I’ve never seen flickering tail lights on motorcycles(might be illegal) but modulated headlights are fine. I always ran high beams in the day.
On my last bike, I wired up new sockets in the turn signals so I could use them as running lights.
I ride and have ridden all the time after dark. I have ridden in all different lighting and weather conditions. I make long trips, short trips, all over the place. I used to commute back and forth from NE Indiana to SW Michigan, starting from Indiana when it was dark to be in Michigan by 7:00 am. I have never been hit. The deer were a bigger concern.
Last year I put 7,000 miles on my bikes. I was out today riding around.
I actually feel safer at night, from the cars anyway, because my lights are more easily seen.
I could see how people would get pissed at the little scooters because they can interrupt the flow of traffic. I can see how some people get pissed at motorcyclists when they drive like shitheads. I try not to be a shithead.
And I try to ride so that I make myself seen. If I see a person not paying attention, I’ll back off. IOW I try to ride as if I’m invisible (not invincible).
It is likely that you don’t have to take the interstate. If the vehicle will only do 45 mph or so it is probably not legal, and the interstate doesn’t save near as much time. Also it is often the case that you can go a shorter distance off the interstate, and if you can’t make the speed then the blue highways are faster. (Two lane, non-limited-access highways were usually colored blue on paper road maps)
Sometimes you really DO have to take the interstate, and in most states if that is the case then bicycles and mopeds will be allowed on those portions of the interstate where there is no alternate route. These tend to be very sparsely populated rural areas, trackless deserts, narrow canyons, places like that. Usually there are surface streets or frontage roads you can take.
When we drive cars we tend not to think about routes that don’t use their high speed ability.
Hi, I ride Bikes for all my live and I can second the recommendation on the Honda Nighthawk 250, almost all Japan Manufactures have made a 2 cylinder, 4 stroke Bike that more or less looks and drives like the Honda and if you can find one that is about 10 years old , low mileage, good maintained, original condition (preferably checked by a Dealer or a Bike Old timer), you can not go wrong with this Bikes, spares are plenty full and reasonable priced, they are very economical to run, practically never break down, most have a Kick starter and the siting height is low enough for almost any size Driver.
I would think that you could get one for as low as 1500$ and maintenance, tires and insurance are really low cost.
Get one, Spring is around the corner…
SC is pretty strict about the freeways - mopeds aren’t allowed at all. They’re actually restricted to only roads with 35 mph or lower speed limits.
Scooters and motorcycles are allowed anywhere, but you’d have to have a pretty juiced-up scooter (or be suicidal) to put one on the I-85. You’d get squished like a bug if you couldn’t keep up with traffic speeds.
My shortest route is all back roads, but it’s looking like an actual motorcycle would be the best bet.
I’m not looking to save money immediately - I’m in this particular job for the long haul (knock wood) and I *have *to go to work. I figure if I get something that I like riding, I can help with my mileage to work, keep miles OFF my car, and get practice in on the bike so that I can ride it around for fun once I get comfortable with it.
Several people have mentioned insurance and maintenance.
Insurance - is it usually much higher than insurance for a car?
(I’m thinking specifically motorcycle now, not scooter. It seems silly to get a scooter when I have to do all the work and prep legally for motorcycles anyway.)
If my husband takes classes and gets a license as well, but the bike belongs to me, do I have to have him insured as a second driver (I’m assuming yes) and are the insurance rates much worse for men than they are for women?
For motorcycle LICENSES, are they usually a seperate card to keep track of, or is it a notation on your pre-existing license?
Maintenance - I like getting my hands dirty and working on mechanical stuff. I change my own oil, radiator fluid, air-filters, and brakes (only the front, my husband has to do the back ones - I’m not strong enough.) Is bike maintenance complicated to do yourself? Are the parts themselves very expensive?
Thanks for all the answers so far - this is really helping my thoughts work themselves out. I’m not thinking that I’ll automatically save lots, but if I can get a fun toy that at the same time drops my weekly gas-money hit to the bank account - I’m ok with that.
I don’t know about SC, but in Ca. it is just an additional note (M1) on your licence.
If you are talking about parts for an inexpensive commuter bike like the Nighthawk, parts are very cheap and maintainence is very easy to do. They are not high performance motorycles so everything is basic and easy to work with.
Basic parts like spark plugs, filters, bulbs and such are either standard auto parts or fairly cheap.
What gets expensive is if you tip over and break parts which are almost always exclusive to that model.
