Motorcycles
04-16-2003, 06:49 PM
#31
Three Wheelin'
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by 86951:
<strong> buy a dirt bike and go out to the local track and learn to ride on it, dirt is much softer than pavement.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Thats what I thought and the advice I gave my 16 y/o son...Then he missed a 65 foot double on his KX125 and ended up with titanium in his femur, tib and fib...spent a month in the hospital suffering complications and now , a year later, still needs a brace to walk and probable will for life.
I love bikes...but they will all jump up and bite you.
<strong> buy a dirt bike and go out to the local track and learn to ride on it, dirt is much softer than pavement.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Thats what I thought and the advice I gave my 16 y/o son...Then he missed a 65 foot double on his KX125 and ended up with titanium in his femur, tib and fib...spent a month in the hospital suffering complications and now , a year later, still needs a brace to walk and probable will for life.
I love bikes...but they will all jump up and bite you.
04-16-2003, 07:10 PM
#33
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Mike S:
<strong>MSF safety course: $165
Helmet(not some crap brand either): $300-$450
Gloves(more nerve endings in your fingers than anywhere else on your body...cheap gloves don't work...i can't even count the # of idiots who buy $30 gloves and watch them come apart on the race track when they crash) $100
jacket: $200-$400
</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">MSF is $50 in GA (and most other states) ~ but they're booked about a year in advance.
Helmet, if you buy a quality brand (Arai/Shoie), than after $200 you're just buying graphics or better ventalation
Gloves, I rode with $30 gloves for about 3 months, then found Held... about $130 a pair and it's all I have... saved my hands in moe crashes (roadracing) than I care to remember.
Jacket, I'm wary of the $200 items. They seem like a one-crash item and most new riders won't be willing to go ot and drop another $200 on a new jacket when the first one's torn up. Spend some money and buy a good quality leather jacket (textiles are ok, but they don't hold up quite as well) ~ you WANT impact armor because hitting the ground hurts. Most crashes (according to a recient study I've seen) occur with less than 15mph of speed at the time of impact - so you're not going to slide all that far, but you will slide.
Personally, I have a $400 solid-color Arai Quantium F (x 2), $130 Held gloves (x 3), a $900 custom <a href="http://www.aerostich.com/riderwearhouse.store" target="_blank">Aerostich</a> riding suit (plus 3 leather jackets), and always wear Doc Martins steel-toe work boots with ankle padding. I have yet to buy a motorcycle that cost more to purchase than the protective gear I wear while riding. I've also never taken a riding class of any sort (other than a required racing school to get my license) - not that I recomend this particular idea.
<strong>MSF safety course: $165
Helmet(not some crap brand either): $300-$450
Gloves(more nerve endings in your fingers than anywhere else on your body...cheap gloves don't work...i can't even count the # of idiots who buy $30 gloves and watch them come apart on the race track when they crash) $100
jacket: $200-$400
</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">MSF is $50 in GA (and most other states) ~ but they're booked about a year in advance.
Helmet, if you buy a quality brand (Arai/Shoie), than after $200 you're just buying graphics or better ventalation
Gloves, I rode with $30 gloves for about 3 months, then found Held... about $130 a pair and it's all I have... saved my hands in moe crashes (roadracing) than I care to remember.
Jacket, I'm wary of the $200 items. They seem like a one-crash item and most new riders won't be willing to go ot and drop another $200 on a new jacket when the first one's torn up. Spend some money and buy a good quality leather jacket (textiles are ok, but they don't hold up quite as well) ~ you WANT impact armor because hitting the ground hurts. Most crashes (according to a recient study I've seen) occur with less than 15mph of speed at the time of impact - so you're not going to slide all that far, but you will slide.
Personally, I have a $400 solid-color Arai Quantium F (x 2), $130 Held gloves (x 3), a $900 custom <a href="http://www.aerostich.com/riderwearhouse.store" target="_blank">Aerostich</a> riding suit (plus 3 leather jackets), and always wear Doc Martins steel-toe work boots with ankle padding. I have yet to buy a motorcycle that cost more to purchase than the protective gear I wear while riding. I've also never taken a riding class of any sort (other than a required racing school to get my license) - not that I recomend this particular idea.
