BS: Motocycle advise

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: robomatic
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 06:52 PM

Raptor:

I would buy a medium not a small bike. They are safer, more stable in the wind and rain, accelerate you out of trouble and are a lot closer to handling like the monster you think you want right now.

I started on my bike of choice, a 750cc BMW. It was solid but no Ninja, stable as a flat rock, and that probably saved my life when I was touring.

Plus bigger bikes have wider tires and that gives you better purchase on the roads.

Later on I bought a 125cc Honda and it was my already gained big bike experience which helped me to handle the skittery little thing.

Another recommendation- In my part of the world, automobiles didn't give you a lot of 'respect' even when they could see you. I learned to stay away from 'em. And that was before cell phones and texting.

I would either require at purchase or invest after purchase in some LOUD horns. That got me a minimum of respect in Massachusetts.

Good Luck. Have Fun. Keep the rubber side down.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: 3refs
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 04:59 PM

By the Harley, but put it up and grab yourself something small to learn on. Head for the bush and learn how to fall off! The best advise I could give you is consciously stay out of cars blind spots!

I've owned lots of bikes over the years. I learned to ride on a 1967 150 Suzuki, my brothers. Then he got a old Harley 45. Then we both owned a bunch more Harleys. I just got rid of my last bike, a 1979 Kawasaki 750 LTD, I traded a 1980 Trans Am for it(gave it to my son-in-law....and I do like him). Brother rides nothing but Beemers now. Vancouver will do that to you. His finest ride was a 1957 Vincent Black Shadow and if he owned it today, it would be worth about $100,000. One of the fastest bikes I've ever been on.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Mr Happy
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 04:55 PM

What's a motocycle?

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: vectis
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 04:36 PM

Don't buy a Harley, great in straight lines but killers in corners.
Start small and when you have the knack of knowing which way to twist the throttle in an emergency (the throttle works both ways principle) and only then, move on to a real bike.
THAT MEANS EUROPEAN if you want to make it round bends safely.

I had a Guzzi 850 tourer until my larger half wiped it out when a twat did a U turn in front of him.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 10:39 AM

Not sure if I fully agree about all small bikes being unstable while bigger ones are not - The principle is sound but when I moved from my 200cc Lambretta scooter to a chopped 650 triumph back in 1971 or 2 I noticed a distinct difference in stabilty - The Triumph would fall over, back-flip and skid at the drop of a hat! I think the weight, centre of gravity and general balance are more important. The engine size needs to be enough to puh it out of trouble but a modern 250 will out-perform any of my 70's bikes apart from, maybe, the Honda CB450.

As to all those urging a change of mind. Yes, OK, it's a bit more dangerous than walking down the street or cycling or roller skating. But with the right training and approach it is not considerably so. Stick to it, Raptor.

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: GUEST,hg
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 09:17 AM

Be sure and increase your life insurance. Your wife will need it.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: GUEST,erbert
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 08:47 AM

Is it true that in the UK at least, the current highest casualty rate
amongst learner and newly qualifed bikers
is affluent middle aged men indulging their mid life crisis with over powered
super bikes ?

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: GUEST,Joybringer
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 07:08 AM

Don´t go Harley unless you favour driving a tractor. They are a bone shaking noise box. Go either Honda or BMW, either will run forever in comfort and you get to keep your teeth fillings.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Zen
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 06:56 AM

P.S. I've ridden many types and sizes of bikes. Last three years I've been riding a Moto Guzzi 750 which I find a good balance of power and handling.

Zen

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Zen
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 06:54 AM

I have 42 years continuous bike riding... fortunately, so far, without any spills except once at 0 miles per hour when I forgot to remove my disc lock when setting off (yes, even experienced riders have their moments!).

Maxim: There are old riders and bold riders but no old, bold riders.

What Spaw said is good advice. Learn the basics about control and handling gently and on a bike that you can control easily (the limit here in the UK for a learner was 250cc when I started and my first two bikes were 250s). A 1200 Harley is something to respect and definitely not something to graduate to before you know the basics.

Around 8 out of 10 bike accidents are caused by other road users (sorry, didn't see the bike guv) so anticipating what other road users are going to do is a large part of the skill of riding. Good protection is also important (helmet, leathers or kevlar clothing, joint protection).

I don't agree with gnu that a bike is inherently unsafe. Like Spaw I've ridden a good half a million miles without any accident but good training, practice, bike sense and riding within your capabilities and limits is absolutely essential.

