Topic: Motorcycle riders here?

[wa4x4]

Hey, I was just curious who here rides motorcycles. I know Nate and Mike ride, but who else does. I have been thinking about buying a bike next spring and going through a course in order to get my endorsement, but have never ridden a street bike before. I would wait until next year because I will be 18 and the whole process will be a lot easier as an adult rather than a minor. What would you guys suggest as a good starter bike. I have heard the smaller displacement Ninjas are good starter bikes and used ones can be had for a pretty good price, what do you think? Also what should I look for in the motorcycle courses? I want to take the course because I have only ridden dirtbikes before. I am actually pretty scared thinking of how many riders either don't have their endorsement or permit and learn out on public streets among other innocent people and think they are speed racer. I am not type of person.

[whiteman]

I used to have a CBR 1000 but I sold it because I was gettin to risky on the streets, wheelies, surfing, like that, I could not resist the temptation.  I have really thought about picking up another 1000 this summer but I honestly am not responsible enough to keep it kool.  My friend has a 05 R1 that I rode and it was so much sweeter than the CBR, Wheelies on it were a breeze and I felt so much more confident dropping back and forth through corners compared to the CBR.
 I think if i ever got a bike for the street again, it would be a Motard bike, like a KTM 560SMR or something similar.  You should look into a motard bike , its cooler sliding into a corner than dragging through it. 

For now I gotta stick to the dirt, the only person you are endangering is yourself, plus you can go big on a dirt bike 

[kneedownnate]

What, me?  No, never ridden before in my life.......





























I'll tell you the same thing I tell pretty much any new rider:  swallow your pride and buy a used ninja 250.  First and foremost you need to develop skills, and it's tough to do that with 140hp barking at you.  I know some people who could utterly emberass 99% of the locals on one of those, and he's actually passed me on the street on a wr400 with full dirt tires!  Ofcourse, he also hold the 600cc lap record at thunderhill, so I don't feel bad about it.  Part of developing skills includes having respect for the bike, because the second you sideline the repsect for the bike it will sideline you.  A 600 isn't and shouldn't be a beginner bike, even if you've ridden dirt before, and the same goes double for a 1000!  I had no idea how many people crashed bikes around here till I got one, and in the summer they drop like flies.  Once you've put in your time on the ninja 250, I'd suggest moving up to a honda f2 or f3, especially for a guy your size.  They fit smaller riders really well, are very forgiving and confidence inspiring and are dependable.  That will help you hone your skills even more, and will be a great gateway into a newer 600, and the new ones coming out are frickin incredible.  Another good bike to consider would be a suzuki sv650.  Again, not too much power but still a competent bike.

As for schools, call the dmv and see what's available in your area.  We have a really good one available through chp here, so I'd be willing to bet you either have one or they could atleast point you in the right direction.  You could also go to one of the local shops and ask them about it, but don't ask the kids behind the parts counter, ask the managers.  Once you've had some seat time I'd seriously look into a track school.  Track schools aren't just for guys who are going to race, but are actually great for new riders, because they will go over the fundamentals with you and help you to know what to do in different situations, just kind of continue on from where the basic rider school left off.  I believe full well that the faster you are comfortable and competent going, the safer you will be at a reasonably high speed, because you will have a buffer zone.  That's to say if something is in the middle of the road as you're rounding a corner, and you're not pushing the edge of your limits, but the newb behind you is at the edge of his, chances are you'll be able to react much better than him and avoid it, whereas he's going to finding out just how well his protective gear works.  Which is another point, get the best helmet you can ( I can tell you first hand just how good arais are), good gloves, a jacket and boots at the least.  I've gone down in full race gear, and can tell you I wouldn't be here right now if not for my helmet, and would have more than a pen tip size scar on my thumb had I not had leathers, good gloves and race boots on.  I even broke my leg through nearly a half inch of plastic boot, so imagine what would have happened if I were in my street shoes!

And whiteman, I'm guessing when you're talking about your cbr1000, you're referring to an early 90s or even late 80s model?  I like liter bikes, but I much prefer the comfort of not having to worry about all that power biting me in the ass when I least expect it.

