Thread: Motorcycles

Oh yeah, like Ilija said, don't forget to wave! We always wave at fellow riders.

i have wanted a mororcycle for as long as i can remember. as a few of my buddies were sitting around talking about buying some when we return to the states someone brought up the fact that well there are so many people out there riding mororcycles so we all started looking towards scooters, now when ever we tell people thats our plan they all laugh and think about the old fashoned vespas and such, but those arent the ones we were thinking about, we were looking a the 300cc and higher end ones that will be able to drive on freeways and still get about 70-80 miles to the gallon. i will still own a harley at some point but i just think a scooter would be super fun
this is the one i have my eyes on

http://www.scootersus.com/strada260.html


cycle classes and approved safety equitpment are a must no matter what kind of two wheeled vehicle you decide to go with

The two bikes that are jumping out at me right now are the Harley Sportster (while I REALLY like the looks of some of the V-Rods and Softtail models, I think the Sportster makes more sense for a beginner) and the Suzuki C50 model...

any thoughts on those choices?

thanks
Andrew

Being a biker myself i would heartily recomend training as you'll quickly find out that your invisible to a lot of car drivers.
Any good course is going to cover road positioning &safe practice plus machine control brakeing safe overtakeing cornering ect
Plus basic maintenance
If you can use a school bike to do the course on, youmay well find that your ideal bike could be something other thhan a cruiser.Paul

Both are nice bikes and either will be an excellent rider.

IMHO however, these are much better candidates for the 2nd bike you purchase. Andrew, I don't mean to be a killjoy... but I (and many other experienced riders) will seldom recommend anywhere near as big a bike as these for someone's first bike. Here's an excerpt from an article that gives you a hint why many of us might feel this way...

I was hangin' around Geoff's Bike shop, a couple weeks back, when they walked in; a father and his seventeen year old son. Funny, the father didn't look like a moron. The kid made a beeline for a barely used 800cc four cylinder ultra-Kamikaze. You know, the kind you ride with yer butt up in the air layin' flat on the tank. Those who know whereof they speak concede that bike to be good for about 140 MPH.

I should have gotten a clue by the way they walked right by one of Geoff's bikes (he's a Brit., they spell funny) without noticing it. It's a beautifully restored, and somewhat enhanced, Norton Commando. Most of us who have been around awhile regard that bike as a Holy Relic.

Anyway, the kid did "iwanit, iwanit, iwanit," and Dad starts to inquire about buying the bike for him. Geoff politely but firmly declined to sell it, explaining that he'd been to enough funerals. My already high respect for him soared. To have put a new seventeen-year-old, testosterone soaked rider on that bike would have been a criminal act. The father was very annoyed.

That kid might not have killed himself in the first week, as he would probably have scared himself into involuntary defecation the first time he twisted the throttle, but about six weeks later he would be an expert rider, ready to take on Mike Hailwood (I know, I'm dating myself.) He would have had a couple of beers, entered a sweeping curve at 100 or so, and gone off into the trees. After the funeral, his dad would sue the town for allowing the "killer turn" to exist.

I understand that you aren't 17, that you are going to take a rider/safety course, and that you'll ride responsibly. But where does the experience to handle the unexpected come from?? There's a reason why a new pilot learns on a simulator first, then graduates to a little Cessna single engine, and eventually works their way up to a Lear Jet or F16... as the power and performance level go up the probability of being able to fly by the seat of your pants successfully goes down... so they need to gain experience to evolve their capabilities. "Driving" a bike is not like driving a car.

FWIW, I believe you will be better served by learning on a lower performance cycle and graduating to larger bikes when you've had enough miles under your belt to have experienced a wider variety of situations and conditions. I'm sure you can find lots of high performance first bike success stories out there to prove me wrong... but there also are a lot of accidents, cripples and grave sites around that prove me right.

YMMV

I bought my first bike when I was 16. Bought it from my 1st cousin. He was a big harley guy from way back. Paid $400 for it, less than 1k miles. Learned on that one before I graduated to a larger bike.


Oh, did I mention it was a 350 sprint? LOL.

Great bike.

A Sportster is a fine bike for a beginner - you're a big guy and you'll look silly and feel funny on a small bike.

The current generation of Sportsters are suposed to be very good - the only issue is that you might outgrow it quickly if you get the smaller sportster.

Also, cruiser bikes aren't often that comfortable as you sit funny on them and they can put a lot of weight on your tailbone.

While I agree with the post above regarding the idiocy of buying a monster crotch rocket for your first bike, a Sportster doesn't fit that category - they're well-behaved bikes that aren't overly powerful and have a very linear powerband.

The trouble with the sportster is that you pay a premium for the Harley name - and everything else to do with their bikes.

I suggest you try - or at least sit on as many bikes as possible.

The BMW's are nice bikes - but you pay through the nose for what you get.

Another alternative, if you like the look, are dual sports - great fun, very useful and cheap to buy maintain.

The last bit of advice is to buy used - you'll save a bundle on a used bike (even if you buy it from a dealer) and it will often come with a warranty.

I too ride and will concur with all that's been said. My wife took a rider class and they provided 250cc bikes for training. She then spent $2500 for a used Suzuki Savage 650. She's dumped it ohh around two or three times. The last time it was for taking a curve too fast. I asked her if she wasn't glad she'd messed up a $2500 bike instead of a $20,000 bike.

Of course most of the really bad accidents are from being run over by drunks and little old ladies that can't see you.

For myself I ride a Yamaha V-Star 1100. I like the shaft drive and brand new it's half the price of a Harley. Not that I wouldn't drive a Harley - just don't have that kind of money. I've also had BMW and loved them. The only problem is I have short legs and don't like to do ballet dances at traffic lights.

ps. the wife is getting good enough that she is considering a bigger better bike. She loves the idea of a Harley Fat Boy with a lowering kit (she's 5'3")

Have fun and ride safe.

Originally Posted by azjoe

Both are nice bikes and either will be an excellent rider. IMHO however, these are much better candidates for the 2nd bike you purchase. Andrew, I don't mean to be a killjoy... [/COLOR] [/COLOR][/FONT]

Joe-
You're not being a killjoy at all... this is what I want, opinions from experienced riders. I want as much info. as I can get to make a good decision.

Suzuki, and everyone else, I appreciate the help you've provided and your view on things. Believe me, I'm doing a lot of due diligence on this. I will hopefully take the MSF training class before the riding season ends this year, and then go from there. I have a hard time believing that once I ride a bike, it will actually deter me from wanting to own one, but I suppose that is a possibility. First things first, take the class, get a little experience on a bike, and see where my comfort zone is.

I sincerely appreciate all of the replies.

Andrew

PS: By the way, the Sportster that I would get is one of the 883cc model, not 1200cc. I know the 883cc is still more juice than some of you are recommending, but that's my current thought.

Lowering the bike changes the way it handles. A friend of mine of the same height as your wife found out the hard way. Tell her to be extra careful.