So I want an efficient way for my boyfriend to make the 20 mile each way commute to school safely, and he wants a sporty bike or scooter. He has to take the freeway, which has a large mountain range with steepish slopes, so it's gotta be able to maintain highway speed uphill. Can someone make some starter freeway bike recommendations? Neither of us have any experience with bikes. Cost to entry should be low so we're looking used. Help, please, bike people.
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;51821537]So I want an efficient way for my boyfriend to make the 20 mile each way commute to school safely, and he wants a sporty bike or scooter. He has to take the freeway, which has a large mountain range with steepish slopes, so it's gotta be able to maintain highway speed uphill. Can someone make some starter freeway bike recommendations? Neither of us have any experience with bikes. Cost to entry should be low so we're looking used. Help, please, bike people.[/QUOTE]
A Ninja 300 could do that. Hell, maybe even a 250, although on mountain roads the wind is going to blow him all over the place. Is he experienced with motorcycles? If not, he should take the MSF then go sit on/test ride a few 600+ cc bikes and see if he's comfortable with that much power. I sure as shit wasn't when I started out, I've been riding 5 years and my Ninja 500 feels incredibly fast compared to all the bikes I've owned.
[QUOTE=Kabstrac;51820185]my 280zx caught fire several times while being worked on lol.
when all the quirks were worked out though, the I6 2.8 is a lovely engine. Such a nice sound imo.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
also speaking of Datsuns for sale:
[url]https://victoria.craigslist.ca/cto/6002902895.html[/url]
"needs new frame rails"
translates to
"avoidavoidavoid"[/QUOTE]
Part of owning a 240z is replacing the floor pans
[QUOTE=Aetna;51821575]A Ninja 300 could do that. Hell, maybe even a 250, although on mountain roads the wind is going to blow him all over the place. Is he experienced with motorcycles? If not, he should take the MSF then go sit on/test ride a few 600+ cc bikes and see if he's comfortable with that much power. I sure as shit wasn't when I started out, I've been riding 5 years and my Ninja 500 feels incredibly fast compared to all the bikes I've owned.[/QUOTE]
Depends how well versed he is on riding on the road, I'd been driving for 7 years when I passed my bike test so I went all in and got a 1200 triumph. If you can anticipate the road ahead well enough you can ride it pretty gently until you figure out what you're doing. In general I'd say not to be intimidated by bigger engine bikes and if you can pick up something like a 9 or 10 year old yamaha fazer (fz6) I reckon you'd be golden.
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;51821537]So I want an efficient way for my boyfriend to make the 20 mile each way commute to school safely, and he wants a sporty bike or scooter. He has to take the freeway, which has a large mountain range with steepish slopes, so it's gotta be able to maintain highway speed uphill. Can someone make some starter freeway bike recommendations? Neither of us have any experience with bikes. Cost to entry should be low so we're looking used. Help, please, bike people.[/QUOTE]
Get a crusty 80s jap bike and ride the piss out of it.
Jk, any style or vintage of bike will do that fine. The two pieces of advice i have for new riders is as follows:
Take a training course.
If anyone says "you gotta start out on a 250", ignore them. While you're learning, it is better to have a small nimble bike, but once you get the hang of it in two weeks, youre stuck with an anemic tiny bike that cant get out of its own way and is unstable at highway speeds. Imo its more worth it to rent/borrow a small bike for a week or two or just straight up get a big boy bike and pussyfoot it around for a while until youre comfortable with the intricacies of riding than to get a "starter" bike and be dissatisfied with it in another month. Now im not saying "go get a superbike youll be fine", and im sure some newer 250s have enough scooting power and top speed to be usable, and this advice might be irrelevant with sportbikes, my experience is more limited to dirtbikes and 80s cruisers.
If i was strictly doing city commuter stuff, i think my ideal bike would be something like a drz400 with street tires and hard saddlebags. Nimble and agile like a dirtbike, modern ammenities and reliabilty, watercooled, single cylinder torque, enough power for evasive driving and interstate speed, and a decent amount of storage space. The only downside would be that its sorta tall and lightweight, so high crosswinds would push it around an uncomfortable amount.
