The Motorcycle Thread

Discussion in 'Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Airplanes Talk' started by OJneg, Feb 12, 2016.

  1. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I'm looking into getting a bike and learning how to ride, and I could use some down to earth information from my favorite Internet cult.

    Go crazy.
     
  2. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    What kind of bike's are you interested in? I'm a former sport bike rider that has converted to Harley's ( I don't mind that I can no longer hit warp speed)...lol

    The easiest bike to learn on would be a dirt bike or supermoto. No big deal if you drop it, low cost, and the suspension is plush and forgiving (in case you meet a curb).
     
  3. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    So long as I can commute in it, then yeah, it's on my list. I also see relatively inexpensive streetbikes (?) like Hondas/Yamahas/Kawasaki's in my area used.
     
  4. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    The smaller street bikes like the CBR 250/300 are good around town, but if there is a remote chance you will go on the freeway, get something bigger. The motor will need to be rung right out to keep up on the freeway/interstate, and they will get blown around by big trucks and 18 wheelers (even bigger bikes will too). Not the place you want to be learning to ride on a smaller bike.
     
  5. MrTie

    MrTie Friend

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    Much like the answer to every car question is Miata, the answer to every bike question is SV650. Sensible ergos, predictable power-band, perfect power level for a road bike, perfect bike to learn on, cheap as chips, static used value that seems to not move, own for a couple of seasons and sell it on for little depreciation, or just enjoy it for what it is, a great all around no frills motorcycle.
     
  6. Bigferret

    Bigferret Friend

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    YES, YES, YES to the SV650. I had that bike for several years and still regret selling it. It's fun, reasonably fast (but very controllable) and is an all-around great starter bike. With that in mind, however, I highly recommend taking a motorcycle skills class before making any kind of decision. The class will give you hands-on experience and will also help your insurance rates when you pass.

    Bikes are the best. I love cars, but absolutely nothing compares to jumping on a bike and simply going for a ride. Good luck!
     
  7. MrTie

    MrTie Friend

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    +1 for MSF Course.
     
  8. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    So no previous contact with motorcycles?
    First of I'd stay away from anything below 250 cm3 in street bikes, too weak or hard to handle up top.
    Then I suggest some R2 like Suzuki GS500 or Kawasaki ER-5 or similar. These are super easy for beginners and not too weak from engines. Low center of gravity, hard to do wheele and lightweight. These are small though, a big guy would look funny on those.

    SV650 is pretty serious. But the V2 should be reasonably soft and forgiving.

    Big 1 cilinder supermoto/enduro not recommended for beginner, too much wild torque down low.

    Street bikes: go for 1000 before 600 for better control and ultimately safer ride. Again not really recommended for newbs.
    On street well controllable power over weak engine every time for safety.
     
  9. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    Buy it used.
    Yer gunna drop it sooner or later.

    Get good protective gear, helmet, boots, jacket, pants and gloves.
    Road rash is no fun.

    Get something that is relatively light and nimble with good brakes, but NOT a road rocket as your first bike.
    An off road bike that is street legal is a MUCH better 1st bike than even a 250 street racer.

    Take the MSF class, and take your license rider test (if need be) on YOUR bike, the one you are used to.

    Assume that cage drivers will NOT see you, even if they look right at you, before they pull out in front of you.

    Learn to NOT tighten up your wrists and elbows, keep them 'loose'.

    Practice, in a safe area (BIG parking lot) panic braking and quick avoidance turns.
    Learn counter steering, practice getting as close to a marker and then steering away from it, preferably in the direction you choose.

    This should be enough to get you started…

    JJ|\/|
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2016
  10. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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    [​IMG]
    Take a look at a lightly used or new leftover Honda NC700x with DCT/ABS.
     
  11. LauriCular

    LauriCular Acquaintance

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    I got a 125 supermoto a few years ago and learnt on it, did tests etc. and I still have it! I get to work and back for buttons (>100mpg) but then no high speeds are required. It would struggle on the motorways (freeways) here in the UK. If you can get a bigger bike straight away and do your tests on that then that's fine, they're easier to ride with a lower centre of gravity. However being on a smaller bike has taught me a lot about handling and control which is good knowledge to have.

    Definitely wear all the gear, always. And a good dose of paranoia is very healthy - react to what might happen, don't wait for it to materialise. Be aware of when other traffic can't see you, and when a cager looks straight at you at a junction, it doesn't necessarily mean that they've seen you.
     
  12. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,

    dress for the fall, not for the ride.

    always carry some sort of rainsuit, always!

    80% of the cagers don't see you.

    5% will smile and wish they were out there too.

    the other 15% are aiming for you.
     
  13. Tyll Hertsens

    Tyll Hertsens Grandpappy of the hobby - Special Friend

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    All very good advice so far.