[wa4x4 [OP]]

Oh trust me, I am a little terrified of the idea of riding a streetbike so I would not go and buy a big bore bike! My neighbor runs a race school for street bikes and would be a good person to talk to, when the time comes to do race school. I looked at the Ninja 250 and it doesn't look like a bad bike, pretty light and confidence inspiring. I have another year to wait before I can buy a bike though.

[kneedownnate]

Oh trust me, I am a little terrified of the idea of riding a streetbike

Honestly, I've ridden with a couple of guys who had this attitude, and the best advice I could offer them after seeing how they ride is sell the bike.  It's better not to get invovled in something that can so easily go wrong if you have any reserves about it.  Confidence plays a huge part in riding skill, and if you're head's not in it you won't be for long either.  You need 100% concentration and forcus, because people WILL try and take you out.  I've had people move into my lane, tailgate me, look directly at me and still pull out of a business right in front of me.  Trust me, some people just have no respect for riders, or just plain have a loathing for us.  And no, I'm not one of those guys who rides 80 through town on the rear wheel, I ride with traffic in a reasonable fashion.  Not to say I don't get on the gas, but there's a time and place to ride certain ways.

[wa4x4 [OP]]

Well with me, whenever I get into something I am usually scared as hell in the beginning and then I let go of my reservations and have fun with it. Examples: Dirtbikes, ATVs, PWC, driving (yeah, I was scared to drive), welding, etc etc etc. Most of these things I am no longer scared of and have a BLAST doing them. It is just how I am.

[red]

i've only ridden on a few country roads with my 71 cb100, but plan to get my license this summer, as well as gloves, helmet, jacket, and boots (maybe pants, if i can afford it initially). i was scared at the thought of riding initially, but after maybe 10 seconds of riding i felt at home. (and no, i'm not one of those speed demon physcos either, i follow the law, just go 5mph over the limit, no more)

from some of my friends who ride, they say that anything 500cc's or less would be a great starter bike, or a regular rider for many years. u've still got plenty of acceleration with a 250, and they're very easy to control.

[wa4x4 [OP]]

Looking at the Ninja 250, that was the bike I was thinking of initially, and it doesn't seem like a bad bike at all and can be had for the right price. It is just thought "Will I know how to do it right, will I crash, etc etc etc." Same things as I got my car. "Oh , can I handle more power and a harder clutch??" I am sure once I get on it once I can overcome getting nervous. I still can't beleive the number of people that ride motorcycles with no endorsement or permit. A permit is something like 20 bucks here, and I don't think you even have to take a knowledge test! The endorsement is 20 bucks plus the fee to do a skills evaluation and knowledge test. I am thinking of doing the permit and riding for a week or so before signing up for a course, but this is all down the road. I have to wait until I am 18 and can do this for myself, my parents wouldn't help pay for a motorcycle or courses!

[red]

i'm in a similar boat. i have to prove to my parents that im financially independant, (or gas prices have to go above $3 a gallon) 18 years old, livin in an apartment in west texas to finish high school then start college, parents moved up to Utah in october because of job.

[wa4x4 [OP]]

My parents from a young age "You will not ride a motorcycle while living under my roof!", for my 13th birthday I got a dirtbike. I think that if I prove that I can pay for a bike (I am getting a job after I get back from vacation overseas this summer) and the courses and I think that they will be satisfied.

[kneedownnate]

Just don't get dooped into buying a new ninja 250, cause there are few quicker ways to lose $1000 instantly on a $3500 investment, and a 10 year old version is just as good as a brand new one for learning.  Should get incredible mileage too.

[whiteman]

Nija 250....   Damn, thats a sweet bike!

Well with me, whenever I get into something I am usually scared as hell in the beginning and then I let go of my reservations and have fun with it. Examples: Dirtbikes, ATVs, PWC, driving (yeah, I was scared to drive), welding, etc etc etc. Most of these things I am no longer scared of and have a BLAST doing them. It is just how I am.

Just dont think about it and the consiquences, yea you gotta be able to learn how to shift, balance etc.  But if you just dont think about it and do it you'll be rough at first but very soon it comes naturally. 
A street bike, be it a 1000 or a 250 is just like a gun, it is only dangerous if you let it be, and I let it be dangerous that is why I sold the old CBR.  You should not have a problem at all since you have already ridden dirt bikes and such.

