Opinions on These Motorcycles?

Off Topic
61

[quote]Professor X wrote:
bond james bond wrote:
Artem wrote:
How much is bike insurance compared to cars, on average? I know it varies a lot and all. I’ve wanted a bike for a while. The bikes themselves are affordable, and they use little gas, but what’s insurance like?

Very expensive…if you can even get an insurance company to insure it in the first place.My wife works for one of the big companys and she brought home the blacklist that has the ones they won’t touch.Rockets need not apply.Unless you plan on owning a cruiser start saving up.

Maybe Canada is different,dunno.Also what makes it worse is you’re paying for the full year. I only ride fron April to October cause of the fucking snow.It sucks paying for insurance while it sits in the garage.

I wouldn’t even have a bike if I hadn’t gone into the military. USAA is the greatest insurance company in the world. Without them, my insurance alone was going to cost more than I paid for the bike before I went in. I am sure most of the people you see riding don’t even have coverage.[/quote]

Do you legally have to have insurance for a bike? Because it’d be kind of pointless to pay insurance for a $2000. bike.

62

I definitly agree on OP choices being underpowered. No experience with sport bikes, but with cruisers you need them be closer to a liter or more to be fun. For best bang for the buck I’d recommend either Suzukis Boulevard M/C50, Kawasaki Vulcan 900 or the new Yamaha V star 950. I personally own the vulcan classic, and pretty happy with it up to about 75mph, where it really should’ve had another gear. This year’s V Star doesn’t have that problem, so I’d pick that one for highways. If you absolutly want a harley, 1200 is the minimum imho. If you can affor it I’d recommend that anyway. I’ve been drooling to that vulcan 2000 for quite some time now :slight_smile:

Offtopic:
@Alpha - What kind of riding gear would you use in brazil? While with my full armor I’m sweating like a madman on a warmer day in norway, doing the same there I’d probably melt down.

63

[quote]Artem wrote:
Professor X wrote:
bond james bond wrote:
Artem wrote:
How much is bike insurance compared to cars, on average? I know it varies a lot and all. I’ve wanted a bike for a while. The bikes themselves are affordable, and they use little gas, but what’s insurance like?

Very expensive…if you can even get an insurance company to insure it in the first place.My wife works for one of the big companys and she brought home the blacklist that has the ones they won’t touch.Rockets need not apply.Unless you plan on owning a cruiser start saving up.

Maybe Canada is different,dunno.Also what makes it worse is you’re paying for the full year. I only ride fron April to October cause of the fucking snow.It sucks paying for insurance while it sits in the garage.

I wouldn’t even have a bike if I hadn’t gone into the military. USAA is the greatest insurance company in the world. Without them, my insurance alone was going to cost more than I paid for the bike before I went in. I am sure most of the people you see riding don’t even have coverage.

Do you legally have to have insurance for a bike? Because it’d be kind of pointless to pay insurance for a $2000. bike.[/quote]

Here in america you have to have insurance on any public road going vehicle(minus some farm equipment).

However it is extremely common for people to not have insurance. Twice last year I got pulled over and the cop walked up said “have insurance?”, I showed him my card he said “Just checking, most people around here don’t…have a good ride”.

64

[quote]Artem wrote:
Professor X wrote:
bond james bond wrote:
Artem wrote:
How much is bike insurance compared to cars, on average? I know it varies a lot and all. I’ve wanted a bike for a while. The bikes themselves are affordable, and they use little gas, but what’s insurance like?

Very expensive…if you can even get an insurance company to insure it in the first place.My wife works for one of the big companys and she brought home the blacklist that has the ones they won’t touch.Rockets need not apply.Unless you plan on owning a cruiser start saving up.

Maybe Canada is different,dunno.Also what makes it worse is you’re paying for the full year. I only ride fron April to October cause of the fucking snow.It sucks paying for insurance while it sits in the garage.

I wouldn’t even have a bike if I hadn’t gone into the military. USAA is the greatest insurance company in the world. Without them, my insurance alone was going to cost more than I paid for the bike before I went in. I am sure most of the people you see riding don’t even have coverage.

