Yep, folks. I’m gonna buy a motorcycle. A friend’s dad has a 1974 Yamaha RD350 that he’s selling me for $400 (he also has a parts bike of the same year that I have to take as a condition of the sale). It needs a carb cleaning, a new battery, and a new tire, though I’ll probably have them both replaced at the same time. Everything I’ve heard about these bikes from independent shops and people are that they are pretty great bikes.
Here’s the deal, though…:
[sub]I don’t know how to ride one.[/sub]
So, chopper-riding Dopers, how hard is it to learn to ride?
And, in addition to a helmet, and a nifty biker jacket, what other perks, bells, whistles, and other stuff should I look to acquire?
And do girls still dig a guy who rides a motorcycle?
Nope. Not difficult. Since your a novice though, go through a rider safety course/lessons. If you living in a city of decent size there is probably a few companies that offer them. If you can’t find any, your local AAA/CAA can probably hook you up.
Even though you didn’t have much choice in your first bike, good for you for not getting a bruiser. Its a good size bike for your first ride. People usually swallow off more than they can chew for their first bike.
Yes, getting on one and riding off is easy enough. The problems set in when something unexpected occurs. Like an emergency stop, or a quick evasive manoeuver for that car that didn’t see you, and is pulling out of the parking space. Make sure you make it back into the right lane before that bus hits you.
That sort of thing. In short, get a proper course. I don’t know what the legal requirements are in your state, but be prepared to drop at least twice the cost of your bike on training.
Clothes. Pants have to be leather. Riding with jeans is OK for in-town trips, but wear leather if you’re gonna ride it at anything over 40 MPH. The jacket can be made of leather or cloth, just make sure it’s got all the padding in the right places: back protector, forearms and elbows, shoulder pads. Wear a full face helmet, wear gloves, and wear proper (at least ankle-high) boots. Make sure all your clothing has reflective strips on it. Don’t wear all black clothes, you’ll be invisible enough in fluorescent yellow.
The bike sounds like a good starter bike. 350 cc will probably get boring after a while, but it’s not gonna surprise you either - which is good.
Shiny side up! And yeah, a lot of chicks dig a guy on a motorbike. But when you’re out on the open road, negotiating the twisties, chicks will be the last thing on your mind. Yes, that means you too, Superdude.
Well, duh… but riding it is easy. Take your lessons and get experience. Emergency moves become instinct. You don’t think about it. It just happens. It ain’t difficult, it just takes training.
Pay attention— observe, observe, observe. Know who is next to you, behind you, coming towards you. Know whats on the side of the road. Any good auto driver does the same thing already, you just have to make damn sure you do when your on a bike. Pretend that everyone else out there is oblivious to you.
But is it difficult? Nope. Nerve-wracking it times? Yep. But so is driving a car at times.
Nah, riding a bike ain’t hard at all. But yes take a course. Here in the States they tend to be cheap for a weekend course. Here in MD it’s only $100 for the course.
You might also want to pick up The Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles. I liked that book a lot and still read it until the time I gave it to someone else. I’d also go with a full face helmet, gloves, boots etc. Those will cost a lot more than anything, but they are worth the cost. You might also want to pick up Proficient Motorcycling or Street Strategies both by David Hough, both are good books as well.
A 350 is a good size to learn on and start out with. This would be a great commuter/buzz-around-town bike. You could do longer trips with it, but it probably wouldn’t be comfortable, or powerful enough, unless you’re fairly light.
I second getting a full-face helmet with full visor or plastic shield. A rock or bee in the shield will startle you. Taking one on the skin might have you sliding down the road into oncoming traffic. Also do the jacket and gloves.
Observe. Look. Anticipate. Ride conservatively. Resist the urge to try a wheelie or jump anything. If your friends call you chicken, tell 'em it’s an antique bike, and you want to take care of it.
Do the riding class. It’s worth the money.
Take side streets for awhile when you can, to get used to the way the bike starts, stops, handles.
Don’t look at the parts bike as something you have to take; think of it as something that will save you a bucket of money when it comes time to replace something you scraped up when you dumped the bike. And you will put it down. Everyone I know did with their first bike.
Get a good solid backpack that will fit over your jacket. You’ll need it to carry stuff.
If you ride your bike when you go to the store, use your helmet as a shopping bag. When it’s full, you’re done. You can’t carry any more home than that, any way.
And whatever else you do, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT RIDING IF YOU’VE BEEN DRINKING. It’s a guaranteed way to get yourself banged up. And even worse, your bike.
Good advice, all around. From everyone. Regarding the parts bike, I hadn’t thought of that. My little brother has mentioned that he might be interested in getting it fixed. He’s a prison guard, and the inmates love this sort of thing in the garage. He gets it fixed at the cost of parts.
Another good point. However, I don’t drink, so it’s not much of a concern. But medicinal side effects were something I hadn’t thought about. Thanks, man.
Just a note, $400 for a 1974 RD350 that needs tires, battery, and a carb cleaning? Be very careful here, if this has been a hangar queen, expect more money and trouble on electrical stuff and things you never thought of. This sound like an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to fix a broken down bike, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
And as for chicks digging it, what say you chicks out there?
