I've been considering getting a bike lately. In a year or so, I'm probably going to give the MINI to the fiance and I'll need a mode of transportation. We also have a '98 Altima that I hate to drive. I didn't realize that boats were used as prototypes for the handling for that car. Anyways, I'm thinking we can keep both cars and get a bike, using the car on rainy days or I can buy a used car, thinking a high-mileage S2000 or E30 M3 for around $15k - $20k, to replace the sorry excuse for a car. I really want to get a bike for a daily ride, but I'm not sure if I should since it seems quite dangerous. I mean, I hope that I'll be sensible on the bike, but I've never ridden a bike and I don't know if it's be possible to be sensible.

I'm sure I'll wear at least a jacket and helmet, pants if I could wear slacks/khakis under or whatever. Unfortunately my work requires me to wear a button-up shirt and I rarely have to wear a tire or suit, only on visits to CEOs. I'm thinking of getting a used GS500e, SV400/650 or a Honda 599. I want something cheap that I won't worry if I lay down. Oh yeah, how much is insurance?

I'm looking for recommendations for bikes and opinions whether I should get a bike and why, specifically from people that have or had bikes, not people that have just ruled out bikes as the most dangerous things in the world and blah blah blah. I have parents and I don't need more.

 

Try to find a riding school in your area that supplies the motorcycle and take a class. I think that would answer most of your questions and it would prepare you if you decided to purchase a motorcycle.

 

1972 honda cb750

 

Matt: Doc, how many pieces did the bones in my leg break into?
Doc: Well, that's hard to answer. About 4 or five big ones. About 8 or so big enough to use for the bone grafts. Too many to count if you include the little ones.

Needless to say, I'm sticking with a convertable for the wind in hair (no bugs in teeth) and the Mini for hard top fun.

But parking a bike is really easy, and for the $2700 I paid for my bike, I gave every car I races a real run for it's money! (And I didn't even have that much of a performance bike!)

Matt

 

I like this one.

http://www.confederate.com/

 

It kinda depends on how old you are. Along about 40, people start to fall off of bikes a lot.

 

That's a lot of cash! It's $50k for the CHEAP one!

Matt

 

Now hold on a second!! ... I'm forty-one and have never had a mishap!!

Anyway - MINIotaple:

1.) do you currently have a motorcycle liscense? ...if not I urge you to enroll in a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. They'll start you right out at the beginning and help you build good skills and habits. Those skills and habits can help you have a long and enjoyable riding career - and not pick up bad habits or incorrect assumptions from friends or relatives.

2.) Start out on a bike no bigger than 600cc....prefferably a 'standard' -type bike and NOT a sportbike (that is, if you are even thinking of riding a sportbike). Believe me, when you first start riding a 'standard' is plenty fast. Once you've been riding for a year or so, you'll be able to enjoy a sport bike should you decide to ride a bike of that type... since you have a MINI I assume you like preformance.

3.) Don't buy cheap gear. If you got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet....if you got a $400 head, then... Also - wear leather. It's cheaper than skingrafts if you do happen to take a slide on the asphalt.

4.) Go for it - and have fun - and be safe!! I've been riding for 15 years and love it.

My ride's a '95 Triumph Daytona 1200cc.

- - m

 

How's traffic in Austin / Houston?

I was this close to buying an early '80s BMW R100RS last year (Pre-kids, I used to ride a '76 R90/6), but I couldn't get past the thought of dealing with the local traffic mess. Tourist city undergoing rapid expansion with little crosses popping up like daisies all along my route to work. Phooey. So, to appease the one-with-nature-high-speed-thrills urge, I bought a catamaran instead.

http://www.histos.nl/catsailing/movi...-f18-movie.wmv

 

but I'm done..... I broke my neck almost 3 years ago in a mt. bike wreck doing about 12 mph....... paralyzed for about 20 minutes..... saw my life flash...the whole 9 yds..... I was very lucky...... sold the Harley soon ater recovery thinking I did not need the trauma...... I have had a MC lic since I was 16...... gravel, SUVs, busses, hell a honda civic or a dog, deer etc can really mess up your day...... I used to love to ride but there are no places to fall into the hay bales on the street.....to say nothing of all the small crosses w flowers I see in the N GA mts and on the way to the Dragon....... bikes are fun......and like I said,... I love bikes.....but..... I'm done....good luck with your choice

ps... I'm still an avid Mt. Biker

 

get a carver trike

When you see it / you'll know why!

http://www.carver.nl

 

I don't have a license as of yet since I haven't really decided if I want to get a motorcycle or not. But if I do decide, I will definitely enroll in the MSF course as bikes are infinitely less forgiving than a car.

