Miscellaneous Motorcycle Thread

In My Humble Opinion
21

Tortuga, let me join the chorus of praise for your having the foresight to take the MSF class. It’s a great course, very wise and practical, and it will inoculate you against making many of the mistakes beginning riders make. If your course is like mine, you’ll learn on a Honda Nighthawk 250…a fun little bike.

As for protective gear, I offer a lesson drawn from inline skating but generalizable to motorcycle riding. The one time I went skating without my protective gear, I wiped out going down a hill. I skinned a knee and an elbow right at the places where my knee and shoulder pads should have been.

Maybe you’ll beat the odds and never crash, so it won’t matter that you’re wearing jeans, leather, boots and a helmet. But don’t learn the hard way that you do.

22

Another doper getting in on the MC action huh? I think one day ALL of us are gonna be riding! :cool:

Lets see I’m just gonna ramble so bear with me.

A good first bike is the EX250. It’s cheap, reliable, I know a guy with over 100,000 miles on his, and will not get away from you. I rode my ex’s a few hundred miles and really didn’t have a problem with it at all on the highway or anywhere for that matter. I don’t know much about the other bikes, meaning I haven’t ridden them.

You might want to pick up Idiots Guide to Motorcycling now in it’s second edition so it has all the new bikes etc in it. He lists all the good first bikes and good buys.

I always wear my protective clothing. At a minmum it’s jeans and a leather jacket. That’s usually only for around town riding or going to work. Boots, helmet and gloves ALWAYS. When I’m going anywhere else I wear my one piece Aerostitch suit. It’s mostly waterproof and is cool even in 100 degree heat. I love it. You can get other jackets other than leather which work well. My ex had a Bellstaff jacket that she said was cool, but also came with a liner and she never had a problem in the heat, cold or rain.

Now for the reasons you always wear the gear. You can never tell what you may hit. I’ve hit over the last few years a deer, oil (twice) and ice. The deer was the worst because I was not wearing boots, if you ever see me ask to see the scar on my foot. had I been wearing the boots I could have just ridden off and that was an accident at 50mph+. I’ve hit oil twice, once put me down, I was coming to a stop sign and a huge puddle of oil, it covered the entire street was right there. Nothing happened to me, but I did do a pretty cool 180. Hit the other oil in the road and just slid. The ice was not supposed to be there. It was warm enough that there should have been no ice on the road. Again I pretty much just slid.

I’m not trying to scare you or anything, just telling you why you need to wear the gear. I know plenty of riders, most have had some sort of accident, and all glad to be wearing their gear. Oh and you can watch the racers go down well over 100mph and sometimes even get back up and finish the race. Taking the MSF course is the best way to learn. Let us know what you end up buying.

23

Hey, that was my first bike too, I love riding that little thing. So activgurl how YOU doing? :smiley:

24

Yes gear is very important; and only helps if your zipped and buckled - I was wearing my black leather Hein Gericke on a hot day. Was sitting behind the SO on his 907 Duc and going slow when a stinging insect flew in my open coat and stung me on the arm. I stood up on the pegs and started snapping my arm around which started us wobbling a bit. Got that coat off and by that evening on a 4th of July my arm was red streaked and sore as hell!

I havent ridden since my eldest daughter was 6 months old. I miss it but don’t have the time to devote to sharpening riding skills and taking off for hours at a time. I love road trips and have taken several, the epic one so far to Amelia Island Florida from Michigan.

Moto Guzzi used to sell a 650 Twin a Lario or something, either that or a Dual sport 750 will be my next ride, My old Alazurra is currently a bad ass track bike, We’re waiting for special fairings right now from Sids Cycle.

For this Mama though I m gonna swing my leg over the old 450 Jupiter and get my mojo back on the neighborhood trails first.

25

humm, where to start?

first off, you need not believe that you will DEFINATLY drop your bike. i have a garage full of bikes that have only touched the ground thru thier tires. just be careful, thats all!

two-strokes are alive and well, thank you! the aprillas can be licenced, and there are bunchs of RZ350s still around for the taking. (just don’t take mine!) the california dmv is an extension of the nazi alliance, so you are limited, but in wonderful nevada and arizona, almost anything goes. i helped out a buddie to get his kx500 licenced. we put minimal lighting and dentist mirrors, smaller wheels with race slicks and slammed a plate on the back. good times you bet!

lots of good bikes out there to pick from, so do some research and find one that suits your needs/wants.

good idea to sign up for the course. you will learn alot.

plan on spending a few bucks on a good helmet. you will be glad you did. i am an ARAI man and swear by them for fit, comfort, features but have to say when i get a new one, i’m getting a SHOEI R sieries because they have better shield designs and are much quieter-- no side pods to make a roar. good leather or kevlar newfangled body protection is a real good idea too.

someone recommended the suzuki gs500. not a bad place to start. cheap, not too heavy, simple. i’ve been out of the business for 2 years now, and am not up on all the latest stuff, but those are nice first-time bikes.

let me know what ya get, and we can tool around the foothills! hiway 49 is a blast! me? lately i have been toying with the idea of a royal enfield to put back and forth to work on. would also like a monster 900 dark, but not sure if i wanna plunk that kind of cash down.

there is a good dealer in fairfield, and a million shops in the bay area, but i havent been to them. go where they treat you good!

whatever ya do, don’t get a buell! (know why most have the letter “R” in the model designation? stands for “Recall”)

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Last weekend I ran into a guy who referred to outside-of-California as “Free America”.

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For what it’s worth, the only time I’ve been too hot in leathers was in stopped traffic/slow traffic in Charlotte, NC in August. Other then that, the breeze kept me plenty cool (you can get vented jackets). The helmet is definately hot, but that’s just life. Take breaks, cool off, then ride more. Please don’t skimp on clothing.

