How many of you guys have bikes?

[HLxDrummer]

How many of you have/had bikes? Do you feel like you were going to/are going to get killed every time you ride?

I have been entertaining the idea of getting a bike lately but I am mildly concerned about getting run over lol I am a pretty responsible driver and I am going to be taking the MSF course soon but I am mainly worried about debris on the road/pot holes and idiot drivers. If you drive defensively can you avoid most accidents?

I have never driven a motorcycle but I do have a road bicycle I have gone 35MPH on with inch wide tires (I would imagine a 400lb bike with wider tires has to be easier to control than a 15lb one with inch wide tires lol) and never had an issues but I obviously don't have as many miles on it as I would a motorcycle.

Also, are they pretty reliable? I have a very short amount of free time this summer and I can't afford to use it learning how to rebuild a carb/etc. I am looking at Kawasaki 500Rs (early 2000's).

Part of the reason I want one is because the nearest road course/autocross is about two hours from me now so it is going to be hard to get my car out and race this summer. Thought learning to ride a bike on the street might scratch that itch for me. Plus I am imagining I can resell next spring without too much of a loss if I want.

[Vantage]

I have an 05 R6, and to be honest I'm pretty damn nervous whenever I ride. I live in the middle of Savannah, GA and traffic is just awful. If I had a dollar for every time I've almost been hit, I'd being doing pretty well. That's not to say that I let that deter me however..I try to do the extra little things like not riding right next to a car on mutli-lane roads, especially in blind spots, and constantly trying to have a heightened awareness of the vehicles around me. Riding is definitely fun but it's real easy to have things go real bad in a hurry.

[wingnut]

Depends on many things, not the least of which is your comfort level...

I used to live an hour south of sacramento, and just plain old didnt enjoy the ride to work up and down I-5. The amount of idiots on the freeway is unbelievable, and the gusty winds when passing semis could get interesting. Then we moved east of sacramento, and i got to ride 2 lane backroads to work which turned into some of the best riding i have had in years. Currently, i live about 7 miles from work and this commute is proving too short to get to enjoy it much :lol:

[HLxDrummer]

Well I will mostly be riding for fun and probably won't be on the highway much and won't chose to ride during heavy traffic hours. I also live in a college town that will be relatively empty this summer so thought it might be a good time to learn.

I figure my getting to chose when/where to go will help..

Also, any suggestions for riding gear? I can probably use an old helmet I have but I'll need a jacket/boots/gloves.. Can I get away with jeans?

I am hoping to buy a bike for around $1,500, pay ~$150 for insurance, and maybe a few hundred for gear. Just don't wanna spend too much on gear if I don't end up keeping a bike forever.

Last question, if I take the MSF course and then go buy a bike - you think I can ride it home safely or should I find somebody to bring it back? It will most likely be within the city so no highway or anything.

[Street_Chally73]

As long as you ride with the mentality that you're always looking out for the other drivers & anticipate their idiotic moves before they actually do them, you'll be fine.

Basically, just use your better judgment at stop signs & stop lights, always try to keep your potential lanes open as much as possible, & avoid bears as much as possible!!! (Says the guy who hit a medium-sized black bear on an old GS1100L) :suspect;

People are stupid, especially when it comes to driving these days, so just always be prepared to react...I've had an idiot blow a stop sign before, back up back through the intersection, & then make their turn. I am so glad I waited the extra fifteen seconds at the sign 'cause something just seemed off about this car...I certainly laid on the horn (not that a motorcycle's horn is exactly the loudest thing out there), but it didn't seem to bother these idiots one bit.


Sent from the garage

[wingnut]

Biggest thing i can give you for all that is the helmet...DO NOT cheap out and buy a 99 dollar wonder. Three reasons for this rule;


safety
comfort
and safety


...Stick with a rated helmet that fits good, is light and quiet. Buy a cheapo that fits poor and is noisy, and the value of a good helmet will make its presence known at hour 3 of a 4 hour ride. Personal faves are Shoei and Arai, but I do occasionally rock a good old Bell now and again.

