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redscare posted: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. I'd add to this, buy gauntlet style gloves. There are a lot of shorter fit gloves that feel great to wear and don't restrict movement too much, but they'll do a lot less for you in a crash. Your risking your wrist skin and they are generally made from thinner material. If you only have one pair of gloves to buy, make them big and armored.
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Nov 9, 2009 19:06
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Spiffness posted:I'd add to this, buy gauntlet style gloves. There are a lot of shorter fit gloves that feel great to wear and don't restrict movement too much, but they'll do a lot less for you in a crash. Your risking your wrist skin and they are generally made from thinner material. If you only have one pair of gloves to buy, make them big and armored. Seconding this. I don't see any reason to not buy heavily armored gauntlets, especially since they're not much more than the shorty ones if you pick em up on sale. They fit better over jackets too and help keep wind out of your sleeves, which is nice if its cold.
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Nov 9, 2009 19:41
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The 2010 Aprilia Shiver is looking pretty badass. There is an Aprilia dealer near me, too. What kind of reputation do these bikes have? I assume they are competing with the Monster and Gladius?
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Nov 9, 2009 21:46
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Getting back to talking about bikes, rather then gear, what's CA's opinion on this in terms of cost? http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/mcy/1458528493.html '03 Ninja 500 with almost all of the parts from an '09 swapped into it. I'm not going to deny that a huge appeal of this bike is the cosmetic look: Everything flat black, perfectly murdered out. It's exactly what I was planning on doing to my next bike anyway.
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Nov 9, 2009 23:48
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Tsaven Nava posted:Getting back to talking about bikes, rather then gear, what's CA's opinion on this in terms of cost? That is a shitload of effort. I'd check every last wire on that bike before giving him a dime, that's for sure.
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Nov 10, 2009 00:38
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redscare posted:That is a shitload of effort. I'd check every last wire on that bike before giving him a dime, that's for sure. Well to be honest I'm not that serious right now, but if the job I'm hoping for comes through in the next couple weeks I'd love this bike. Assuming it's all been done and works well, is that a fair price for that bike? Either way I'm pretty set on a Ninja 500 as my next bike.
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Nov 10, 2009 01:18
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Also; OW MY BRAINS http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/mcy/1455609028.htmlFrom the ad posted:i had this bike frome last summer it anice cleen bike i maen its o7 , runs drive like new the only problem is i gut in an acsednt with it
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Nov 10, 2009 01:27
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Tsaven Nava posted:Well to be honest I'm not that serious right now, but if the job I'm hoping for comes through in the next couple weeks I'd love this bike. Meh. Have you ridden a couple of different bikes? I'd say the ninja 500 is a poor choice, just because it doesn't really do anything well. Heavy enough to lose the fun of a small bike, not as much power as a 650, it's just sort of a compromise that I wouldn't be so hot on.
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Nov 10, 2009 01:44
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elsanto posted:The 2010 Aprilia Shiver is looking pretty badass. There is an Aprilia dealer near me, too. What kind of reputation do these bikes have? I assume they are competing with the Monster and Gladius? They have a reputation for looking bad rear end and being a good, fun, bike.
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Nov 10, 2009 01:49
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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. HJC CL-15 ($75, had a small ding in the shop, so they let me have it at cost) FirstGear short cuff textile gloves w/ leather palm and carbon armor ($36) Scorpion Hat Trick jacket ($229) Scorpion EXO-700 ($110 on NewEnough closeout) FieldSheer mesh pants ($120 on closeout from somewhere or other) FieldSheer mesh jacket ($75 on closeout from NE) Cortech Scarab Winter gloves ($85 shipped from Bike Bandit less AMA discount) I suppose you can throw $40 for an AMA membership on, but that's already paid for itself with the tow I had after my accident.