What's considered a sportbike? I like naked bikes and they're typically on the lower end of the power spectrum, around 50-60hp, which I'm sure is enough to kill myself. Should I be going lower than the ones I'm considering?

Don't intend on it, although bringing a change of clothes with me to work is going to suck a little.

Traffic is pretty bad. However, if I am getting a bike, I'll also be getting a place that won't be 5 minutes from my office.

Eh, not my thing. However, if peugeot ever makes their 3cup or VW makes their 3-wheeler car/bike, I'd get it.

 

How long did you ride for before you had your accident?

 

a girl with a licence just 28 days old (the licence, not the girl) pulled out of a fast food place without looking, right onto a major street (El Camino Real, three lanes each way, with center divider). That I could handle, and moved over a lane. But she compounded the issue by wanting to cross ALL THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC to get to a left turn lane to do a u turn. I used the back of her car as a ski jump. I don't know if I got my leg against her car, or when I landed on the street about 35 feet later!

Anyway, it was only 9 months in a wheel chair. But it's not just your skills that matter, it's the skills of every driver out there than can effect your drive you have to consider...

But I still have an occational dream about bikes. I sure miss the acceleration...

And I'd never had a self induced accident in all my riding.

Matt

 

I meant no harm. I love bikes, loved my old Triumph Tiger 650, but just as you'll notice there aren't many pro ball players over 40, you might want to be extra careful. You'll find, at some point, your eyes getting worse, your reflexes getting slower, and your balance getting goofier. You also heal slower. I'm glad you never had a mishap and I hope you never do, but I can't even think of getting on 2 wheels anymore. At some point, you have to give it up, sad as it may be. Fortunately, you can still drive a MINI!

But a young man, sure, go for it!

 

MINIotaple, all your answers will be in the MSF course. Take the course and you will decide from there if you will be riding or not. Don't think of the MSF course as an afterthought. Think of it as a necessity. If you are terrified in class on a closed track, you will be 10 times more terrified in traffic. If you can't coordinate between throttle, clutch and brake and or understand and perform countersteering you either need to take the course at least 1 more time or consider not riding.

I've been riding for 14 years in Honolulu traffic (makes L.A. traffic look fun) and I honestly have lost count the number of times the MSF basic and advanced course training has saved my A$$!

It's between $200 to $300 but it's a helluva lot cheaper than a $2000 hospital bill, or a $10,000 bike you longer wanna ride. The MSF will loan you the bike and helmet and all you have to bring is eye protection, jacket, boots and your butt in class.

 

If you go for it do consider getting a full Aerostich suit:
http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...p-1-c-248.html

They are not cheap but can really save your hide, great protection. You can pop it on over whatever you are wearing and be well protected, they also have refective areas for improved visibility. (Sometimes you can find good ones used too fwiw.)

PS: I know it may seem like overkill, but it is not pretty when people slide across pavement in jeans or whatnot.

 

Although excellent advice, what is the average temp in Houston in summer?

I'd look for some light weight abrasion stuff. Aerostitch is good 3 season stuff.

The important word is slide. Its not that they slide in jeans, its that they grab and you tumble.


I'd go with a good stardard bike that doesn't lift the front end easily. I have just the bike, a Kawasaki Zephyr 550. It looks like an old Honda nighthawk or honda's old CB550/750 type bike.


Paul

 

We currently have a Ultra Harley but started on a 450 Honda and then went through a variety of brands. I concur that buying a smaller bike, around the 600 size to start. Small enough to get used to, usually cheaper but still big enough to get out and do some semi-serious riding if/when you get to that point. Plus you don't want to buy an expensive bike to find out that riding isn't your thing.

