Lets talk motorcycles

Now that my commute is entirely surface streets I was thinking of getting a cheap motorcycle to commute in. Never owned a motorcycle before so I need a safe starter bike. I have no interest in a sport bike and prefer a more classically styled standard or cruiser bike. Nothing too big either. I don't plan on exceeding 60mph and no freeway.

As I know very little (or nothing) about motorcycles I'm looking for suggestions. If I get a bike I plan on completing a motorcycle safety course. Do they also offer riding lessons anywhere? As I said, I am a newb and want to do this right and safely.

Cost is also a concern. I wouldn't want to spend more than a few grand.

Take the MSF course first.

Can you do that without a motorcycle? :confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by black roadster

Can you do that without a motorcycle? :confused:

---

Not only can you, but you have to. In Texas, you can't ride without an endorsement, and you can't get an endorsement without the MSF. The MSF will show you quickly whether or not you even WANT to ride a motorcycle - if you are a motorcycle type, it'll be 2 days of gas burning fun as you ride around a parking lot. If it's not fun, you probably won't enjoy riding much, either.

How far is your commute? If it's really short, I'd go for a Honda Ruckus as those things are a metric-assload of fun, dirt cheap, rock solid reliable, and free of the encumbrances of licensing (did I mention dirt cheap?).

Something to hang your "Hello Kitty" stuff on, and later Kate can take it to College.
http://donnphoto.files.wordpress.com...ooter-copy.jpg

As a beginner, I'd shy away from classic styled cruisers and get either an adventure bike or a super moto. Not because they are cool, or might be racy, but because they are very easy to ride and keep under control and because you have a tall seating position to see and be seen.

Just say no. As much as you get hit, stick with 4 wheels and airbags. Surface streets are more dangerous than freeways. Majority of MC accidents/fatalties are riders w/less than a year experience. Riding 5 days a week exposes you to even more peril. Back in the day, a MC was my only mode of transport for a few years. Hit twice by non-attentive drivers. Been riding since single digit years...

Just sayin..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SixAce

Just say no. As much as you get hit, stick with 4 wheels and airbags. Surface streets are more dangerous than freeways. Majority of MC accidents/fatalties are riders w/less than a year experience. Riding 5 days a week exposes you to even more peril. Back in the day, a MC was my only mode of transport for a few years. Hit twice by non-attentive drivers. Been riding since single digit years...

Just sayin..

---

When riding on two wheels, you are forced to drive to accommodate everyone else's dumb-ass moves, too. It would be nice if people were required to spend 2 years on 2 wheels before they could operate on 4...

http://www.alertrider.com/index.htm

This is taught by the facilities manager from my last job. I have been thinking about taking it too.
For the entry level class they provided the bikes and safty gear.

For a starter bike I would say a Kawasaki 250. C

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SixAce

Just say no. As much as you get hit, stick with 4 wheels and airbags. Surface streets are more dangerous than freeways. Majority of MC accidents/fatalties are riders w/less than a year experience. Riding 5 days a week exposes you to even more peril. Back in the day, a MC was my only mode of transport for a few years. Hit twice by non-attentive drivers. Been riding since single digit years...

Just sayin..

---

+1 You have enough trouble with people running you over in a car!

+1 on doing MSF before anything. Sink the hook or get it out of your system. Either way it will be an educated decision.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SixAce

Just say no. As much as you get hit, stick with 4 wheels and airbags. Surface streets are more dangerous than freeways. Majority of MC accidents/fatalties are riders w/less than a year experience. Riding 5 days a week exposes you to even more peril.

---

My thoughts exactly. One has to be 100% on your game to dice with traffic, and even then there's still an amount of luck involved. You in particular, whether it's skill or luck, would be taking more of a risk than most. Please don't take this personally.

If MSF plants the hook (which it did for me 20 years ago), take your time finding the right bike and then spend at least six months on residential streets gaining experience before jumping into rush hour.

Just say No!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by modernbeat

As a beginner, I'd shy away from classic styled cruisers and get either an adventure bike or a super moto. Not because they are cool, or might be racy, but because they are very easy to ride and keep under control and because you have a tall seating position to see and be seen.

