I wanna get a bike, what do you guys think?

ZAMIRZ · ZAMIRZ's Garage

I've been thinking about it for a while and have decided that I want to get a motorcycle. Last night I rode one for the first time in about 7 years and it was a lot of fun, so much fun in fact I couldn't wipe the grin off my face for a while afterward. The bike I rode was a 2000 Triumph Sprint RS (955cc), I felt it was a bit too fast.....(got it up to 85 and couldn't tell....with shorts on!

). So I'm browsing today and I like the look of the sport bikes that don't have the full bodywork such as the Suzuki Bandit. I want to get a 600cc, maybe an older 750, but definately no bigger than that. Those of you who ride, do you have some input for a first bike?

Also, any idea on what the best way would be to break it to my mom? My dad doesn't mind, he used to have 3 bikes back when he was my age, but I'm pretty sure my mom's gonna flip.

thanks,

amir

BlueSkyJaunte · 06-05-2003, 01:48 PM

1) Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Course
2) Sit on every motorcycle you can for a while (ergos are important--my last bike ruined my tailbone permanently)
3) Buy the one you won't be afraid to crash (less bodywork the better)
4) Don't tell your mom (I never told mine, and I've had bikes for the past 9 years). She's better off not knowing, she'll be worried all the time and nag you incessantly.

CJFusco · CJFusco's Garage

Ducati Monster S4

the bike that Hunter Thompson is scared to own

stray15 · stray15's Garage

just get an early sport bike, late 80's early 90's. The earlier the cheaper, the cheaper, the less you will care when you drop it. most people drop there first bikes.

i have had my MC lic. longer than my car lic. My dad talked me and my brothers into it. It was a heck of a lot cheaper because I had a little 250. Great on gas!

now i am 21 and have a 2000 katana 750 and couldn't be happier. there is plenty of bike for me to grow into.

you don't need the fastest/best bike out there. just get something that you can ride the crap out of it. most people buy these huge liter bikes and stuff and can never use it to there potential. you could beat them on a ninja 250 if you ride the snot out of it...

i also recommend a MSF course, i took it and i'm glad i did. in PA it is free.

also buy good gear. road rash doesn't look/feel good...i used to ride around in shorts but not no more...too many idiots that don't look for you...

any more questions just ask...

btw, don't tell your mom until after you get it...asking for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission...

goodluck!

tabs · 06-05-2003, 04:58 PM

Buy one with Pedals....

ZAMIRZ · ZAMIRZ's Garage

Wow, thanks for all the good advice guys. Luckily in So Cal, motorcycles are abundant and I seem to have a good choice to pick from. Yamaha R6s seem to be the cheapest out of the ones I've been browsing, the Honda F4i doesn't look bad either. Everybody I've talked to so far has said to make sure I put money aside to purchase a good helmet and good riding gear (stray gave the same advice, which further cemented that in my head) and that the first mod I should do is get the side guards so that if/when I dump it the damage isn't as bad.

I spoke to my mom a bit earlier about it and she flipped at first when I told her I rode my friend's bike, but after half an hour of pleading my case she said "i don't want one in this household and i hope you don't buy one, but if you do i'd rather you tell me than keep it at your friend's house and pretend you don't own it". I talked to my dad and he just said "you're going to drop it, I was stupid with my bikes and if I rode around today the way I used to I'd be dead, times have changed and you need to be more careful. No riding at night for the first 5000 miles. Other htan that, you're 18 and you're responsible, find a good one and respect it"..........I'm not in any rush and probably won't get one until the end of summer, for right now I'm just trying to gather as much info as I can.

thanks again guys!

Bill Douglas · 06-05-2003, 07:35 PM

Ducati, Ducati, Ducati.

And like the guys said take care take a safety course and don't get killed on the blimmin thing.

BlueSkyJaunte · 06-05-2003, 08:04 PM

Oh, I ALWAYS wear a lid, gloves, armored jacket, boots, and minimum of denim pants. Sorry, it's such a habit I don't even think about it. Try on helmets and wear each tester for a while--last thing you want is one that gives you a headache. Different heads fit different brands. I'm a Shoei-head, but I can't wear any thing by Arai.

Again, I would avoid anything w/ plastic for your first bike. You WILL drop it, and nothing is more annoying than scratched up/cracked plastic.

