triumph daytona
 
[MENTION=75331]RiFF RaFF[/MENTION] may have something to say and even if he doesn't read his build thread. I'd say mod the runner. Buying a bike would save you money on gas but then your runner gets neglected for the mods you want and we can't let a runner get neglected now can we?
 
I've been riding for over 10 yrs now and over the years I've had few street bikes until I work my way up to a Ducati 749. After family life sinked in, married and kids, I hardly rode my bike, And once I got my 4runner I've forgotten I had a bike cuz I had so much fun searching parts and doing mods and instead riding my bike to Starbucks I would rather take my rig wheelin :)
 
541joseph said:
[MENTION=75331]RiFF RaFF[/MENTION] may have something to say and even if he doesn't read his build thread. I'd say mod the runner. Buying a bike would save you money on gas but then your runner gets neglected for the mods you want and we can't let a runner get neglected now can we?
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Too true.

Ghostrunnerr said:
I've been riding for over 10 yrs now and over the years I've had few street bikes until I work my way up to a Ducati 749. After family life sinked in, married and kids, I hardly rode my bike, And once I got my 4runner I've forgotten I had a bike cuz I had so much fun searching parts and doing mods and instead riding my bike to Starbucks I would rather take my rig wheelin :)
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In 2008 while riding my 2007 Goldwing home from work I was hit head on by a drunk driver. I spent three weeks in a coma, three months in hospitals, and a day doesn't go by that I don't miss riding my 'Wing. I'd post the pics but they are pretty hard to look at. :ohwell:

However when I'm feeling the need for speed I go off roading in my 4Runner, and forget all about it. At least until the next time! LOL!!

Life's too precious - enjoy both!

:girl:
 
I've been riding motorcycles since 1999 (started on a CBR900RR and now own a 2011 HD FLHTK (currently for sale))... along the way, I've owned up to 4 vehicles and 3 motorcycle at any one time... I know, right?!..
I cringe when I look back and think about all the money I wasted on vehicles (car or cycle) over the past 20 years... That money could be in my retirement, BUT I wouldn't have all the memories they brought me... and those are some sweet memories and pictures....

My experience has taught me you can only ride or drive one vehicle at a time so having more than one of each (with payments) is just not financially smart long term unless you're independently wealthy...

I would say IF you can afford both, do it. And for God's sake if you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, take a safety class...

[You'll notice my bike is for sale. Why you ask?..... After 15 years with zero accidents the odds are not on my side on a motorcycle, not because I'm a bad rider, but because cagers just have too many distractions nowadays to pay attention to the road as they should when operating a 2-3 ton vehicle... I am done on two wheels. I never again want to have the feeling of sitting at a red light while looking in my rear view mirrors and wondering if the 3 ton denali barreling down on me with a socker mom yelling at her kids and fixing makeup with the phone in her hand is actually going to see me to stop. Get me? That being said, motorcycle is as safe as you make it (the roads you ride and the way you ride can go a long way to making you safer, these things are in your control). I'm quitting motorcycling because of the things I can't control, cagers and technology distractions to them.]

Before you buy a motorcycle, I would seriously caution you to think about how you'd feel riding the streets with zero protection. Look at the drivers around you (are they distracted?) on a daily basis while in the 4runner.... I don't say this to scare you, this is the reality of riding nowadays. While I find the personal satisfaction from riding unparalleled, I am no longer willing to accept the risk (death) that comes with it.
 
That's why I said life and death is so closely related. I'm not worried about the guy on the bike. It's all the idiots out there that just don't see the guy on the bike. Been to one to many funerals for bike accidents, been to one to many hospitals to see friends from accidents.
 
Been riding motorcycles since 1972, road bicycles since I was a kid and 4 x 4's since 1977.

Lucky for me I live in an area that is absolutely beautiful to ride and drive in.

Currently my bike is a Harley RKC 103 and it's a freakin joy to ride. It's like a visit to cleaning my head out every time I ride. My average ride is 120 miles and I do not cruise to bars!

I've also been fortunate to take the 4 x 4's into remote areas and high passes.

With this said... the crazy and stupid texters, cell phone fools and ignorant drivers are causing tons of of accidents to bikers and cyclists here in Colorado and elsewhere.

It's VERY dangerous on the roads and this does not include the DRUNK AND HIT AND RUN CRIMINAL DRIVERS!

Be careful! Have fun! Enjoy your bike or mods.
 
Climb14er said:
Been riding motorcycles since 1972, road bicycles since I was a kid and 4 x 4's since 1977.

Lucky for me I live in an area that is absolutely beautiful to ride and drive in.

Currently my bike is a Harley RKC 103 and it's a freakin joy to ride. It's like a visit to cleaning my head out every time I ride. My average ride is 120 miles and I do not cruise to bars!

I've also been fortunate to take the 4 x 4's into remote areas and high passes.

With this said... the crazy and stupid texters, cell phone fools and ignorant drivers are causing tons of of accidents to bikers and cyclists here in Colorado and elsewhere.

It's VERY dangerous on the roads and this does not include the DRUNK AND HIT AND RUN CRIMINAL DRIVERS!

Be careful! Have fun! Enjoy your bike or mods.
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Ha! I was wondering if someone else on this thread had been riding longer than me.

32 years for me this Summer (1982.) Two accidents, (1990, rear ended by a drunk driver while stopped at a stoplight, 1996, not paying attention, locked up the brakes when a vehicle in front of me stopped suddenly in heavy traffic.) No serious injuries. I'm a safer rider now than I was in 1982 and I probably have a couple hundred thousand miles on motorcycles (I'm on bike no. 10, now, a BMW R1150R.)

What I would say is quite simple: If you have to ask, then mod your 4runner.

Because for me there's never been a question. I WILL Have a motorcycle until I'm too old to ride and then I'll get a sidecar (don't like "old man trikes!") Or maybe a Can Am Spyder?

Motorcycling is like heroin. They can both kill you, but once you're hooked, you're hooked.

Clim14er: Probably not an accident that I live in CO too. There probably isn't a better place in the world to own a motorcycle. OP lives in Atlanta - I wouldn't ride there if you paid me. Ditto for Houston. Roads too flat, drivers too fast and crazy.
 
I rode street bikes for 12 years and at one point had two along with three cars (including my first 4Runner). I sold my K1200S about 2 years ago due in large part to my wife's concerns about safety. I miss riding cycles a lot and plan to get another one in a few years. As others have mentioned, if you want to get a cycle weigh the pros and cons and certainly take the MSF course. Modding the truck is obviously the "safe" route and both will probably bring you plenty of satisfaction. Although motorcycling will deliver bigger thrills, and hopefully no spills.
 
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