Heh. I think I’ve seen exactly one other person in town on a cruiser with a full-face helmet. I refuse to wear a three-quarter or half helmet, but the full-face makes me look like a crotch rocket rider who bought the wrong bike. 
If you go back to my first post, you will see that except for the Honda, which I got because I needed a bike and the price was right, my rides have been more ‘sporty’ than ‘cruisey’. As a child I bounced across the desert taking every opportunity to get some air time, and sliding the rear tire through turns, and generally going as fast as I could. (Which wasn’t very fast on the 80 and 100, but I was much smaller then.) I feel that this dirt riding really helped my coordination and reaction time. The Seca II is a Standard, but with its half-fairing it looks a bit like a café bike. Now, that bike will only go 120 mph. (Got it to 125 once, but it developed a shimmy at that speed.) Still, it handles pretty well, and I have to admit that I had a tendency to grind metal off of the pegs in turns.
The R1 is my first sportbike. I consider myself a decent rider. I feel safer on a motorcycle than I do in a car (within limits). But it’s gotten the pucker factor up three or four times. It’s very quick. If you get a sportbike, be aware that things can happen pretty quickly on them. This won’t increase the pucker factor, but it can get the adrenaline flowing in a good way: More than once I’ve made a simple pass on the freeway, and then looked down to find I was doing over 100. As I said, they’re quick. (As a note, it feels the same at 100 or more as it does at 70. Very nice platform. 
)
A quick aside about Gold Wings. I’m not a Tourer guy, but the CX500 was a Tourer – small displacement as it was. I think they made a version called the Silver Wing. Very comfortable, but I ditched the fairing pretty quickly. I missed the wind in my face. The CX500 was comfortable, very stable, could cruise at 80, and pretty darned heavy.
Anyway, sportbikes. If you’re used to a Cruiser, then you’ll probably find them a little uncomfortable. I think they’re fine; though my worse knee complains on long rides, an’ me arse gets tired after about 80 miles on the R1. Not as comfortable as the Standard-class Seca II. But in addition to Standards, Cruisers, Tourers, and Sportbikes, there’s another class: Sport-Tourer. I linked the Yamaha FJR1300 last night. Its engine is basically the same as in the 1000cc R1, but mounted in a frame that puts the rider in a much more comfortable riding position. If I hadn’t been wanting a YZF for years, or an FZR for years before that, I would have bought the FJR1300. I’d considered a used FJ1200, from which the FJR1300 obviously derived, when I was thinking of replacing the Seca II. I’m a lifelong Yamaha rider, but of course Sport-Tourers are available from everyone and there are examples on the Sport-Tourer link. If you want performance and comfort, have a look at a Sport-Tourer.
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There has been mention of vintage '70s bikes in this thread. Someday I wouldn’t mind picking up a Honda CB750. Not my ‘style’, but I think it would be fun. I rode dad’s CB750 a couple of times when I couldn’t even reach the ground unless I leaned it. In the closet I have a metal-flake blue open-faced Bell helmet ('70s vintage), and a pair of Uvex Gran Prix goggles.
Pretty new rider here, 3 years (march-nov) ~20k. I’m currently on an '07 Vulcan 900.
Learned to ride on a '82 GS550.
I do most of my riding/camping in the Adirondack and Catskill mountains. There’s alot of bikers and motorcycle clubs in my area, but I’ve found that I prefer to ride alone. I’ve been considering some endurance rides, but after 8 or 9 hours on the bike I’m usually pretty wiped. I would love to ride year round, but with heavy snows in the winter I’d be pretty limited, so I winterize and keep the bike in a storage rental every year.
Wow.
I am also a year from 40, or will be in another 3 weeks.
I currently ride a Kawasaki Vulcan 750, and have done so for about a year and a half.
I have lusted for your exact current bike, the BMW R1200R (the current model of the R1150R though I’d love to pick up a used 1150 on the cheap), but haven’t been able to justify ditching my VN750 just yet, which I still love as a daily rider.
I have also strongly considered buying the jacket I believe you’re talking about, the Firstgear Kilimanjaro 3/4 length textile jacket that comes in hi-vis yellow/green.
I had no idea I was fitting a mold already set. Well whaddya know.
The only difference is, I spent my first 3 years of riding on scooters: 2+ years on a Vespa GT200, and another year on a Piaggio BV500. I initially planned only to ride for an in-city commute, but once I took the occasional longer trip or highway stint I felt the bug to get a larger bike that could go more comfortably on the interstates.