---

I would not suggest commuting either. I used to ride a lot, but not in the city. But if you must +1 on the above.I thought I wanted a cruiser also but they suck for handling, sold it quickly and went the sport touring route. A standard style bike like a Honda nighthawk or adventure touring is easier to deal with. At the MSF class they had both standards and cruisers to learn on in my class and the ease of handling and fun factor was night and day.

After you get done with the MSF course, take a look at something like the honda Hornet (599 or 919) or suzuki sv650, ducati monster, buell lightning. All great sporty standards/nakeds in your price range. +1 on commuting every day, break it up a bit, 2-3 days a week maybe. Its just helping your odds at reducing the frequency of bad stuff happening, The consequences for bad stuff happening on a bike are significatly greater, so gear up for sure.

i suggest the BMW S1000RR! :P

buy a Yamaha YZF R1, update your will and just get the wreck over with in the first week.

You have a family. If you decide to do this, take out a term life insurance policy. At your age you can get half a million coverage for less than $300 a year. Your wife and daughter will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Just say no...

I stopped riding on the street in 1968 when traffic was simple and almost nobody had decent brakes. I've not broken a bone since. The odds are just bad. Do the math.

Jim

I rode through highschool. Two minor downs (hurt pride and torn pants, but otherwise ok). One major accident that left me with a crushed foot (I actually drove to the hospital on the broken brake foot). I'm askeered to ride here. Too many idjits.

Back to his question, I think that a reliable and inexpensive bike would be a good one for what you want. Really with a bike you need to go and sit on a few and see what you find comfortable. I'd look about 5-10 years back and find something that was mass produced so parts are plentiful. Honda Shadow 750 is a good one, the 750 will do what you want, don't need a 1100. Or Yamaha Virago 750. It's shaft drive and makes maintenance easier I think. If you want a little more power, even a Honda magna 750 would work, it's a V4 engine.I love to ride but hate riding in rush hour.Remember that there are alot of little expenses with a bike. Summer jacket, fall jacket, summer gloves, winter gloves, helmet, tinted visor, clear visor for night, boots, tank bag or saddle bags, bike stand, bike lock, some new tools to work on it, etc etcI have almost 20 years on bikes. 15 on the street, ran a motorcycle parts business for 5 years, was a paid stunt rider, etc. All this before I sold my last bike, a CBR1100XX and bought my miata.

I'm not old enough to own a Blackbird. Not sure I ever will be.

Given your luck with four wheels do you really want to risk it all on two? With that disclaimer cheap classic style bike honda shadow

William,

I’d encourage you to reconsider. You’ve got a family, and for whatever reason you seem to be an accident magnet. Not a good combination with a motorcycle.

I’ve always wanted a bike, and I almost pulled the trigger on a used Ducati Monster early this spring. I sat down and had a long, honest talk with Melissa about it, and at the end I decided that riding a bike just wasn’t a responsible decision with a one year old son at home. Your commute to Track Dog takes you through a much more densely populated area than mine does – I would’ve been comfortable riding back roads to PGBT & 78, but there’s no way I’d ride a bike all the way through Garland.

People around here can’t drive for shit, and most of them are too busy multi-tasking to pay the slightest attention to their surroundings.

Bikes are more fun on back roads and tracks anyway. Stop and go without AC in Texas summer will test your enthusiasm for sure.

why tiptoe through life only to arrive at death safely?

If you want motorcycle advice, ask on a Motorcycle forum site, not a Miata one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GregW

If you want motorcycle advice, ask on a Motorcycle forum site, not a Miata one.

---

I can highly recommend Two Wheeled Texans.

http://www.twtex.com/forums/index.php

Motorcycle idea is out. Wife will be pleased.

Wise man.

Since many of you have ridden motorcycles I am sure you have some good stories of hits or near misses.
I guess you would say a thread hijack.

I use to ride to high school on a 100cc Yamaha. One afternoon on the way home on Hwy 80 in west Fort Worth
I saw a car coming at me on the wrong side of the hwy. (lots of drinking bars next to highway). This was my
first big Eye opener! Where do you hide or go. You know they are focused on what they see ahead of them. I got off
the Hwy fast. Guy just kept on going.

