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Motorcycles

Kanamori

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Apr 23, 2007
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Get a deathmachine... it's pretty much how I plan to die. Honestly though, the only time I've had more fun than riding a motorcycle on curvy highways is playing lasertag on speed, which is really hard to beat.
 

RiderOnTheStorm

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I rode on a motorcycle for the very first time today. I think I'm in love.
 

Usehername

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I admit I'm very attracted to the idea, but living where I do there's not enough months of the year where one can ride it to make it a practical investment. It's purely an expensive toy for the summer months up around here.
 

ajblaise

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If I moved down south or out west I'd really like to get one. Can't decide between a Harley or a crotch rocket.
 

Anja

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Weather is a big reason why you have to have a tough disposition if you want to ride daily. Wind is a nuisance nearly everywhere. There are winds on the prairie here which will have you riding at a 45 degree angle, then you pass a grove of trees and the wind "disappears" for a moment and you have to rebalance fast.

Here a grove close to the road is a red flag. In the winter that's where the spots of ice will be. And the doggies. And the deer.

I've ridden two days in driving rain so heavy that I could scarcely see and felt like I was drowning. The bike hydroplanes which is really a thrill when you meet a semi and you're afloat on the road.

And here we can have snow from October to April.

But it doesn't mean you can't ride. In the day we just put the bikes away from Dec. to March. I've ridden in freezinng weather. If you like to ride there is good equipment to protect you from the elements.

I have a girlfriend in Florida who is sixty and she travels soley by cycle. This summer she went to Colorado for a vacation. She has, more than once, traveled all the way to Canada by bike and has electric boots and gloves. Says she can put on seven hundred miles a day.

I don't call this traveling. I call it masochism! Iron-butt riding. Heh.

There are a lot of people, (certainly not INFPs) who seem to think the goal of riding is how many miles they can rack up in a twenty-four hour period. Sunday afternoon ride? "Yeah, we put three-hundred miles on today."

Weather, bad drivers, all that stuff. It's a person's choice what they are willing to put up with. I just plain like to ride enough to deal with it.
 

swordpath

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If I would have been stationed in California there'd be no question of getting a bike. Probably would have gotten it a while ago. The whether is too nice, too many months of the year not to take advantage. Coastal NC isn't the ideal place to be when it comes to weather, but it could be a lot worse.

Also, I wouldn't listen to music when I ride. That's why I'm leaning towards the sportbike. I'd want the cruiser for the advantage of more comfortably riding longer distances but have realized I can't listen to music on a long drive on a bike without risk, so screw that; I'll just use my car. :D
 

Anja

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Well, good luck. And fun and safe riding!

I'm not sure if it's national or not, but in MN, now all new riders must pass a course. My kids and I took it years ago and it was excellent. Learned a lot of things I thought I already knew!

I highly recommend classes.
 

Grayscale

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some things to consider:

-dont get an expensive bike as your first, as someone mentioned. this way when you drop it or decide you dont like the style/need more power you can easily sell it down to another beginner rider. they're easier to resell and retain more of their original value.

-motorcycle riding is dangerous, you need all your senses. a big reason not to listen to music is because not only does it limit your senses by covering nearby tire noise, it also means youll need to use your tachometer to shift gears, meaning your eyes are not on the road for those moments. without sound, ive found you can keep your eyes on the road almost the entire time by guessing speed based on other cars and RPMs based on your engine noise. either way, if you continue to ride a motorcycle you can probably count on getting into at least one accident. if you wear the gear, chances are you will not be seriously injured but if you arent prepared for the distinct possibility of injury then a motorcycle isnt for you.

-youll need to factor in the cost of equipment, training for licensing, etc. motorcycle leathers can get spendy (and you should wear them if you like your skin) and so can helmets. remember that youll need to wear protective gear all the time... so the whole "jump in your car and take off whenever" is something we take for granted that you just cant do on a motorcycle. you have to babysit your gear wherever you go and consider weather conditions, i really advise against motorcycles as a primary form of transportation because you can't always rely on having the time and conditions to use them. cars are sooo much more convenient, even if they arent nearly as fun. :)

I've ridden two days in driving rain so heavy that I could scarcely see and felt like I was drowning. The bike hydroplanes which is really a thrill when you meet a semi and you're afloat on the road.

my personal favorite is the wobble you get from grooved pavement
 

Jack Flak

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if you continue to ride a motorcycle you can probably count on getting into at least one accident.
This is probably the most important thing. It's just a matter of time, then another matter of time, and so on. My dad was a motorcyclist for many years, and he has the wires in his jaw to prove it (He didn't crash just the once, either). Same thing with road bicycling, fwiw. Open-two-wheeled-vehicles are much more crash prone than closed-four-wheeled-vehicles. And when you crash, you get hurt.

