Well, as far as I can see, you need a 100PS Kawasaki, a jogging suit, preferably made from polyester and sneakers.
How hard can it be !?!
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
The primary ways cars kill you are:
- Running into you from behind on the Highway or at a light/stop sign.
- Turning left on top of you at an intersection.
- Changing lanes on top of you.[/quote]
The main culprit? FUCKING CELL PHONES!!!
[quote]atypical1 wrote:
I would venture to say that our helmet laws here have a great deal to do with the fatality rate.
Never, never depend upon cars to notice you. Never depend upon them for your safety. You take charge of that and you rely on nobody by yourself for your own safety.
For the record, and not to be a dick, but…the F4 is not the second most expensive production bike.
james[/quote]
Well are we talking bikes that they have made more than ten of? In that case the F4 CC is like $120K the regular F4 is $33K. IDK maybe you would know better than I would…but it’s still pretty expensive for a bike at least haha.
[quote]atypical1 wrote:
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
I don’t think this would really be an option, just cuz I won’t have the money to spend on a dirt bike and a motorcycle. I was thinking of just getting a classic starter bike like the ninja 250[/quote]
How big are you? The 250 is a great bike but you’ll outgrow that really fast and it might be small for you. If you’re looking at the Kawi family then take a look at something like the Versys. If you want something that looks sporty then a used SV650 is calling your name and you won’t outgrow it anytime soon.
james
[/quote]
By bodybuilding standards quite average, although I am tall at 6’ 2’'. I wasn’t even really specifically thinking about kawisaki’s that bike just seems to be lauded as the supreme starter bike. I checked out the Versys and it looks great
[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
I want to ride a crappy bike for a good while just so I don’t drop my brand new Ducati and hurt myself or much much worse. [/quote]
Wise. I am very serious about the need to ride a dirtbike for a while.
Dirt is a lot softer than pavement and there are (almost) no cars.[/quote]
Haha very true. What I’ve noticed here in San Francisco and the bay Area as a whole is motorcylce awareness is MUCH higher here than in Florida. I think it’s because Lane Splitting/Lane Sharing here is legal, so people are constantly widening their lane for motors that want to pass and are very concious of where bikes are at. My buddy told me that there are far less deaths on Motorcycles in this area than in Florida and the population of riders is greater. That and there is a HUGE motorcycle culture here. Because parking is so limited many ride motorcycles or scooters around the city.[/quote]
Well what do you know, I live in Oakland. Where in SF are you?
Use someone else’s Bike.
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
I want to ride a crappy bike for a good while just so I don’t drop my brand new Ducati and hurt myself or much much worse. [/quote]
Wise. I am very serious about the need to ride a dirtbike for a while.
Dirt is a lot softer than pavement and there are (almost) no cars.[/quote]
Haha very true. What I’ve noticed here in San Francisco and the bay Area as a whole is motorcylce awareness is MUCH higher here than in Florida. I think it’s because Lane Splitting/Lane Sharing here is legal, so people are constantly widening their lane for motors that want to pass and are very concious of where bikes are at. My buddy told me that there are far less deaths on Motorcycles in this area than in Florida and the population of riders is greater. That and there is a HUGE motorcycle culture here. Because parking is so limited many ride motorcycles or scooters around the city.[/quote]
Well what do you know, I live in Oakland. Where in SF are you?[/quote]
I actually live in the East Bay, In Oakland…with my buddy until I can find an apartment but I put I live in San Fran because for work I spend most my time there lol I work like 60 hr weeks. Good to see another tnationer so close!
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
[quote]atypical1 wrote:
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
I don’t think this would really be an option, just cuz I won’t have the money to spend on a dirt bike and a motorcycle. I was thinking of just getting a classic starter bike like the ninja 250[/quote]
How big are you? The 250 is a great bike but you’ll outgrow that really fast and it might be small for you. If you’re looking at the Kawi family then take a look at something like the Versys. If you want something that looks sporty then a used SV650 is calling your name and you won’t outgrow it anytime soon.
james
[/quote]
By bodybuilding standards quite average, although I am tall at 6’ 2’'. I wasn’t even really specifically thinking about kawisaki’s that bike just seems to be lauded as the supreme starter bike. I checked out the Versys and it looks great[/quote]
I have a Versys. Don’t recommend it as a first bike. It’s very tall with a high center of gravity. Expect to drop it a lot.
Someone backed in to my Versys and wreaked havoc on it. If you’re going to do a lot of street parking, get a bike with unbreakable plastics.
I also have a KLX250SF. At 225lbs, I ride that thing to 30 miles to and through NYC to get to work. I’ve ridden both in SF and I would much rather have the 250 there. Actually, I’d rather have a 450 dual sport.
[quote]super saiyan wrote:
I can teach you. I taught my kid how to ride a bike. It can’t be that different.[/quote]
I have been laughing at this gif for several days now. It keeps getting funnier.
The motorcycle safety courses are really great courses, and not just for beginners. There is lots of good info in them that is not intuitive that will help keep you alive. But that is just the start of really learning how to ride a bike.
If you are going to ride fast, or even think that you might get sucked into riding fast (because it’s FUN!), read A Twist of the Wrist and A Twist of the Wrist Volume 2. It is SO easy to go stupid fast on a bike, and very few riders know how to keep the rubber side down at speed.
Disregarding the accidents where cars zap a rider directly, where I have seen a lot of people blow it is in braking and rolling off too much throttle in emergency situations and/or turns. These books explain better than any other source that I have seen how to properly balance the bike to maintain traction (and keep the rubber side down) when riding close to the limit. This stuff is good to know BEFORE that day when a car does something stupid in front of you or right next to you. Or when you realize too late that you are 25 MPH too hot going into a corner.
