Lost in a sea of motorcycles

[bountyhunter]

If you faceplant w/o a full face helmet on, your face will regret it.

And you can kiss some teeth bye bye...

your teeth may as well miss a face for the rest of their life lol.seriously, i will never ride a bike with an open face helmet ever . i've witnessed in many, many occasions what a 60 mph crash can do to a nut,and generally ,highway speeds are a tad higher than 60mph...and this is not talking about concussions even wearing a fullface ....it can ruin your life .

Most people don't realize just how LOW a speed collision can send somebody over the handlebars, even when somebody just hits a parking curb in a lot. If your helmet doesn't have a section in front of the chin, your teeth are generally what meet the concrete first.

I was watching one of those X games things when a teenager on a BMX bicycle went over the bars and did a face plant on the wooden floor of the half pipe. They showed it again in slow motion..... the kid was spitting out teeth like a popcorn machine after the impact.

[grouse]

A Harley Sportster will put you in the middle of all the cruisers and sport bikes and wont break the bank. To bad your not close to me I have a perfect one that I'm thinking of trading for an open rig... :-)

Do not buy a sportster. No resale value.

[gino_aki]

I just bought a new Kawasaki Versys which is about as close to a "standard" motorcycle as you're going to find these days, it being "classified" as an adventure or maybe a motard bike. I like that it has a lower seat height (me, 5'9") than the KLR 650 I used to have so that it's easier to handle at stoplights, the same middleweight engine displacement, lots of suspension travel and adjustment, more upright riding position (and softer seat!), and the up to date conveniences of fuel injection and anti-lock brakes. Closest to it in the other Japanese manufacturers line-ups would be the Honda NC700X or CB500X, and the Suzuki Vstrom 650 ABS. Upscaling would take you to a KTM 690 Duke or possibly 990 SM-T (if you could find one!). If I'm reading your leanings right, you'll not be considering those choices or pretty much any of the offerings from the European manufacturers based on price. I haven't wrung out the new bike yet as it's still in it's break-in period and we've finally gotten a REAL rainy winter and spring, but it's got enough power for stoplight get-aways and it maneuvers well, although the suspension at stock settings seem to have been set for heavier than my 170 lbs. I'll see if the seat is as comfortable on longer rides soon as it seems to be on the commute (8 miles) to work.

Looking at your choice of of the Yamaha V Star 650 you might also consider a Suzuki Savage/S40. Used bikes, it would also depend on how old you're willing to go if you found one in low-mileage excellent condition, as that opens up a whole other realm of really good bikes from the past in your target group, like the Kawasaki CSR and EX series, Yamaha 400 or 650 Specials, possibly a Honda CX Silverwing, VF500F Interceptor, or CB 750.

[Seth]

Some technology is a good thing in my opinion. Find something with ABS and fuel injection. Makes the process of riding easier and safer. Much of the rest of it is preference. I miss riding......

[sigsauerfan]

problem with that is people rely on these electronic assistance which instills a false feel of safeness...and what happens to your driving skills if ever the assistance controls fails??

abs,anti spin, anti wheelie....it's all there to compound a lack of riding skills, lack of comprehension of the physics regulating riding on 2 wheels. it maybe make the ride more comfortable as you let the electronic take control over your riding skills , but it's detrimental to sane riding habits .

as example,as i've been a motorcycle teacher in a driving school for many years , the first thing i witnessed so often is, intempestive brake lever and pedal squeezing. this can kill. of course,if you rely on abs to brake hard fine. still, just keep in mind it will never be a match to someone who knows how to apply the brakes to extract the maximum in every road condition.

1st, the front brake on a bike is everything .it's the front who really slow down a bike.not the rear. the rear is there to help the front only. ideal ratio is 85% front 15% rear. how many times i've seen the car driving habits kicking in,which means the 1 st reflex is jumping on the rear brake PEDAL. wrong . on a bike with abs, you may squeeze the front or rear, it activates both brakes in a more or less perfect ratio. saved!!

otherwise, on the tarmac it goes. specially on the wet. abs don't teach that. same goes with anti spin. sure ,on true GP bike with 280HP's , it's mandatory. not on a road bike.

i think before relying on electronic to do the work for you, every rider should learn the proper way to brake,turn, defensive driving,peripheral vision...mastering all the parameters that can save your life.

[Seth]

Nobody said anything about not learning the right way. There's no substitute for experience and training...

Meanwhile, what happens when an inexperienced ride grabs a handful of front brake on some leaves at slow speeds? Some lessons don't need to be learned the hard way.

[sigsauerfan]

Nobody said anything about not learning the right way. There's no substitute for experience and training...