My cx500 is set up to be a balance between city driving, short road trips, and being a cheap classic bike.
[QUOTE=Aetna;51821575]A Ninja 300 could do that. Hell, maybe even a 250, although on mountain roads the wind is going to blow him all over the place. Is he experienced with motorcycles? If not, he should take the MSF then go sit on/test ride a few 600+ cc bikes and see if he's comfortable with that much power. I sure as shit wasn't when I started out, I've been riding 5 years and my Ninja 500 feels incredibly fast compared to all the bikes I've owned.[/QUOTE]
Neither of us have ever ridden a motorcycle. We definitely are planning on MSF courses for both of us, as it's reasonably priced and I want him to be safe. We were looking at possibly a CB300F or Ninja 300. He likes an upright riding position more than the superbike style "look at my ass" position, so that's something to consider I suppose. He's also expressed a strong preference to "sporty" bikes rather than cruisers.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
[QUOTE=metallics;51821774]Depends how well versed he is on riding on the road, I'd been driving for 7 years when I passed my bike test so I went all in and got a 1200 triumph. If you can anticipate the road ahead well enough you can ride it pretty gently until you figure out what you're doing. In general I'd say not to be intimidated by bigger engine bikes and if you can pick up something like a 9 or 10 year old yamaha fazer (fz6) I reckon you'd be golden.[/QUOTE]
I'm not getting him a massive cruiser. I want something light and nimble for him. Efficiency is also very important.
[QUOTE=Trekintosh;51822011]He likes an upright riding position more than the superbike style "look at my ass" position, so that's something to consider I suppose. He's also expressed a strong preference to "sporty" bikes rather than cruisers.[/QUOTE]
There's a tiny bit of contradicting here which could make it hard to find a suitable bike.
[QUOTE=Van-man;51822025]There's a tiny bit of contradicting here which could make it hard to find a suitable bike.[/QUOTE]
I know.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
I tried to explain it to him. That's why I like the CB300F, it's somewhat more upright than most sport bikes I see.
Maybe a sport touring bike?
Sport tourers are some of the safest modern bikes you can get, with the fairings and hard bags, they wont crush your legs and tear all your skin off if you tip it over.
A little overkill for a commuter though.
My vote is for the Ninja 300. Not fast enough where you'll kill yourself, slow enough to learn to ride.
[QUOTE=Birdman101;51822105]Maybe a sport touring bike?
Sport tourers are some of the safest modern bikes you can get, with the fairings and hard bags, they wont crush your legs and tear all your skin off if you tip it over.
A little overkill for a commuter though.[/QUOTE]
A smaller version (think 500cc or slightly smaller) of the typical sport-tourers without permanently mounted hard-saddle bags seems like what he's looking for.
Motor cycles are spooky. How do you guys ride knowing that any idiot on the road can make you a smear in like a second? I like the idea of riding on a closed course, though.
I have a few friends with rebels and ninjas and I legitimately think they are really neat, but I can't see myself ever riding on a public road.
That or lie an adventure bike, those are a thing right? A dirt bike but beefier.
you can be killed in an instant just walking around too. if you avoided every risk in the world you'd be the most boring man alive
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
adventure bikes are similar in appearance and riding position to a dirt bike but they're so heavy that they're not much good in the dirt. they take hard pack clay roads lille a champ but if it gets even a little bumpy or loose then you want an enduro a scrambler or a proper dirt bike
Yeah, I get the first bit, not saying people shouldn't ride them, just not sure I could. Dunno, they're unsettling to me for one reason or another. I'm clumsy as shit so I can see myself fucking it up easy and grinding my wonderful face off on the pavement.
I think they're really neat from a technical and performance standpoint, though.
[QUOTE=Birdman101;51821986]Get a crusty 80s jap bike and ride the piss out of it.
Jk, any style or vintage of bike will do that fine. The two pieces of advice i have for new riders is as follows:
Take a training course.
