Best project bike?

I enjoy riding my VFR, but it strikes me as more of a commuter bike after my CBR1100XX. I miss the Blackbird...or at least a liter bike. I've also been looking at the project bikes around here and have a real desire to work on one of my own. I have a few mods I want to do to the VFR when I get to Belgium, but I think I want to keep it the commuter and have a liter bike as a project.

So, what are recommendations for what I should look for? I know something is likely to present itself and there will not be a choice, but if I had a choice, what would people here think best?

ETA: I should have mentioned that I have in mind a street legal track bike.

 

I have had my eye on the FJR's for a while and picked up a true blue project crashed one. May or may not like it but it has been a fun project and will get to ride the wheels off one that I own and did not pitter around on because I was afraid to scratch it. In short....not really....if bought correctly and it is a bike you will have fun fixing the best one is the one you can throw some money at and not come up short, enjoy working on, and want to ride......no one else has an opinion on what you decide to tackle.

 

2003 SV650 Track Build - Suzuki SV650 Forum: SV650, SV1000, Gladius Forums
Click on pages to see the progress
My fav bike SV650

You can go faster on slower bike in the track.
Best part you can get one 1600-2000 and mod the crap out of it.Ton of info available.Racers love racing SV.Kind of cult favorite.
I had mine with Yamaha R1 shock and progressive springs at front and I could really lean that bike to tires edge without fear.
Bike is kind of mild mannered until 7k after that it becomes a beast.

 

I was thinking mostly in terms of parts availability, ease to work on and such. I agree that personal preferences are always part of it.

 

Being able to get parts: Stick with late model "big name" bikes, CBR's Ninja's, GSX-R's, and Yami's. OEM and after-market parts should be easier to come by (not saying Sp1's and SP2's are impossible to get parts for, I've never tried)

Ease to work on: Got me, seems like any modern sport bike isnt a peach to work on, but I'm sure some are better than others. Naked bikes have a benifit of not needing to remove the fairing, but that means everything is tucked behind something else. V-twins just have fewer engine parts. Comes down to how much time you want a wrench in your hand.

Guess it depends on how 'balls deep' you wanna go with it. Do some research and figure out which bike you are interested in has the most compatablity with other race bike parts.

 

There should be plenty of wrecked Gixxers around since squids seem to favor them. 2005 and newer would be my recommendation.

Rollin