[CTENG in KS]

New rule...anytime you talk about your bike, or another model, you must include pics.  I like threads with pics better!

[wa4x4 [OP]]

Hahahaha, yeah I was scared to shoot a gun the first time when I was about 12, even though it was just a .22. My parents don't like guns and when we went up to my buddy's cabin up in the woods with 40 acres we would shoot up there. It was a ton of fun once I got over being a bit scard, which took about 3 shots.

[kneedownnate]

New rule...anytime you talk about your bike, or another model, you must include pics.  I like threads with pics better!

You're the boss   it'll be all hot rod black soon, but for some reason I really like the way it looks with the silver tank

pic of tire is what happens when you throw too many heat cycles at a race tire

[kneedownnate]

Here's the one I bought from ffc, and am in the process of setting it up for track only duty

The further into it I get the more I realize it's going to need, but luckily I had a spare rear wheel and race bodywork already.

[kneedownnate]

And on a similar note, just incase anybody has the notion to buy a bike off ebay, be very cautious of scams!  I rarely check for bikes for sale, but usually when I do I find 2 or 3 scams to report to ebay.  Well, tonight I found atleast a dozen!  Funny thing is 3 of them came up as canceled auctions when I tried viewing them.  Even funnier is when I was compiling all the auction numbers to turn into ebay it kept saying I had to send valid auction numbers, and kept telling me which ones till I had deleted 3 more numbers!  I think I still sent in about 6 or 7.  Anyway, if you are planning on buying a bike off ebay and don't know how to know if it's a scam or not, please don't hesitate to send me a link to the auction or give me the auction # to check. 

[RockSlayer]

I have been riding for about 22 years.  My first bike was a 81' Kawasaki KZ650. It was a great first bike. Not Too fast. After that I had a KZ1000, an Kawasaki LTD750, a Yamaha 1100 Midnight Special, a Yamaha FZR250 in Japan ( now that was a fast bike, not like a 250 here), and I just blew up my 1982 Suzuki GS650.
I think any bike under 650 cc's would be a great first bike. Fast enough to earn your respect. Slow enough to where you have to put in some effort to get in trouble. I paid $700 for my last bike. And I put 65,000 miles on it since I got it. For my next bike, I've decided to class up my act and get me a Ducati ST3 for some long distance riding.   
    Another reason I would go with a 650 for a first bike is it gives you a little more power to go on longer rides with your buddies. I've done 300 miles rides in a day and faired better than some of my friends with hogs. You have to keep in mind what kind of riding do you want to do. I have had a friend spend $12000 on ZX-10 for his first bike cause he thought it was cool. He can't stay on it for more than an hour before he gets all cramped up. 

[kneedownnate]

I have had a friend spend $12000 on ZX-10 for his first bike cause he thought it was cool. He can't stay on it for more than an hour before he gets all cramped up. 

I'd say he's just lucky he survived riding it for more than 1 hour!  That's exactly what I was talking about, 400lbs with 150hp!  If you've ridden any recent 600s, you'd probably change your recommendation too.  Maybe a monster 620, but I would definately not recommend a newer 600 to a first timer, especially not if he's timid.  There's no loss of pride in buying a small bike to get down the basics, and there are enough options out there to have a decent selection.  I'd almost even suggest a buell blast .  A certain BigMike has a suzuki gs500, which is another great first bike.  The biggest I'd suggest for a timid first timer is a 500, and that's only cause they're pretty tame, but still have enough power for longer rides.  And you had an fzr250?!  Too bad you didn't bring that back to the states, that'd be worth some cash!  I've been drooling over people's honda vfr/rvf400s, and the super rare cbr250, but could never gather up enough scratch to snag one!  I've even seen an 04 or 05 ninja zx400 (which looks nearly like the newer zx600) at the track, and when I asked what it cost to get into the states he pretty much said "you probably don't wanna know!".  I really dig bikes that you don't see every 20 year old squid riding to the starbucks every day.

Oh yea, I'm going to wrap the header on the street f4i, cause the last ride I went on in hot weather I got a badass rash/burn on the inside of my legs.  Looked like a bad sunburn, and felt about the same.  Too much heat boiling up below the seat.  Probably wouldn't have been an issue, but we had a slow rider with us and were on a very tight twisty back road, so we were only going about 10-30 mph most the time, and our bikes were pegged at about 230 degrees the whole time.  Not fun! 