[RealMcCoy]

Just look at every car on the road with you and ask yourself, " what's the most moronic thing that person could do to unknowingly try to kill me..?" When you have fully anticipated their next move, you are in a much better position to avoid it...

[nodoze]

Comfort level is.major , ease into it . Heck it took me a couple seasons to really be able to lean into corners to maintain..highway speed around them . Do it and be over cautious .
I have had.more than enough close calls due to.people blowing stop sigma or not watchin their mirrors . Ride a motorcycle and I bet you drive a car different afterwards
Second the gear , look as riding gear as literally investing in your life , if you feel you are only worth the bargain bin then.by all.mean buy a 99 dollar helmet but.my guess is no so put your trust in something you can rely on and get one from a good bike shop .

Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2

[B-Man]

My thoughts -

I learned on a Kawasaki Ninja 500r (which I'm currently trying to get rid of if you feel like travelling to MI). Good choice, IMO. Pretty light bike, never had to do any major maintenance (just tires).

Don't compare riding a bicycle to riding a motorcycle. They're completely different. You have to manage your weight, and the bikes weight much more.

You do have to ride like everyone is out to kill you. I've seen people blow intersections that would have hit me had I not waited the extra few seconds because I was attentive and notice they weren't slowing down. I ALWAYS watch people's mirrors to see if they're looking and NEVER ride in a blind spot. It's insane the number of times someone's attempted to merge into me.

ALWAYS wear your gear and get good gear. Cheaper helmets will be loud and uncomfortable. Make sure the helmet you're using does not block any of your peripheral vision. I wear just jeans when riding, but I've been trying to hunt down a good pair of over-pants. I also don't have riding specific boots, I just use some leather boots that cover my ankles (which is required for MSF, anyways).

The MSF class is fantastic and I recommend it to anyone wanting to ride, but I'm not sure picking up a bike right after and driving through the city is a good idea. The city would probably be worse than riding it one the highway where there are much fewer turns. If you understand counter-steering on a motorcycle, you'll be way ahead of all the others at the MSF class :p

[DocWalt]

Having taken the MSF class in PA... Get your permit and take the MSF class first before you decide if you want to ride a motorcycle on the street.

Take all of the warnings about people being nimrods and take them to heart. People suck, but you'll be a better car driver from your experiences.

Don't skimp on gear. I also don't have full gear, but I wear a great jacket and helmet. I also wear earplugs which isn't 100% legal in PA but I doubt you'd be given any crap unless you weren't paying enough attention.

The actual experience of riding is great, either just cruising or carving corners. You'll not be blown away with a car's acceleration anymore once you ride something above a 250cc, heh. I started on a 675, which was a bit silly. It's much better to approach the limits on something smaller with less tire for the same reason that driving a slow car fast is good for your skills.

[nodoze]

as far as my riding gear i have a nice jacket by castle that is made out of the ballistic nylon with plenty of air vents and a zip out liner Very worth the 175 bucks i paid , i dont like leather in the summer. Any my helmet was around 200 bucks at the yamaha dealership. i started on a
1.87 maxim 750 - great learner bike, had a slipping clutch so kept my power usage in line but would still pull a sweet wheelie in first and part of second and run down a wrx.
2. 93 gsx600 (katana) nice bike, handled decent , never quite got the carbs sorted.
3. 05 harley vrod - awesome bike, loads and loads of power, handled great, bad on your back and intown riding could be a bear.
4. 83 yamaha maxim - never really rode this one much because i bought it as a cafe project but had someone want to buy it after i cleaned it up and sorted it .
5. 71 triumph bonneville - will let you know :)

[KeithMac]

Ive been riding for 20 years and working on them full time for 15 years. The behaviour of car drivers and their awareness of other road users have got gradually worse over the years..

As for clothing, plan to fall off and work out what the best protection would be, not jeans..

[anyonebutme]

After my experience, my opinion is the "best defense is offense" when it comes to riding. Especially on freeways. Idiots can't hit what's not near them.