Add: I read about an old friend I hadn't talked to in years dying in a motorcycle wreck on the local newspaper's website. No helmet=fatal head injury.
 

Anja

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Good points, Gray

Just hadda come back for another peek. And you brought up something I thought of mentioning. That you can just jump on and ride. Some people do, but I don't think it's a good idea. It's pretty time-consuming to get ready to ride, probably more so for women than for men. And traveling time sometimes takes longer.

And yeah, you get to where you're going and then you may want to keep an eye on your leather coat, your helmet, whatever. I've learned to make my jacket my purse. But if it's hot out it gets to be a pain hauling it around with you. For that matter, keep an eye on your bike! Mine locks. But people think it's cute sometimes to hop on for a joke, or hang on it and get fingerprints all over the wax job. Two no-nos.

I do think most bikers are fatalists about the sport. I remember asking my husband for a refresher about what to do if a deer jumps out and he reminded me like this: "Hang on and enjoy the ride."

You don't see a whole lot of old motorcyclists who like to have a few beers before they ride. At least walking ones. . .

No attempt to disuade anyone from riding cuz it's great. Just those are things I learned through trial and error.

We love our bikes, yeah? Here's a story about that. My neighbor was coming home on the freeway and she came across an accident. Being in the medical business, she stopped to sit with the young man who was sitting on the median.

She said that there was a crack in his head and she could see his brain tissue. His first words to her, "Is my bike okay?"
 

Metamorphosis

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I'm kind of considering getting one sometime. Who rides here? What do you have?

Don't have one yet, but I get blue balls thinking about it and it's pretty much my only motivation for working. Plan on getting something like a v-star 650 or Honda shadow 750 by the summer. Suzuki m/c/s 50's look nice but more expensive.

You should take a look, here:

TMW Motorcycle Forums and Bike Pic Photo Gallery
 

Anja

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Add: I read about an old friend I hadn't talked to in years dying in a motorcycle wreck on the local newspaper's website. No helmet=fatal head injury.

And sometimes helmet = lying in bed on a machine for the rest of your life so a lot of bikers prefer bad accident = a nice headstone.

Helmets rarely are effective for speeds over thirty mi. per hour and if you've ever dropped your helmet you've already damaged it's effectiveness. At any speed helmets often break your neck.

So you've just gotta make an informed choice on this one.
 

millerm277

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I admit I'm very attracted to the idea, but living where I do there's not enough months of the year where one can ride it to make it a practical investment. It's purely an expensive toy for the summer months up around here.

Expensive? I think not. Maybe if you want a new one, but you can find 80s bikes in very good shape for under $1500, possibly under $1000 if you get lucky. Insurance is pretty cheap too.
 

Anja

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I only pay forty a month on insurance but as someone else mentioned there are many hidden expenses.
 

Usehername

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Expensive? I think not. Maybe if you want a new one, but you can find 80s bikes in very good shape for under $1500, possibly under $1000 if you get lucky. Insurance is pretty cheap too.

I'm not really talking about the bike itself so much as the way insurance works here. My ESTP boss just got licensed and has said it'd be cheaper for him to continue to drive his Suburban everywhere than to get a bike insured.
 

Metamorphosis

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I'm not really talking about the bike itself so much as the way insurance works here. My ESTP boss just got licensed and has said it'd be cheaper for him to continue to drive his Suburban everywhere than to get a bike insured.

I don't know how it works in Canada, but here it depends entirely on the kind of bike you get + age. A smaller cruiser is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than a supersport.
 
O

Oberon

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I want one of these, please:

vincent_black-shadow_series-c.jpeg
 

Jack Flak

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And sometimes helmet = lying in bed on a machine for the rest of your life so a lot of bikers prefer bad accident = a nice headstone.

Helmets rarely are effective for speeds over thirty mi. per hour and if you've ever dropped your helmet you've already damaged it's effectiveness. At any speed helmets often break your neck.

So you've just gotta make an informed choice on this one.
Hmm. I take issue with some of that, but I'm not quite in the mood for extensive research. Are you sure you're not talking about CPSC rated foam bicycle helmets instead of DOT approved motorcycle helmets?
 
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