You’d think loud pipes should make a big difference, but statistically the numbers just don’t back that up. Your best defense as a rider is to stay alert, get training, wear proper gear, remember that 50% of drivers have below median intelligence, and use the superior performance of the bike to your advantage.
BTW, you hear about the horror stories, but never about the guys who’ve ridden for decades without serious incident. Remember doctors clean up the guys who think appropriate riding gear is a black tank top that says “If you can read this, the bitch fell off” and a beanie helmet with a spike on top. There’s a guy on the Motorcycle USA forums who’s in his 70’s, been riding since the late 1940’s, and still rides liter-class sportbikes today (and can keep up with the best of 'em!).
First of all, don’t get a bike until after you take the rider course. It might change your mind about what you want in a bike.
Second, if a cruiser is your style then get a cruiser. There are plenty in the 600-750cc range that would suit a new rider. The Shadow and Savage/Boulevard are two, there are others. I’m partial to the Shadow myself because my Dad has a '96 VLX and I’ve ridden it many times, it’s a real nice bike. Visit the Newbies forum at Motorcyle USA for some suggestions. There are always active threads there asking about good starter bikes. Post a message giving your specifics and the type of bike you’re looking for and you will get some good responses.
BTW, Idiots Guide… is a good book, I’ve read it myself. Lots of the finer points of motorcycle culture and etiquette you don’t hear anywhere else. Another one I’d recommend is Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. Lots of good advice in there.
Holy cow. I just read the title of this post as "Thinking about a motorcycle - tips for a new baby "
Talk about making my heart come up in the back of my throat…I thought, “Who in their right mind would put a NEW BABY ON A MOTORCYCLE???” I’m so glad it’s Friday…
Yes the numbers don’t back up the loud pipe theory and neither does the anecdotal evidence. I once knew a guy that had straight pipes who, when he moved to a pipe with a muffler, couldn’t believe how the attitude of the drivers around him changed for the better. He says people used to act aggressively towards him all the time before he got his muffler.
I signed up for the motorcycle training course, and today went out to buy the stuff I need for the class (helmet and gloves). I got a huge hit of sticker shock. (I didn’t know how much it would cost, but I was expecting less), but that I can work around.
The thing that I might not be able to was the helmet - my jaw was getting sore with that thing on, because of the way it was pressing against my cheekbones. It was all of the helmets I tried, not just one brand. Is that the way it’s supposed to feel? (The guy at the store said it was - but he also said I needed to cut off my hair. There’s a lot of it, it doesn’t lie flat.)
Previous rider here (ducati 650), A useful tip I can pass along is when you are scanning the side streets for cars that run stop signs or who may pull out in front of you because they don’t see you is to look at their front tires. Some riders depend on making eye contact with a driver to “be seen”, if the other driver’s tires are still rolling be prepared for hard braking or evasive maneuvers if that car does not come to a stop!
I miss it some, but I have young kids right now, too young to take as passenngers. BUt within the next couple years I will be shopping for a dual sport, or maybe that 883 HD!
It should be a snug fit, and as you wear a helmet the liner will break in a little and fit better. Plus you can usually tweak the fit of the liner a little bit. But if it’s so tight it’s causing pain, that doesn’t sound right. What brands did you try? It may be a matter of trying on more. Even within the same brand, different lines may fit differently.
Something in the 500-600cc range is the minimum I would look for in a commuter motorcycle. Something like a 250 would be fine if you’re strictly motoring around a small town, but they don’t have the power reserve I feel is necessary for highways or heavy traffic. Remember, the performance of the bike is one of it’s biggest safety features and you can use it to get away from trouble. Just about any motorcycle can out accelerate just about any car, but the smallest bikes lose some of that edge.
Well, if all goes to plan, I will certainly be riding on the highway. The Honda Shadow is 583cc, the top end of your recommended scale. Given it’s (relatively) light weight, and Jet Jag’s recommendation, I think that might make a fine place to start looking…
I’ve looked at the cost of helmets - anywhere from $100 to $500, and that’s even without getting into crazy multimedia designs! Sticker shock indeed. But, it IS my head, after all, and I DO only have one (such as it is). So I suppose it’s worth protecting.
Again I have a Shadow VLX and I think it’s a really good bike. It will get off the line faster then almost any car, and probably faster then you’d want to most of the time. I put ~20k on in a year or so and saw 25 or so states so It’ll get you where you want to go. The only thing that I have a problem with now is the forward foot pegs, they don’t allow you to stand up if you were to go over something large. Though that’s never been a problem.
The price alone does not mean everything about a helmet. A lot of the higher priced ones are lighter and have better air flow. I personally go with the HJC and have liked them for years and never had a problem with them until the one I have now, it’s a bit loud.
One thing to remember about helmet prices is that once a helmet has DOT/Snell approval and fits you properly, more expensive helmets don’t protect you any better than cheaper helmets. What you are paying for are the bells and whistles such as lighter materials, more ventilation, and fancy graphics.
I also wear an HJC, BTW. My wife wears an Icon though, because HJC doesn’t fit her head shape.
I don’t think I would blink quite so much if I were at the “buy a motorcycle” stage. But as I’m only at the “take a motorcycle class” stage, buying a “cheap” helmet that costs nearly twice as much as the class was a bit off putting. (As was the chop off your hair suggestion. Still not ready to do that. Is there any way around it?)
Jet Jaguar, thanks for the link. When I go back, I’ll take the list with me. (I tried on a few Shoei helmets and a few Scorpion helmets and one K-something helmet).
You’re just on the installment plan Wait until you buy your pants, jacket and bike!
But that snug feeling is kind of normal. You’ve never worn a helmet before, and the padding will compress and you’ll get used to it.
As for pipes, if loud pipes saved lives, the streets would be littered with the corpses of Gold Wing riders…
In the literature they said they might have helmets, but they weren’t guaranteed and if you wanted to be sure, you should bring your own. (Which I’m guessing means that they’ll have some, but possibly not the right size or shape or enough for everyone in the class).
I start the classroom segment on Thursday night, so I’ll ask then; but I am prepared to spend my lunch hour on Friday hunting down a motorcycle helmet.