04-16-2003, 07:55 PM
#34
I rode my Honda CB750 year round in upstate new york when I was at college ($30 lifetime parking permit vs. $450/semester...damn ivy league rich brats ;o) with no problems...just bundle up and watch out for snow or black ice. I loved the CB, great learner, good balance, fairly easy to pass my test on, and easy to do work on. It was also nice as it didn't really matter if I dropped it (though, thankfully, I only dropped it once at a gas station while stationary)
Sporty, but classic look, and cheap (paid about $1000 for mine after all was said and done with new tires, points, plugs, wires, seat, paint, filters et al)
Sporty, but classic look, and cheap (paid about $1000 for mine after all was said and done with new tires, points, plugs, wires, seat, paint, filters et al)
04-16-2003, 11:54 PM
#35
Drifting
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by jabbadeznuts:
<strong>Well, there have been a fiew posts on this topic before, but I thought that I would add another. Next year is mu Senior year in high school and then it's off to college. While at college, I figure that a motorcycle is probibly an effecent means of transportation arround campus and off campus. My question is, what sort of suggestions do you have on purchasing, maintaining, and general motorcycle stuff. I have a lust for sport bikes (Suzuki GSXR 1000) but i think that a 1000cc bike is WAY too much for a beginner to handle. What's a good size? 600cc? 750cc?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">MOPED!!!!!!!!!!! <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />
<strong>Well, there have been a fiew posts on this topic before, but I thought that I would add another. Next year is mu Senior year in high school and then it's off to college. While at college, I figure that a motorcycle is probibly an effecent means of transportation arround campus and off campus. My question is, what sort of suggestions do you have on purchasing, maintaining, and general motorcycle stuff. I have a lust for sport bikes (Suzuki GSXR 1000) but i think that a 1000cc bike is WAY too much for a beginner to handle. What's a good size? 600cc? 750cc?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">MOPED!!!!!!!!!!! <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />
04-16-2003, 11:55 PM
#36
Instructor
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My 2 cents,
Go with something along the 500 range. The 600's are really really fast nowdays. I mean come on. Around 160 mph or faster for the newer 600's is nuts. I learned on an intercepter 500. In my opinion, look for something cheap. You are gonna tip it over sometime. It's almost a given. The newer style sportbike will set you back some cash getting it fixed.
The 500's will be plenty fast. My intercepter pulled to 110 with a passenger ( only did that once ). I have also had a 600 Hurricane ( I still kick my self in the butt for selling it, a truely great handling, comfortable, and fast bike ) and currently have a Hurricane 1000. Notice the Honda bias
Anyways, the smaller bikes are still gonna give you plenty of fun and not hit you in the wallet. Get a bigger one when you feel comfortable with them. I would probably not be here today if I learned on my 600. A great bike, but I still did not know how to ride well enough to handle it without the 2 years of close calls I had with my 500.
Good luck in your choice and whatever you do...
BE CAREFULL. You might slide a little bit in a car on the gravle patch in the intersection, on a bike you will be pulling rocks out of your legs, arms, back... If you are lucky.
Go with something along the 500 range. The 600's are really really fast nowdays. I mean come on. Around 160 mph or faster for the newer 600's is nuts. I learned on an intercepter 500. In my opinion, look for something cheap. You are gonna tip it over sometime. It's almost a given. The newer style sportbike will set you back some cash getting it fixed.
The 500's will be plenty fast. My intercepter pulled to 110 with a passenger ( only did that once ). I have also had a 600 Hurricane ( I still kick my self in the butt for selling it, a truely great handling, comfortable, and fast bike ) and currently have a Hurricane 1000. Notice the Honda bias
Anyways, the smaller bikes are still gonna give you plenty of fun and not hit you in the wallet. Get a bigger one when you feel comfortable with them. I would probably not be here today if I learned on my 600. A great bike, but I still did not know how to ride well enough to handle it without the 2 years of close calls I had with my 500.
Good luck in your choice and whatever you do...
BE CAREFULL. You might slide a little bit in a car on the gravle patch in the intersection, on a bike you will be pulling rocks out of your legs, arms, back... If you are lucky.
04-17-2003, 01:17 AM
#37
Race Car
Get a 250 as a starter bike. It has nothing to do with the bike. I am lucky I am still alive today. The first 6 month of owning a first bike is when most people die. Learn the difference between riding a bike vs driving a car on the road first. I have logged over 100k miles on bikes (everything from gsxr 750-1100, the 6 cylinder honda cbx, ninja 250-1000, cbr 600-1000, etc from the time I owned a bike shop). I have been hit by cars, laid them down, slipped on oil, ridden in snow/patchy ice (with a pair of skis), and numerous other mishaps. You have to assume that you are invisible on the road or you will be down. There only 2 types of riders: those who gone down before and those about to. I have 2nd degrees burns from headers to show why not to get a kz750 as a first bike (I know, old bike, old man). You can always get your money back out of a bike 6 months later and if you laid it down it won't cost you as much since its a cheaper bike. Do not get a moped. You have all the dangers of a motorcycle and none of the power to get out of trouble. I rode one for 2 years when I was in high school and put 10k miles on one before I sold it. Trust me, you can't go wrong by being conservative when it comes to bikes. Take the safety classes, go with an experienced rider to a parking lot and learn how to perform emergency maneuvers like how to control the bike after locking up rear brakes and how to emergency stop. I wouldn't want to see someone get hurt riding a bike because I bought enough bikes for parts from people who die in accidents. Buy a good helmet, Leather metal studded gloves, and a thick leather jacket because everything else (including jeans) will peel off you when you are going against asphalt. Start small and move up with experiencel.
