thanks again for the input guys. I guess no matter how childish it sounds, I just feel a longing to get a bike asap so I can learn and get a busa asap. It is unreasonable and unlikely but I just feel like if I don't get one soon I'll never be able to get one. The weird part is I feel like it just won't be availible later not that I just won't have a place for one in my life. Like I said unreasonable and perhaps childish, but thats the way the brain is sometimes
To ride or not to ride.
- Thread starter Orbain
- Start date
Relsek
Registered
I was the same way when I was in my early 20s. I didn't have the cash to get a real bike so I traded some junk I had for an enduro. I rode it until it wouldn't run then traded it for more junk. (i don't do as much junk as I did before)thanks again for the input guys. I guess no matter how childish it sounds, I just feel a longing to get a bike asap so I can learn and get a busa asap. It is unreasonable and unlikely but I just feel like if I don't get one soon I'll never be able to get one. The weird part is I feel like it just won't be availible later not that I just won't have a place for one in my life. Like I said unreasonable and perhaps childish, but thats the way the brain is sometimes
After all that I got into raising a family and didn't get another bike until recently, I bought an old bike that I could refresh myself on. One problem with being older and better established is, the money is no longer a factor and you buy whatever you want. Oh wait, that's not a problem. I'll shut up.
Truly, though, just go buy an older bike, many are out there that are dependable but cheap. If you were near Fla, you could buy my old suzuki gs 1100, but I think even it is too big for a first bike. I'm sure there are plenty in Ca
A good friend of mine told me........................
"The best part of owning a motorcycle is not having to ride it."
If you get one, keep the cage for those major snow storms in LA!!!
"The best part of owning a motorcycle is not having to ride it."
If you get one, keep the cage for those major snow storms in LA!!!
I was just reading a post about a suggested new bike and didn't sound too bad.
http://www.beginnerbikes.com/editorials/spinning0904.htm
Its about the ninja 250r. I know we're all suzuki lovers here but what do you all think about that as a 1st bike?
I like the sound of it but would like something a teeny bit quicker maybe. Something that would be comperable to my turbo eclipse (basicly something that could cruise at 90 if you wanted it to).
http://www.beginnerbikes.com/editorials/spinning0904.htm
Its about the ninja 250r. I know we're all suzuki lovers here but what do you all think about that as a 1st bike?
I like the sound of it but would like something a teeny bit quicker maybe. Something that would be comperable to my turbo eclipse (basicly something that could cruise at 90 if you wanted it to).
RaiderDm
Registered
For most of my life a bike has been my only transportation. Heck even now I ride my Busa 95+% of the time.
Buy an SV650, a good tank bag <magnetic>, and a rainsuit. Plus of course a helmet boots & gloves. Get an extra
pair of gloves if you can. Perferably waterproof ones. Then make sure you have one friend with 4 wheels. Thats for
stuff like Fri/Sat night or maybe major grocery shopping. Then you are set.
The only two downsides to the 250 are size (no oomph) and it still has expensive plastics for when you tip over.
And you WILL tip over sooner or later. poop I once delivered an entire computer system, including a 17" CRT
monitor on a SV650!.
<!--EDIT|RaiderDm
Reason for Edit: "1098"|1095768441 -->
Buy an SV650, a good tank bag <magnetic>, and a rainsuit. Plus of course a helmet boots & gloves. Get an extra
pair of gloves if you can. Perferably waterproof ones. Then make sure you have one friend with 4 wheels. Thats for
stuff like Fri/Sat night or maybe major grocery shopping. Then you are set.
The only two downsides to the 250 are size (no oomph) and it still has expensive plastics for when you tip over.
And you WILL tip over sooner or later. poop I once delivered an entire computer system, including a 17" CRT
monitor on a SV650!.
<!--EDIT|RaiderDm
Reason for Edit: "1098"|1095768441 -->
Exactly what Raider said regarding the SV650 and the Ninja250. The Ninja 250 sorta looks like a punk bike and it will quickly get old, then when you fall over "WHEN" not if, you end up with all that still pricey plastic to fix or look like ass. The SV650 is a great choice. Well respected, excellent handling, HUGE AFTERMARKET and has enough power to get out of it's own way, without so much that it'll get you into trouble too fast. Not to mention there are alot of used ones available. If a Hayabusa is your eventual target (Though if you have never ridden you might change your mind) the SV650 is a decent choice. It's a full size doo it all bike... and hey it's "Halfabusa".
Thanks so much guys. You've been so helpful. I'll start lookin in the SV650. Raider your feedback was particularly useful. I also just read the post in the 'busa as a 1st bike' skicky about how you had nothin but bikes till what? 22? Absolutely great feedback. Lots to think about now, but hopefully I'll still be seeing you guys around, cause like I said before: I may not be gettin one now, but the Hayabusa is just plain amazing. I have nothin more than respect for admiration for not only every one of the bikes, but for their owners too.
Big ups to you all, I'll see you later.
-Orbain
Big ups to you all, I'll see you later.
-Orbain
Orbain,
I'll try not to repeat the advice already given, but will re-enforce the MSF Rider Course, it is well worth the time and money.
My wife got into riding, and her first bike was a 2001 Yamaha V-Star 1100. She handled it pretty well, but was always scared of having to use the clutch and downshift in an emergency. We ended up trading her V-Star in on "MY" Busa...how lucky am I?