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Nov 10, 2009 02:57
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1991 Dr 350 Dual Sport, fun bike, great power. 6575 miles. Two sets of wheels/tires, one for road use, one for dirt. Has kick start only, not electric. Clean title in hand. Also have Clymer's repair/maintenance manual that will go with it. 1000 dollars --------- If it runs fine I might buy this. that way, if down the road I decide I want a sports bike or something I'm not stuck a lot. First bike, never ridden before. This guy hasn't replied to any email though  advice? Good/bad?edit He replied with this right when I posted quote:It runs ok, but needs carb work. It idles fine but will sputter after running and shut off, then starts right back up. Not sure on top speed or MPG. I'd check Thumpertalk.com, lots of info there. Anyone in Raleigh want to check it out with me? Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Nov 10, 2009 |
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Nov 10, 2009 03:20
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Those are great bikes. Dirt simple, easy to work on and fun to ride. Top speed is roughly 80mphish. I wouldn't recommend it for CA freeways but we had one on our group ride this last weekend and it hung just fine and the rider had a blast on the twisties. Very entertaining little dirt bike. Sounds like clogged carbs, if you're willing to spend a little time screwing with it, it's a great first bike. I'd talk him down a few hundred in person, 800$ in cash and he'll probably take it. I'd also check and upgrade the shift drum shoulder bolt as they have a tendency to back out and then the bike can drop the shift pawl mechanism and won't want to shift anymore. Easy to address.
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Nov 10, 2009 03:57
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Z3n posted:Sounds like clogged carbs, if you're willing to spend a little time screwing with it, it's a great first bike. I'd talk him down a few hundred in person, 800$ in cash and he'll probably take it. As for the second part, I don't even know what that means. I plan on learning all this though because my long term goal is in a few years to tour either SE asia or south america meaning I need to know how to fix this stuff. Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Nov 10, 2009 |
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Nov 10, 2009 04:11
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at that price, I'd say go for it
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Nov 10, 2009 04:19
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Crazy685 posted:Whoat that new 250 is beautiful! I looked at a 2002 that was hideous. You're probably not going to find a decent 2008+ Ninja 250R for under $3k. If you do find one you're going to need to be extremely quick on the draw as it isn't going to last more than a few hours after it is posted. It seems that the $3500 area is where they are sitting for now, and at that price you're probably better off paying the $600 extra for a brand new one that you can break in properly and know its history. I seriously doubt you're going to see them go for less than $3k in decent shape for several more years; such is the joy of looking for a bike that basically has a monopoly on its class and is a great bike to boot. Still, your best bet if you want to save some cash by buying used will be to setup a craigslist RSS feed and checking the ninja250.org bike classifieds.
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Nov 10, 2009 05:03
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Z3n posted:Meh. Have you ridden a couple of different bikes? I'd say the ninja 500 is a poor choice, just because it doesn't really do anything well. Heavy enough to lose the fun of a small bike, not as much power as a 650, it's just sort of a compromise that I wouldn't be so hot on. I have not, no. Don't know anyone locally that rides, and even then, I'd be WAY skittish about riding someone elses bike. Terrified of doing something dumb and scraping it up, and then having to spend the money that I was hoping to spend on a new bike for myself fixing theirs. Slidebite offered to let me ride his ST1300 when I was in Alberta, but I turned him down based on mostly it being a WAY more powerful and sophisticated bike then I felt comfortable on. It was super-clean and shiney, and I'm sure that replacing almost anything on it would cost more then my whole bike did. As for why I think I want a Ninja 500 instead of a 650, it's a bunch of factors. I'm not sure I'm ready for a bike with more power. I just want something a bit lighter with better handling then my Virago. I don't know if I trust myself with more power. Also, I want something that would make a decent beginner bike for the girlfriend once she takes her MSF course. I'd be vastly happier with her starting on a 250, but she's in Milwaukee and I'm in Chicago, so we both want something that will do the ~100 miles in between our houses without problems. Due to that run, gas mileage is a factor as well. Another issue is that the 650 hasn't been out long enough to have a reasonable hope of getting one in my budget (under $2k) But I also have to say one of the single biggest reasons is that out of everything I've sat on, friend's bikes and dealer's bikes and so on, the Ninja was almost the only thing so far that I found didn't fold me up like a total pretzel.  36" inseam.