Mal here. 1979, Honda CB125J, then Honda CB250K4. 1981, Suzuki GSX250. 1983, BMW R65. 1986, BMW K100RT. 1998, BMW R1100RS. 2003, BMW F650GS. 2007, BMW F800S. Middle three were all new, the rest were pre-owned and I’m probably not going to be back in the new-bike market any time soon. Most of my gear has been improvised or at any rate on the cheap, it’s only lately I treated myself to clothing that’s purpose-designed to provide warmth, waterproofing and abrasion resistance all in one.
All my riding’s been in England and Scotland, including trips to both Land’s End and John O’Groats though not as part of the same trip. I used to rely on two wheels for most of my transport needs throughout my twenties, until a planned Christmas trip with my fiancee ended with the breakdown of the relationship, leaving me with a bin-bag full of bulky presents and a wet night on a bus station to contend with. That convinced me that the extra cargo space in a car was worth working towards, but I’ve still been a bike-owner for thirty years without a break even though in the early 1990s I was doing precious little riding.
My present bike’s never seen road salt and it’s staying that way, after the dreadful condition my previous one got to over four winters. It’s comfortable, smooth and good for 140mph in suitable conditions (which are rare). Fuel economy isn’t bad either.
I’ve got an 05 Yamaha FZ6 that I bought new in April of 2005. I’ve thought about trading for a Midnight Warrior, but the FZ6 will be paid off in the spring and I’ll enjoy one less payment.
At age 46, I bought my first bike back in May. It’s a Yamaha V-Star 250. I took the MSF course the weekend before Easter and then spent about a month looking around at different bikes trying to decide what I wanted to buy. There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there for a newbie. Some folks say to get a first bike in the 750 range, because if you get something smaller you’ll quickly get tired of it and wish you got something bigger. Other folks say to get whatever you feel comfortable on, and don’t be afraid to get a smaller bike because there will always be demand for them when you decide to sell. Well, I decided to get something that I felt comfortable on, and haven’t regretted my choice for a second. Most of my riding is commuting a couple of miles between work and back, or taking it for a spin on the local county roads on evenings and weekends. I wouldn’t want to take it on a long road trip or ride it on the interstate, because it’s awfully light and gets blown around easily, but it’s been a blast to ride and has been just the right size for me. I think if I started with something bigger I might have been more intimidated by it and less inclined to ride. As it is, I feel like I got a good summer full of riding experience under my belt and will be ready to trade up to something bigger in the spring.
You know how some airline pilots like to fly a vintage J-3 Cub or an old Aeronca in their free time? Sometimes I feel the same about motorcycles. I love the R1. But sometimes I don’t ‘need the speed’. I think it would be fun to putter about on a low-power bike. I’ve been thinking of a Royal Enfield Bullet for a number of years. Something like the Yamaha V-Star (formerly Virago) 250 just looks like fun. I said I’m not a Cruiser guy, so I’d get a Standard like the Bullet. Or I wouldn’t mind a Honda CB360T.
Sure, you could trade your 250 for something bigger, come Spring; but wouldn’t it be fun to have around? 
As a former RE dealer I can and will advise you to NOT buy one! the Indian metallurgy is just not there yet (although they are getting better), the castings are porous, the bearings suck, the build quality just ain’t there (yet).
Go buy an ACTUAL vintage bike for about the same $$ (you are in LA right?, try GP Cycles or pick up a Walnecks Classic Cycle Trader, they are owned by Auto Trader or check out Mariah Motor Classics or go to an owners club meeting) and you will have WAY more fun on it!
I suggest the Triumph T100C, it’s a 500cc vertical twin, very small, light and nimble with plenty of power but the prices stay down because it’s a “little bike”. T100C’s definetly have that “Classic look”.
Feel free to email me, I can always yack about old bikes.
My buddy Paul (1952 Vincent Rapide, 1970 Norton Commando Fastback and a Honda 599) showed up with a Honda Rebel (I think) 250cc and it’s WAY too much fun to ride, super low seat height, super light, nimble, sips gas and it was stupid-cheap because it had been sitting (I think it cost him $1,200.00 and a battery).
Unclviny
Of course, you’re talking to a guy with a '66 MGB and a '63 Triumph.
Not anymore! 
If I still had the Norton 750 JPS I had for a while, I probably would. I still have my old “Dave Aldana” style skeleton leathers somewhere ---------- but getting in them these days would take more lube than a panhead.
(a little secret for anyone ever buying a John Player Special – keep at least two pairs of needle-nosed on you at any time. It was the only way I found to get the key in and out and turned on or off. Unless you have really long pencils for fingers. Was one of the reasons I sold the darn thing off)
If I could get a full-face that fits like my old Bell 120 did I would wear it – period. I loved full face even during my chopper days. Hit the pavement once and you know just how lovely that chin piece can be. Trouble is these modern rocket bike models really cause me a lot of jaw pain and break my glasses now and then. I think its how they push the sides in and draw out the jaw for aerodynamics.