04-17-2003, 01:24 AM
#38
Race Car
By the way, did I mention the broken clavicle (water), wrist (mechanical malfunction of the anti dive unit), and 48 stitches (tree)? Please consider a smaller bike first and not give in to temptation.
04-17-2003, 09:04 AM
#41
Burning Brakes
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13 years later Im still happy with my Honda 500 interceptor! Its fun ,its cheap to run,and its reliable.I still think it looks cool! and I still love the way my 944 na looks too!
04-17-2003, 10:56 AM
#42
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Paul C 944:
<strong>13 years later Im still happy with my Honda 500 interceptor! Its fun ,its cheap to run,and its reliable.I still think it looks cool! and I still love the way my 944 na looks too!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Hell yeah! I've seen a few people lay reference to this bike and it was the same thing I learned to ride on (survived the CB1100F for 2 years, then learned to ride on the VF500f). Even at 6'4", 220lbs (at the time) it was good for just me and could hold an indicated 125mph for extended peroids. The suspension on mine was SHOT so it acted like a bucking bronco in the corners and I had to learn how to ride smooth (made me a good novice racer). It had less power than all the other people I rode with, so I had to learn how to keep up the speed in the corners and not rely on point and shoot (nail the throttle in the straights).. again, made me a good novice racer. I did a **** poor job of maintaining that poor bike, and it made it to 45k miles with 30k of those being mine... it'd probably STILL be going if it weren't for a stupid mistake on my part. While I bought mine for $700 about 9 years ago, they seem to be well over the $1000 mark now (getting rare) ~ but certainly a great bike and started a v-4 addiction with me. I think my next bike (in the process of buying currently) will be a 96 VFR 750. 
Damn, didn't realize there were so many riders on this list.
<strong>13 years later Im still happy with my Honda 500 interceptor! Its fun ,its cheap to run,and its reliable.I still think it looks cool! and I still love the way my 944 na looks too!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Hell yeah! I've seen a few people lay reference to this bike and it was the same thing I learned to ride on (survived the CB1100F for 2 years, then learned to ride on the VF500f). Even at 6'4", 220lbs (at the time) it was good for just me and could hold an indicated 125mph for extended peroids. The suspension on mine was SHOT so it acted like a bucking bronco in the corners and I had to learn how to ride smooth (made me a good novice racer). It had less power than all the other people I rode with, so I had to learn how to keep up the speed in the corners and not rely on point and shoot (nail the throttle in the straights).. again, made me a good novice racer. I did a **** poor job of maintaining that poor bike, and it made it to 45k miles with 30k of those being mine... it'd probably STILL be going if it weren't for a stupid mistake on my part. While I bought mine for $700 about 9 years ago, they seem to be well over the $1000 mark now (getting rare) ~ but certainly a great bike and started a v-4 addiction with me.
I think my next bike (in the process of buying currently) will be a 96 VFR 750. Damn, didn't realize there were so many riders on this list.
04-17-2003, 11:45 AM
#43
Professor of Pending Projects
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Single M looking for F with legs...:
<strong>chicks dig mopeds</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Yeah! But they go crazy with the sport bikes... and they look much better when they sit on an sportbike... something to do with the angle of the seat
<strong>chicks dig mopeds</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Yeah! But they go crazy with the sport bikes... and they look much better when they sit on an sportbike... something to do with the angle of the seat
04-17-2003, 01:55 PM
#44
Three Wheelin'
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What $50 for MSF in georgia? Hell...i'm moving. LOL! It's $70 or so if you are under 21 in california and around $180 if you are over. It's required out here if you are under 21 so that's why there's a price difference.
And I also use Held gloves....can't be beat. Expensive and not the best looking gloves on the market...but they keep my fingers happy and thats what counts.
And I also use Held gloves....can't be beat. Expensive and not the best looking gloves on the market...but they keep my fingers happy and thats what counts.
04-17-2003, 03:38 PM
#45
Race Director
"13 years later Im still happy with my Honda 500 interceptor! Its fun ,its cheap to run,and its reliable.I still think it looks cool! and I still love the way my 944 na looks too!"
Me too! I've had mine for 15 years and it keeps on ticking (has take quite a few lickings though). Legoland's right in that the first several months are the most dangerous because you're still learning to deal with being invisible. I got hit within a month of owning my bike. Real eye-opener, flying through the air with the greatest of ease and all.
Now I've got a VFR-400RR for fun, the thing turns by telepathy! Gear-driven cams, 16,000rpm redline.. ahhhhhh....
Me too! I've had mine for 15 years and it keeps on ticking (has take quite a few lickings though). Legoland's right in that the first several months are the most dangerous because you're still learning to deal with being invisible. I got hit within a month of owning my bike. Real eye-opener, flying through the air with the greatest of ease and all.
Now I've got a VFR-400RR for fun, the thing turns by telepathy! Gear-driven cams, 16,000rpm redline.. ahhhhhh....