Do you legally have to have insurance for a bike? Because it’d be kind of pointless to pay insurance for a $2000. bike.[/quote]

You have to have insurance to drive it out of the shop in many cases if going through a dealership…unless you buy it straight from someone else. I am sure most people probably let it go after that.

Owning a bike is too risky in my opinion to avoid insurance. If it is a good looking bike, people will no doubt eventually try to take it if you live in a big city depending on the area.

65

I’d be more worried about hitting someone and getting sued.No coverage, you would be fucked. Liability?

66

[quote]Therizza wrote:
This is what I want.[/quote]

mmmmmmmmmm triumph
scariest night of my life was had on one of those

67

[quote]bond james bond wrote:
I’d be more worried about hitting someone and getting sued.No coverage, you would be fucked. Liability?[/quote]

I think the primary risk is someone hitting YOU. You don’t hear of too many stories where the bike killed someone in a car.

68

[quote]jasmincar wrote:
I would say buy the V-star. Then when you are sick of it and you feel confident, buy a bigger bike. This said, I buyed this bike couple of week ago.It is a 2002 but it is like new.
check this out[/quote]

WOW! What bike is that? Looks like something batman would ride.

69

[quote]bond james bond wrote:
I’d be more worried about hitting someone and getting sued.No coverage, you would be fucked. Liability?[/quote]

Anyone with a brain gets non/under insured motorist coverage with their motorcycle policy.

70

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Artem wrote:
Professor X wrote:
bond james bond wrote:
Artem wrote:
How much is bike insurance compared to cars, on average? I know it varies a lot and all. I’ve wanted a bike for a while. The bikes themselves are affordable, and they use little gas, but what’s insurance like?

Very expensive…if you can even get an insurance company to insure it in the first place.My wife works for one of the big companys and she brought home the blacklist that has the ones they won’t touch.Rockets need not apply.Unless you plan on owning a cruiser start saving up.

Maybe Canada is different,dunno.Also what makes it worse is you’re paying for the full year. I only ride fron April to October cause of the fucking snow.It sucks paying for insurance while it sits in the garage.

I wouldn’t even have a bike if I hadn’t gone into the military. USAA is the greatest insurance company in the world. Without them, my insurance alone was going to cost more than I paid for the bike before I went in. I am sure most of the people you see riding don’t even have coverage.

Do you legally have to have insurance for a bike? Because it’d be kind of pointless to pay insurance for a $2000. bike.

You have to have insurance to drive it out of the shop in many cases if going through a dealership…unless you buy it straight from someone else. I am sure most people probably let it go after that.

Owning a bike is too risky in my opinion to avoid insurance. If it is a good looking bike, people will no doubt eventually try to take it if you live in a big city depending on the area.[/quote]

Right.
Well, how feasible is it for me to ride/own a bike at a reasonable price? I’d get it off Craigslist for like 2-3k.

71

[quote]Artem wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Artem wrote:
Professor X wrote:
bond james bond wrote:
Artem wrote:
How much is bike insurance compared to cars, on average? I know it varies a lot and all. I’ve wanted a bike for a while. The bikes themselves are affordable, and they use little gas, but what’s insurance like?

Very expensive…if you can even get an insurance company to insure it in the first place.My wife works for one of the big companys and she brought home the blacklist that has the ones they won’t touch.Rockets need not apply.Unless you plan on owning a cruiser start saving up.

Maybe Canada is different,dunno.Also what makes it worse is you’re paying for the full year. I only ride fron April to October cause of the fucking snow.It sucks paying for insurance while it sits in the garage.

I wouldn’t even have a bike if I hadn’t gone into the military. USAA is the greatest insurance company in the world. Without them, my insurance alone was going to cost more than I paid for the bike before I went in. I am sure most of the people you see riding don’t even have coverage.

Do you legally have to have insurance for a bike? Because it’d be kind of pointless to pay insurance for a $2000. bike.

You have to have insurance to drive it out of the shop in many cases if going through a dealership…unless you buy it straight from someone else. I am sure most people probably let it go after that.

Owning a bike is too risky in my opinion to avoid insurance. If it is a good looking bike, people will no doubt eventually try to take it if you live in a big city depending on the area.

