|
Zool posted:Do you mean the GSX650, or the GSX-R 600? The SV 650 and GSX650 are both at the upper limit of what you'll see recommend here, power wise. If you rode the GSX-R 600 and thought it seemed to be about right ie didn't scare the poo poo out of yourself, you shifted about 8,000 rpm before you had to. Sorry, GSX 650, not the R. I dont love Suzuki, I just went to a Suzuki dealer and they had some great deals on used bikes. Hah, Im open to anything, but it has to look pretty good as well. The 250 is a pretty lame looking bike. No dual sports, Id like a sport bike. I'm definitely willing to take any and all advice, though. What's a weaker sport bike I could check out? Im honestly not worried about power.. I'd even take something under 500ccs Amy Pole Her fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Nov 8, 2009 |
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 03:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 11:40 |
|
|
Any thoughts on 2009 BMW G 650 GS's? They have one $1000 dollars off MSRP at the dealership and I'm really thinking about getting it. I want something I can actually ride comfortably on the highway and that can handle nasty dirt or fire roads. My dream is some crazy overland adventure through third world countries. I looked at DR650's, KLR's, the 650 Honda Dual Sport. These bikes all offer equal or better performance for a much lower price. Parts are cheaper and more available. Insurance is cheaper. They are much lower profile. For the price of the BMW I could buy a DR and finance a really cool trip. But I've sat on all of them, and the only one that felt right was the BMW. I don't even know why I'm posting this. I guess I just want someone to tell me I'm not stupid for buying the bike I really want even though it's not as practical as my other options.  Click here for the full 512x384 image. IAMKOREA fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Nov 8, 2009 |
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 04:34
|
|
|
What are the differences between a 2000 and 2003 DRZ400? There is a 2000 DRZ 400s, all black, with 5500 miles on craigslist asking 2300, so I could probably get him down to I dunno, 2000? He has been posting the ad for over a month.quote:2000 Suzuki DRZ 400S street legal, clean title, excellent condition, 5500 miles and very clean. Has FMF exhaust, Renthal bars, oversized hand guards, extended shifter, case cover, very confortable gel seat, skid plate, Uni filter, new battery. Is there a difference between this and the 2003 I posted on the last page quality wise?
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 05:12
|
|
|
Crazy685 posted:No dual sports, Id like a sport bike... but it has to look pretty good as well. It's a supermoto, there's a difference.  It's suspension is so much better than the SV650's, I would argue the DRZ-SM is the sportier bike. Crazy685 posted:The 250 is a pretty lame looking bike. So you think the current Ninja 250 is ugly, or just the old one? What about un-faired sportbikes like the Ducati Monster? Crazy685 posted:I'm definitely willing to take any and all advice, though. What's a weaker sport bike I could check out? Im honestly not worried about power.. I'd even take something under 500ccs You're in the U.S. right? There isn't really any 'sport bike' positioned between the Ninja 250, and SV650. Comparable bikes to the SV650 are the Ninja 650R, and Yamaha FZ6R, and Suzuki Bandit 600S. If you want a really cool, low power, great handling bike, track down an '09 Aprilia RS125  If you're open to unfaired bikes you have the Ducati Monster 620 and 696, the Honda 599 (tough to find), and the naked SV650.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 06:06
|
|
|
IAMKOREA posted:Any thoughts on 2009 BMW G 650 GS's? Did they fix that little issue where the front axle breaks off? Or was that another middle weight BMW?
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 06:08
|
|
|
Ribsauce posted:What are the differences between a 2000 and 2003 DRZ400?
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 06:12
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:The colors, maybe. Other than specific model differences (S, SM, E, K), I don't think the DRZ400 has had any changes since its introduction. Stickers. Colors and stickers.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 06:13
|
|
|
Zool posted:You're in the U.S. right? There isn't really any 'sport bike' positioned between the Ninja 250, and SV650. Comparable bikes to the SV650 are the Ninja 650R, and Yamaha FZ6R, and Suzuki Bandit 600S. If you want a really cool, low power, great handling bike, track down an '09 Aprilia RS125 The Ninja 500 and GS 500 would like to have a word with you... Also isn't the FZ6R a fair bit up on power compared to a 650? It's like 80 vs 60-65 isn't it?