Zen

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Arnie
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 06:01 AM

When I passed my big bike test a decade ago, I bought a 900cc Diversion, but found it a bit top-heavy and not too easy to handle at low speeds. I swapped it for a 600cc Yamaha Fazer and this really is a great bike for novices and experienced riders alike. It has half-fairing so is ok on the M-ways but is also light and easy to handle around town or country roads. Bikes of 125cc & 250cc etc are very unstable when you turn round to look behind you (an important safety technique) as the whole bike tends to wobble. You are better off starting at 600cc which give a nice stable platform from which to observe the motoring world around you. I had to get rid of my bike due to ill-health and haven't yet replaced it yet - I really do miss it and never had a spill despite all the doomsayers.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Jun 10 - 04:41 AM

If you like the Harley or cruiser style but want a small bike to start with I don't think you can go far wrong with the HyoSung GV250EFI The finish is not the best apparantly but for the price it seems a good bike. I have my eye on the 650 Harley V-Rod lookalike. Motor Cycle News rate it as one of the best handling cruisers they have ever come across. The link I posted is the UK version but as HyoSung is Korean I guess you can get them in the states?

DeG
Everything from a Lambretta GT200 to a Triumph T110 Chopper
Last bike - Honda CV500 Custom - No room for one just at the moment and strictly a fair weather biker now :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: GUEST,appearance
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 11:27 PM

As my cousin (an ex-Hells Angels)says "if your smart, you'd get a Japanese bike. Better quality, more realiable and cheaper than a Harley"

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 10:28 PM

Tucson musicians just had a wonderful fundraising event for one who is now in the same chair as Christopher Reeves was, from a motorcycle crash (relatively low speed, in town). (C2 fracture, paraplegic, respirator required)

Stop and reconsider.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: GUEST,erbert
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 10:14 PM

When I worked in a hospital, most young male patients in the amputee ward
were motorcyclists.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Paul Burke
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 09:28 PM

Get a 125- maybe a BSA Bantam or lefthanded equivalent. Ride it round till it feels natural (three weeks or so). Then take it out in traffic, and repeat the process until you are absolutely in control.

Then get your big bike, remembering that it's like a small bike but can kill you and everyone else just as dead, perhaps even for the rest of your life.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 07:54 PM

Starting a on BIG Bike is NOT a good idea ! Though I started on a 650 twin BSA , but it DID have a sidecar so was at east a lot more stable than just two wheels !
Bear in mind that on two wheels you are the most vulnerable item on the road ! Susceptible to other Idiots AND dodgy road surfaces !

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: gnu
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 06:54 PM

Spaw... ``parking lot``

Yup. Parking lot. And, with my first bike, I used to go out at dawn and ride the streets when there was no traffic.

I actually did what I said not to do. I started on a fairly big bike.

But, the day I dumped that KH500 Kow on a curve at 115mph because of a bit of gravel from a side road, I thought `time to sell it`. Oh, it was pretty, according to my buds... me riding it with one hand on the handle bar and both feet on the oil tank and sparks flying. But, it wasn`t so pretty when I hit the grass. One of my two `Superman` moments on bikes.... I fly well but I don`t land nearly as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 06:16 PM

Half a million miles on bikes and my best advice is take it easy and learn how to ride. When I started there wasn't any licensing let alone training. Traffic accidents happen to all of us who ride but most serious injuries happen in the first year. That is when you are most likely to injure or kill yourself or somebody else.........

Yeah.....someone else. Not often thought about when you think of a motorcycle but my friend Denny lost his 9 year old son to a new motorcyclist who lost control.........

Find a good riders course and take it then spend some serious time in a parking lot getting down the coordination of the mechanics of starting and stopping.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 06:02 PM

A friend of MINE, who rode a Harley Sportster which was souped up and 'barely' street-legal and did things like jumping hills with it, was going home from work late one night. He stopped at a stop sign and a truck behind him didn't. He was 22.

Guess how MY advice goes.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: gnu
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 05:06 PM

Yup... small bike to start... get your license. And, the smaller the better.

Better yet, don't get a bike. They only have two wheels and they don't have shelter from the elements. They are inherently unsafe. The only way I would own one again is to save fuel running aboutst but that is dangerous... in many ways.

BTW... a 1200 Hog? Jaysus! Unless you are touring, that's way too much bike. If you wanna save fuel, get a wee car.

Oh... BTW... big Hog... not necessarily safe unless you have experience biking. A buddy of mine, on his first run, dumped a $22k Hog in a heavy wind passing a semi. Ya gotta have the experience no matter what the bike.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Amos
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 04:43 PM

Until you really get your motorcycle legs go for something on the order of 400cc. Learn the rhytm and the rhyme of the road on two wheels and how to deal with conditions. Besides, you don't want to take your first slide-out on a $20,000 bike... Seriously, work your skills up on a gradient and you'll be a lot safer.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 04:34 PM

Big bikes are not ideal for learning, Go for something lighter, you'll find it easier to balance, and manoueuvre.
Then when you get you bike licence, think about a bigger bike, you can always use your learner bike as a trade-in.

Subject: RE: BS: Motocycle advise
From: bobad
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 04:31 PM

I'd go for a Vespa if I were you.

Subject: BS: Motocycle advise
From: Raptor
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 04:26 PM

I just got a learners licence and I'm signed up for a riding course. I want to buy a Harley but have been told it's a bad choice for a first bike (1200 sportster) I've not acualy rode anything yet.
I do like the BMW F800ST?

Any thoughts?