So I've always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle and a friend and I signed up to a motorcycle lessons class that gets us our license as well in early June.
I pretty much know I don't need, or will probably be able to handle, anything over 600cc so thats what I'm looking for. My future roommate is a honda fan and I think the friend I am taking the class with is as well. I'll probably go with a used bike and don't mind it being several years old, especially with it being my 1st bike.
I saw a 1998 Honda CBR F3 on Craigslist for $2500 which seems decent so I asked the guy for the pics.
I just want something that's not going to take off from underneath me and be comfortable enough to ride 20-30 min to work everyday and possibly 530 miles home to show my parents how stupid I am.
your best bet is to visit a dealer and sit on a few and get an idea of what is comfortable for you.at least feeling wise. i did that and ended up with a yamaha
vx1600 roadstar which is a pretty good sized bike but it is comfy and not hard to handle for me and im only 5'6" and 185lb's.
make sure that when you put your feet on the pegs you dont feel cramped and you can reach everything easily.
onry
I may have to do that but I'm not going to be getting a roadster though, someday. I figured I better get a sport bike while I'm daring enough to do so.
I have been considering a motor bike also, one for the gas and milage and the pure enjoyment - I'm ready for one now that I'm older - I was way too reckless when younger
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When you gut the creation myths, haven't you gutted the very foundation upon which many religions are built? Much of xinanity dogma and creeds were constructed based on the myths being true. With such a vaporous foundation, the whole edifice should crumble.
"Five senses; an incurably abstract intellect; a haphazardly selective memory; a set of preconceptions and assumptions so numerous that I can never examine more than a minority of them-never become conscious of them all.
How much of total reality can such an apparatus let through?"
There are many things to consider. I started riding dirt bikes somewhere around 6 y/o and worked up to riding a fairly large Honda 500 V-twin in high school. Back in 1986 I bought the bike I still have today.
As suggested above, your size is a factor. Your strength is also a factor. You don't want a bike that you do not feel comfortable controlling. I personally would never have a bike that I couldn't lift off its side. Even if you never dump it, there's always the chance it gets knocked on its side by everything from fools trying to park to soft ground not supporting the stand.
If you want a crotch-rocket, be prepared for the insurance rates.
As a learner bike, I'd look for an 80's era in the 500 cc range. There are lots out there with low miles that are mechanically basic (read: fairly reliable). If you dump it you won't feel so bad and it'll be cheaper to buy and insure.
Any bike worth its salt in the 600 cc range on up is capable of hurting a fool or an inexperienced rider with suprising ease.
Don't push beyond your experience on the road. Test your limits in controlled circumstances. Always wear a skid-lid (helmet) unless you want to be an organ donor.
FWIW, I had a great dane walk up out of a country ditch in a 55 zone back when I had that V-twin. The dog weighed more than I did at the time. I was coming home from a softball game, wearing sweats, a t-shirt, sitting on my ball and bat. I also had on a helmet. I walked away from dumping the bike at ~55 mph with scattered carpet burn-type stuff. I was definitely lucky, there is no question, but my helmet was also trashed. You can be the safest guy on the road, but will never have control over other drivers or mother nature.
Absolute words of wisdom there. Especially the part about 600 cc being capable of hurting you with ease. Modern 600 cc bikes have an incredible amount of power for their size and weight.
^^Yeah, even my old bike only tips the scales at ~540 pounds and has over 110 hp. It's lineage was the first production bike to crack the 11 second mark in the 1/4 mile, IIRC.
Here's a neat summary of the family. Mine is an '86 red as shown in some of the photos. Tack on a full fairing and a crash bar, replace the front fender with chrome, and voila, my bike.
im kinda in the same boat. im a veteran of atv's and the like but never ridden a motorcycle and im wanting one really bad. i just finished my college degree got a job and im starting to look for a new ride. ive wanted a sport bike for the longest time, but damned if the practical side of me doesn't say i should probably get another car instead.
pros of a sport bike for me
cheaper than a car (probably buy an older model anyway so much much cheaper than a car i would get)
better mileage
would be great for basic transportation around town and to work in fair weather.
works no more than 15 minutes away for me.
fun
Cons
insurance
would pretty much mean giving up getting a new car for another year.
can only be driven in fair weather
far more risky to drive.
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i won't be getting anything or making definite decisions till this fall.
common sense is telling me a new car first and formost and maybe the bike a year or two down the road.
yet everything else is screaming for the bike haha.