Right.
Well, how feasible is it for me to ride/own a bike at a reasonable price? I’d get it off Craigslist for like 2-3k.[/quote]

You’re asking the wrong person. I waited until I had a real job before I could afford one. It always blew my mind when I would see 18 year olds riding around on brand new sportbikes right off the showroom floor. My bike cost me over $11,000 and for me that was worth it. I tried to get one when I was still in school but not only was it too expensive, but due to my lack of credit at the time, I needed a cosigner just to drive it off the lot along with insurance. It would have cost me more than my car to afford all of that at the time…plus a ridiculous percentage rate if I got it financed.

Your best bet is a used bike (REALLY used) and take a gamble on bike insurance.

Also, riding isn’t for everyone. Some are good at anticipating the moves of others on the road and for them, riding a bike may be easy. Others have slow reaction time and will get run the fuck over. You have to find out which one you are.

72

My boss at work just got his license.At 50 yrs old.Never rode before in his life,not even a dirt bike.The dude can’t even swing a fuckin’ hammer.I fear for this guys safety big time.I could be wrong but he just dosen’t seem the type.Not mechanically inclined at all plus he gets flusterred very easily.Not a good combo for riding on the street imo.

73

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Also, riding isn’t for everyone. Some are good at anticipating the moves of others on the road and for them, riding a bike may be easy. Others have slow reaction time and will get run the fuck over. You have to find out which one you are.
[/quote]

This

When you ride you have to keep an eye on your surroundings, it only takes on ahole running a red light or a spot of gravel in a turn and you lay it down…

Honestly, if you can only have one mood of transportation get a car… used cars are cheaper all the way around then a bike, and work regardless of weather and dont suck nearly as much in the rain / sleet / snow…

74

I like the 883 being nutless and slow comment. couple points need to be made on that:

Sportster 883 is a great starter bike if you want to go cruiser. Its not too heavy, so it can be easily manipulated through turns, manuvers, etc.

Has more power than most other “starter” bikes, without having the kind of power that a new rider generally shouldn’t have.

Engine can be hopped up from the 883cc to some ridiculous amount. I don’t remember the cc’s, but in cubic inches you can take a sporty from 53ish (I think that’s about what an 883 is) to 90+ cubic inches.

I ride a 1200 sportster, and I’ve been as heavy as 220lbs, and it is fast. Definitely jumps when I tell it to. That’s at 74 cubic inches, at 90 cubic inches it would be a demon. Sportsters are not the girls bike that all the HOG riders like to joke about. Find an oldtimer that rides a shovel or pan and they will tell you sportsters are great bikes. Fast, nimble, quick…

And, sportsters have one of the biggest aftermarket niches for customization. I don’t mean simple exhaust swaps and tassle grips, I mean full on frame chopping.

The bike in my avatar is my 1200 sportster, hardtail.

Not trying to stand on a soupbox here, but those that trash sportsters usually have never ridden one, or got blown away at a stoplight by one.

75

If this is your first bike get a kawasaki ninja 250cc and ride that for like a year. Then sell it and get something higher end. I wouldnt spend much money on your first bike. Believe me, you will probably mess it up.

76

[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
Great pick: the Griso is pretty cool.

Actually there was another Guzzi a few years back I really wanted, but was quite expensive and I couldn’t do it: the MGS-01.

1680×1249 306 KB

[/quote]

I see you are a racer at heart!

This bike however, is more of a work of art, a status statement if you will. I see a motorcycle more as an “action adventure companion”.
I would not want to own an MGS-01, or ride it for fear of it being scratched, stolen. It would be like driving a Ferrari in the city ( at 30 mph most of the time ). I think they are still available to buy here but only for the race track. They are not street legal, not in the US and not in the UK. Something to do with Euro 3 emissions, as well, that being a reason they didn’t release the road versions…

Even if you are super experienced and never fall, drop or scratch your bike say you park it for a minute to go into a shop and some envious person passes by and scratches it out of hatred, I would be upset over it.
I like to own cars, bikes, roller blades, sneakers that carry what I call “stretch marks” on them, i.e, evidence that I have pushed the outside of the envelope, pushed the boundaries.
I would not be able to do that with a bike like this for fear of “ruining” it’s immaculate condition.