If anyone says "you gotta start out on a 250", ignore them. While you're learning, it is better to have a small nimble bike, but once you get the hang of it in two weeks, youre stuck with an anemic tiny bike that cant get out of its own way and is unstable at highway speeds. Imo its more worth it to rent/borrow a small bike for a week or two or just straight up get a big boy bike and pussyfoot it around for a while until youre comfortable with the intricacies of riding than to get a "starter" bike and be dissatisfied with it in another month. Now im not saying "go get a superbike youll be fine", and im sure some newer 250s have enough scooting power and top speed to be usable, and this advice might be irrelevant with sportbikes, my experience is more limited to dirtbikes and 80s cruisers.
If i was strictly doing city commuter stuff, i think my ideal bike would be something like a drz400 with street tires and hard saddlebags. Nimble and agile like a dirtbike, modern ammenities and reliabilty, watercooled, single cylinder torque, enough power for evasive driving and interstate speed, and a decent amount of storage space. The only downside would be that its sorta tall and lightweight, so high crosswinds would push it around an uncomfortable amount.
My cx500 is set up to be a balance between city driving, short road trips, and being a cheap classic bike.[/QUOTE]
That's really opinionated. I rode my Ninja 250 for a year, sold it, then bought it back because I missed it so much. The thing did 0-60 in 6 seconds, that's plenty fast and does the job. I rode it on the freeway on a daily basis, and just wasn't a pussy when the wind was gusty.
I've now owned a Ninja 250, a KLR650, an XV750, and now my Ninja 500 and they're all been different, wonderful bikes.
I've had two friends start out on ZX6R's and 600rr's and the like who both ended up eating shit when they grabbed a handful of front brake or yanked the throttle on accident.
I think a Ninja 300 would be perfectly adequate for a 40 miles commute (both ways). I commute about the same on my 500.
[QUOTE=evilweazel;51822425]Motor cycles are spooky. How do you guys ride knowing that any idiot on the road can make you a smear in like a second? I like the idea of riding on a closed course, though.
I have a few friends with rebels and ninjas and I legitimately think they are really neat, but I can't see myself ever riding on a public road.
That or lie an adventure bike, those are a thing right? A dirt bike but beefier.[/QUOTE]
Birdmans super simple motorcycle survival guide. In order of importance:
Wear helmet. Accept that you look like a nerd wearing it and get a tinted faceshield to hide your shame.
Pay attention. Watch for dumb entitled cagers who look tlike theyre about to turn into your lane without looking.
Always be ready to react. A couple times ive just about gotten hit, and i didnt realize what happened until after i had reflexively avoided the situation and deployed the finger. This is the correct procedure.
Dont drive like a tool. About once a month in the summertime here there is a motorcyclist who dies in a crash. Not to speak ill of the dead but most of the time the deceased was riding his crotchrocket way too fast in shorts and sandals with no helmet and merging without looking and using blinkers.
USE BLINKER. see above.
Slow down in rain. You hydroplane, and you will experience road rash.
Remove muffler. Loud pipes get you noticed. If you mention this on the internet, people will cross hell itself to argue with you.
Special ammendment for californians:
Despite living in a communist land, your overlords have seen fit to legalize lanesplitting. Use this. Ive heard that around 60% of bike accidents are from getting rear ended. You cant get rear ended if you are inbetween cars.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
[QUOTE=Aetna;51822588]That's really opinionated. I rode my Ninja 250 for a year, sold it, then bought it back because I missed it so much. The thing did 0-60 in 6 seconds, that's plenty fast and does the job. I rode it on the freeway on a daily basis, and just wasn't a pussy when the wind was gusty.
I've now owned a Ninja 250, a KLR650, an XV750, and now my Ninja 500 and they're all been different, wonderful bikes.
I've had two friends start out on ZX6R's and 600rr's and the like who both ended up eating shit when they grabbed a handful of front brake or yanked the throttle on accident.