Everyone had good ideas especially about the riding school. I rode about 29 years before I took the class (with my son) and besides having a ball with him, learned things that has helped.
I am currently selling my bike. Time has come to start another chapter and I'm sure I will really miss it. But as I told wife, we can always rent one. I've been on many trips, the longest being 4000 miles in 10 days, then the same summer wife and I rode aother 2500 pulling a small camper to MN, and the UP of MI. We have many memories that we will always cherish.
What ever you decide, remember it can be dangerous. As my brother (another rider) says, "ride like your invisible".
It is the best of times when you are riding. You are more intune with your surroundings. You find your self seeing things you've never seen before, roads you've travelled many times. You can smell the countryside, nothing better than smelling fresh cut grass, or smell corn in the fields as it ripens, you're neighbors cooking bacon in the morning.
Yes, I think I'll miss it.

 

I had a burgandy 650 and loved it! Not like the darth vadar crotch rockets, but not a blvd cruiser either. I was sad when they stopped production of it.

I started on the CM450, a nice light 2 cylinder. But it didn't last long, as it's too small for very long trips.....

You guys are bringing back memories, and getting me all teary eyed!



Matt

 

If your 5 minutes from your office, how about riding a bicycle? I used to ride 2 x a week to the office and I was 30 minutes away - bike time. I gave up on motorcycles after 3 of them. Still lust after them big time. Ducati any day of the week, but after nearly getting killed twice by the other people in cars and now kids no way. Anyways, I've been hit once on my bicycle and crashed 3 times, once with a broken collarbone. But I'm averaging about 4k a year on my bikes. Plus its good for the health.

 

Excellent! Yes, bikes are less forgiving...and offer no protection to you unlike a car. That's why it's so important to stay alert and be able to practice "SIPDE" - Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide and Execute. Now having said that, other variables will always be beyond your control such as road surface, other drivers etc. But that's all part of being aware of your surroundings and riding within your limits. Studies show that most new riders with less than 2 years riding experience fixate on a road hazard and many actually take no evasive action. Some don't even brake... they simply get the 'deer in the headlamps' syndrome and ride right into the hazard in front of them. That's why drilling yourself and practicing emergency braking (on a straight and deserted bit of road!! ) is so important. You get used to applying the brakes hard (both front AND rear) and learn your bikes braking limits, so that you don't lock up your tires.

By sportbike I mean any motorcycle that is more performance oriented rather than 'cruiser' oriented... Yes, there are definately sportbikes that are naked - like the Triumph Speed Triple or the 'oldschool' Yamaha VMax, for example. I basically mean don't go out and buy a Suzuki GSX-R750 or a Yamaha R-1 as your first bike. They will scare the crap out of you and might (uh, WILL) get you into trouble since they're designed for riders with a lot of experience. Plus, depending on your age they can be very expensive to ensure. A 50-60hp bike is a good choice for a first bike. And it will seem plenty fast and fun to start! ...My first bike was a '92 Yamaha Seca II 600, and man, it seemed reeeeally fast when I got it and it had 57 hp.

I actually have a three-point harness bag that I put a change of shoes and socks in (since I wear racing boots whenever I ride) along with a dress shirt and pants. It's not that big a deal really. But I guess everyone's different. Seems a small price to pay to be able to ride the bike out into a beautiful spring or summer morning to work. It's a great way to start the work day...the ride home is of course fun too. But you will have to get used to the 'roadwarrior' comments when you walk into work with your leather and carrying your helmet!!

You might want to take the scenic route to work then! ...the bike won't even get warmed up then. You'll just be beginning to enjoy yourself when the ride will be over.

 

Bicycles just aren't the same thing.... And you can get killed just as dead on a bicycle - or crossing the street for that matter if 'the other guy' isn't paying attention.

I dunno. It's all a metter of personal philosophy - do you lean forward or lean back in life? Personally - and I don't mean this to be inflammatory at all - I'd rather die leaning forward than die of a heart attack at age 70 in lean-back mode. I also scuba dive* and would never give that up either.

*note: scuba diving is statistically safer than bowling.

- - m

 

It's not nearly as sexy!

Matt

 

YUP - Aerostich suit is a great product!!! You can also find 'ballistic' pants and seperate jackets that zip together to form a full-body suit.