[Vantage]

Basically, just use your better judgment at stop signs & stop lights, always try to keep your potential lanes open as much as possible, & avoid bears as much as possible!!! (Says the guy who hit a medium-sized black bear on an old GS1100L) :suspect;


Holy crap, how'd that work out??

[wingnut]

If you understand counter-steering on a motorcycle, you'll be way ahead of all the others at the MSF class :p

oh yea, the long version would be gyroscopic precession...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty9QSiVC2g0

the short version would be; push right-go right, push left-go left...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqcRPv-rOi8

[DocWalt]

I like how your "short version" is a longer video :lo5l:

[B-Man]

It has more to do with suspension geometry and moving the contact patch out from under the center of the bike.

[HLxDrummer]

Hey guys thanks for all the info! I feel like I have a chance of surviving :) Hopefully the MSF goes well, I can't wait!

I read a little about countersteering and while I understand the "gyroscopic precession" from physics, I don't really get how that applies to counter steering. I'm sure I can figure that out in time though (or just learn to do it and not understand why, lol).

[IPD]

i vote for 650-700cc bike. small enough to be managable to learn on, big enough that you won't get bored with it after 5 minutes.

[RealMcCoy]

Despite all the physics involved, countersteer can be very crudely but accuratly described as intentionally highsideing yourself into your desired lean...

[HLxDrummer]

i vote for 650-700cc bike. small enough to be managable to learn on, big enough that you won't get bored with it after 5 minutes.

Ya I was/am considering the 250R but from the 1/4 mile times and youtube videos it looks SLOW. Wouldn't be bad for around town I guess but I would be worried about highway riding and getting out of people's way. Think the 500R would be decent? I've seen low 13's 1/4 mile which seems plenty fast.


Despite all the physics involved, countersteer can be very crudely but accuratly described as intentionally highsideing yourself into your desired lean...

Sounds pleasant, lol!


I got another question for you guys: My MSF course is scheduled for April 19th. If I wait until after that to get a bike am I screwing myself? I don't want to buy one before the course in case I hate riding (highly doubt it), but I am assuming availability of bikes is going to go down fast and prices will go up. It will be a hassle to get one now since I have to find someone to ride it/test drive it for me but if it is worth it I can do it.

[Snook]

hda a suzuki gs500f for my first. sold it looking to get a gsx750r or 1000r or r1.

[wingnut]

Depends on your background...an as mentioned, bicycles do NOT count.

Do you have any seat time on anything two-wheel motorized?!?

[HLxDrummer]

Other than a 49CC pocket bike, nothing two wheeled motorized!

[DocWalt]

Haha, heard about the pocketbike from Mark.

I'd do the MSF course first. I didn't, but I'm an idiot. :)

[RealMcCoy]

Ya I was/am considering the 250R but from the 1/4 mile times and youtube videos it looks SLOW. Wouldn't be bad for around town I guess but I would be worried about highway riding and getting out of people's way. Think the 500R would be decent? I've seen low 13's 1/4 mile which seems plenty fast.

I honestly think you'd be pretty happy with the little ninja 500 twin... I'm a big fan of literbikes myself, (even though I have little hope of ever being a good enough rider to use one to it's full capability) I love the torque and the straight line power. I currently have an 05 GSXR600, which I got simply because I was in the right place at the right time, and it was an opportunity to get another bike.

That being said, quite a few years back, a friend of mine bought one of those 500's, and promptly discovered the inconveniences of living out in the sticks with a bike as your only transpo... As it worked out, I had his bike more than he did and he was driving my truck. I rode the wheels off that thing, and it was a VERY fun little bike in town... It was geared low enough and had enough power you could easily carry the front wheel grabbing third, and it had the room up top to get well over 100mph. (I may or may not have established it's flat ground top speed at 128 mph...




Sounds pleasant, lol!

Not as unpleasant as it sounds... If it's done smoothly, it will take your average sportbike from an unrideable understeering pig, to an unbelievably nimble machine.