I think a Ninja 300 would be perfectly adequate for a 40 miles commute (both ways). I commute about the same on my 500.[/QUOTE]
Yea, i admit sportbike 250s are a different game altogether, and have plenty of get up n go, but pretty much any other style of 250, ie dirtbike, dualsport, touring, standard, cruiser, especially older ones, are too slow to be practical on the interstate, and in some cases, even 65mph highways.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
Dont get me wrong i love my xr250 to bits, but it tops out anywhere between 60 and 80 depending on grade, weight, and wind.
I like motorcycles.
I have limited 2 wheel experience to the point I've only ridden an 1100 cruiser a couple of times and some dirty bikes and mopeds a lot.
I'm gonna eventually go to the DMV and update my driver's license to a donor and get an R6.
All good advice I will take under advisement, thank you. I might go with a financed new(ish) bike because warranty and building credit. First step will be to take a MHS course, though.
The new 2017 Honda Rebels are awesome looking, decently priced and new with a warranty.
Don't know anything about bikes though, always wished there was more motorcycled being worked on and posted in here.
[QUOTE=evilweazel;51822425]Motor cycles are spooky. How do you guys ride knowing that any idiot on the road can make you a smear in like a second? I like the idea of riding on a closed course, though.
I have a few friends with rebels and ninjas and I legitimately think they are really neat, but I can't see myself ever riding on a public road.
That or lie an adventure bike, those are a thing right? A dirt bike but beefier.[/QUOTE]
Always assume that other drivers are going to do something dumb and act accordingly.
eg. keep distance from other cars, stay out of their blind spots, keep more to the side of the lane while waiting at a red light, that kind of shit.
[editline]15th February 2017[/editline]
[QUOTE=Birdman101;51822667]Birdmans super simple motorcycle survival guide. In order of importance:
Wear helmet. Accept that you look like a nerd wearing it and get a tinted faceshield to hide your shame.[/QUOTE]
Aswell as all the other protective gear (boots, gloves, pants, jacket)
say goodbye to your skin if you decide to ride around with shorts and shirt.
[QUOTE=Strontboer;51820992]Happy valentines day!
[img]http://i.imgur.com/Wyspy2o.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
My coworker posted today:
[QUOTE]Roses are red
And love may seem afar,
But being singles not bad
Because I own a race car!
Happy Valentine's Day![/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Birdman101;51822667]Birdmans super simple motorcycle survival guide. In order of importance:
Wear helmet. Accept that you look like a nerd wearing it and get a tinted faceshield to hide your shame.
Pay attention. Watch for dumb entitled cagers who look tlike theyre about to turn into your lane without looking.
Always be ready to react. A couple times ive just about gotten hit, and i didnt realize what happened until after i had reflexively avoided the situation and deployed the finger. This is the correct procedure.
Dont drive like a tool. About once a month in the summertime here there is a motorcyclist who dies in a crash. Not to speak ill of the dead but most of the time the deceased was riding his crotchrocket way too fast in shorts and sandals with no helmet and merging without looking and using blinkers.
USE BLINKER. see above.
Slow down in rain. You hydroplane, and you will experience road rash.
Remove muffler. Loud pipes get you noticed. If you mention this on the internet, people will cross hell itself to argue with you.
Special ammendment for californians:
Despite living in a communist land, your overlords have seen fit to legalize lanesplitting. Use this. Ive heard that around 60% of bike accidents are from getting rear ended. You cant get rear ended if you are inbetween cars.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
Yea, i admit sportbike 250s are a different game altogether, and have plenty of get up n go, but pretty much any other style of 250, ie dirtbike, dualsport, touring, standard, cruiser, especially older ones, are too slow to be practical on the interstate, and in some cases, even 65mph highways.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
Dont get me wrong i love my xr250 to bits, but it tops out anywhere between 60 and 80 depending on grade, weight, and wind.[/QUOTE]
I capped my Ninja 250 at 120 before I backed off because it was wiggling all over the place. 330 pounds isn't practical at that speed by any means and it was screaming at 12000 RPM, but was a good thrill.
I've hit around 135 on the 500 which feels incredibly stable by comparison.