As for safety, the best policy is to pretend that everyone is AIMING for you. It's kept me alive so far...despite others' efforts to the contrary.

DonDavis · DonDavis's Garage

Test riding bikes can be the hardest thing. Dealers balk at letting you. Sellers as well. If you are not sure which type/style you want, it can be tough figuring it out.

My first thought when I read this was what is your height/weight? If you are a big dude ( I don't just mean fat ) you will need a big bike to feel comfortable. Ever saw a 6'6" guy on a 600? That plays into the safety part as well. Take your time choosing and remember, it's bike season. This is the time of year when people get the fever and quickly go out and get one just to sell it in the winter because they realize it doesn't fit their lifestyle.

Oh, and make the first one a bike you don't plan on keeping forever. Make it cheap and ride it a LOT. Move up after you KNOW bike ownership works for you.

BTW, if you get a bike and sell the P-car, I will personally come out, kick your butt, ride your bike till empty and scratch the tank.

5axis · 06:21 AM

Check out the SV650. A great first ride,and one that crosses over into several race classes for those with track leanings. Get used to full tilt on a bike and even a 930 will seem tame.

http://pub17.ezboard.com/bsv650ownersboard

A cool looking SV track bike. FS
http://www.geocities.com/dgyver/svrace.html

jhugh · 06-06-2003, 08:30 AM

DUCATI - nothing else compares. My first bike was a Monster 900. But I found it to be too squirrely on the hwy... wheelbase is too short, riding position too high, no fairing, etc. Then I got a 900ss. Ahhhhhhhh, perfect. What an awesome machine. Lean, light, fast, sexy, beautiful, TASTEFUL (unlike Japanese bikes) & soulful (ditto). There's nothing that sounds like a Ducati. Oh, and chicks dig it.

Yeah, you'll put it down and your mom will hate it. But so what. It's worth it. Personally, I quit riding because I just realized after a while and after putting the bike down a couple times that I'm just too spacey to ride. It requires total concentration at all times and I just space out now and then. And that's precisely when ***** happens. Be very very VERY careful. Dying is one thing. Game over. But if, like mine did, your fear of being hideously maimed becomes insistent, listen to that voice and stop. Wheelchairs aren't sexy.

Oh, but first.. don't limit yourself on the power of the bike. Don't believe for a moment that in a few months you won't be able to handle a big bike. I know you're a 911 nut, so you're going to want more performance real quick. Near the end of my riding career, I was always chopping the 900ss' throttle wide open, gunning it everywhere, wheelying, peeling out, etc. I sold the bike to a buddy and didn't ride it again for a year. When I got back on I couldn't believe the speed and couldn't fathom how I'd been chopping it open like that all the time. But you get used to it. Naw, you get addicted.

jhugh · 06-06-2003, 08:35 AM

the Ducati index!

http://www.cowin-tech.com/ducati/

cottonyzf · 06-06-2003, 08:43 AM

I've been riding 16 years and currently have a Yamaha YZF600 with 30k on it, but I bought it used in 2001 with 2k. It has plenty of power for me and I'm 6'3" 190lbs. I use it as my daily commuter to work, drag race it on Tuesday nights, and have taken road trips on it that were over 1k miles. It is a great all around bike that I would highly recommend. If you plan on riding a lot I would stay away from the Ducatis and Triumphs because of the high maintenance and get a Jap bike instead. If you plan on riding A LOT I would get a BMW because they'll go forever from what I hear. I'll probably get a BMW k1200rs next because I plan on doing some very long trips in the future and that is a great bike for it. Please please please wear good gear...your skin will thank you for it!!!

-Jeff
85 Carrera
98 Yamaha YZF600
75 Chevrolet pickup 4X4

cottonyzf · 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jhugh

Oh, but first.. don't limit yourself on the power of the bike. Don't believe for a moment that in a few months you won't be able to handle a big bike. I know you're a 911 nut, so you're going to want more performance real quick. Near the end of my riding career, I was always chopping the 900ss' throttle wide open, gunning it everywhere, wheelying, peeling out, etc. I sold the bike to a buddy and didn't ride it again for a year. When I got back on I couldn't believe the speed and couldn't fathom how I'd been chopping it open like that all the time. But you get used to it. Naw, you get addicted.

I think that is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard about bikes. You are basically telling a newbie to get as fast a bike as possible?? I'll tell you this...starting out on a smaller bike will let you develope your skills much better. I started out on an xl 80 when I was 10 years old for Christ sakes. Smaller displacement bikes, while still being very fast in most cases, are also lighter and easier for someone not used to a bike to handle. My YZF600 will absolutely smoke my 911. I honestly can't think of a stock street car it can't out accelerate. I have beaten pleanty of larger bikes at the races simply because they didn't know how to ride! 5axis was right when he suggested the SV650. It has a v twin with plenty of torque that will easily pull a wheelie if that is what you are into, handles great, and doesn't have a lot of expensive parts to bust up when you dump it. Good luck with whatever you get man, but please stay away from the R1, GSXR1000, and Hayabusa type bikes until you develope your skills.

-Jeff
85 Carrera
98 Yamaha YZF600
75 Chevrolet pickup 4X4

5axis · 06-06-2003, 09:18 AM

Right on Cotton.
I wish I were small enough to ride a 125. I have been spying a aprillia 250 for a track toy. Check out the dual sports too. They can be a riot. I will also agree with your BMW suggestion.
Over 60K on my Kbike.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 06-06-2003, 09:27 AM

Go take a rider's course and buy some really good leathers/helmet. Safety is the paramount concern.

jhugh · 06-06-2003, 09:30 AM

Cotton, I'm sure you're right. But I think it's clear from my track record - dumping the bike every 6 mos - that I'm no safety authority, nor do I pretend to be. But to be fair to me, you realize that a Ducati 900ss, being an aircooled Vtwin, isn't much quicker than the Suzuki SVXXZZRR650 or whatever it is. So the bike I'm advocating is really not that big of a mofo. I have met more than a few guys who've had serious accidents thanks to inexperience & the gloriously absurd power-to-weight ratio of the R1. I've never ridden one of those things and I probably never will. What I'm advocating above the more banal practicalities that everyone else so piously mentions, though, is STYLE, which I'm saying the Ducs have over all the other bikes. And personally for me the sound and feel of the 900 vtwin in particular (as opposed to the smaller motors they make) made riding more attractive and more fun than it would otherwise have been. And I grew into the power very quickly.

Cheers,

cottonyzf · 06-06-2003, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 5axis
Right on Cotton.
I wish I were small enough to ride a 125. I have been spying a aprillia 250 for a track toy. Check out the dual sports too. They can be a riot. I will also agree with your BMW suggestion.
Over 60K on my Kbike.

Which is yours? They both look great. I love the BMWs...great road bikes, plenty of power, and most have the low maintenance shaft drive. When my yzf dies or gets 60k, which ever comes first, I'll start searching for a nice used k1200rs or similar.

Here's mine after a ride from Nashville to Florida:

cottonyzf · 06-06-2003, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jhugh
Cotton, I'm sure you're right. But I think it's clear from my track record - dumping the bike every 6 mos - that I'm no safety authority, nor do I pretend to be. But to be fair to me, you realize that a Ducati 900ss, being an aircooled Vtwin, isn't much quicker than the Suzuki SVXXZZRR650 or whatever it is. So the bike I'm advocating is really not that big of a mofo. I have met more than a few guys who've had serious accidents thanks to inexperience & the gloriously absurd power-to-weight ratio of the R1. I've never ridden one of those things and I probably never will. What I'm advocating above the more banal practicalities that everyone else so piously mentions, though, is STYLE, which I'm saying the Ducs have over all the other bikes. And personally for me the sound and feel of the 900 vtwin in particular (as opposed to the smaller motors they make) made riding more attractive and more fun than it would otherwise have been. And I grew into the power very quickly.

Cheers,

Okay man, guess I jumped the gun a little. I'm just tired of seeing guys getting busted up on the liter bikes because of inexperience.

-Jeff

5axis · 10:00 AM

The silver on the left is my 86, the blue on the right is my younger brothers 92. We ran Rt66 from end to end. They were the perfect tools for the job. Multiple Bikes Boats and Cars. It's good being single.

Don't skimp on the lid or GLOVES. Various parts of you body may hit the ground. Your hands almost always will hit. Try to fall without reaching out. It is very hard not to. Now do it in a split second when everything is going wrong and the pavement is coming up to greet you. Get Good Gloves.