Tsaven Nava fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Nov 10, 2009 |
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Nov 10, 2009 05:52
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Endless Mike posted:Yeah, your needs are bit different than mine and you kind of had to buy more or less at once. I built up my gear over time and looks like this: Yeah, that's fair. And I take a very "Cost doesn't matter as long as it does what I want it to do" approach to gear. And I'm usually quite insistent on being able to try something on before I buy it, as I'm absurdly skinny and have a neigh impossible time finding stuff that actually fits. I'm a fantastic cheapass in other ways, though.
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Nov 10, 2009 05:55
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Tsaven Nava posted:I'd be vastly happier with her starting on a 250, but she's in Milwaukee and I'm in Chicago, so we both want something that will do the ~100 miles in between our houses without problems. I'm kind of shocked that the dude that road a Virago through northern Alaska thinks a 250 can't do a 100 mile trip between Milwaukee and Chicago without a problem. For some anecdotal evidence, my 250 does my 110 mile commute to work with no problems at all.
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Nov 10, 2009 06:10
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frozenphil posted:I'm kind of shocked that the dude that road a Virago through northern Alaska thinks a 250 can't do a 100 mile trip between Milwaukee and Chicago without a problem. For some anecdotal evidence, my 250 does my 110 mile commute to work with no problems at all. I think it's more the worry of being mostly tapped out at 70mph. This would be a trip done at least 2-3 times per week, usually carrying luggage or 2-up, along a notoriously speedy stretch of I-94. Although you could also cook an egg from all the police radar along the route.
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Nov 10, 2009 06:23
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Tsaven Nava posted:36" inseam. KLR650 
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Nov 10, 2009 06:56
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Hey Tsaven, I am around your height. You're welcome to try my Katana 750 if it'll help you make your decision. I had the same problem with feeling very cramped on the Ninjas. Also, I will only be slightly annoyed if you drop it since it is my old crappy bike now  .
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Nov 10, 2009 07:00
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Tsaven Nava posted:I think it's more the worry of being mostly tapped out at 70mph. This would be a trip done at least 2-3 times per week, usually carrying luggage or 2-up, along a notoriously speedy stretch of I-94. Although you could also cook an egg from all the police radar along the route. If by tapped out at 70mph you mean "only" has about 30mph left in it then yeah, it's tapped out. With a passenger and luggage a 250 probably wouldn't be the best, but you said it would be for her so I didn't figure you would be riding bitch.
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Nov 10, 2009 16:39
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Oakey posted:Hey Tsaven, I am around your height. You're welcome to try my Katana 750 if it'll help you make your decision. I had the same problem with feeling very cramped on the Ninjas. Also, I will only be slightly annoyed if you drop it since it is my old crappy bike now Ha, I'll take you up on that sometime if you're in the Chicagoland area Nerobro has offered me a go on one of his bikes, although I can't remember exactly which one. I need to take him up on that.
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Nov 10, 2009 18:55
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redscare posted:KLR650 Want something the girlfriend could learn on as well, and while she's quite leggy, I dunno if she'd want to deal with that beast frozenphil posted:If by tapped out at 70mph you mean "only" has about 30mph left in it then yeah, it's tapped out. With a passenger and luggage a 250 probably wouldn't be the best, but you said it would be for her so I didn't figure you would be riding bitch. Well my understanding is that while the 250s can go that fast, it's very buzzy and not pleasant, in addition to no having a lot of power left in reserve for passing or whatever. As for riding bitch, if it did turn into the girlfriend's bike, she would be carrying her sister around a bunch on it once she has enough experience. Going back from Chi to Mil wouldn't be carrying a lot of luggage, but a big seat bag or some saddlebags or something, basically a laptop and a few changes of clothes for a 3-4 day stay. I dunno, maybe a 250 would work, but I'd have to get it super-cheap for me to go with it over a 500. Tsaven Nava fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Nov 10, 2009 |
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Nov 10, 2009 18:56
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Tsaven Nava posted:Well my understanding is that while the 250s can go that fast, it's very buzzy and not pleasant, in addition to no having a lot of power left in reserve for passing or whatever. As for riding bitch, if it did turn into the girlfriend's bike, she would be carrying her sister around a bunch on it once she has enough experience. Going back from Chi to Mil wouldn't be carrying a lot of luggage, but a big seat bag or some saddlebags or something, basically a laptop and a few changes of clothes for a 3-4 day stay. We're going to have to fight if you keep saying slanderous things about the 250 being buzzy and not pleasant at 70mph. It doesn't have a lot of power left for passing at 70mph, but it has enough to safely make a pass. I'll stop trying to talk you into the bike because you pretty obviously have your mind made up about it. It's cool. A 250 isn't for everyone.