The MGS-01 also reminds me of an ultra, ultra futuristic version of this replica above.

77

Nice BMW! I hadn’t seen it, or anything quite like it.

78

[quote]Imbrondir wrote:
I definitly agree on OP choices being underpowered. No experience with sport bikes, but with cruisers you need them be closer to a liter or more to be fun. For best bang for the buck I’d recommend either Suzukis Boulevard M/C50, Kawasaki Vulcan 900 or the new Yamaha V star 950. I personally own the vulcan classic, and pretty happy with it up to about 75mph, where it really should’ve had another gear. This year’s V Star doesn’t have that problem, so I’d pick that one for highways. If you absolutly want a harley, 1200 is the minimum imho. If you can affor it I’d recommend that anyway. I’ve been drooling to that vulcan 2000 for quite some time now :slight_smile:

Offtopic:
@Alpha - What kind of riding gear would you use in brazil? While with my full armor I’m sweating like a madman on a warmer day in norway, doing the same there I’d probably melt down. [/quote]

Hello Imbrondir!
I remember your name from 2 years ago, hello again…
Well I have not been back to Brazil since I left ( I’m crazy about the US so I visit America on holidays ). When I was there 21 years ago it was still much of a free road kill for all…no seat belts, 10 people in a small car and riding with no helmets, a pair of jeans and Havainas flip flops on your feet…
Ok, the less crazy ones a pair of jeans, t-shirt and sneakers.

I have however, seen recently in London a rider with a black thick mesh ‘jacket’ where you could see his skin under and all the padding also. So the only solid bits were the armor in the protection. It was super sleek, looked very cool, as in ventilation, and not gay at all, you know what I mean…it was a sporty high tech look, not a private dancer one.
I was impressed. He had kept the leather pants but if you know how to take a fall you could wear padded jeans. I just saw on one bike dealer this weekend ( I saw the RVS4 1000 as well, EXTREMELY COMPACT Stunning aluminum work!! ) a very light Ducati technical jeans with padded protection.
Some people don’t know how to fall and I believe they end up with joints out of place because they don’t know how to take impact. In that case leather is a must since it operates rather like ones ligaments and it tightens you up.

If I have time I will google for that mesh jacket and will post the picture.

To Everyone:

I think more important than spending money on your first bike you should spend money on a very good helmet, spine protection, leather pants and jacket.

And I am shocked you can just ride a 1000cc in the US without a license.

In the UK not only is illegal to ride without a license it is a legal must to have valid insurance ( yes, the police has computer systems to read your number plate and it comes up as uninsuranced vehicle. You are stopped, fined and lose points on your license or the license all together ) , MOT and tax disc. And you pay for parking everywhere, including on your street or you risk a $120 penalty charge ( this is nothing but a stealth tax ).

With a full drivers license you can ride only a 50cc.
In order to ride a 125cc you must take a CBT - Compulsory Bike Training. This is a one day course ending with a test. If the instructor sees you are not fit to ride on the rode in that one day of training you can’t ride a 125cc and if you pass you can only ONLY ride in the city - absolutely no freeway and no dual carriageway, either - and you must wear an L plate front and back of the bike indicating you are a learner.

To ride anything above 125cc and go on the freeway you must pass a test for the full license which is a whopping $1064 to take and very difficult to pass. You usually need a one week course to take the test which is a further $1000.

Anyone else from the UK correct me if I am wrong, it’s hard to keep up with the regulations here.

So it looks like I am definitely moving to the US as my love for motorcycling grows.

79

[quote]dez6485 wrote:

without having the kind of power that a new rider generally shouldn’t have.

[/quote]

I agree with this.

80

[quote]Alpha F wrote:
And I am shocked you can just ride a 1000cc in the US without a license.[/quote]

There are or at least used to be states where no special motorcycle endorsement was needed on the license – when I learned to ride that was the case, a regular driver’s license was all that was needed – but I think there is no US state that permits operating a motorcycle on public roads without any driver’s license.