Since the basics have been covered and I hate threads with 40 posts that all say the same thing, I will add this nugget of wisdom:
The RD series of bikes were very fast, especially if you are slight of build. Don’t believe the shit about this being a “little putt-putt” and not having enough power. These things were labeled “Giant Killers” in thier day, and deservedly so. They develop power at high RPM, so wind it up! This machine is faster than is should be (meaning, you can go faster than the suspension/chassis and brakes can handle) so be careful, and respect this little buzz-bomb.
(sorce of info: many years as Yamaha dealer, brother raced RD’s at Sears Point, I collect and ride RZ’s, since 1988)
The best advice I can think to give new riders is start out in the dirt (and usually stay there)!
Will also add that UncleBill is a wise man who’s words should be heeded. The most expensive things in the world are a)“Free” motorcycles, b) cheap tools and c) women. Following closely behind these three are motorcycles bought from friends/friends familys.
The old RD is a great bike, and depending on condition may be a steal at $400, but be careful and know what yer getting! (they are pretty easy to work on and parts are readily available, so it cant go too wrong)
Damn! I have forgotten to not become drunken again!
The RD350 is a 2-stroke, isn’t it? Let me tell you a little story…
I had a 1976 Yamaha 250 Enduro (2-stroke). I was away in Europe in 1982 (you know, the “after-high-school-European-Excursion thing”) and I called home.
My sister was visiting my dad and she asked if she could ride my bike. She said, “If I can ride (boyfriend)'s 650, I can ride Johnny L.A.‘s little ol’ 250!” The problem here is that the 650 was a 4-stroke. When she got on my 2-stroke 250 she was across the street and on the ground before she knew what hit her. Dented my tank, dammit.
So as gatopescado pointed out, 2-strokes are quick. Be aware.
As a long-time (36 years) rider, and former Navy Corpsmen, I’ve got some pretty specific advice for you.
Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider’s course, or an equivalent. I took mine after 15 years of experience, and it was time well spent. The lessons I learned in that course literally saved my ass, several times so far.
The killers for motorcycles are: a) Alcohol, b) Inexperience, and c) Too fast for conditions. One or more of these factors is at the heart of almost all motorcycle accidents. The rest are unavoidable car/bike collisions. As a new rider, you have to deal with inexperience. Don’t mix it with either of the other killers.
I’m against full-face helmets. IMHO the chin piece can too easily act as a lever, causing the back of the helmet to break the neck. I also believe that large helmets impart a false sense of security, and reduce your awareness of what is happening around you. I do believe in helmets, strongly. But they should protect the head from impact, and not block any senses.
Other safety gear: Eye protection - Not just sunglasses, get something that resists impact. Boots - Get the ones with a steel shank, and soles that aren’t affected by oil. They must support your ankle, but don’t have to go all the way up your calf. Gloves - I always used half-finger leather gloves, but carried full, insulated gloves in case it got cold. I agree with the others, leather is a bikers best friend.
Learn how your bike steers. It’s called gyroscopic precessioning, or counter-steering. Basically, at speed your front wheel acts as a gyroscope. Moving the axle of the gyroscope causes a countervaling force to act on the bike. Turn the axle right, and the force causes the bike to lean to the left. Since the wheels are round, leaning left causes the wheelbase to be shorter on the left side, thus the bike begins to circumscribe a circle, counter-clockwise. Hold the bike up in the lean with pressure to the left (forcing the bike to try and lean right). Perform the opposite to turn right (turn the handlebars left). Magic.
Cars don’t see you. They should, but they don’t. You will have to be the ultimate defensive driver to survive. Always assume they don’t see you. Assume they will turn left in front of you. Use your horn. Flash your lights.
The RD’s are really cool – this was my dream bike when I was in high school. I rode a friends RD400, and it was a real screamer. He was a weightlifter/wrestler, and had the fork knob tightened so much I could hardly turn the handlebars. Almost drove into the ditch.
Two-stroke motorcycles are super quick – I had a Suzuki GT 550 once, and I’d ridden it for several months before I found out only two of three cylinders was firing. After I got that fixed, it was a rocketship. Wheelie city, baby!
Um, if you are wearing a full face helmet, and you hit something hard enough with the chin that it snaps your head and breaks your neck, what do you think it is going to do if it just hits you in the face?
I’ve found that I get pulled out on much less often since I started running my headlight on bright during the day. I highly recommend this…I used to get pulled out on about once every hour I was riding…now it’s much less often.
Oh, definitely. Always run the headlight on a motorcycle. I don’t care how many laws it breaks (I’ve heard running lights in daytime is illegal in some places), it’ll save your ass.
Don’t run it on the “bright” setting in the dark, though. You’ll blind people, which can be more dangerous. Most modern bikes have enough light to get by, although an old Yamaha may be a little underlit. Make sure the bike is visible to others. If necessary, upgrade the illumination to something stronger.
Danalan, I think all your advice was great, except for the full-face helmet bit. I think the “lever-theory” sounds like something that is extremely rare (and like Jax said, at such impacts you don’t want an unprotected face either!), and I have found that my peripheral vision works just fine in a full face one.
A compromise might be a system helmet (translating literally from Dutch here), where the chin part can move upwards for that open face feeling, e.g. for inner city riding, or paying for gas without taking the entire helmet off.
