Much of the riding that I did in the past was very physically demanding. I mostly cranked it up when off road, especially during competitions. Probably the most rigorous was Enduro, where I rode up to 10 hours cross-country at speed. Other forms of competition were more physically demanding for far shorter periods of time. I would rate the effort required for many off-road motorcycle competitive events as equal to basketball.
However, on the occasions when I rode on pavement, calm and deliberate was the modus operandus. Much more relaxing physically, but with constant mental concentration.
When I was 22, I got 3 hours of sleep over a 48 hour period and then rode 500 miles. The rumble strips on the shoulder woke me up. I haven’t done it since. I was just demonstrating that it can’t be too physically demanding if you can fall asleep on a bike.
Not a motorcycle driver (though I have been a passenger). Thought I’d ask… aside from the issues of weather, I assume the motorcycle is also little bit like a really heavy bicycle - in which case, at normal speeds, the rotation of the wheel tends to keep the vehicle upright all on it’s own due to various scientific principles.
Of course, it’s trying to start the thing from a standstill that’s the real problem. How does a motorcycle fare at an intersection, before rotational momentum kicks in? Is it hard to hold the thing upright? Is it hard to steer straight before 5mph?
Also, how about those controls? Are motorcycles automatic transmission or manual or both? Is it hard to get used to however they are configured, which presumably involves a different configuration of hand to foot?
I frequently ride as a passenger on my boyfriend’s Aprillia Shiver and I would say that even though I’m not the one driving it can be physically demanding. At least, after being on the bike for a few hours, you definitely feel it in your bum and legs. Although actually sitting on the bike isn’t too hard most of the time - I’ve dozed off riding on the back quite a few times (and given my boyfriend a heart attack while I’m at it).
It’s not that hard to keep going straight, if you’re an experienced rider. That’s actually one way I look to see how good of a rider the other person is. If someone just picks up their feet and goes they know the bike isn’t just going to fall over at the start.
As for the OP, it really depends on a lot of things. I’ve ridden cruisers, sport touring, and a sport bike a bit. The lack of fairings and a windshield really makes a longer day much harder. I’ve taken my old cruiser on 2000+ mile trips no problem, and my Concours I’ve taken 11,000 mile trips, with lots of 3-4,000 mile trips as well. It really depends on what you want to do, but a couple of hours on just about any bike usually isn’t too bad.
I rode my motorcycle (Honda Shadow 1100, so not a small bike) about two hundred miles over this last weekend- and boy, is my lower back sore this morning. I also find that I’m usually fairly tired after a long ride- but I think that’s primarily due to dehydration.
They are surprisingly easy to keep up right at intersections. Now, my bike is only about 550 pounds, but I’ve sat on a Classic Glide which is about 900 pounds and lifted it off it’s kickstand and it’s not that hard. The only time it get’s hard at an intersection is if the wind is gusty, but as long as you’re paying attention it’s fine. This is another thing they teach you in the MSF class. The first thing we did after sitting in the bikes was to lean them back and forth…far. It was partly to simulate turns but they wanted us to get a feel for the weight of the bikes.
Steering under 5mph is actually kinda tricky. Again, something they concentrate on in MSF class (the dreaded figure 8 turns). It’s very different then turning at a high speed where you’re just leaning. One thing I really wish they would have spent more time on is a right turn from a stop. After a year of riding, that’s still where I struggle. I say right turn, because it’s hard to get your speed up fast enough to make a good turn when you only have a few feet before you’re in traffic. When you make a left turn you have much further to go to pick up that speed. The first time I took my bike into traffic I made a right turn off a side street on to a busy street and made my turn so wide I wound up on the oncoming lane.
95% of motorcycles are manual. It’s actually much easier then driving a stick shift car. Other then the crappy MSF bikes I’ve never killed the engine and even people in the class that had never driven stick didn’t have a very hard time. Left hand - Clutch, Left Foot - Gear shift, Right Hand - Front Brake, Right Foot - Rear Brake. After doing it for a few miles (or taking the class) it’s second nature.