Amazed that no one has mentioned the Kawasaki Ninja 250. Kawa has been making a version of this bike for about two decades, and they have a stone cold reliability record. I had one for a while last year and loved it. Only 250cc, but never once did I regret riding that bike, and I tip the scales at 210 pounds.
Used ones are all over Craigslist, you can usually find one for $1500 or less.
They’ll get up to highway speed, but won’t leave much margin for acceleration after that. The good news is that if you get a used one for $1500 and put some hard touring tires on it, your cost per mile (including depreciation, maintenance, insurance, and fuel) is pretty damn low, like maybe 12 cents per mile. Compare to 40-50 cents per mile for a compact or mid-size sedan purchased new and driven for five years before selling it.
This I disagree with. Get some good racing tires that are intended for racing classes that require street-legal tires. You’ll have better traction and with a light bike, you’ll still get good tread life.
Back in my riding days, Metzeler made some excellent tires that not only rated high on hot and cold traction but had the best tire wear ratings of the street legal racing tires.
I could get 20,000 miles on a 500+ lb bike.
I’ll defer to your lighter-bike experience. I’ve got a lot of miles under my belt, but all on a 600-pound touring bike using sport-touring tires that get about 6000 miles per set. I have friends who ride the same bike with touring tires and get closer to 15,000 miles from a set of tires. I’m leery of compromising traction, but if the goal is minimizing costs, then one way is with harder tires.
Another option, though I don’t know if they sell them in South Carolina, is the Genuine Stella. It’s a two stroke, 150 cc engine and modeled after the vinatage Vespa “P” series scoots. My wife rides one , and loves it. Top speed of about 55 mph, 80 mpg, and a hell of a lot of fun to ride around town.
YMMV.
The bulk of my riding was over Highway 17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose and I valued traction under those conditions.
If you were riding 15 years ago, you probably remember Metzeler’s ME 33/ME1 Comp K combo. That’s what I was using on a Yamaha Vision.
I think Runner Pat suggested a leather jacket way upthread. I’ll amend this just slightly. Perhaps instead of leather, maybe you might want to consider a mesh motorcycle jacket instead. Decent protection, and way more breathable in SC summers than a leather jacket. Though a leather motorcycle jacket is TOUGH, you need to make sure you get a true leather motorcycle jacket, not some thin leather or pseudo-leather or leather-like jacket. On a motorcycle, the only thing separating you from the pavement is the gear you are wearing.
Believe me, this I know. Husband’s co-worker has an interesting life-long road-rash all down one side due to a nice 4’ skid down the road.
I firmly believe in keeping as much stuff between me and the pavement as possible. I can be hot if it means I keep my nice fragile skin.
So for all these “lighter” bikes people are mentioning - how much DO they weigh?
I’m not that big (or strong) … I really don’t think I could handle a 600 lb bike.
250cc gets you into the 300-400 pound range unless you’re talking the kind of bike you would use for trail riding or motocross.
If you know how to ride, it’s usually not hard to maneuver even fairly heavy bikes once you’re moving, regardless of your own body mass (or lack thereof); the challenging time is when you’re stopped and trying to keep the bike upright, but even then it’s generally only a problem if you get the bike leaned over to one side or the other too much.
600 pounds is toward the heavy end for most bikes (though the Honda Goldwing weighs in a crushing 900+ pounds). Mine is a BMW R1200RT, with a 1.2-liter engine. In contrast, a Ninja250 weighs in at just 375 pounds, and Kawasaki’s Versys (with a 650cc engine) weighs in at 455 pounds. Honda has a CBR250 that weighs 360 pounds.
If a 360-pound bike tips over to one side, it’s not hard to pick up. Laying horizontal, half its weight will be borne on the wheels, and you’ll be lifting at the saddle/rack/handlebars, with the center of mass somewhere between your lift point and the tires; you’ll only need to lift with a force of about 180 pounds. Your legs can do that easily, but proper technique is recommended to avoid injuring your back; picking up a fallen-over bike is something they’ll teach you in an MSF course. (this is the other reason to buy a used bike: if you’re new to riding, you’re probably going to drop the bike a few times while you’re learning how to handle it at stops.)
Seat height is also a factor. You should be able to put one foot flat on the ground with very little or no lean to the bike.
I’ve read good things about the Ninja 500. A little bit bigger and supposedly a comfortable riding position. They’re also fairly cheap and durable.
OP, don’t be put off by the Ninja moniker- the 250 and 500 aren’t “crotch rockets” with the painful riding position, but they do offer a little wind protection with the fairings. Honestly, I cant think of any recent bike above 250cc by Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, or Suzuki which could be called a lemon. Take a riding course and then have fun looking for your machine. 