Meanwhile, what happens when an inexperienced ride grabs a handful of front brake on some leaves at slow speeds? Some lessons don't need to be learned the hard way.

hmmmm...honestly, some peoples are so fear driven that they must ''see''' to defeat their bad habits .

some habits and misconceptions are so glued into some people's mind, that only such events can make them realize what are the '''do''' and ''''don't'''' .

in this regard, i think it's better to experience a mishap on wet leaves at low speed than having this experience on highway speeds in the wet.

don't forget that abs isn't the holy grails of absolute traction. you still may fall down in the wet or dry ,at low or fast speeds abs or not.

i'm not going to argue about that anymore, but to me,abs,anti spin and things like that are crutches at best, and can kill at worst.

i've seen a lot of guys and gals getting their driving permit , but should never have ,and i have seen couple times that some were killed in their first year of riding . the worst being the ones riding custom road bikes equiped with all the electronic twists and whistles ,stating custom-touring bikes are less dangerous because they aren't fast bikes, yet being the ones you have to repeat constantly to leave the rear pedal alone , and that leaning a bike and countersteering isn't dangerous , in fact it's how a bike can be turned .

fear is strongly detrimental to safe driving and good driving habits,and i just don't see how ABS and such electronic assistance , specially on a motorcycle, can help to learn how to steer and control a motorcycle in emergency sequences. only experience can, sad but true. statistics demonstrate that the critical period for a motorcycle rider is the first 2 years.

Edited April 2, 2014 by sigsauerfan

[Miranda]

Hi sigsauerfan,

the issue is not is the tech, good or bad for riders.

it is two things that combine.

abs and anything like it are safer for more people than any alternative.

abs adds to the price AND lowers liability exposure.

the manufacturers like that... the concept 'learn to ride' will slow sales

and abs allows more sales.

ETA to be clear the combination are safer and more money.

the theory is that I know how to drive a car.

from what I see, I want the rest of the car drivers to have abs!!!!

I'll put up with abs if everyone else has it.

I do hope the abs on a bike is better than the abs in the cars that I have driven.

miranda

Edited April 2, 2014 by Miranda

[Mikethor]

Twist of the wrist - by. Keith Code, read it if you buy a bike or ride, it's like the Enos version of riding motorcycles.

You cannot ride and be concerned with "what if" this is like shooting and fixating on the result only more expensive.

Yes good protective gear is a must and buy the best you can afford.

[sigsauerfan]

yep,twist of the wrist is the bible. not just for racers ,for anyone who wants to understands the Fundamentals or riding a 2 wheeled vehicule ,either on the track or street. it re computerize the brain with sane habits and sharpens the skills .just reading this book is an true eye opener for anyone interested at staying up on a bike whatever the ''hazard''' of the roads.

[Graham Smith]

Well, this just gets more and more interesting. I've determined that getting a loaner helmet for a new rider class isn't a problem but "appropriate dress" might be. I have some boots but they are rather light weight and more suited to the brush than the road. I don't much care for high top boots (20yrs in the Army will do that to you) so it's not something I've bothered with.

I can probably get through the class with them but it seems that this is yet another thing that I'm going to have to learn about. Back in the 70's when I rode some it was with a pair of jungle boots - but those weren't exactly the best thing to be wearing. It sure has gotten complicated.

[TBear]

So you will be riding a few hours at a time on backroads to start. How tall are you and what is your inseam? You will want to be able to get both feet on the ground when you stop. For what you are wanting to do the lighter the weight of the bike the better.

For learning to ride and just having fun I would look at a Honda CRF250L or a Honda CB500x. They are dual sport type bikes, the 500 a lot more street oriented. They are both sit up straight models. For low seat height if your short, all of the big four Japanese makes have medium cruisers. HD even has a new 750 "Street" coming out. The internet is your friend here.

A good place to look at the different styles of bikes is ebay. They will give you a list of bike styles to choose from or you can look by make.

PS Life time rider and enthusiast here. I've been doing a lot of research lately as my wife is interested in learning. Some of the "scooters" are pretty cool, the Honda Forza is an automatic that is capable of 80 mph and weighs a little over 400 lbs. And 70 mpg.

[Graham Smith]

I'm really not thinking about a particular bike at this point because I know I have to look at a lot of things. First step is to pass the course and get my license. But I have already ruled out a number of things. I'm 6' with a 33" inseam so any really low bikes will be uncomfortable for any distance. Also the HK Sportster and Street bikes look great but every thing I read indicates that they have a hard seat and at 64 yrs old, I don't think that's a great idea.

The mid-sized scooters are interesting, but from what I read they can be a bit cramped for taller people. And the price is a bit high compared to similar sized cruisers.