“Physically demanding” depends on the bike and what you’ve done to it. There are any number of custom parts available to make the bike better fit your own body:
-aftermarket saddles (some with electric heating)
-backrests
-barbacks (move handlebars up/back to change your riding position)
-footpeg-lowering kits
-highway pegs
-cruise control/throttle lock
-larger/smaller/harder/softer grips for the bars (some with electric heat)
-bigger/smaller windshields
and so on. Your riding gear matters, too: if you’re too hot/cold or if your gear is binding in all the wrong places, you will want to call it quits before lunch. The more comfortable you can make yourself, the better off you will be for the long haul. Several times now I’ve made the run from Detroit to Denver in two days - 750 miles the first day, 500 the second - and felt good when I reached my destination.
The real long-distance freaks are members of The Iron Butt Association. I did their entry-level ride in '01, a documented/witnessed ride of 1000 miles in under 24 hours. There are many other more advanced awards available, and every couple of years they also hold a competitive rally in which the winner typically covers about 11,000 miles in 11 days. Along the same lines, I knew a fellow once who did a 50CC, which involves riding from coast to coast (~2400 miles) in under 50 hours. But he did it 2up (with his GF on back), on a Hayabusa, i.e. not the most comfortable way to travel. Whatever, it worked for him I guess.
One more thing: hydration matters. The Camelbak (a water-filled backpack equipped with a drinking tube) is popular among bicyclists, but I and many of my friends own one too, as it’s ideal for grabbing a sip of water at speed. I don’t use it for local afternoon rides, but for cross-country touring it’s indispensible.
If you get sleepy, fergodsake STOP! The great thing about an armored riding suit and full-face helmet is that you can pull into a rest area and lie down on a picnic table - with all your gear on - for a very comfortable nap. I’ve done this on a few occasions.
Thanks very much to everyone who’s chimed in so far. This is really helpful, and it’s given me a lot to think about.
I’ve been thinking about a bike for a couple of reasons. We have two cars, and I’d like to get rid of one. cwPartner and I work at the same place, on the same schedule - we don’t need two cars for work. We don’t really have two cars’ worth of non-work activity, either. I thought a bike might be a more efficient, lower-cost, lower-garage-space backup for the occasional day when I need my own vehicle and the bus or a bicycle won’t cut it.
More important, I also have some property and a horse about 130 miles from home. I need to go up there periodically to do maintenance (the property) and welfare checks (the horse). The drive is easy but as interesting as watching paint dry. Even with an iPod full of stories and music, taking the car up there is a waste of gas, and I’m stuck sitting on my butt for a few hours each way. I make more and more excuses not to go up there, which has let to the property getting untidy and the horse getting fat. Riding a bike up there might make the trip more enjoyable, leading to more trips, a tidier property, and a fitter horse.
Re: costs. My Seca II gets about 50-55 mpg. My YZF-R1 gets about 40-42 (placarded for Premium). Insurance is cheap. I don’t recall exactly how much, but my 1000 cc race-boy sportbike and a 600 cc Standard are something like $400/year (Comprehensive on the R1, liability-only on the Seca II). When I lived in L.A. many places allowed motorcycles to park free (including LAX).
To your OP - demanding like a game of rugby it isn’t. Think of it more like a dance solo where the body parts all have to do different things at the same time smoothly to tell a story - or move down the road smoothly in this case.
Bikes are a terrific choice for second vehicles or even primary vehicles. Most times it is cheaper to buy, maintain and fuel. However - and remember that this is a big “however” - remember there is no such thing as a fender-bender on a bike. Even small accidents can mean broken bones and scars. Yeah - you can dump it, dust yourself off, pick up your scoot and ride off happily but that isn’t the norm on the road. Dump it and most times you and/or the bike are going to need some professional attention. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers classes on road riding that are free in many places and cheap in others. Take one; they are worth it.
If you’re looking to make the ride more enjoyable, a motorcycle can certainly help with that. But if you’re looking to make it cheaper, there’s a wide range of costs depending on what you get. I put together a spreadsheet a few years back, accounting for depreciation, insurance, maintenance and fuel costs. In my case maintenance costs was basically the price of oil and a filter, since I did my own work. For 15K miles a year over a five-year period, I came up with this:
cars:
new Nissan Maxima: 44 cents per mile
new Honda Civic: 27 cents per mile
bikes:
new BMW R1100RT: 32 cents per mile
used Kawasaki Ninja 250: 12 cents per mile
The motorcycle costs factor in $1000 for riding gear (helmet, jacket gloves, boots, etc.) that lasts 60K miles.
