A polite Motorcycle thread :)

no?

 

has this board had trouble with motorcycles before?

 

Dang...your last.fm is filled with slightly pretentious indie/emo music...Bright Eyes, Gary Jules, Elliott Smith, The Shins, Sufjan Stevens, Damien Rice, Jeff Buckley, Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara...

I like...

 

I think you should let us know how much your willing to spend first?

 

I can personally vouch for the Suzuki GS500 (standard). It has existed largely unchanged since 1989, so you can find good used examples for about $2,000. After 17 years on the market it's a well established bike. Parts are cheap and abundant on eBay also, for the nearly inevitable drops. They are mechanically simple, so it's also a good bike to learn maintenance on. They are also very durable, and the older models have no expensive plastic fairings to damage.

A Kawasaki 500 (Vulcan or Ninja) is also supposed to be good. The best bang for your buck is definitely a used bike. You won't feel so bad if(when?) you drop it, and you will likely want to upgrade within about 5,000-10,000 miles anyway.

Whatever you choose, take the MSF course and buy appropriate protective gear. I took my course at Awesome Cycles in Houston and they also provided discount coupons to local bike shops.

It sounds like your goal is a cruiser of some sort? What is your dream bike?

 

wear a helmet please.

 

i am also seriously considering on getting a bike. ive been around riders thats been riding for at least 5 YEARS and what they told me is that a good starter bike is any 600cc bike. and hondas are the easiest ones to maintain and ride. ive been really looking and researching and what caught my eye is the 2006 honda cbr600rr. performance-wise in '06, yamaha comes in 1st this year, then the hondas, then suzukis, then kawasakis. it also depends on what you are looking for, do you wanna ride just to cruise or because of the power the bike can give you. and every biker told me this, "THE BIKE SHOULDNT DICTATE WHAT YOU CAN DO, YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE DICTATING AND DIRECTING THE BIKE ON WHAT TO DO AND WITH THAT, YOU SHOULD DO THAT WITH OUTMOST RESPECT TO THE BIKE BECAUSE A BIKE BITES AND WHEN IT BITES, IT BITES HARD!". so all i can say is, before you choose a bike, do ALOT of research and always remember to ride safe!

 

suzuki sv 650s

all i want to say is that when you fall off a bike, the few milliseconds that you are in the air before hitting the ground are the worse ever. and it really hurts...

other than that, good luck with your biking experiance.

 

don't do it.

This is such a midlife crisis type move. Don't Do IT.

 

1. Take the motorcycle safety course. You will learn a lot even if you are an experience rider.

2. Don't start too small or you will be quickly disappointed. At 200 lbs I wouldn't suggest a bike smaller than a 750.

3.Always wear your safety gear. Gloves, boots, eyeprotection, helmet etc.


I rode as my primary form of transportation for 2 years. I had a Yamaha Vstar 1100 which was a great bike. Inexpensive, reliable and smooth.

http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/19/0/home.aspx

Be safe.

 

I would get a cruiser, something like a Honda Magna etc.

You can sit back and enjoy the road. There are a good number of used ones that are relatively inexpensive.

I sold mine a couple of years ago, and now want another one.

One thing that helps when you have a bike, is if you have someone to ride their bike with you.

Makes the trips in the country side much more enjoyable.

Good luck, bikes are great, just be real careful as people in cars don't do a good job of watching out for people on motorcycles.

DD

 

www.motohouston.com

 

* - see the Tom Cruise Dancing Thead - *

that will give u your answer.

 

More like a fuel price crisis.

I've ridden for years. Take the already mentioned advice on safety and class. Safety habits and equipment (good helmet, gloves, boots, jacket).

If anybody is thinking of a 600cc crotch rocket as a good starter bike, I'd have to disagree. The later models are fast and quick, and can get an amateur into a lot of trouble. If you need to learn to ride, look elsewhere. Once the habits and techniques are learned, then go for a high performance bike if that's what you want. Some people can handle them fine, but in general, less is more to start.

 

Here's one of mine. Bad pics, sorry. Not a beginner bike.






Anybody wanna buy it? Thinking of selling..

 

I've gotta agree with you here. The current crop of 600cc supersports are incredibly powerful and agile. There is easily enough power to loop the bike with an abrupt twist of the wrist or throw you over the handlebars with a panicked pull of two fingers. When I hear people say "respect the bike and you'll be fine" I do this .

Respecting the bike is fine, but it doesn't prevent you from making mistakes. People don't wreck just because they are being stupid, people also wreck because they don't have enough experience. And a mistake on a 140hp Yamaha R6 is a lot more severe than a mistake on a 50hp bike.

I think a 750 CRUISER is fine for someone relatively new to motorcycles. They typically don't put out the power of a supersport. A GSXR-750 on the other hand is not reasonable unless you have a lot of dirtbike experience.

 

thats one damn nice hayabusa!! whats your asking price for it? how many miles and any history with it?my uncle's actually looking for one and if you can give it to me for a nice price, you might get yourself a buyer.

 

i agree thats a nice bike there.