[wingnut]

Other than a 49CC pocket bike, nothing two wheeled motorized!

Then Larry has the right idea...the 500cc class is about as far as I would be willing to authorize my own devil spawn to ride, unless there was some serious dirt bike time previously ;)

[Street_Chally73]

Just one pointer for you before you take the course. If you're required to do a sequence of figure 8s within a specified area (square), you'll want to maintain a steady speed to be able to carve back & forth as your instructor expects to see.

I watched way too many others fail at that single maneuver because they panicked & would get on the throttle & off it too abruptly going into the next turn, which normally resulted in them powering the bike just outside of the box.

As for a starter bike, I would suggest keeping a cap at 600cc's or less. As IPD has mentioned, they can still be fun, yet are still small enough for you to be able to easily handle (balance-wise) & get a feel for.

Once you feel that your riding capabilities have improved, you can always list your current bike & start looking at the next class of bikes in the 750cc-up range.

One last thing to always remember while riding; keep your wrist low so should you ever go over a bump or anything else on the road (aka squirrels, damn little bastards) you won't accidentally blurp the throttle & end up propelling the bike into the ditch or the other lane.


Sent from the garage

[KeithMac]

hda a suzuki gs500f for my first. sold it looking to get a gsx750r or 1000r or r1.

If you have the money get youself a cross plane crank R1 (big bang engine), it's the only thing I've ridden for a.long time thats got the wow factor..

Low down grunt of a v-twin and revs to the moon, best of both worlds, you can whack the throttle open from 2000 revs and it just goes. Sound great with a set of aftermarket cans on too.

Don't buy your next bike until you've test riden one.

[KeithMac]

Double post.

[nodoze]

get something small , dont get a 600cc sport bike for the first one , 600's are small enough for a beginner but big enough the user can find themselves in over their head fast, get an older cruiser for their low purchase price and they resell very easy and a 750 on an old cruiser is less powerfull than a 600 on a newer sport bike so you wont get into as much trouble. and the older cruisers dont require a beginner to know how to lean into a corner real well to get around as a sport bike requires soem mroe leaning and harder to manuever intown. and TAKE THE CLASS FIRST

[Goallie11]

I started off on an 88 Ninja 500 and I highly recommend people to start with 500's. 250's are just too small for any enjoyment once you learn to ride and 600's are too powerful for typical beginners. For your price range you'll be looking at a bunch of old bikes like my 88.

[B-Man]

I started off on an 88 Ninja 500 and I highly recommend people to start with 500's. 250's are just too small for any enjoyment once you learn to ride and 600's are too powerful for typical beginners. For your price range you'll be looking at a bunch of old bikes like my 88.

You can get plenty of '00 or newer bikes for under $2k

[Goallie11]

It was 6 years ago when I last looked for smaller bikes so that's probably true

[IPD]

I started off on an 88 Ninja 500 and I highly recommend people to start with 500's. 250's are just too small for any enjoyment once you learn to ride and 600's are too powerful for typical beginners. For your price range you'll be looking at a bunch of old bikes like my 88.

crusiers are not the same as crotch-rockets. if you were referring to crotch-rockets, then yes, i agree. for a crusier, 750 is fine, imho.

[Goallie11]

crusiers are not the same as crotch-rockets. if you were referring to crotch-rockets, then yes, i agree. for a crusier, 750 is fine, imho.

I was, and I agree with you, totally depends on if you're getting a crotch rocket or cruiser as to what size is appropriate.

[UTRacerX9]

Some good advice in this thread, but something is definitely missing here.

You will go down I repeat, you WILL go down. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when. That being said, it should also be a factor in deciding what kind of bike to get.

For a beginner, I HIGHLY recommend an older 600cc Suzuki Katana. They made them for over a decade with hardly any changes, parts are plentiful, and if you crash it, it can be easily and cheaply fixed. It's also a heavy bike, it's the same physical size as the Katana 750, but with less power. Modern 500cc bikes are just about as fast as the 600 Katana, so it's not something to be scared of. I don't think you'd get bored of it as much as you might with a 500 class bike.