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Nov 10, 2009 19:39
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You need to get over your fear of riding other people's bikes, or you need to go test ride bikes with the understanding that if you drop it, you're buying it. I went 350 miles on a 250 in a day, and it wasn't a problem. This is in CA where the speed of traffic can range up to 85ishmph in the fast lane, and you just learn to not be shy with the throttle. You're making assumptions about how a bike is going to ride with no understand of what they're like in reality. Those assumptions may not lead you wrong, but you may also end up spending 2000$ on a bike that you simply don't like because of those assumptions. I strongly, strongly encourage you to test ride at least 3 different bikes before you make a decision. Go to demo days or borrow friends bikes or test ride a few bikes and then go sleep on it before you make decisions.
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Nov 10, 2009 19:43
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Tsaven Nava posted:Ha, I'll take you up on that sometime if you're in the Chicagoland area Yep, I actually live in the city.
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Nov 10, 2009 20:38
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Tsaven Nava posted:Want something the girlfriend could learn on as well, and while she's quite leggy, I dunno if she'd want to deal with that beast If she's got a 34" inseam (like you said in the girl rider thread), she shouldn't have any problems flat-footing it, especially if its lowered.
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Nov 11, 2009 00:52
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Okay, I'll reply to other's posts to me in a second, but Chicago Cycle near me has a 2008 KLR650 with 714 miles on it for $3500. Is that as ludicrously low of a price as I think it is?
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Nov 11, 2009 00:57
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Tsaven Nava posted:Okay, I'll reply to other's posts to me in a second, but Chicago Cycle near me has a 2008 KLR650 with 714 miles on it for $3500. Is that as ludicrously low of a price as I think it is? The '08 KLRs (first year of the redesign) seem to have issues with burning oil at a ridiculously high rate. Not sure exactly how common it is, but there's been a few threads on advrider. The 08+ is also heavier and, perhaps most tragically, not nearly as ugly. And while that is fairly, KLRs in general cost bubkis and you should be able to easily find a low-mileage one with a ton of farkles (if you care about that sort of thing) and the doohickey already taken care of for around $3k or less. Got my 05 with about a grand worth of stuff on it for $2500.
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Nov 11, 2009 01:43
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oops
shacked up with Brenda fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Nov 11, 2009 |
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Nov 11, 2009 01:50
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redscare posted:The '08 KLRs (first year of the redesign) seem to have issues with burning oil at a ridiculously high rate. Not sure exactly how common it is, but there's been a few threads on advrider. The 08+ is also heavier and, perhaps most tragically, not nearly as ugly. yep same here, I got an 06 with a Givi topcase, stainless steel brake lines, 320mm front rotor,etc for 2500
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Nov 11, 2009 01:57
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redscare posted:The '08 KLRs (first year of the redesign) seem to have issues with burning oil at a ridiculously high rate. Not sure exactly how common it is, but there's been a few threads on advrider. The 08+ is also heavier and, perhaps most tragically, not nearly as ugly. Yeah, I checked some threads over at ADV and it seems to be reasonable to get them with all the nessesary stuff (centerstands and luggage racks and etc etc etc) for around $2500. And actually, as I looked up the specs, it's not nearly as powerful as I thought. ~40hp or so, not really what I was hoping for. But it was so much more comfortable then the V-Strom . . .