48 years riding. Decades splitting lanes on Californias busiest freeways. Hundreds of thousands of miles commuting. NO street accidents. 65,456,376 crashes on dirt bikes. I may be a lousy lifter, but I know bikes.
No kidding though, if you are going to ride street, learn everything you can about it and stay alive.
And to the guy thinking about buying a Duc for a first bike. I know a lot of people do that. I really, really understand the attraction. I’ve been riding sport bikes forever. But wow, you know they go ~100 MPH in third, and you still have three gears left?! Or put another way, you can break the speed limit in first gear, and you still have five more gears to go. Where I live lots of inexperienced young Marines get hurt going into corners too hot while riding new, very fast, sport bikes. 'Nuf said.
[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
Well what do you know, I live in Oakland. Where in SF are you?[/quote]
I actually live in the East Bay, In Oakland.[/quote]
x3… guess I should update my location on here
I’ve been hoping to take the course this summer and get my license but it’s looking like I may not get the chance. I’ve ridden a motorcycle a couple times back in Florida but I really think taking a course is the way to go to learn properly, plus they have advanced courses if you start feeling the need for speed.
The weather in the Bay seems great for riding though. Are you planning on using your bike as your main form of transportation?
[quote]Old_Lifter wrote:
And to the guy thinking about buying a Duc for a first bike. I know a lot of people do that. I really, really understand the attraction. I’ve been riding sport bikes forever. But wow, you know they go ~100 MPH in third, and you still have three gears left?! Or put another way, you can break the speed limit in first gear, and you still have five more gears to go. Where I live lots of inexperienced young Marines get hurt going into corners too hot while riding new, very fast, sport bikes. 'Nuf said.[/quote]
Palomar is always good for a few laughs with inexperienced people on sport bikes…
I really do think that it’s dependent upon the person. Some people are able to handle a powerful bike as a first bike and some people don’t have the ability to restrain themselves. It’s in in your wrist right? I do understand what people say about first bikes but in my mind there is some sense in buying something that’s a bit bigger like an SV because it’s got a wide enough powerband and enough torque so that you’re not really having to think about what gear you’re in.
Age probably is a factor too. I know guys who started riding later in life and start out with bigger bikes because they have the required discipline.
To be honest I’ve learned much more about riding from doing track days than I did taking the MSF. Like you said, the MSF is just the beginning but it’s certainly not the end. Essentially you know how to ride in a parking lot.
james
[quote]johnnytang24 wrote:
I have a Versys. Don’t recommend it as a first bike. It’s very tall with a high center of gravity. Expect to drop it a lot.
Someone backed in to my Versys and wreaked havoc on it. If you’re going to do a lot of street parking, get a bike with unbreakable plastics.
I also have a KLX250SF. At 225lbs, I ride that thing to 30 miles to and through NYC to get to work. I’ve ridden both in SF and I would much rather have the 250 there. Actually, I’d rather have a 450 dual sport.
[/quote]
That’s a good point. I’m 6’2" but all legs so it actually fits me well. But not everyone is built like I am. I do think that the upright riding position is great for beginners though.
I’m really mixed on the 250. I totally see where you’re coming from but I outgrew my 250 pretty quickly.
james
[quote]atypical1 wrote:
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
The primary ways cars kill you are:
- Running into you from behind on the Highway or at a light/stop sign.
- Turning left on top of you at an intersection.
- Changing lanes on top of you.[/quote]
I respectfully disagree. In my mind the only way that a car kills you is that you become complacent in your riding and allow them to dictate what happens. I’ve had all of those things happen to me and the only thing that saved me is being able to anticipate and react accordingly.
james
[/quote]
I don’t disagree with you; I think it is semantics. Implied in my statement is being prepared for those all-too-common actions by cage-drivers.
+1 for taking the damn MSF class. You have to be fuck-up of the highest order to fail it, but you’ll be 1000x better rider for it.
Recommend:
“Sport” bikes: SV650/FZ6/Ninja 500 or 650
Cruisers: Zuki S40/M50/C50
Well, I love the look of cruisers… never was much of a fan of sports bikes. I have absolutely no qualms with purchasing a 250cc bike, mostly because of monetary concerns, and because I want to do this the right way. The thing I most worried about in that arena is that I will purchase a bike that is too small for me. Is the size disparity really that noticeable? I am about 6’ 2’'.
If you like cruisers then I would buy one. Cruisers are easy to ride with their low center of gravity, gobs of torque from their twins, and low horsepower. Stay away from anything too big until you get more comfortable but I would definitely look in that direction.
james
[quote]NAUn wrote:
[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
Well what do you know, I live in Oakland. Where in SF are you?[/quote]
I actually live in the East Bay, In Oakland.[/quote]
x3… guess I should update my location on here
I’ve been hoping to take the course this summer and get my license but it’s looking like I may not get the chance. I’ve ridden a motorcycle a couple times back in Florida but I really think taking a course is the way to go to learn properly, plus they have advanced courses if you start feeling the need for speed.
The weather in the Bay seems great for riding though. Are you planning on using your bike as your main form of transportation?[/quote]
Yeah at least a couple times a week
Sorry to revive a thread that’s been dead for a year, but I just want to thank everyone who gave me advice in this thread a year ago. Today I finally took the BRC and got my M1. I have no doubt in my mind that this was the best way to go about and well worth my money.
Congrats and welcome to the fold!
james