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 10:30
|
|
|
Gr3y posted:The Ninja 500 and GS 500 would like to have a word with you... The Ninja doesn't meet the styling requirements, but I don't know how I forgot about the GS. http://www.sportrider.com/dyno/146_sportbike_dyno_charts/photo_60.html
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 16:15
|
|
|
Zool posted:the Honda 599 (tough to find) I wouldn't really put the 599 in the beginner category as it makes 85hp. All of your other suggestions are good horsepower wise, however. And I think the 2008/2009 Ninja 250 is good looking. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 16:53
|
|
|
IAMKOREA posted:Any thoughts on 2009 BMW G 650 GS's? They have one $1000 dollars off MSRP at the dealership and I'm really thinking about getting it. I want something I can actually ride comfortably on the highway and that can handle nasty dirt or fire roads. My dream is some crazy overland adventure through third world countries. I looked at DR650's, KLR's, the 650 Honda Dual Sport. These bikes all offer equal or better performance for a much lower price. Parts are cheaper and more available. Insurance is cheaper. They are much lower profile. For the price of the BMW I could buy a DR and finance a really cool trip. The BMW has the best on-road manners of that group. I've run a F650 GS Dakar on a lot of miles over a lot of ground and what I've concluded is if you plan to go on long rides in the US that are on a lot of pavement with some easy dirt roads thrown into the mix the F650 is a great bike. It's incredibly smooth to ride for a single, and it'll carry an impossible load with great road manners. However, if you're looking do do more of what's in that picture, all of the other bikes offer much better off-road handling and are lighter. Even the piggy KLR is easier to ride in the dirt. The BMW is really best for riding where you are to some place that you've always wanted to go and then bumping along on some easy off road stuff while you're there. The other bikes would be best for seeing just how lost you can get within 100 miles of your house. Repairing and maintaining the BMW is more costly. The parts don't fail often but if they do expect to dig deep into your pocket book. At 53K I replaced the motor in my F650 to the tune of 2500, wheel bearings, swimg arm bearings and head bearings all are prone to failure if you ilke to ride in the dirt or go through stream crossings. But if you do want a bike that is no trouble to ride for 700+ miles a day and can still go over some easy 4X4 passes like Engineer Pass in Colorado it's a great choice. Once the roads get "nasty" though you don't want to be on it. Rutted sand is horrible on anything less than very aggressive off road tires, even then it's a pain. All the weight means that if you start climbing really steep roads or taking very steep descents you'll wish you brought something lighter. Anytime you're on the freeway or state highway though it's a dream. Once you start to leave the US however, parts will become 2-3 times more expensive and much more difficult to find. There are many reports of people breaking down in Peru, Mongolia, etc that needed to freight parts in to replace fuel pumps, seals, bearings etc and it costing a small fortune. My F650 is fully tricked out for world touring with 500+ mile range, aftermarket seat, shocks, rissers, pegs, forks, shifter, chain guards, racks, cases, etc. I'm planning on selling it rather than taking it on a trip to Argentina next year. Picking the BMW up has injured my back a couple of times and due to the weight I've actually paused and thought long and hard about going down some roads I found in Mexico. I'd much rather have something so light that I don't care about picking it up. Mine has been really solid for me except for the transmission starting to let go at 53K. It never stranded me anywhere dispite an incredible amount of abuse. I've drowned it a couple of times strained the cutch in long stretches of rutted sand, and dropped it all over mountain passes in CO. It never once failed to start during all of that. I honestly believe the motor is one of the best out there but it needs a serious diet. The X-challenge is a lighter version that's not quite as road friendly but far more capable in the dirt. They can be had lightly used for about 4-5K. It's a great way to get the motor without all the extra weight. However with a seat height of about 34" short people need not apply. I'm planning on getting an XT225 for my 22K mile trip next year and just riding the wheels off the little thing. If you haven't looked at that as a dual sport if you're vertically challenged I really recommend it. PlasticSun fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Nov 8, 2009 |
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 17:06
|
|
|
PlasticSun posted:Out of curiosity, have you ridden the 800 GS? From what I've read the 800 is a nice middle ground between the 650 and the 1200, but I've never heard any first-hand feedback.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 18:43
|
|
|
