motorcycle Suggestions

[rJ_]

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Not sure how many of the states are mandatory helmets but not wearing one is an absolute death wish. When i was in Alaska 80% were not wearing them. This is absolutely idiotic (I guess its an American thing).



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If you're just tooling around a small town I see no reason to wear one, but if you'r getting on a highway or driving in any sort of traffic I think it's a must.

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There are just so many things that can go wrong. Dogs seem to love chasing bikes, kids run out on the streets, bike malfunction, little gravel where you dont expect it, all kind of idiot drivers (there is never zero traffic) etc...

All of the above even at the speed limit 50km/h (i think 30mph) could lead to massive head trauma. This isnt even counting the number of skin grafts you're going to need.

rJ_

[Klompy]

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Not sure how many of the states are mandatory helmets but not wearing one is an absolute death wish. When i was in Alaska 80% were not wearing them. This is absolutely idiotic (I guess its an American thing).



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If you're just tooling around a small town I see no reason to wear one, but if you'r getting on a highway or driving in any sort of traffic I think it's a must.

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There are just so many things that can go wrong. Dogs seem to love chasing bikes, kids run out on the streets, bike malfunction, little gravel where you dont expect it, all kind of idiot drivers (there is never zero traffic) etc...

All of the above even at the speed limit 50km/h (i think 30mph) could lead to massive head trauma. This isnt even counting the number of skin grafts you're going to need.

rJ_

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This is all pretty true, but nothing compares to the fealing of driving a bike without a helmet on. All of your troubles melt away and you feal free, it's something that can't be described unless you've done it I dont think, or maybe it's just me.

I've also layed a bike down at ~30 though too, but I didn't really have anything happen except some minor burns and a f'ed up bike. This isn't to say that bad things can't happen at that speed, but i'm just saying that an accident at 30 isn't an automatic death.

[BeaucoupFish]

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This is all pretty true, but nothing compares to the fealing of driving a bike without a helmet on. All of your face melts away and you eat bugs



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[BeaucoupFish]

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I've also layed a bike down at ~30 though too, but I didn't really have anything happen except some minor burns and a f'ed up bike.

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My accident* was at less than 20mph. A lorry moving at this speed doesn't stop when it meets flesh and bone. In my case, it snapped my lower leg like a twig. This was >10 yrs ago, and I will never be the same. I cannot run, sports are a distant memory, and I suffer permanent chronic pain.

Of course, I still have a motorcyle.

* If you ride a motorcycle, you will have an accident. Hopefully it will be minor, but it is a case of when, not if. Best advise in this thread is training. And a smaller bike for the first 6-12 months.

[twoblacknines]

Thanks for the link Rj. In that thread the Kawasaki Ninja 250R was highly recommended for starting out on. I did some more research on it and found nothing but positive reviews. Do you have any feelings about this bike?

[chopstick]

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Thanks for the link Rj. In that thread the Kawasaki Ninja 250R was highly recommended for starting out on. I did some more research on it and found nothing but positive reviews. Do you have any feelings about this bike?

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http://forums.ninja250.org/
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page

This is about the best starter bike there is. They are cheap. They maintain resale value if you want to move up later. They are resistant to damage. There is a huge market for them with lots of buyers and sellers.


If you are buying for ego purposes, they look sporty.

If you are buying for chick purposes, non-riders cannot tell the difference between a 250 and a 1000 - hell, lots of riders can't.

If you are buying for commuting purposes, they get 65+ MPG.

If you are buying for speed purposes, they will beat almost every car you usually see on the road. 0-66 in 5.5 seconds.

If cost is an issue, you can pick them up for under $2000 easily, and resell for the exact same price a year later.

If you are buying to have fun, they are about as fun as it gets.

If you are buying and concerned about other bikes looking down on you, don't be. Once you learn how to ride, you will smoke pretty much every other bike riding in twisties and curvy roads due to your superior manuverability.

I could go on and on.

[twoblacknines]

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Thanks for the link Rj. In that thread the Kawasaki Ninja 250R was highly recommended for starting out on. I did some more research on it and found nothing but positive reviews. Do you have any feelings about this bike?

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http://forums.ninja250.org/
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page

This is about the best starter bike there is. They are cheap. They maintain resale value if you want to move up later. They are resistant to damage. There is a huge market for them with lots of buyers and sellers.


If you are buying for ego purposes, they look sporty.

If you are buying for chick purposes, non-riders cannot tell the difference between a 250 and a 1000 - hell, lots of riders can't.

If you are buying for commuting purposes, they get 65+ MPG.

If you are buying for speed purposes, they will beat almost every car you usually see on the road. 0-66 in 5.5 seconds.

If cost is an issue, you can pick them up for under $2000 easily, and resell for the exact same price a year later.

If you are buying to have fun, they are about as fun as it gets.

If you are buying and concerned about other bikes looking down on you, don't be. Once you learn how to ride, you will smoke pretty much every other bike riding in twisties and curvy roads due to your superior manuverability.

I could go on and on.

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Thanks, great links this reaffirms that this is probably the bike for me. One other question, as far as taking training classes, do you typically bring your own bike or do they provide bikes for you to use?

[chopstick]

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Thanks, great links this reaffirms that this is probably the bike for me. One other question, as far as taking training classes, do you typically bring your own bike or do they provide bikes for you to use?

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http://www.msf-usa.org/

The BRC (Basic Rider Course) should provide you with both a helmet and bike for your course.

Poke around that site, there is a lot of good info there. What state are you in?

[Mr_J]

Actually the cbr250rr is the best sports 250 you can get , but it's marginal (between cbr250rr and zxr250) so what really matters is the condition of the bike and the price.

A 250/400 for a few months is a good start, take it to the track, do stay upright courses etc.

you will smoke pretty much every other bike riding in twisties and curvy roads due to your superior manuverability.

Very wrong. A late model sportsbike is about the same weight as a sports 250 and have the advantage of newer technology and development. The 250s are 15+ years old.

Edited to add that not wearing a helmut is a stupid thing to do unless you are ok with the much greater risk. The 'just going to the shops' thinking is ridiculous - it only takes one moron to hit you at low speed to [censored] your head up.

[rJ_]

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They are cheap. They maintain resale value if you want to move up later. They are resistant to damage. There is a huge market for them with lots of buyers and sellers.



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Chopsticks entire post is absolutely perfect. The part quoted is something all beginners should think about because it is very true.

600's are tougher too sell, easier to damage, and depreciate way more. You should probably be able to use the 250 for a year and lose almost nothing in a quick resale.

The only advantage not mentioned of learning on a 250 is that you really learn how to ride. You learn to get more out of the bike, and it will be more forgiving when you do make a mistake. If you have a death grip on the throttle and you hit a good size pothole/bump it may cause you to rev the hell out of the thing. On a 250 you can probably get back under control, but on a 600 you might just have a major problem on your hands.

rJ_