Granted, the Civic is one of the cheaper-to-operate cars out there, and a BMW sport-touring bike is one of the more expensive. The depreciation cost is large, MPG isn’t that great, and it eats tires. OTOH a used Ninja 250 costs almost nothing to begin with can’t depreciate much, offers great fuel economy and you can get harder tires that last longer, but you might not enjoy grinding out a 260-mile round trip on it. Or maybe you will, I don’t know. If you’re new to riding it might be a good starter bike.
Bottom line, if you choose wisely you might save a bit of $ on transportation, but you won’t get rich on the savings.
This sounds like a good place to start. I’ve signed up for a basic class nearby (boy, do these fill up quickly - the earliest class with openings is mid-August, and it looks like I got the last slot). Worst case, I waste a weekend but learn something new; best case, I discover something I like, and I’ve learned something new.
I don’t know how it is these days, but I took my MSF course when the antsiness over high gas prices was at an all time high and there were just tons of people taking the course.
It really is an excellent curriculum. The indoor parts are pretty much just like any driver’s ed or traffic school class, but the outdoor segments get you competent really quick. You’ll learn really fast whether or not you want anything to do with a bike afterward. Whether or not you do, it’s absolutely worth the money.
Consider calling, or just showing up, for an earlier class. There’s a fair chance that they’ll have one or more no-shows and will be able to take you in before your scheduled date.
Can anyone tell me how much harder (if at all) it is to ride a bigger bike then a smaller one? My MSF class used little Honda Rebel 250. As soon as I finished the class I bought a Honda Shadow 750 and didn’t have much of an issue riding it. My buddy has a Classic Glide (1100?, 1500?) he keeps telling me to take it out for a while, but it’s sooo big compared to mine, I’m always worried I’m going to dump it around a slow turn. Something to worry about, or am I just being nervous?
Funny thing about those MSF classes. They offer them by me at the local tech college. A buddy of mine told me they were REALLY hard to get into. He said on the day registration started, people would get to the registration office 2 hours early and there would already be a line. For some reason, when I signed up for my class, registration had been open for a week or two and it was only half filled up. I asked and she said it’s normally like that for the class that runs during exam week.
Also, if you’re taking this class in a place where it’s hot, make sure you pay attention to what you wear. They’ll make you bring eye protection, leather gloves, leather boots (past your ankle), jeans and a heavy jacket. For your eye protection, consider bringing both sunglasses and picking up some safety glasses from a place like Lowes or Home Depot. This way you’re not blinded by the sun and if the sun goes down or there’s cloud cover you can switch your glasses out and be able to see. Also, if it’s hot out or could get hot out, make sure you can strip down to just a t-shirt under your jacket. You will get hot and you’ll spend a lot of time sucking down exhaust fumes from the bike in front of you.
But that class is worth every penny. You’ll learn things that a lot of self taught riders can’t do, or at least not until they’ve had waaaaaaay more then a few hours experience. The best example I can think of is what to do if you find yourself going to fast in a turn…the answer, don’t slow down, don’t brake, just lean further down. It’s counter-intuitive and scary and it’s not something you would naturally do, but when you have an instructor yelling “PUSH HARDER, LEAN, C’MON JOE, YOUR NOT LEANING FAR ENOUGH…EYES OVER HERE, LOOK AT ME…Ooooo, you just hit a tree, go around and try it again” it helps.
Yup, he mentioned that it’s startling if that happens, but it’s okay. That was one of the biggest things they drilled in to us* if you’re going to fast in a turn and you try to slow down, you’ll skid, if you don’t lean far enough you’ll take the turn to wide**, just lean into it as far as you need to.
*that and the fact that other cars will not see you…ever.
**According to the teacher the number one cause of single vehicle motorcycle accidents with a fatality is taking a turn too wide and hitting something like a tree or a sign post.
Whether or not you do, it’s absolutely worth the money.