To be perfectly honest. You could learn how to ride on any bike provided you have common sense. Just because it will pull the front wheel up in the first 5 gears doesnt mean you have to.
That being said, i would recomend a Suzuki sv650s. I have this bike with the full fairings. Theres really no suprises when you give it throttle, no sudden bust like alot of 600 inline 4 bikes have when you start getting higher in the rev range. It pulls hard and smooth right up to the redline. Dont get me wrong though its by no means slow. If you want to wheelie it will stand up very easy in first and with a little clutch it will in second too. It handles very well, and is fairly light even for a sport bike.
And dont listin to what alot of people with 600's and such say about vtwins. Inline 4's are great when your wanting to go 160+. But if your going thru some twisties or cutting thru traffic, the torque of the vtwin is a beautiful thing to have.
I use mine as a daily driver now with gas prices getting as high as they are. It can get a little uncomfortable if your riding for a couple hours, but its going to be that way with any sportbike.
Good luck on making your decision, riding is alot of fun. Just make sure you get some decent gear to go along with that bike. Remember falling off your bicycle at 5 or 10 mph. Imagine that at 70.
*edit here a pic of my sv650s, its a tad bit dirty in this pic.
So I've always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle and a friend and I signed up to a motorcycle lessons class that gets us our license as well in early June.
>yeah but was it an MSF course? There are motorcycle safety courses and then
there are MSF courses. MSF courses rule
>when you ride, in order to stay alive and inury free, ride like every car is out to get you
>it's not a matter if you'll fall down, but when. Once it happens, breathe a sigh of
relief that you got your first dump out of the way
>regarding safety: network with other riders on the Internet (find a good bikers discussion forum),
get a great book and read it three times, and take an MSF course when you first start out and then
take it again a year later. Doing all of that will help you keep both wheels on the ground and your body
in one piece
>i recommend Craiglist's motorcycle forum. They have no moderators there which means no one
will screw with you for no valid reason. Plus they don't have any of the annoying type ads that blink, move, flash, ect.
>learn all you can about countersteering. The inability to countersteer is what causes a large percentage
(maybe a majority) of wipe outs. Become a countersteering expert slash rocket scientist
>not sure if I'm allowed to post all these links but I'll do it in order to help a fellow rider from
landing up in a hospital or the morgue
My bike is a 2004 Honda VTX1300. If you want to ride a cruiser, start off with a cruiser. The difference between a sportie and a cruiser is the difference between a Corvette and a Dodge Ram with 6" lift and 4-wheel drive. HUGE.
Some things I wish someone had told me but didn't. Not even in the MSF course I took back in 1989.
1. Painted lines on the road are slippery as hell dry, but like ice when wet. Be careful going over them fast or slow.
2. Sand in the road is like trying to do a handstand on a floor with marbles all over it. You're gonna get hurt.
3. Gravel. See #2.
4. The shiny side goes up.
5. Don't park on hot asphalt. You will come back to a bike with the kickstand still extended, laying on its side, and a 3" deep hole in the asphalt where it used to be.
6. Bugs at 10 MPH sting. At 60, they hurt like hell. At 90+, they can knock you off your bike. Read up on the laws of physics.
7. Never let your common sense be squelched by a wrist full of stupidity. Stupidity has a funny way of not showing up to the hospital to visit you.
Like said above, drive like every single car is out to get you with a vengeance and NEVER assume ANYONE sees you. Not even other riders.
As was already stated, I would advise you NOT to start on a 600cc sportbike (GSX-R 600, CBR 600RR, R6, ZX-6R). Granted the first bike I ever rode was a GSX-R 750, I actually learned and got my license on an old Kawasaki KZ305. It was small, slow and easy to ride and was a breeze to take my test on. It's hard enough learning how to use the clutch, the throttle, the shifter, the front handbrake and the rear foot brake using both hands and feet while at the same time keeping the bike balanced to start, stop and leaning into turns.
If you MUST have a sportbike as a starter, I have to agree with the Suzuki SV650 recommendation. It's a bit more tame than the GSXR 600 with a slightly less aggressive riding position, but it's still quick as hell, faster than most cars on the road.
I've been riding just over a year myself, so after I sold the crappy Kawi I bought this...1998 GSX-R 600 SRAD (carb'd). I think next year I'm going to sell this bike and buy a new CBR 600RR only because I want something more comfortable than the gixxers.
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