I did a test ride on one and didn't like it much. I was on the F800 GS, which is a bit too tall for me. The motor seemed really nice and on the road it was pretty swell as well but just going slow (1st gear) through rough gravel parking lot made it pretty clear to me that it's another bike that is far better suited for road travel than off road travel. It's got a nice suspension and all that and if you're in a group doing typical easy jeep roads it'd be a great bike and a blast to ride up to Alaska I'm sure. But I wouldn't be too excited to take it through sand, mud or over rough 4X4 roads. I think it's too tall and too heavy. To be honest for the price I'd rather have a R1150GS if I was going to do more touring or an G650 GS if I was going to spend a little more time in the dirt, to me it seems like an R1200 GS lite, it's not as good of a tourer especially for 2 up, it's feels almost as heavy and on the road the front suspension isn't as nice as the telelever. I think it makes for a good successor for the F650 GS, it gets good mileage has good road manners and I'm sure it could go over some moderate 4X4 roads without too much hassle but I don't think it's a real off-road bike, and for 10K I think a used R1200GS offers pretty much all the same features and would be comfortable for 2 people. Or for 3/4 the price you could get a nearly new F650 GS which would do everything the F800 does except pass semis on the freeway faster. So if you need to go faster on the freeway and don't like shaft drives but like BMW then it's a great bike to buy. Or you could get a V-Storm save a bunch of money and be more comfortable 2 up, the only thing I think you'd really lose out on is not having a 21" front wheel. I guess my biggest complaint about it is I don't know who it's for. If you're tall, you have a big selection of bikes to choose from, including the 950, WR250R, 640 Adventure for more dirt focused rides, and if you like to tour the 21" front isn't going to be as nice on the road as a smaller front wheel would be. I think they should have kept the X Challenge around to have a fuel injected bike that gets good mileage for the off-road riders who are considering a KTM and given the F800 closer to the same specs and the F650 GS (the new 800cc one) only put some spoke wheels on it rather than alloys. Then you'd have a bike that fit more closely to the big appeal that the original F650 had. All that said I haven't ridden it heavily in the dirt nor tried to do anything quickly in the dirt. I tend to ride slowly on dirt roads bumping along at 30-40 mph just exploring and taking photos, I'm not a motorcross dude nor was I raised on dirt bikes at the age of 2. I'm sure there's a ton of people out there that could pilot an F800 at fantastical speeds over terrain so gnarly that I would never attempt it. I just tend to like bikes that make the riding I want to do easier rather than harder. I think it's already pretty easy to ride a motorcycle on the street so I was looking for a bike that give me more confidence in the dirt than the F650 I was already riding, and I don't think this is it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 19:51
|
|
|
PlasticSun posted:Thanks for this! I'm starting to have second thoughts now though. I want to go on long rides that are mostly dirt or gravel roads, and I do want to leave the US. And seriously, the extra $3000. That buys me a trip to go with the bike, which is becoming harder to pass up. Now I'm considering a DRZ as well. Which is still hard because I can get an S, or an SM. What's the deal with the SM forks? They are inverted? What's that do? e: I guess they have less travel, so maybe the S? IAMKOREA fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Nov 8, 2009 |
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 19:56
|
|
|
I've really got the SM bug lately. Any specific suggestions, what to look out for, etc? I've been riding a 2004 EX-250 for roughly 7 months, with about ~4000 miles under my belt. I'm seeing the DRZ400SM as a strong contender, similar power to the Ninja but more torque down low. Anything else that isn't insanely higher in power? I'm looking for small and relatively light (Ninja is ~350 lbs wet), so I can wheelie/lane split through LA traffic with relative ease. Reliability is also key. I can do my own work, but I have limited space in which to do it and it can be a hassle.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 21:08
|
|
|
IAMKOREA posted:Thanks for this! I'm starting to have second thoughts now though. I want to go on long rides that are mostly dirt or gravel roads, and I do want to leave the US. And seriously, the extra $3000. That buys me a trip to go with the bike, which is becoming harder to pass up. The SMs have a bit more power and the forks are nicer although like you said less travel. If you plan to be in the dirt you'd likely want to get a set of dirt wheels for the SM. You could also get an E which is the non-street legal version. There are a lot of people who have converted them so that they can be used on the street and they make a bit more power than the S as well. I'd also suggest checking out the WR250R, fuel injection and a nice 6 speed gear box. Don't let the 250 bit scare you off that bike goes plenty fast. I'd get one myself but I'm a bit too short for it. Most bikes will get you down a gravel road, like I said my R1150R does gravel roads and easy mountain passes just fine even two up. The main reason I like lighter bikes for touring outside the US is for roads that are not made of dirt or gravel. Even a few miles of rutted deep sandy roads are misery on a heavy bike.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 21:20
|
|
|
sirbeefalot posted:I've really got the SM bug lately. Any specific suggestions, what to look out for, etc? I've been riding a 2004 EX-250 for roughly 7 months, with about ~4000 miles under my belt. I'm seeing the DRZ400SM as a strong contender, similar power to the Ninja but more torque down low. I don't think it'd be too hard to convert a WR250 to Super Moto.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 21:21
|
|
|