At a minimum, wear a helmet. I always wore gloves as well, because in a low speed accident, it will protect your palms when you brace yourself to hit the pavement. A cheap textile jacket for the summer is cheap protection as well. As far as pants go, I normally wore jeans, but they really won't protect you much when you go sliding. I've got plenty of scars to prove it. I eventually bought a pair of riding jeans... they are reinforced jeans with leather inside at the knees and hips. Look just like regular jeans for the most part, but protect a ton better.

Hope this helps. :)

[thor'svr4]

ive been racing dirt-bikes for almost 15 years and would love to have a street bike, but ill never feel safe on them and to be honest i get bored on them. every day i see people texting while driving and generally not paying attention to the road or others around them. on the highway im scared to death of the drunk driver, the texting teen girl, and the guy whose falling asleep behind the wheel. a lot of my friends say they avoid highways but i dont feel any safer on back roads since theres a lot of deer around here.

so i stick to the dirt and i can honestly say i have a lot more fun ripping through the woods and racing GNCC's/enduros than trusting my life to other drivers on the street. if your only looking for a hobby to keep you occupied i would find a friend with a dirt bike and go riding with them once. who knows you might like the dirt better. its amazing how much fun you can have when you dont have to worry other drivers on the street taking you out, plus off-road theres no speed limits, cops or rules in general. hell i cant even do a small power-wheelie on my buddies R6 without worrying that a cop may have seen my 'reckless' act. to me, riding a sport bike on the street is like driving an F1 car and being told not to take it above 65mph... ever.

thats just my $0.02 though and im not trying to bash on street bike riders. i just personally dont feel like the 'fun/risk' ratio of street riding is high enough for me to enjoy it.

that being said theres a lot of good info in this thread. good gear is a must. riding with a bunch of people can help make the ride more enjoyable and also a little safer. you can start on any bike you want as long as your responsible, but i feel like people who start on smaller bikes generally become better riders than those who jump straight to the liter bikes and scare themselves.

whatever you do with bikes just remember to be safe and have fun!!!

[RealMcCoy]

I've been lucky... I've never been down hard on the street. Several times I 'thought' I was going to die, but somehow managed to come out of it... One time on my old Honda, I flew over a RR crossing, and induced the bars slapping the tank speed wobble/head shake at 50 mph... Still not sure how I stayed on top of that one, probably only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed like hours while riding it out...

I have not been so lucky on my dirt bike though... Taken some nasty spills on that. Some of them I miraculously was not seriously hurt, but I have managed to rack up a broken leg, a torn up knee, some back injuries, and one very long hour of a doc pulling gravel out of my back with tweezers...

So yes... Protective gear is very nice to have. Seems like every time you go down, you find something else you wish you'd been wearing...

[HLxDrummer]

Great info in here guys I really appreciate it!

[jbuhrman]

I rode everyday in san diego to and from work.

I started on a 01 SV650 which I think is a great learner bike as it is tourqy but anything faster then about 70MPH and it was a turd LOL. And it is a favorite of alot of track riders.

I was able to switch over to a 2012 GSXR750 last year and it was alittle new to re-learn a sport bike vs the V-twin of the SV.

Best advice is to sit on a few bikes and see what is combfy for you. Last thing you want is a bike that pinches the man hood against the tank or something. And do the MSF courses.

[FeaRpb]

Here is my bike

http://www.streetlowrider.com/shop/images/53599.jpg

[IPD]

$5 if you post a video of you doing a fire-hydrant decade on it, steven.

[FeaRpb]

LOLOL. That would be SOOOOOOOOOOO badass on that thing. Talk about flat land stylin

[Patryn]

I'm sure you will enjoy motorcycles. I got an Suzuki Katana 600cc for the wife one summer, and got myself a Yamaha R6 on a whim. Turns out we really enjoyed riding motorcycles, plus on good days it is a great gas saver when traveling to work or around town. About a month or so after getting the R6 I got myself a Yamaha R1, moved the wife up to the R6. Anyways, got to meet a lot of new people into riding motorcycles as well from doing weekend rides, some bike nights (one place you get free pizza if you show your motorcycle keys), and now into a little racing on oval tracks. Anyways, what was done on a whim turned out to be fun and enjoyable.