We did get her another bike though. A Suzuki Burgman-650 Scooter. I can honestly say I was sceptical at first, but when I rode it 45 miles home, it was an eye opening experience. This was not a scooter. This was a 650cc motorcycle cleverly diguised as a scooter. Well balanced, excellent handling (not sportbike handling, but good), excellent wind protection, and massive amounts of storage. You could fit two FULL faced helmets under the seat in the trunk. It had three glove compartments, and one of them was lockable with a power outlet for cell phone/pda car charger.
Due to some financial issues, we ended up selling her burgman, but she absolutely loved it, although she honestly didn't ride it much. The day we got rid of it, I actually took it out on the interstate and hit 107 mph, and wasn't even that hard to do.
There are a lot of choices for you in selecting a bike. Just pick what you can afford, and can handle safely. No matter what you pick, take the time to learn how to ride properly, and ride enough to learn the characteristics of your own bike.
Above all...Be Safe! Wear your helmet at a "minimum", and make sure it is a quality helmet...you only have one skull.
Good Luck
I'll try not to repeat the advice already given, but will re-enforce the MSF Rider Course, it is well worth the time and money.
My wife got into riding, and her first bike was a 2001 Yamaha V-Star 1100. She handled it pretty well, but was always scared of having to use the clutch and downshift in an emergency. We ended up trading her V-Star in on "MY" Busa...how lucky am I?
We did get her another bike though. A Suzuki Burgman-650 Scooter. I can honestly say I was sceptical at first, but when I rode it 45 miles home, it was an eye opening experience. This was not a scooter. This was a 650cc motorcycle cleverly diguised as a scooter. Well balanced, excellent handling (not sportbike handling, but good), excellent wind protection, and massive amounts of storage. You could fit two FULL faced helmets under the seat in the trunk. It had three glove compartments, and one of them was lockable with a power outlet for cell phone/pda car charger.
Due to some financial issues, we ended up selling her burgman, but she absolutely loved it, although she honestly didn't ride it much. The day we got rid of it, I actually took it out on the interstate and hit 107 mph, and wasn't even that hard to do.
There are a lot of choices for you in selecting a bike. Just pick what you can afford, and can handle safely. No matter what you pick, take the time to learn how to ride properly, and ride enough to learn the characteristics of your own bike.
Above all...Be Safe! Wear your helmet at a "minimum", and make sure it is a quality helmet...you only have one skull.
Good Luck
SoCal is a great place to ride, maybe not so much to actually own a bike, particularly if you don't have a garage. The year-round season will make a sharper rider out of you (there are lots of bikers in CA, after all), but I agree the traffic around LA is kinda nuts.
MSF course is a must, just so you can get around parking lots and bump-and-go traffic on city streets without embarassment and suffering. Highway riding out there will be another experience and is just something you'll have to work your way into.
Parking a big bike is touch-and-go. Here in CO, a lot of business, apartments, etc. have decent motorcycle-only parking that is almost always closer to wherever you want to be than the rest of the parking lot. Around DC, however, we had almost none of that, so YMMV.
Small bikes and scooters, OTOH, can sometimes just pop up onto sidewalks and be chained to something and left safely. Depends on the local climate.
A 'Busa or another big bike is rough to start with because until you get accustomed to basic motorcyle dynamics at low speeds it will be torture just getting in and out of parking spaces, etc. Then there's the self-control thing, but that's more between the ears and legs than anything else.
You can hurt or kill yourself on any bike under almost any circumstances, including just sitting in the middle of an empty parking lot, so the proximity to danger is always notable, even if the possiblity of survival is controllable by moderating speed, practicing skills, etc.
Also, if you do get a bike in that environment, don't screw around with gear -- helmet, gloves, boots, and a leather jacket at least, and if you have a fondness for your kneecaps I would suggest overpants or the like (if you use a litlte planning, gearing up in 100+degF weather is still doable).
There's lots you can do to make commuting comfortable and convenient on a bike, but that's a later topic. I have been a full-time bike commuter for a while now (on the 'Busa and other big bikes) and it's really not that complicated unless you need to haul crates of tomatoes or something.
<!--EDIT|mcoyote
Reason for Edit: None given...|1095748537 -->
MSF course is a must, just so you can get around parking lots and bump-and-go traffic on city streets without embarassment and suffering. Highway riding out there will be another experience and is just something you'll have to work your way into.
Parking a big bike is touch-and-go. Here in CO, a lot of business, apartments, etc. have decent motorcycle-only parking that is almost always closer to wherever you want to be than the rest of the parking lot. Around DC, however, we had almost none of that, so YMMV.
Small bikes and scooters, OTOH, can sometimes just pop up onto sidewalks and be chained to something and left safely. Depends on the local climate.
A 'Busa or another big bike is rough to start with because until you get accustomed to basic motorcyle dynamics at low speeds it will be torture just getting in and out of parking spaces, etc. Then there's the self-control thing, but that's more between the ears and legs than anything else.
You can hurt or kill yourself on any bike under almost any circumstances, including just sitting in the middle of an empty parking lot, so the proximity to danger is always notable, even if the possiblity of survival is controllable by moderating speed, practicing skills, etc.
Also, if you do get a bike in that environment, don't screw around with gear -- helmet, gloves, boots, and a leather jacket at least, and if you have a fondness for your kneecaps I would suggest overpants or the like (if you use a litlte planning, gearing up in 100+degF weather is still doable).
There's lots you can do to make commuting comfortable and convenient on a bike, but that's a later topic. I have been a full-time bike commuter for a while now (on the 'Busa and other big bikes) and it's really not that complicated unless you need to haul crates of tomatoes or something.
<!--EDIT|mcoyote
Reason for Edit: None given...|1095748537 -->
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