sirbeefalot posted:I've really got the SM bug lately. Any specific suggestions, what to look out for, etc? I've been riding a 2004 EX-250 for roughly 7 months, with about ~4000 miles under my belt. I'm seeing the DRZ400SM as a strong contender, similar power to the Ninja but more torque down low. The DRZ-400SM, and the WR250X are both pretty similar in power. The WR is down on torque, but it has a 6th gear which is good on the freeway. The next step in SM performance above a DRZ is the Husqvarna SM610. It's actually priced pretty close to the DRZ new, but you're unlikely to find one used. The 610 is ~52hp to the DRZ's 33, while weighing only a few (I think 10) pounds more. It is a much better bike on the freeway than a DRZ. It will easily pull the front wheel up if you wack the throttle open, but it's not nearly as mad as the KTM. The brakes make the DRZ's seem cute. I think it's a good compromise between power/weight and maintenance/reliablilty for a street going supermoto. It would take more maintenance than a DRZ, 3000 miles between oil changes and 6,000 between valve checks. It will be easier to work on than any water cooled Japanese bike. The tank and seat will come off with 1 bolt. Valve adjustments can be done without removing the camshaft. You can probably get 30k out of a 610 with just regular maintenance before you need to think about rebuilding the top end. It's not in the same league as the DRZ, which you can count on leaving to your grandchildren. Then there is the KTM 690, which will flip you over the back in first gear if you even think about opening the throttle, and over the front if you look at the brake lever wrong. PlasticSun posted:I don't think it'd be too hard to convert a WR250 to Super Moto. I bet it's impossible to plate a dirt bike in Cali.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 21:47
|
|
|
PlasticSun posted:The SMs have a bit more power and the forks are nicer although like you said less travel. If you plan to be in the dirt you'd likely want to get a set of dirt wheels for the SM. You could also get an E which is the non-street legal version. There are a lot of people who have converted them so that they can be used on the street and they make a bit more power than the S as well. I don't think the SM makes anymore power than the S. You can get more power out of the engine, but I don't think it's worth the time/money. If you want a more powerful bike get the Husqvarna. You'll want dirt wheels if you ride in, mud, wet clay, or soft dirt. On dirt/gravel roads and dry trails 17in wheels with Avon Distanzias will do fine.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 22:17
|
|
|
Zool posted:I don't think the SM makes anymore power than the S.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2009 22:52
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:The colors, maybe. Other than specific model differences (S, SM, E, K), I don't think the DRZ400 has had any changes since its introduction. edit the 2000 one sold I think 
Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Nov 9, 2009 |
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 00:38
|
|
|
PlasticSun posted:The SMs have a bit more power and the forks are nicer although like you said less travel. If you plan to be in the dirt you'd likely want to get a set of dirt wheels for the SM. You could also get an E which is the non-street legal version. There are a lot of people who have converted them so that they can be used on the street and they make a bit more power than the S as well. I've been reading up on the WR250R and it seems pretty sweet for what I want to do. If they have any cheap 09 models I might get one. Otherwise the $1100 off MSRP on a DRZ400S might be too good to pass up.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 00:45
|
|
|
Zool posted:It's a supermoto, there's a difference. Whoat that new 250 is beautiful! I looked at a 2002 that was hideous. So beautiful that Im looking at a 2008 Ninja 250 right now. I have to get my license and all that still, but once I do that I'm going to see if I can locate a great deal. I was looking at 2000-2002 Honda CBR600s as well, they looked great and were around my price range ( $2500ish ) Amy Pole Her fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Nov 9, 2009 |
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 00:49
|
|
|
IAMKOREA posted:I've been reading up on the WR250R and it seems pretty sweet for what I want to do. If they have any cheap 09 models I might get one. Otherwise the $1100 off MSRP on a DRZ400S might be too good to pass up. The only thing about the WR250 and the reason I would never ever buy one is it runs oddball tire sizes that are going to be impossible to find rubber in. Just get the DRZ, it's more moddable, more of them floating around, etc. etc. Besides that, a 610 would be really high on the list.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 03:27
|
|
|
Crazy685 posted:I was looking at 2000-2002 Honda CBR600s as well, they looked great and were around my price range ( $2500ish ) Those bikes will kill you in very short order. They are NOT beginner bikes, AT ALL.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 03:40
|
|
|
Tsaven Nava posted:Those bikes will kill you in very short order. What I see most often when someone starts on a bike like that, is that they almost killed themselves the day they got it, and they've been too scared to throw a leg over it since.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 04:00
|
|
|
Crazy685 posted:Whoat that new 250 is beautiful! I looked at a 2002 that was hideous. You keep mentioning looks, keep in mind that you are most likely going to drop your first bike a couple times. You're ready to spend ~$2500 on a bike, how much are you going to spend on all your gear?