I know two different girls that are paraplegic from street accidents as passengers. One was in college. The other
in her 40's and no family support. The same thing can happen in cars I guess.

But my favorite motorcycle crash stories are what you did while riding off rode. These normally don't have sad endings.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by black roadster

Motorcycle idea is out. Wife will be pleased.

---

walking across the street is potentially fatal, are you going to stop doing it? you just need to be smart about it.

Russian, with walking across the road you have a lot more control of your destiny and it's a relatively quick process.

Riding a bike, you're beholden to the mental midgets driving 2 ton cages around you.

The most eye opening experience for me was riding in Caracas traffic and I cut over a lane and then proceeded to have a motorcycle cop slam my mirror, attempt to kick me and inform me loudly that I need to watch where the #$(*$# I'm going. I've paid a lot closer attention to my mirrors since ;)

Looked this this guy: http://media.noticias24.com/1102/pol1x.jpg

Other actions deemed safe by many individuals include sword swallowing, train surfing and rattle snake wrangling but I'm not going to do those either. Nah, I hear what people were saying. Plenty of folks safely ride everyday but the chances of injury are higher on a motorcycle than in a car.

I looked up the Wikipedia page on motorcycle safety. According to a 2006 NHTSA report, 0.1310% of cars on the roads end up in fatal crashes. 0.7234% of motorcycles end up in fatal crashes. In 2010, over 32,000 people died on US roads. Nothing is safe when discussing travel by roads.

Also, this argument is pretty similar to "Why drive a Miata, those big trucks and SUVs will crush you out there". Really, we would all be safer if everyone had a Peterbuilt, right? I believe that the more vulnerable you are, the more attentive you will be. Attentiveness is key in accident avoidance.

If you are still interested in a bike, Suzuki TU250X is a cool bike. Looks old, rides new.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by boisking

I looked up the Wikipedia page on motorcycle safety. According to a 2006 NHTSA report, 0.1310% of cars on the roads end up in fatal crashes. 0.7234% of motorcycles end up in fatal crashes. In 2010, over 32,000 people died on US roads. Nothing is safe when discussing travel by roads.

Also, this argument is pretty similar to "Why drive a Miata, those big trucks and SUVs will crush you out there". Really, we would all be safer if everyone had a Peterbuilt, right? I believe that the more vulnerable you are, the more attentive you will be. Attentiveness is key in accident avoidance.

If you are still interested in a bike, Suzuki TU250X is a cool bike. Looks old, rides new.

---

Regardless of our affinity to things with two wheels, when it comes down to it, his wife and kid hold the cards in this game. If no bike = happy spouse, then that's the best decision. Ditto on that TU250X, though...

That Suzi is sweet....too bad they don't make a bigger one (400-600cc would be cool).

My wife won't let my younger kids ride in my miata for safety's sake. My wife wont ride in my miata either but she did like my motorcycle and honestly she didn't want me to sell it. I sold it for the kids. I'll buy another one though when thier older. Riding is either in your blood or it isn't. The ones that it is, we just have to ride the really be happy on a nice warm afternoon. The miata is a fair compromise for now. Sigh

From my experience, I spend alot less time on the side of the road with a car than a bike. Its also cheaper for fines in a car. Here is a picture of my old bike.
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...takes_05_z.jpg
I tried to explain that I was only trying to save money on tires and the front tire is only used to turn and stop. He didn't believe me. Hmmpphh
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o.../DSC011732.jpg

I love bikes and have been riding since I was a kid.......commuting on one in the big city is no fun.

I love bikes. I have always had at least one since my 15th birthday. I swore off forever after my last accident that cost me a $6000 dollar bike, $35,000 hospital bill and 3 months off work. The forever vow lasted about 3 years and I'm riding again, but off road only!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFR750

I love bikes and have been riding since I was a kid.......commuting on one in the big city is no fun.

---

This. Sorry to seem like a Debbie Downer, as I love riding and recommend it. Just not to a new rider considering commuting in a metromess.

Go ahead and get a bike. Take the safety courses. Ride on weekends, out in the country, at speeds you are comfortable with. Still dangerous? Yep. But safer by 100x

Bike riding is great auto-x practice. Talk about "looking ahead"...