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Nov 11, 2009 02:11
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Tsaven Nava posted:And actually, as I looked up the specs, it's not nearly as powerful as I thought. ~40hp or so, not really what I was hoping for. But it was so much more comfortable then the V-Strom . . . Its plenty quick, at least from where I'm at. I haven't found it wanting for power and before the KLR, I primarily rode a(n old) 600 sportbike. Does freeway speeds just fine and certainly quicker than a 250. And yes, so very comfortable, especially for us tall folk. The stock seat kinda sucks but that's an easy fix.
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Nov 11, 2009 02:16
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Z3n posted:Sounds like clogged carbs, if you're willing to spend a little time screwing with it, it's a great first bike. I'd talk him down a few hundred in person, 800$ in cash and he'll probably take it. I asked him how long it ran fine before shutting off and he said quote:Usually about 10mins, then shuts off. You can come by tomorrow or Thurs night at 7, or anytime Fri-Sun.
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Nov 11, 2009 03:25
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If you're looking in the sub 1k range, bikes that aren't going to require at least a little work are going to be very rare and move very quickly. They're out there, they're just a once every month (if you're lucky) sort of thing and they'll sell within 6 or so hours of being listed. I think that's a good first bike but the idea that he's letting an aircooled bike idle for 10 minutes makes my head hurt. It's honestly probably fine, he's probably just a retard.
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Nov 11, 2009 03:29
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He said "it idles fine but will sputter after running and then shut off" in the previous e-mail. Do you think he means if he runs it then idles it shuts off? How should I phrase the follow up question? Pretty sure I am gonna buy it, it just sucks I don't really know how to ride it to test it out and I don't know anyone in Raleigh who does ride motorcycles I don't mind getting dirty and it really is a sick deal.Thanks for all the help by the way Z3n. your posts have been very helpful to me as I figure this out edit By the way, this comes with the repair manual but is there an overall motorcycle maintenance book that is considered the best (besides the zen one). I'm so excited, over 10 years of wanting a motorcycle more than anything and I'm 10 days from having my license and hopefully owning one Ribsauce fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Nov 11, 2009 |
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Nov 11, 2009 03:38
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Ribsauce posted:He said "it idles fine but will sputter after running and then shut off" in the previous e-mail. Do you think he means if he runs it then idles it shuts off? There's a couple of basic motorcycle maintenance books floating around, but I'd recommend just sitting down with the repair manual and reading through the section on what you're going to be doing, reading nero's carb thread, and asking questions. Feel free to PM/e-mail/AIM if you want to ask little questions. Glad to hear you're getting into it the right way, cheap bike. Get some good gear and you'll have a blast, I honestly think the DR350s are pretty much the perfect first bikes. I have a friend who rode an I4 600 for 4 years, never really got comfortable on it, bought a DR350 and has improved leaps and bounds as a rider and has had way more fun. Awesome little bikes.
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Nov 11, 2009 18:30
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There is also a 2000 DRZ400s for 2000 near me (6700 miles) and that 2003 DRZ400 (1100 miles) I could probably get for around 2400, so I'm still considering everything. For the record, I can spend 2000 on the bike without really worrying and 2500 if I have to (have gear money separate from this by the way so I won't skimp on it.) I mean obviously saving 1000 dollars is better than spending it, but I don't have to get the cheapest bike there. Is spending twice as much for the '00 DRZ worth it? He says 2099 or best offer, I was thinking starting at 1700 and seeing. I mean the economy and weather sucks here right now so maybe I can get it cheap.
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Nov 12, 2009 02:34
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If you'd rather be riding than wrenching, and don't mind a taller bike, the lower cost DRZ is a very good choice as well. My vote is also for showing up in person and then showing him cash. 1700$ theoretical dollars is easy to turn down, 17 100$ bills is much more difficult to turn down.
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Nov 12, 2009 03:34
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