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 04:03
|
|
|
Zool posted:You keep mentioning looks, keep in mind that you are most likely going to drop your first bike a couple times. You're ready to spend ~$2500 on a bike, how much are you going to spend on all your gear? I figured $500 was good for gear. I have a pretty high quality white helmet that my friend gave me. He just bought a new bike but his girlfriend bought him a new helmet that had a matching color scheme for his birthday, so he had this brand new helmet he will give me.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 06:59
|
|
|
Crazy685 posted:I figured $500 was good for gear. I have a pretty high quality white helmet that my friend gave me. He just bought a new bike but his girlfriend bought him a new helmet that had a matching color scheme for his birthday, so he had this brand new helmet he will give me. Your starting-out gear budget should be at least $1000, more if you plan on all-season riding. Once you could a jacket (or two), boots, few different pairs of gloves, pants and possibly armor, it's easy to spend $1500-$2000 before you blink. Especially if you want really good touring gear. Do NOT accept your friends helmet unless it fits you perfectly. Everyone's head is a different shape, and properly fitting helmets are something that can take many people a while to find. I might suggest keeping it around for a backup, or a bitch helmet, but for your own every day lid, get something that is exactly what you want and fits perfectly.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 08:27
|
|
|
Tsaven Nava posted:Your starting-out gear budget should be at least $1000, more if you plan on all-season riding.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 13:23
|
|
|
Tsaven Nava posted:Your starting-out gear budget should be at least $1000, more if you plan on all-season riding. Once you could a jacket (or two), boots, few different pairs of gloves, pants and possibly armor, it's easy to spend $1500-$2000 before you blink. Especially if you want really good touring gear. Buy a new lid. That's for sure. But you should be able to get geared for $500-$600. Check out brick and mortars for clearance sales, sign up for new-enough's newsletter (because they send me killer deals every day or so that really makes me wish I wasn't poor as gently caress), and don't forget ebay. I got a jacket, a nice HJC helmet, boots (kinda cheap but not that bad from jafrum.com), gloves, and textile overpants for right around 5 bills. Of course I was willing to wait a while to find what I wanted at the right price. If you need gear now, right now, then you're going to pay more. Also if you don't like the look of the old Ninja 250: remember you can yank off the fairings (and either put them back on when you sell or just sell 'em off asap) and wind up with a much more butch looking machine.  A little write up here: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/I_want_to_make_my_bike_into_a_streetfighter
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 14:20
|
|
|
^^^^^^^^ purple wheels
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 14:35
|
|
|
I don't think there is anything wrong with wearing a hand me down helmet as long as it's in good shape and fits your properly. Pull back the liner and look at the styrofoam shell. If it has any crack in it, then the helmet is done. If there are none, and the shell doesn't have any damage on it I don't see why it wouldn't be fine. In addition if the helmet is old you would want to pass on that. I think the helmet makers say 5 years, but those are the people trying to sell you lids. I also don't see why you couldn't get fine gear for well less than $500. Just shop around for decently priced textile gear, you can normally get jackets and pants for $100 each if you shop around. Another $50 for gloves and you're set if you own some over the ankle hiking boots.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 16:58
|
|
|
Tsaven Nava posted:Your starting-out gear budget should be at least $1000, more if you plan on all-season riding. Once you could a jacket (or two), boots, few different pairs of gloves, pants and possibly armor, it's easy to spend $1500-$2000 before you blink. Especially if you want really good touring gear. It's not about how much you spend, it's about the quality of your gear. Are you really suggesting that if I get a good deal on gear and only spend $800, that I'm under-geared? Preposterous. I really hate how people are waving around hard dollar numbers like it's a wedding ring or something. It's fine as a guideline, but if someone doesn't hit those magical numbers because of hand-me-downs, there's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to buy all the gear you'll ever own all at once in the beginning. Assuming that helmet checks out, that's a large chunk of his budget taken care of. You want to have gear on every part of your body which might impact the pavement in a crash. Which is every part of your body. Boots, pants, jacket, gloves, helmet. As long as you cover these parts with adequate protection, you're good. I could easily buy decent gear to cover all that for $500. Now, having said that, used helmets aren't a great idea. 1) you don't know if it's ever been dropped, which can compromise your protection. 2) a large part of the helmet working is the padding material, which does compress and become less effective with wear. If it were me, I'd go buy a Bell helmet from Pep Boys or a similar store. They're only around $50-60 and they actually test safer than a lot of the more expensive helmets. Doctor Zero fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Nov 9, 2009 |