When I worked in a hospital several years ago we had a woman in who had been riding with her husband. She got hit (on the highway) and was in rough shape. While her bones healed, she was in the hospital for SEVERAL MONTHS (I kid you not) because of the infections she could not shake due to the terrible beating her skin took. I won’t describe further, but suffice to say, no matter what you ride, be safe. It doesn’t have to be leather, but if it’s not, make sure it’s riding gear, not just a windbreaker.

I also disagree with the “you’ll drop it” crowd. The ONLY reason I dropped a bike was when I was farking around on my husband’s Honda Sabre, which as about 1 foot too tall for me. Never on a ride that “fit” properly. There’s just no reason to.

Zette

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Not yet, but I want to…when’s the best time to go?

Oh, dat’s purdy. Like KTM Duke (the pipes I mean) meets Cagiva V-Raptor, but with a sleeker, flatter top line…someone my size would be laying pressed down on the tank. (Not that that’d be too bad a thing, I s’ppose):wink:

Yes, I am the poster formerly known as Zenzelli78, [Zenzelli is the name of my African Spurred Tortoise, hence the new name] but since the thread was post-Dec17, it was lost in cyberspace.
By the way, sorry I can’t remember the name of the poster, but can the EX250 fanatic (Eddie the Head?) repost all those links? (If’n ya don’t mind.) I wanted to really check it out as an option, but with the (site) crash I couldn’t.

My fiancé has says this everytime I pull a face at the price of a good helmet: “Well, how much do you think your head is worth?”

Here is a good illustration of the importance of a good helmet, or really, just a helmet at all, and another which makes a case for wearing a full face helmet. Warning: These are rotten.com links. These are very graphic. In fact, I don’t feel so good and may have to lie down now…

The GS500 seems to be less common on the resale market, and thus more expensive than the EX500–one of the reasons I’m leaning to and fro, I mean, doesn’t that mean that there’s something extra special about the GS500? Is there, or do they just sell fewer? Do they really hold their value better, or do I have a misperception? What do you [collective question] think the different purposes of the bike are if any really?

29

I agree with the folks who recommended the Suzuki GS500. It’s not a cruiser with such a long wheelbase but it’s also not such a crotch rocket. I like the looks of it. It’s fun to ride and it’s not that expensive, even new. It also is a twin cylinder, unlike - say - the Buell Blast which is a thumper. I have to admit I laughed out loud, riding the Blast, though. But too much vibration for any long rides, IMO. If you want more info. on the GS500, go to www.gstwin.com . I also noticed there is a dealer selling Royal Enfields (British bike used in India for many years) here. I’m sure it’s a primitive machine but has got to be cool.
Jill

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I responded to this thread in its last incarnation, recommending the GS500e. I’m not sure why it is a little more expensive than the EX500; they serve the same basic purpose. The EX is a fine first bike.

I commute to work in LA on my duc, and I wear leather jacket, shoei helmet (the basic model), combat boots, gloves and khakis. In my opinion, the big pieces of protection are helment, boots, and gloves. The boots don’t even have to be full-armoured sportbike boots, but the must come up well over the ankles. There are not words for how much it hurts to slide a few feet on your ankle bone. The only thing that compares is the joy of trying to dig gravel out of your palms.

I started riding about 16 years ago. I keep riding because I never really learned to drive a car, and it hardly seems worth the effort now. As Johnny LA pointed out, parking in LA is free for motorcycles, and rare for everyone else.

31

the GS or EX 500’s are both very good first timer bikes. you really can’t go wrong with either if you find a good used one. i have always preferred suzuki over kaw, but i guess it really doesn’t make a big diff anymore!

tasty RZ on the bay. has the often-discussed, seldom-seen solo seat option.

good luck!

Broc-a-flower? What the HELL is this?

32

JillGat, thank you for the cool link.

Do dealers of motorcycles let you take test rides?

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I asked the local Yamaha dealer if they allowed test rides. They said they only allowed rides on the Royal Star (which is a bit too Harley-like for my tastes – sorry Zette!).

34

Aw man! I was just about to go to lunch when I opened that link, Tortuga. I was trying to figure out why that guy had his guts lying on the pavement up by his head and then I realized that his brains had popped out of his forehead!

I’ve been in two accidents; neither of them serious enough to hospitalize me, really low speed, both at intersections. The second one was so amazingly stupid, and I take the injuries I did get as gifts. I had been drinking and thought I’d like to take a ride down town in mid-August without my helmet, so I tacked it onto the side and took off. I got about 30 meters from my house and crashed into the sidewalk, flying over the handle bars, landing on my nose and lip, scraping my hands and knees. If I had drunk any less, I would have been in more pain. I suffered a slightly split lip that I cut off with scissors after it dried out (just a little scar now) ,and a skinned nose.

Next time, fate will not be so kind, I am certain. My bike landed on my helmet and scraped it up good. After it’s been “used,” you gotta get a new one cause you can’t really see if it’s cracked internally or not.

I wear chaps and boots always, even if it’s 100 degrees and humid. Oddly, ever since I got the chaps I have not dropped once. Like Zette said, (I think it was Zette anyway, hi Zette!) pick up a little speed to cool down.

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Some do and some don’t. I’d hesitate to buy a bike from a dealer who didn’t. You can always test ride used ones, though. - Jill

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[[Moto Guzzi used to sell a 650 Twin a Lario or something]]

There’s an interesting book about motorcycles called, I think, “The Perfect Vehicle.” It’s written by a woman who had a Guzzi Lario.