Lets Talk about Motorcycles

[RedDiabla]

MSF course, excellent idea and pretty friggin easy too. I'm suprised nobody's recommended a Triumph bike...I never owned one so I can't say much about them.

I remember a few years ago Triumph had a fire in their parts factory or something like that? Made parts for the newer bikes harder to find for awhile, at least.

My husband wanted a Sprint RS reeeeeeeeally badly, but I think they stopped making 'em. The new Bonnevilles are beeeeeyooooteefullll, too.

RD

[Barry Obama]

the Triunph retro 900 scranbler looks pretty nice, and would be great I think for just having some fun in low traffic areas. I really love classic looking bikes and went through a really longe period of buying old old bikes restoring them up and so on. more years than id like to have invested anyways, and while the end result was always cosmetically pleasing driving conditions are so different than they where back in the day. The cars on the road..even the cheapest cars these days perform very well and your average driver is a lot more aggressive than they used to be, while less skilled cuase its so easy to drive these new cars and rely on their good technology. Makes the road more dangerous...older.archaic engineered bikes just cant hack it consistentley and safely out there. My old bmws and Harleys looked great and got a lot of attention but they where basically deathtraps, disadvantaged deathtraps in the arena of my particular combo of downtown big city, californai highway driving. I have found that as the years roll on better engineered bikes and a more intense level of skill have been forced on me in order to not get steamrollered by Jane Ghetto zipping around in her ride with a cellphone stuck in her ear.

the new designs of streetfighter bikes and superbikes, once youve adjusted to them do get you back in the advantage zone.

but, it does get down to what turns you on.

[ajosephb]

I'll be selling a bunch of great prints over the next few weeks.

Deal with the wife is...come up with 3 grand via posters and I can do it.

Monster here I come.

[Andymac]

mechanically inclined, like misadventures and meeting new people - get an older bike
just want to ride - get a new(er) bike
really look hard at where you will be riding.
Doesn't make sense to get some big road cruiser if you are just winging around town.
Want to go cross country - don't get a crotch rocket.
Got dirt roads and live on a farm or need to tend your pot patch in the mountains? Don't get a sport bike
I think your physical build would have a lot to do with the model of bike you can ride.
Seems to me too that most new bikes are so well built/engineered that if you look after them they will last a long time.
My worst problem with the larger BMW is the insurance went through the roof. Kind of sucks. I envy you 'mericans in this regard. i pay $900 /yr, that is just basic, no theft/collision/etc.

[ajosephb]

wow...that is a lot of insurance for a bike.

[Barry Obama]

I agree with andy. When I decided to go back to a superbike after 20 years of vintage bikes and choppers i spent a couple of weeks methodically going to all the dealerships and test riding all the new bikes that appealed to me.All the Japanese bikes, Bmw, triumph,MV auguasta,Aprillia etc.

I picked the Ducati 749 because it instantly felt 'good' on my ass and was excellent on the test ride.A year later it was like I was a total junkie so I bought the more powerful 996 model and them modded out the 749 as well.

I do like to 'get real goofy' once in a while so, since thats a little dangerous on the street around here, and I dont like track days I went ahead and got a big KTM 450 enduro dirt bike so when I want to be a squirrell I can go offroad and get that out of my system.

so for my 'needs' in riding I am pretty well covered. 2000 mile highway marathons arent really my thing...if they where I would get a big BMW cruiser, as goofy as they look.

[Andymac]

do you need a separate mtc license? (we do)
maybe get that first so you can testride.....

[Barry Obama]

licensing is different in every state. but you do need one. in CA the state riding test is really hard to pass on anything bigger than like a moped, as the course is still the same as it was 50 years ago. tiny. most people take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course with that you can just get a license without a test and the course is actually pretty good if your a beginner. They offer a dirt one as well thats more fun.Its like a 2 day course.

I personally think they should do a multi level system so that if you want to go over 500 cc bike you need 1 year at lower level bikes then a harder course for over 500cc. Most dead people are they get the license, go buy a huge bike and like run into a truck.

[Andymac]

In japan I read part of the test used to be you had to pick your bike up from tipped over on the ground. That's why they didn't sell too many big bikes there.

I had to retest in '81 on my Norton, it wouldn't turn tight enough to do the pylons. the guy let me have it anyway.

One of my worst accidents was the night i first got my license when I was 16. I figured I was soooooo good, riding along yelling back and forth with my friends...forgot to look, drove off the shoulder at 60 and into aditch, pulled a steve mcqueen and went airborne on the otherside.
I still scare myself good a few times a year. You gotta drive like every car is out to get you, and any signal they make is bullshit. i think double disc brakes are the best invention so far....

[loco]

Get A Harley

-loco