    I'll emphasize though, be afraid. Riding a bike is a no shit dangerous situation. You need to stare that in the face and know you've got this shit in hand. It takes a certain fighter pilot mind set where you have strong confidence in the face of danger. You need to know you're on top of it, and you need to know that because you really are. That's why the MSF course and suiting up in protective gear is important. They're part of the ritual that you do to know you're properly prepared and the only thing left to chance is your skill and awareness as a rider.

    The cagers are out to get you. If you ride a bike, you will experience someone blindly pulling out right in front of you. You will experience someone moving into your lane at speed forcing you onto the shoulder or breaking or accelerating out of the way. And more importantly, you need to be in a place of situational awareness where you're continuously predicting how vehicles around you may f**k up your day.

    Again, not everyone, hell, most people really shouldn't be out there on a bike. I takes a certain psychology. If you don't have it, you'll either be in continuous panic and have a shitty time or make mistakes, or you'll be blissfully unaware until you T-bone the idiot that turned left right in front of you. Even if you do have the "right stuff" and hundreds of thousands of miles on a bike, you can still be found on roadside dead. I had a friend who was an accomplished rider that is no more because a soccer mom turned left right in front of him.

    If this scares you, it should. If you're uncertain of your ability to master carving corners three feet from a guard rail that will kill you if you touch it, then DON'T do it. If you're not made for it, there's no shame in not making the attempt. I helped a lady sell her Harley because she knew after a few rides that she'd end up tangled in the trees.

    But if you read these words and say, "I get it, murdercycles are dangerous, but I want master this low-level flight. I want to soar. I want to smell the smells; feel the temperature change as I dip into the valley; I want to bob and weave through the Sand Hills of Nebraska and chase trains. I'll take the risk because I want to feel the life on this exciting edge," then do it. It's about the most thrilling thing I know.



    Just a side-note here: Last year I was riding with a buddy Paul on the way to the Magruder Corridor; he's a way better rider than I on the road. Paul was in front of me on his '86 BMW R80 G/S---the classic desert racer of Dakar fame---I was riding my old KLR. It's 10:30 AM on a bluebird beautiful day; we're traveling at a sedate 50 MPH with me 100 feet behind him. The start of a lovely day riding. All of a sudden I see a large, 6-point buck jump out of the ditch to Paul's left; take two strides right f'ing next to him; and then basically tackle Paul. It was so fast the only clear picture I have in my head is Paul's head and shoulders silhouetted against the rib cage of the deer as it jumped over Paul's bike.

    Paul spent the next week in hospital with a broken collar bone; three broken ribs; and a punctured lung. Months later he had to have surgery to re-set his shoulder. He got off easy.

    tl;dr?

    Don't f**k around with motorcycles unless you can't live without f'ing around with motorcycles.

    I can't live without them.


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    Keep the rubber side down, mate.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Tyll has great advice. Be sure to ask yourself if you want to put your life in the hands of LA / OC area drivers.
     
  15. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I used to ride but I will echo that other people are scary as hell. I've seen MORE than one person plow through a motorcyclist at a red light in san jose and I can only imagine other places are much worse.
     
  16. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    ahahaah... Motorcycle riders myself. did some roadtrips, training on tracks, some roadracing as well. I broke myself collarbone, knee, foot and some ribs as well. I stopped for now ( for the peace of mind of my wife mostly.. she knows how I can be crazy with bikes) but I miss motorcycles.... I'll probably buy a monocylinder trail sooner or later...

    For a first bike : buy cheap and used with not much horsepowers.. choose a bike for which you can find cheap used parts.. you'll fall. soon or late, you'll fall hence the need of cheap parts to repair the bike. I falled for the first time 6 month after the day I won the right to driver freely on the road and I don't count how many times I fell since...

    old and good times i enjoyed a lot :

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  17. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    Thanks Tyll. Hope to see you post more in this thread :)
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Streaks of blood leading to bodies under yellow tarp in the middle of intersections and in highway merge-in lanes of El Lay are not exactly uncommon occurrences during my rush hour commutes. Mostly it's the fault of the inexperienced squids (dudes with helmets, but exposed dangling limbs without protection); but even the most experienced riders cannot control what others do, especially illegal aliens or Calabasas/OC teenagers packed four into a car and being super distracted. Like Ravi, I used to ride (later years of college and when I got out). I pretty much said f**k it after realizing cars do not see you in left turns and people love to tailgate you. Like others have said, there is a 100% chance you will dump your bike (not necessarily because you suck, but weird things happen.) You'll have to do a risk assessment of the likelihood of the bad things that could happen and the consequences (death, professor X, darth vader, etc.) Heck, I even stopped single track and downhill mountain biking. I like doing it, but as Tyll said, if it's something you don't have to, don't.
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2016
  19. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    OK Dad :rolleyes:
     
  20. Bigferret

    Bigferret Friend

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    Toll's post is absolutely right on. Awesome pictures too! More please........
     

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