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 17:05
|
|
|
n8r posted:I don't think there is anything wrong with wearing a hand me down helmet as long as it's in good shape and fits your properly. Pull back the liner and look at the styrofoam shell. If it has any crack in it, then the helmet is done. If there are none, and the shell doesn't have any damage on it I don't see why it wouldn't be fine. In addition if the helmet is old you would want to pass on that. I think the helmet makers say 5 years, but those are the people trying to sell you lids. Arai says 5 years of use or 7 years since date of creation. I figure that's a safe and reasonable estimate. Of course, you could actually use an Arai/high end helmet for 5 years of full use, I don't know how long it'd be comfortable to use a cheaper helmet. While over the ankle boots are better than sneakers, I'd try and find something that at least had ankle protection and some form of internal bracing. My friend dropped the ~200 pound CB200 on his ankle and it would have been bad news if he hadn't had my 50$ used A* SMX 4s on. Craigslist can be a great place to pick up used gear as well. I spent around a grand when I started out but I basically found what I liked and then bought it at the cheapest possible price. If I were a new rider just looking for gear at any price, I'd be hunting closeouts like crazy. I bet you could get decent protection for well under 500$ if you didn't care about color.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 17:21
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:I don't think I've spent $1000 on gear yet and I've gotten two helmets, two jackets, two pairs of gloves, and a pair of pants. I might just get there when I finally get some proper boots. You can do even better than I did right now with all the closeouts on this year's gear if color isn't that important. I dunno, I blew through $1000 pretty quick, and I still don't even have proper boots. OTOH, I was buying a lot of touring stuff for my trip, I guess if you're planning on only riding in decent weather, you don't need as much all-weather stuff. My collection ended up being: Nolan N102 ($200), Teknic jacket ($200), Draggin Jeans ($80), Rain gear ($60) gloves ($40), cold-weather touring gloves ($100), Rubber overgloves ($15), Olympia Airglide pants ($200), really nice neck gaiter ($40), Olympia Phantom suit ($400). Although yes, used gear can save a bundle. I peruse the flea market at ADV all the time, lusting over even more gear that I can't afford.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 17:37
|
|
|
Tsaven Nava posted:I dunno, I blew through $1000 pretty quick, and I still don't even have proper boots. OTOH, I was buying a lot of touring stuff for my trip, I guess if you're planning on only riding in decent weather, you don't need as much all-weather stuff. Yeah, a lot of that stuff would necessary on a long trip, but can safely be skipped for everyday use. There's no need to double up on gear at first unless you have the cash to. Like you say, the all-weather stuff can be foregone until later. As I like to tell people who ask what you do when it rains ... you get wet. It's not a big deal.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 17:44
|
|
|
Additionally, it's not a binary "all or nothing" choice, nor is it a one-time purchase. From the time you start riding, 5 pieces of $100 gear will protect you better than 1 piece of $500 gear while you replenish your funds and then start buying yourself the stuff that's on your wishlist.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 18:16
|
|
|
Jabs posted:Additionally, it's not a binary "all or nothing" choice, nor is it a one-time purchase. Ain't this the truth. Gear collecting is a hobby that will leave you poor for years to come!
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 18:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 11:40 |
|
|
Tsaven Nava posted:Your starting-out gear budget should be at least $1000, more if you plan on all-season riding. Once you could a jacket (or two), boots, few different pairs of gloves, pants and possibly armor, it's easy to spend $1500-$2000 before you blink. Especially if you want really good touring gear. You don't need more than one pair of gloves, not when you're starting out anyway. Just make sure that whatever pair you buy fits you great. If you hands are on a tweener size, go to the bigger one. I bought slightly too small gloves and they end up hurting after a long ride. You can get touring crap later if you end up needing it. Raiding the close-out section on newenough is a great way to get a full set of gear cheap, especially if you already have a lid.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2009 19:02
|
|