And I'll agree with the duck st3, those are neat bikes!  They're still aircooled right?  There's a couple of really neat 03 or 04 749s on a local forum for sale right now, but they're just too damn expensive.

[RockSlayer]

  That FZR250 was really snappy.   It was a 4 stroke, water cooled, and had an 18,000 rpm red line. The thing I didn't like about it is that it was pumped up so much from the factory that it would piss coolant from overheating in traffic.  It was a bike that needed to run.  I cruised from Iwakuni to Hiroshima in about 20 minutes. Which wasn't too bad on the freeway doing around 180 kmph. It was only turning about 8,000 rpm, I had 10,000 more to go!!
  After thinking about it, your right the newer 600's are pretty spunky. But you could pick up an old one in great shape pretty cheap. I got more than my moneys worth on my last bike. I bought it cause a freind in highschool had one just like it. Reliving the glory days... or something like that.
  The ST3 is liquid cooled. The sad thing is, it was the most comfortable that me and my g/f sat on, and it still was not as comfortable as my old GS. Might have something to do with some kind of butt groove. 

[kneedownnate]

  So you're trying more for a sport tourer type, more sit up than lay over?  I'm a huge vfr800 fan, and the newer ones are pretty nice, and with a set of heli bars aren't too crouchy either.  If you're a bigger guy then it will be even less of an issue.  I've seen a couple of ducati multistradas recently, and that looks like a fun bike!  Probably a little more comfy for 2 up also, but still plenty of motor for gettin it on. 

I know how your friend feels, my body doesn't cramp up, but I had my right hand go almost completely numb at a track day, pretty early in the day too.  Luckily a friend of mine was there with her boyfriend and knew how to tweak my wrist and get the blood circulating better, and I had no more substantial problems with it the rest of the day.  The body positioning of a sportbike doesn't bother me as well.  I've actually torqued my back bad enough to where driving is horribly uncomfortable, and walking is even difficult, but once I got on the bike and into position I barely felt any discomfort, and even had a spell where I had chest problems that made driving nearly impossible, but again riding the bike was totally bearable.  I've tried sitting on cruisers at the dealer and get instant back pain!  Sitting vertical with your legs stretched out does NOT feel natural!  Wanna know why the old cafe racers came up with the idea of leaning over a little and having your legs pulled up and slightly back?  Horse racing man!  They looked at how racers sat on horses, and how natural it seemed to flow, and the wheels started turning in their heads.  I'm sure somebody else could explain it better, but that's the gist of it.

Anyway, attached is an image of a multistrada for your viewing pleasure. 

Edit: while looking for this on ebay I came across another scam auction!  That makes about 12 I've turned in in 2 days.  Goin fishin for more..........

[kneedownnate]

And strangely, but not totally strange, yamaha was the only of the big 4 to offer a sportbike smaller than 600 in the states, being their fzr400, which many people still use for racing.  I don't think they can hold a candle to a well prepped vfr or even rvf 400, or sound nearly as great, but a smaller bike would still be a kick in the pants to flog around the track!  I'm torn between buying a small track bike, like a honda rs125 2 smoker, or another dirt bike after I sell one of my projects.  Too many decisions to make 

[Rockdiver]

My Zrex  1200   Its a Blast living in mountains with it.   way too much power.   But Fun!

[Rockdiver]

Definately go 250 to 500 range until you get some miles on .  I wouldnt recommend a buell unless you want it because they are a dime a doz thanks to Harley dumping them on the Market . Mine lost over 5K in value over night  thanks to that. Now dealers are trying to dump them cheap .  Lynn

[kneedownnate]

I used to ride with a guy that had a turbocharged kawi like yours!  Never saw it run with the turbo, but they said it was damn fast.  And the buell blast is only a 500cc bike I think, and they're not too expensive, not like an x1, lightning or?  Should be able to pick up one fairly cheap and not loose TOO much money, but yea you'll definately get hosed on a big one!  And you left the d out of hardley!

[Rockdiver]

M2 Cyclone 1203    And you got the Hardley part right