I really want to get myself a sport bike. I’ve always wanted one, but never seriously thought about it because my dad was a paramedic for 34 years and I’ve heard every story about him picking pieces of bikers out of asphalt. Now that I’m not as dependant on my parents, theres a good chance I can make it happen.
I’ve got a little over a year before I graduate and I want to plan ahead so I can make this dream a reality. I’ve read pretty much every thread about bikes on this forum, but I still have unanswered questions.
-My first question and probably my biggest is: What do you guys do for a second/winter vehicle? I understand a bike can’t be considered a main form of transportation, so what do you guys do? Obviously, the underlying theme here is cost.
-I guess my next question would be: If I’m planning this for 1-2 years from now, what can I do starting now, to set myself up for an easy transition to riding? I’ve read about classes and gear…I’m looking more for timeframe/Buffalo specific information.
-My third question isn’t really a question at all. I just really like to know everything about a subject before I get myself into it, and I am wondering if there is anything a new rider would get blindsided by as far as planning/purchasing?
I’m sorry about the semi-gigantic post and I thank any of you who reads the whole thing and still feels like replying.
Dude. You’re talking about swinging a leg over a motorcycle not, well, I can’t think of anything that would require this level of easing your way into it.
#1. You need a reliable car first. Bikes are recreational.
Take motorcycle course if you’ve never ridden before.
Buy a good cheap starter bike depending on how comfortable you are. (usually 600, 250 if you’re really uncomfortable)
Profit??
Upgrade to a better bike the following year.
As far as a second car… I don’t know where the confusion lies there. Keep the bike in the garage over winter, drive the car for rain and snow. I don’t ALWAYS ride my bike. It’s not like you can ONLY have the bike and I’m guessing you already have a car. So keep it and get the bike as a second vehicle.
It doesn’t sound like your getting into this for the gas mileage, which is good, because that’s a really stupid way to go about it considering you normally lose money.
Buy a bike and all of your problems will take care of themselves.
But seriously, Don’t look at a bike until you find a reliable DD and unless you have a friend with his/her license…the MSF is youre best course of action.
The time frame is set more by college/job hunting/cashflow than anything else. I’m just bored at work, excited to be thinking about this, and have a billion questions. lol
I know that might have been a dumb question, but at least I asked it.
Hell, at this point I only think I want to ride. I might hop on a bike and be scared shitless.
I would take the MSF class ASAP just to get that out of the way. This way you can get a feel for riding and see if its really something you want to get into to. Then when you are ready to get a bike you already have your license, you can test ride, and if you have any friends that have bikes they might let you try theres out. You really dont want to get in over your head when buying a bike, i know people that have bought new bikes and they cant even afford them. When you do this you make yourself a slave to your bike payment.
The first time I ever got on a bike, (or anything with a twist throttle for that matter) was on a R6. All I can say is that its scary, you have to show a lot of respect to the bike. I didnt go faster than 40mph or leave the park I was in. You have to work your way up.
This was what I was considering. Is there any problem with taking the class soon with no plans of actually owning a bike for another couple years? Is there any benefit at all to waiting?
You might forget some shit depending on how long you put off getting a bike. But no, this way when you buy a bike you can just hop on and go without worrying about not having a license.
To me, having proper gear is very important. After riding for a while I’ve found that I have certain comfort preferences that my current gear simply cannot satisfy. So, I’m buying new gear. Do your research and buy accordingly. Talk to as many people as you can about what they ride with and how everything works. There are no stupid questions really.
The MSF course is a really good idea. Also, make sure your first bike is something that is going to fit you and your experience. I wouldn’t get a $7k supersport for your first bike. Get something that you won’t mind dropping if you happen to make that kind of mistake. A faster prettier bike will do you no good until you know that you have the experience and skill to take on that kind of responsibility.
Lastly, I would tell you good luck and be safe once you do get into riding. Make no mistake about it being a dangerous hobby. Reputations are earned for a reason.
do you mean graduating high school or college? if high school, do not read the rest of this post because you’re an irresposible hot headed kid and you need to ease into this.
the bike is only as fast as you want it to be and how far you want to twist the throttle. as a responsible adult, you should be able to maintain self control. in my opinion, a 250 is boring and a waste of money. you’ll probably be sick of it. get a decent older 600 that will grow with you.
plan on spending money on the MSF course if you’ve never ridden or even if you have ridden. also spend a sizable amount of money on gear. you get what you pay for.
i think the hardest thing for me when i first bought my bike was knowing that it is a recreational vehicle. i wanted to ride it all the time and my dad told me to take it easy. he said the more you ride, the bigger risk you run of getting hurt.
you have to be level headed while riding, the bike is only as fast as you twist the throttle.
people will tell you what bike to get as your first. you need to think about how much restraint you will be able to exercise. you can end up just as dead on a 250 as a 600. the throttle doesn’t twist itself.
you have to respect the fact that a motorcycle is essentially a motor with a seat on it and things can escalate quite quickly. you just need to keep in mind what your limitations are and ride at a comfortable pace for YOU.
i like to know that when my toes are scraping the pavement in turns, theres steel between the two.