When I was 16 my parents wouldn’t let me get a car so I bought a Honda Spree. Two years later when I turned 18 I sold it to a friend for $250 and bought a Yamaha RD350 from another friend for $200. Man that was a quick bike. Of course when I bought the bike I forgot that I wasn’t actually a very good moped rider. Fortunately, with a top speed of about 35 mph I didn’t actually hurt myself more than a few scrapes. I had the RD for a little less than a month before I dropped it at 50 on a country highway. Of course with all the stupid stuff I did on it I crashed not doing anything crazy, just going through a corner at the posted speed. Seems you’re not really supposed to use the front brake while you’re in a corner. I broke my collarbone but the helmet kept the big scrape on it from being on my head. I didn’t get another bike for ~19 years.
I traded in my Jeep in 2005 and after a few months I realized I needed a vehicle that was fun again. I bought a 1975 Honda CB500T and signed up for the MSF course. I’m a much better rider now.
Last year my brother bought an old Triumph got me jonesing for
Last year my brother bought an old Triumph and got me jonesing for one of my own. (that’s what I was looking for when I bought the Honda, they were just more than I wanted to spend at that point for a bike.) Last year in Oct. I found a Triumph basket case on Craig’s List. I bought it and my brother and I spent the next 10 months restoring it. I’ve put 2000 miles on it in the last 3 months.
I’ve gotten into riding only a little over a year ago when I spotted a 1978 Kawasaki Z400 for $300 on someone’s lawn for sale. Up until then, I always thought that getting a bike would be cool but too dangerous and expensive for me (I’m still a university student). I never knew I could find a decent bike for so cheap, and insurance/gas costs are extremely low too. A friend of mine bought a bike earlier that year which also definitely had me thinking about bikes more.
I hesitantly bought it, being worried about what kind of garbage I could possibly be getting for that price, but it turns out it was a great bike. It worked fine when I bought it, but I’m mechanically inclined and did some minor tweaking/fixing to make it run and drive great. I definitely enjoyed that bike and I thought it was an awesome bike to start riding on. It topped out at 140kph and did 0-60 reasonably quick. It was great for developing my skills and getting comfortable with riding, and it was really cheap. Dumping it does it no real harm, and even if I would have happened to destroy it, I wouldn’t be out much money.
I knew I wanted something better and faster (I’m a performance enthusiast) and during the summer this year I bought a 2004 Honda CBR600 F4i. I’ve been very happy with that bike and have been riding it a lot too. I was worried it might be too uncomfortable or not really suited for city driving, but that hasn’t really been an issue. I surely still have more to learn and haven’t mastered it yet, but the continuous learning experience has been fun. I’m looking forward to next year to extend my comfort zone with it. I would love to take it to a track (the non-straight kind) but we don’t really have any nearby and I couldn’t afford it anyway.
My car has not been driven much ever since I got that first bike. We’ve definitely had good luck with weather last year and this year. Last year I rode the old bike until the beginning of december, and I’m still riding the F4i now. There’s no snow on the ground and the temperatures have been in the positives during the day up here in Saskatchewan (although I still ride when it’s below 0). As long as I dress warmly, it’s fine. The only problem is the effect of cold temperatures on the street-legal track tires that are on the bike. They’re extremely slippery when this cold, but I know to take it very easy until they warm up a bit, and to still be conservative after. I’m hoping to buy a 1000cc sport bike some time, but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to afford it.
The gear I have consists of a nice one-piece racing suit, racing boots, etc. My friends made quite a bit of fun of me for it, but I don’t care. I don’t regret buying that stuff and I find it not at all as uncomfortable or hard to wear as it seems - quite the opposite, actually. Before I bought a bike, I told myself I’d do my best to be safe, a good part of which is about the gear. It definitely gets me some attention too, heh (especially when I wore it on the old bike, which was almost pink colored, lol). Hmm… this post ended up quite a bit longer than I expected.
Very nice Trumpet!!! Those were the good ones; the new triples are so hard to do any work on.
Thanks kopek, my brother and I put a LOT of work into it and I think it turned out fantastic. It was almost completely disassembled and a pretty good mess when I got it. I asked about it on here when I first started and got a few people sayin “Run, don’t do it!”, and a few people saying “Enjoy, good luck!” I’m really glad we did it though. It ended up being more work and costing more than I expected but I LOVE the end product. I have had a few small problems but since I put the darn thing together I have been able to figure them all out. 