Heh. The last time I was on a motorcycle was about 15 years ago, when there was, a, uh, well, sorta, kind of a bad outcome.
So I was particularly pleased with myself when last weekend I overcame my fear and got back on a bike. I’m dealing with DMV now about licensing, and if I’m a very good boy this spring, I just might get myself an extra-special birthday present.
And yeah, a Ducati is a lot of bike for your first one. In particular, they can be very jumpy in the low gears and they have an unfortunate propensity to go 250 km/hr without warning ;). Have you considered a Guzzi? The Quota has a look not unlike what you describe, and tops out at ~75 bhp.
motorcycles -<pause>- that’s what we were discussing. I think I need some coffee.
Anyway, you’ll have a blast man! It takes a few hours to get into the groove of manning the machine. But once you do it’s sweet sailing.
Well, I’ll never get tired of recommending the Suzuki GSF600S Bandit, although its looks may not appeal to you. Has nothing to do with it being my first serious bike, no sirree. Honestly, it’s the sort of bike that just doesn’t do anything wrong. Or, as one of my sportbike fanatic friends said, it’s a “healthy” bike.
But both the Diversion and the GSX600 are good bikes, really. As long as we’re not in the extreme segment (TL1000, anyone ?), no Jap bike from the last 5 years has been seriously bad.
Am I the only person that saw the title & thought of the Bates Motel? Glad I didn’t stay at Casa Coldy, especially with all that schoolgirlish giggling going on…:eek:
Coldfire, welcome to the Wonderful World of motorbiking! You’ll love the experience. Yes, taking a course is the best thing, it’ll teach you how to properly handle and control your bike.
I’d recommend not getting anything over 700cc for your first bike. I trained on a 125cc bike (in the course) and then took to my 700cc bike. She has plenty of power, enough to get up and go with the best of 'em on the expressway, but not too powerful for a beginner.
**bdgr wrote:
Depends on the Biker Bar.**
In all the Biker Bars I attend, we do NOT tolerate girlish laughter! It distracts from the serious discussions of Mozart and Wagner and latest soap opera gossip.
Just a little advice from someone who has kissed pavement at 60 mph.
1 Road rash hurts like hell, blue jeans do not offer enough protection (besides it hurts like hell to have to have the denim scrubbed out of your flesh), so wear leathers at all times.
2 Helmets save lives. (They also prevent those unsightly brain smears on the road) Use one.
3 Hi Opal
4 Ride like everyone else on the road is out to get you because they are.
Freyr: not only is it advisable I take a course, in this country it’s mandatory I get a motor license. Eeven if I do have a car license and 9 years of road experience - still have to get the separate motor license. And I’m glad that’s the way it is, personally.
Ayesha: not to worry dear. I shall, as always, use plenty protection.
This should be about your speed, Jasper. G,D,&R
Ayesha,
Try having gravel scrubbed outta your lip, which has been split completely in two by an unanticipated face/railroad bed interface. That one is lots of fun too!
Jasper, in all seriousness. It doesn’t matter how much leather, padding, shielding or reinforcements you place on your body. You can never do enough to protect yourself and avoid the morons who fail to see you, hear you, notice you or care about you. You can also throw the cretins that hate motorcycles and their riders, these idiots will try to run you off the road or crowd you into a pole or curb. A lot of people give up bikes for this very reason.
I am still trying to get the image of Poofy being fitted with a leather jacket and chaps out of my mind…will they add an access hole to the chaps? I’m sorry the mind reels at the concept of an inflatable pig in a pigskin jacket.
I think we might have had this conversation before, but my dad is a big time touring rider. His drug of choice are the BMWS, he has an R90S and an R100. They are the Other Children, and he is taking the R100 to Oregon this summer. (keep in mind, he lives in Vermont. Look at a map. That’s one bigass tour.) Thing’s I’m sure he’d tell you: [ul] [li] take lessons. (check!) []Get good gear. Even the best riders can be side swiped by an asshole who isn’t watching the road. And when you go down, you’ll be glad you’re wearing Kevlar and that your head is surrounded in high impact resistant plastic. If you’re gonna shell thousands out on a bike, you might as well invest another couple hundred (clamshells or whatever you crazy furriers use as currency) on at least a good jacket and helmet. Preferably a whole suit. It’ll keep you toasty in the fall, too. [] Get a Beemer. Or at least consider a used one. Keep in mind, this is advice that I’m channelling from PapaRiddles, and he’s a bit smitten with them. They’re solid bikes, they handle nicely, but they’re not so zippy that you’ll get yourself into trouble. Do the ton, man. Do the ton. [/ul][/li]
Good luck, Coldie!