I think someone had mentioned earlier about a Suzuki Katana being a great bike for starters. It is heavy, but the thing about them is they have so many parts you can interchange. I think a 750cc engine will drop right in place of the 600cc with little modification, and I've read a few threads where a 1000cc was dropped in place with some modification. Anyways, its a good bike for the price, parts are readily available, and you can always up the power on them if you like it well enough. The 600cc we had was a decent little bike. Had enough power to get around and hang with traffic. Also, it is much more forgiving than the liter bikes.

[lawdogg]

My thoughts -

I learned on a Kawasaki Ninja 500r (which I'm currently trying to get rid of if you feel like travelling to MI). Good choice, IMO. Pretty light bike, never had to do any major maintenance (just tires).

I learned on a 500R too and +1 to everything else!

[j2k4]

ive been racing dirt-bikes for almost 15 years and would love to have a street bike, but ill never feel safe on them and to be honest i get bored on them. every day i see people texting while driving and generally not paying attention to the road or others around them. on the highway im scared to death of the drunk driver, the texting teen girl, and the guy whose falling asleep behind the wheel. a lot of my friends say they avoid highways but i dont feel any safer on back roads since theres a lot of deer around here.

so i stick to the dirt and i can honestly say i have a lot more fun ripping through the woods and racing GNCC's/enduros than trusting my life to other drivers on the street. if your only looking for a hobby to keep you occupied i would find a friend with a dirt bike and go riding with them once. who knows you might like the dirt better. its amazing how much fun you can have when you dont have to worry other drivers on the street taking you out, plus off-road theres no speed limits, cops or rules in general. hell i cant even do a small power-wheelie on my buddies R6 without worrying that a cop may have seen my 'reckless' act. to me, riding a sport bike on the street is like driving an F1 car and being told not to take it above 65mph... ever.

thats just my $0.02 though and im not trying to bash on street bike riders. i just personally dont feel like the 'fun/risk' ratio of street riding is high enough for me to enjoy it.

that being said theres a lot of good info in this thread. good gear is a must. riding with a bunch of people can help make the ride more enjoyable and also a little safer. you can start on any bike you want as long as your responsible, but i feel like people who start on smaller bikes generally become better riders than those who jump straight to the liter bikes and scare themselves.

whatever you do with bikes just remember to be safe and have fun!!!

I spent lots of time in the dirt before I went to a street bike, and I would recommend a good dose of it before hitting the pavement - you will learn the basics of throwing a bike around in less-than-optimum conditions, traction-wise, and, as someone already mentioned, you WILL dump it - this isn't a bad thing - hopefully you will learn about high-siding, sliding, tank-slappers and all the other good stuff before you put your life in the hands of other drivers.

There are a ton of bikes that will do double-duty and give you the flavor of both dirt and pavement if you wish, and you might just find out you like that - but bottom line, I recommend learning how to ride off-road.

[wingnut]

ditto on the dirt...but understood if not possible, cause it kinda takes over your life :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN3BLNEjCJE

[j2k4]

I spent lots of time in the dirt before I went to a street bike, and I would recommend a good dose of it before hitting the pavement - you will learn the basics of throwing a bike around in less-than-optimum conditions, traction-wise, and, as someone already mentioned, you WILL dump it - this isn't a bad thing - hopefully you will learn about high-siding, sliding, tank-slappers and all the other good stuff before you put your life in the hands of other drivers.

There are a ton of bikes that will do double-duty and give you the flavor of both dirt and pavement if you wish, and you might just find out you like that - but bottom line, I recommend learning how to ride off-road.


ditto on the dirt...but understood if not possible, cause it kinda takes over your life :D

Yeah...sorry, didn't stop to think maybe it's not convenient where you are. :huh: