I Finally Did It - Learning to Ride

Get one of those motorcycle 3-wheeler things... you know with the wide car tires in back... those are neato.
 
jeez this thread is making me itch for another bike. thanks. i really need another pit to throw money into. however the gas crisis thing is brilliant. i may use that :-)

and yes jeremy, this is a preview of married life. it's an all out war, fought one battle at a time. make sure you win this one....

or, plan b. make sure that on the day you "surprise" her with your new bike, you stop at the jewelry store on the way home. that'll help soften the blow... good luck.
 
After reading through this thread I'm even more stoked about this class.

Adam, while I respect that you just went out and did it, which is pretty close to the point I was getting to, I just figured that there's no time like the present to learn, plus waiting the two months isn't that bad since I am out of town next month on my honeymoon (sort of makes it feel like it's not that long of a wait).

I am suprised to see so many sport bike riders, maybe that's just because my preference has never leaned towards sport bikes, but then again, I've never even been on a cruiser.

At this point i'm just looking forward to taking the class and then figuring out a way to hopefully leverage myself into some sort of used 750cc Honda. I keep scouring Craigslist and seeing what is out there but what's funny is I don't know what I'm looking at.

I figure used is a good place for me to start because if I drop $26k... hell, if I drop $7k I'm going to be pissed.
 
You really can't go wrong with any kind of used Honda for a couple grand. They are very reliable. Jut about anyone you buy will be the right bike.
 
Same boat here. I have been looking to get my license for about a year now. I have not pulled the trigger yet but this thread is pushing me closer.
 
Actually with cruiser style bikes the displacement doesn't really matter. Get the CC thing out of your head - they almost all ride the same. These aren't fast bikes at all. By car standards, they are fast, but not by bike standards.

You can learn on any size cruiser bike.

Now learning on a 1000cc Ducati is going to be a mistake, but I've found that big cruisers are pretty forgiving since they may have big engines, but also are heavy so they can't do wheelies in every gear.
 
taormina said:
Actually with cruiser style bikes the displacement doesn't really matter. Get the CC thing out of your head - they almost all ride the same. These aren't fast bikes at all. By car standards, they are fast, but not by bike standards.

You can learn on any size cruiser bike.

Now learning on a 1000cc Ducati is going to be a mistake, but I've found that big cruisers are pretty forgiving since they may have big engines, but also are heavy so they can't do wheelies in every gear.
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Don't be too negative on them though... this thing will rip your arms off if you're not careful! :) I'm running straight cobra long pipes and the thing shakes the ground.
 
Jeremy Ordan said:
What did you think of the MSF course?

A 1300 isn't what I would consider taking it slow... I'm very jealous :)
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The course was amazing. I honestly don't understand how people hop on bikes without knowing the things you learn in the course. It increased my confidence (and safety) tenfold, easily. Highly recommended.
 
Jeremy Ordan said:
What did you think of the MSF course?

A 1300 isn't what I would consider taking it slow... I'm very jealous :)
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The MSF course was great. I took it about 10 or 15 years ago. It will teach you a lot of what you need to know to be a good rider.

taormina said:
Actually with cruiser style bikes the displacement doesn't really matter. Get the CC thing out of your head - they almost all ride the same. These aren't fast bikes at all. By car standards, they are fast, but not by bike standards.

You can learn on any size cruiser bike.

Now learning on a 1000cc Ducati is going to be a mistake, but I've found that big cruisers are pretty forgiving since they may have big engines, but also are heavy so they can't do wheelies in every gear.
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LOL. Yeah, stay away from the big Ducati's if you're just starting out... :evil:
 
They have a wicked deal on Honda CBR125Rs here in Ontario right now. I get that the bike's small and most people say its a bike that its easily outgrown, but to be perfectly honest it looks great and I'm heading to the dealership to take a look at one. I was also checking out Kawasaki Ninja 250Rs, but they're sold out everywhere.

It's definitely not going to be my main mode of transportation. My IS300 is a fun car and its fast enough for me, so getting a bike for speed isn't my thing really...just for a change and because gas is so bloody expensive.

-Kegan
 
Tom Marshall said:
The gas thing was one of my excuses to finally pick up a bike. I got a Buell 1125R and I love it -
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That thing looks slick (as the firebolt did when it came out). I love Buell's unique styling, plus the v-twin sounds great on a sport bike. Can you compare it to other types of bikes? I've never been on one.

My bike only gets about 35mpg in my commute to work (although much better on open rides). It seems like there are a lot of cars that can do this now, but its still twice what my current car gets!

I can't stress enough the importance of the MSF class. They beat into your head that everyone on the road is out to hit you. You have to think that way because cars just plain don't see you and you have to be ready at all times (SUVs and cell phones are the devil). You don't have that protective cage around you on the bike...
 
I don't know if I'll get any respect here :cheesy:, but I drive a Honda Big Ruckus Scooter.

Honda_USA.jpg


OK, it's only 249cc, but it's a blast to ride and gets 60+MPG. The Motorcycle Safety Course is something that I would strongly recommend. Safety should be your number 1 issue and riding save is better than ....

Road trips of more fun on 2 wheels (photos from San Diego Road trip):

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San_Diego-2.jpg


San_Diego-3.jpg



Bob Diaz
 
mcsmooth said:
That thing looks slick (as the firebolt did when it came out). I love Buell's unique styling, plus the v-twin sounds great on a sport bike. Can you compare it to other types of bikes? I've never been on one.

My bike only gets about 35mpg in my commute to work (although much better on open rides). It seems like there are a lot of cars that can do this now, but its still twice what my current car gets!

I can't stress enough the importance of the MSF class. They beat into your head that everyone on the road is out to hit you. You have to think that way because cars just plain don't see you and you have to be ready at all times (SUVs and cell phones are the devil). You don't have that protective cage around you on the bike...
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Actually, I can give you a comparison. My dad has a Buell Lightning (I think). It's an 2005 model. There's a huge difference between the 2 bikes. It's the compact model because he's about 5'6 so he needs a smaller bike. When I visit them in Florida, I always ride his Buell.

The main difference, other than the size, is the engine. The earlier Harley powered Buells have a torque curve which is good for, well, cruisers really. It moves along fine, but when Buell put in the Rotax V-Twin it made a huge difference in the performance. The earlier Buells run about 104 hp while the 1125R pushes about 146 hp at the crankshaft. About 138 at the wheel.

The 1125 is better designed for riding and for performance. They've got it set up so that you can do about a 53 deg lean into a corner. They've also added a slipper clutch, which is a hydraulic design.

The 1125R is really meant to compete with the Ducati's and higher performance bikes out there so the really stiffened up the chasses and the suspension and you really can tell.

I've also ridden cruiser bikes. A Honda Shadow, Kawasaki Vulcan, and a Harley and cruiser bikes are very different than performance bikes.
 
Kegan Sant said:
They have a wicked deal on Honda CBR125Rs here in Ontario right now. I get that the bike's small and most people say its a bike that its easily outgrown, but to be perfectly honest it looks great and I'm heading to the dealership to take a look at one.-Kegan
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Get the CBR250, the 125 is pretty damn small. I have a 90 model CBR250 and it's a lot of fun, you definitely get good at gear changes!
 
Yeah? The CBR250 may be a better choice eh? I'll definitely check one out. Would you recommend a used one? I just don't want to spend tons - I've still got car payments.

-Kegan
 
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