I think I would probably be comfortable with something in the 500cc range, but the odd thing is that there have been so many good bikes in the 750-900cc range produced in the past 10 years that they have become the new "mid-sized" bikes. One that I keep reading good things about is the Kawasaki Vulcan 900.

Like I said, it's complicated

[TBear]

There a lots of aftermarket seat companies (Mustang, Corbin, Sargent), and companies that will modify your stock seat(Russell Day Long, Astech). Stock seats on a motorcycle are known for suckage. Most riders replace the stockers for something better.There are forums for just about any bike you may consider, so if you see one you like look for a forum to see what they've done to their bikes. Let us know what you end up with.

[GrumpyOne]

Graham, we need an update!

[NorCal707]

So, OP - have you taken your Riders Course yet? Have you narrowed down what type of bike you think you want to get?

[Graham Smith]

It's a rather strange outcome to this. I went through the riders course and just couldn't seem to get comfortable at low speed, particularly with turns. Higher speed was fine but as soon as I started slowing down I started getting antsy.

Part of this turned out to be the bike I was using, the throttle was was very hard to control. But the biggest part was that I think I was having flashbacks to the 70's when I owned a bike and got pushed off the road going around a corner by a car cutting around me. The handle bars turned and the front wheel caught and I went over the top.

After that, I went out and bought a little 50cc scooter to ride for a while until I decided if I wanted a real motorcycle. I'm really liking the scooter and it can get me most of where I want to go and doesn't require insurance.

[NorCal707]

It's a rather strange outcome to this. I went through the riders course and just couldn't seem to get comfortable at low speed, particularly with turns. Higher speed was fine but as soon as I started slowing down I started getting antsy.

Part of this turned out to be the bike I was using, the throttle was was very hard to control. But the biggest part was that I think I was having flashbacks to the 70's when I owned a bike and got pushed off the road going around a corner by a car cutting around me. The handle bars turned and the front wheel caught and I went over the top.

After that, I went out and bought a little 50cc scooter to ride for a while until I decided if I wanted a real motorcycle. I'm really liking the scooter and it can get me most of where I want to go and doesn't require insurance.

I hope you have a good personal Insurance policy that will cover you on your Scooter. Those things are even harder for other drivers to see than motorcycles.

[motosapiens]

I've been riding motorcycles for many years, but big streetbikes have never become comfortable at very low speed. I'm ok with that.

the 50cc scooter is probably much cheaper, tho you won't get nearly as many chicks.

[sigsauerfan]

i'm presently looking at the 2015 yamaha R1 just to see if . i'm tempted. bike has a newly designed motor,electronic upgrades,anti wheelies,traction control...hahaha! wonder if there's a switch for lawn mowing

Edited December 11, 2014 by sigsauerfan

[NorCal707]

Being my back has 54 years of wear & tear, I can't ride anything that has a bent-over riding position for any appreciable length of time. My current steed is a 2008 Suzuki Vstrom 650 which has a upright riding position.

Edited December 12, 2014 by NorCal707

[sigsauerfan]

that is why i'm sticking with yamaha sport bikes. otherwise i'd say byebye to sportbikes which is the kind of bikes i've been raised riding on .

the yam has slightly lower pegs in relation with the seat and the bars are not as far as the suzukis or hondas. i have some problems with my lower back snapping 2-3 times a year requiring chiropractor cares. however, i still haven't grown up , i still love carving the corners at speed,one of these days i will too settle to something more relaxing lolll.

Edited December 12, 2014 by sigsauerfan

[GrumpyOne]

Have you guys looked at the Triumph lineup lately? Lots of cool cruisers and some pretty good sport bikes.

[Magsz]

Question for guys with more experience than i.

I am considering a motorcycle, particularly the Yamaha FZ07 as my first bike.

I will primarily be using this for highway commuting and highway driving in general since most of what i do down here in South Florida involves long, straight highways.

The bike, sopping wet is 394 pounds. Am i out of my mind for wanting this style of bike to get around on the highways?

I sat on a 500 pound bike and didnt feel comfortable at all but that means absolutely zero at this point considering i havent ridden before, havent taken my safety course and am merely working out costs and feasibility at this point.

[sigsauerfan]

the FZ 7 is the perfect commuter. a 75 HP twin with a torquy motor (50pound of torque) , 397 lbs and relaxed ergos. you may be a beginner in the sport, it doesn't matter, you need some weight on the wheels to get a smooth ride,in this regard the FZ 7 is the perfect class of bike for ''long range commuting''.

the only thing you might regret on the long run is the lack of some sort of windscreen. on windy days your body act as a sail, while fun at first, it becomes old quite fast. nothing you can't overturn, there's a lot of choice in the aftermarket segment.