Expanding on Birdman's suggestions:
- Nobody sees you
- Nobody knows you exist
- Everyone is going to try and kill you
- Watch EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DRIVEWAY EVER because some ass is going to pull out in front of you on the daily
- Wear knuckled gloves so you can perform complimentary mirror removal for such assholes
[editline]15th February 2017[/editline]
[QUOTE=butre;51822452]you can be killed in an instant just walking around too. if you avoided every risk in the world you'd be the most boring man alive
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
adventure bikes are similar in appearance and riding position to a dirt bike but they're so heavy that they're not much good in the dirt. they take hard pack clay roads lille a champ but if it gets even a little bumpy or loose then you want an enduro a scrambler or a proper dirt bike[/QUOTE]
Lol, my buddy who I got into riding a couple weeks back, I posted on facebook about it and his stepmom went apeshit because it was raining the day after I posted... she didn't understand that, you know, sometimes you see a post from the day before. But I said something similar to what you said in your first sentence:
[t]http://imgur.com/egj6Gn1.png[/t]
It's funny because my own mom liked my post about actually living life and not being scared of everything. Oh, and I went on a ride Sunday and took a pretty picture:
[t]http://imgur.com/pInZwLP.jpg[/t]
little trick for motorcyclists: a handful of broken ceramic off a spark plug and a good arm will shatter a car window. next time they'll look twice
[editline]15th February 2017[/editline]
note: don't employ this tactic against a car that's faster than your bike
[QUOTE=Birdman101;51824497]
Ah, the good ol "everyone is out to kill you" mentality. I grew up on that one. I prefer not to tell people that until after they buy a bike. Dont wanna scare them away.[B] That one, and the juicy bit of fact that if you ride anywhere with automatic streetlights, youre gonna get really pissed when they never turn green for you.[/B]
[/QUOTE]
I work in the traffic management industry, and this is generally false. While there are many forms of detection, the two most prevalent are video and inductive loops. The loops are obvious - big circles in the lane. Try and stay centered on one and rev the motor to like 5k and hold it there for 10 seconds, usually does the trick. As for video detection, just wave your hands above your head or flap your arms.
[QUOTE=Aetna;51824591]I work in the traffic management industry, and this is generally false. While there are many forms of detection, the two most prevalent are video and inductive loops. The loops are obvious - big circles in the lane. Try and stay centered on one and rev the motor to like 5k and hold it there for 10 seconds, usually does the trick. As for video detection, just wave your hands above your head or flap your arms.[/QUOTE]
Really? it detects ignition? Ill have to give that a shot once riding season starts. Thanks for the tip. Usually when Im out riding at night I have to run every 5th red light or so, its really irritating.
[QUOTE=Aetna;51824591]I work in the traffic management industry, and this is generally false. While there are many forms of detection, the two most prevalent are video and inductive loops. The loops are obvious - big circles in the lane. Try and stay centered on one and rev the motor to like 5k and hold it there for 10 seconds, usually does the trick. As for video detection, just wave your hands above your head or flap your arms.[/QUOTE]
The inductive loops do not detect my diesel in most cases, no way no how. Ive tried revving, lights on all the way, even switching lanes.
My diesel is all mechanical - fuel pump, injection pump, everything is mechanical.
I've been stuck running red lights, doiñg rights on red, etc.
Get a 2 Fiddy, always fun being at redline
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/EGT2wph.jpg[/IMG]
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
Also yeah, I realize that $1500 may be hard to get for my nonrunning Z. That's what haggling is for haha. I just hope to get at least $1000, this money pit has costed me more than I would ever like to admit.
[editline]14th February 2017[/editline]
[QUOTE=DPKiller;51819271]can you do my math homework for me[/QUOTE]
If you sign the Pink slip yeah
Those inductive loops are supposed to detect metal structures, like the body of a car. If you stick a neodymium magnet to the bottom of your car itll trigger the light. I recommend NO LESS then a 3 pound magnet and really no more, use cylindrical because of the field it puts off, thats what I find works best. Ignition systems can trigger them because magnetism and electricity are heavily related, and when spark plugs are being fired, they put off a small emp. Which is basically the noise you hear in your radio when your plug wires arnt properly insulated.
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