Thread: Motorcycles

Originally Posted by azjoe

• Or, consider a 700-lb full dress Honda Gull Wing... you probably couldn't do a wheelie without the help of a crane,

The Honda shadows are nice looking bikes, as are the Kawasaki Vulcans, which have a similar look to the Hondas. They have a 500cc bike (as well as many that are much bigger) that definitely looks like a "real" bike, and has the weight, power, etc. that many on this board seem to think are good choices for the beginner.

I'm going to the Harley dealership tomorrow to inquire about their MSF driving school. Trying to figure out which is the right bike by just reading about them and others opinions, without having actually ridden one is similar to trying to learn a proper golf swing by just reading Golf Digest, without ever picking up a club. Once I'm on a bike and see how it feels, that should answer a lot of questions. If getting a bike is what I want to do, I would think either the HD Sportster or Kawasaki Vulcan 500 would be a good way to begin.

Thanks again
Andrew

I remember when that picture first started to get passed around. There were a couple others pics that often got passed along with this one, but I don't remember them now. But they're still funny!!!

Yup, they are funny. Here are a couple more, thanks to the magic of Google . . .

I was told when I started riding 29 years ago
" always ride like everyone else is out to get you and you'll never be dissapointed or suprised"

I've always ridden like that and it has kept me vigilant and I have had 1 serious accident in all this time.

Remember Riding should be enjoyable, when it stops being fun it's time to stop.

Originally Posted by azjoe

[*]Someone mentioned the BMW F650... (I'd probably pick the G650: 650cc @ 350-lbs street weight), which would seem to be a decent compromise although I haven't even sat on one, so I can't vouch for how it handles.

All the F650 series are close to those specs as well (pretty much same engine, etc) and have the potential of finding older used ones (the G models are fairly new). They are great to ride IMO.... the dual-sport roots lead to good visibility, quick turning and good bump absorption. The under-seat tanks keeps weight down low making it easier to handle at slow speeds. The 650cc thumper is smooth, quiet and has good torque. Just have to watch for surge/stall issues on early fuel injected models.

Ant

Originally Posted by Wayne D

ride like everyone else is out to get you

That's been the advice I've always heard too... and it's never failed me.

But the "eye contact" one someone mentioned earlier did once... I was traveling on a 2-lane road at about 45-mph on the outskirts of a small town... broad daylight... middle of the afternoon... clear sunny day. A middle-aged lady pulled up to the stop sign on side street... she looked the other way and then mine. I could tell when she made eye contact with my bike... absolutely no question... she did the little double-take hesitation thing you learn to recognize as confirmation that "yep... they see me". Nonetheless, I checked my mirrors and eased off the throttle just a tad... just in case. She just sat there watching me approach and the closer I got the more confident I became that I hadn't misread the "she sees me" thing. And then, when I was about 200 feet from her, she smiled and pulled right out in front of me, turning in the direction I was heading.

Fortunately I always believe in the corollary... make sure you subconsciously ALWAYS HAVE AN ESCAPE PATH PLANNED in case someone does something unexpected/stupid, so I was able to swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid her. As I passed her she looked at me and laughed... well now, that's not nice... that's anti-social behavior. So I hit the breaks and dropped back beside her...

And that's when I made the big discovery... that when you hit the top of a car's side view mirror real hard with the firm downward motion of your closed fist... the mirror breaks off.

She slammed on her breaks hard. I looked over my shoulder at her... smoke was pouring off her tires... and I was smug ... knowing that it was my turn to laugh. So I gave her a big grin, made a nice tip of the hat gesture to her, and rode off pondering the fact that now she really had a reason to hate bikers.

For those new to riding, I just had to post this picture so you get a feel of how far over you can lean a bike when cornering and not upset it...

Joe, there's also a lot of creative fun that comes out of kevlar or carbon fibre knuckled gloves. The only time where I really wanted to use mine was only after I shook off the shock from the near-death experience. A guy making a right turn suddenly decided to go left by swerving over two lanes of traffic without looking. There was about 6" b/w me and a nasty spill.
As for that knee drag, I only came to that point once, while following a much more experienced rider (she could go one-handed and outride me while using 2 hands). I didn't go overboard because I had jeans with no knee-sliders on

Ilija, if you got your bike anywhere near that far over I salute you... as Kippling said "you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!". I'm sure I never did, although it sure felt like it a couple times.

(BTW, if anyone is curious, that pic is of the BMW that won it's class at the Trans Am this past April.)