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Wait, why would anybody start on something other than a supermoto? I almost never see em on the street, and that post up thar (New page edit - back thar) make em sound like the perfect starter. What the hell is the downside? Another edit: God drat, just the money? I've seen maybe two on the road in all the years I've been driving in SoCal. I just don't get it. You guys are goons, tell me why they suck??!? Must be something bad about em. Solvent fucked around with this message at 05:27 on Oct 3, 2016 |
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Oct 3, 2016 05:16
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They tend to be more expensive than other "starter" bikes (not much, but enough to dissuade newbies) and can be slightly harder to find depending on where you are. The DRZsm is the only one being sold new in the US except the new Husky 701 from what I can tell, and it's been unchanged for years other than exciting new graphics - still carbed, for example. Hard to convince someone an 8 year old 250 based on a dirt bike is worth 2x as much as a newer Ninja 300 with ABS and other goodies.
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Oct 3, 2016 05:44
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Well if it's ultra light, dropable, narrow, upright, and sticks to the ground, costs less to insure, can handle long rides... that kinda sounds like an easy sell to me. Everything is available here I'm assuming. I was looking at some Ninjas, and that CBR500r. If I get a wild hair up my rear end and decide to ride up to LA from San Diego in the middle of the night, what's to stop me from doing it on a Ninja or CBR? Neck cramps?
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Oct 3, 2016 05:52
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No abs, seat height, expensive. Those are basically the supermoto / newbie problems.
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Oct 3, 2016 05:56
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I mean, theoretically supermotos "can handle" long rides but in my experience riding a DRZ400SM for more than about 20 minutes is rear end torture. Was great for urban commuting, canyons are awesome in short spurts, but being on it for any period of time sucks. Highways are awful, too.
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Oct 3, 2016 05:58
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Solvent posted:Wait, why would anybody start on something other than a supermoto? As someone that's ridden a sumo in LA, the only reason you don't see them is because the squidbros that inhabit these parts probably think they're pussy dirt bikes. poo poo, 1/4 of my commute to Hollywood was spent on sidewalks some days. Sumos own
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Oct 3, 2016 06:14
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Thank you! I was wondering about that. rear end torture is not my forte. Seat height's no problem... butt stuff is enough though. I just always hated the look of cruisers, but love the idea of a 2am ride up to LA, I was hoping there was a happy medium. Also, the more upright the better to a point. I'm also not all gung-ho about hitting speeds over 100mph, but I do like the idea of having power to accelerate out of a mess. Still want a Zero RS, the allure of a silent sport bike is great. I'd even give up the whole "empty freeway to California's butthole" thing for one. I just don't want to shell out 14k. I also know that if I don't buy one soon, I probably never will. So... whatev. Still just gonna sit back till I'm sure what I want.
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Oct 3, 2016 06:23
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Z3n posted:No abs, seat height, expensive. Those are basically the supermoto / newbie problems. Seat height is a problem with the rider, not the bike. Same if they don't have abs.  Solvent posted:Wait, why would anybody start on something other than a supermoto? The seats get uncomfortable if you're going to be on one for 3+ hours. Vibrations can be annoying after 3+ hours. Really, they're just not meant to be super comfortable over long periods. They're not going to get you crazy looks. Most people will need the concept of supermoto explained to them and most still say stupid poo poo about getting a "real" bike. If you're the kind of person who should be on a sumo you will just use this as a metric for who should or shouldn't be listened to. If you need validation then get a Harley or an R6, and a gopro. Always get a gopro.
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Oct 3, 2016 06:24
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Frozen Pizza Party posted:As someone that's ridden a sumo in LA, the only reason you don't see them is because the squidbros that inhabit these parts probably think they're pussy dirt bikes. poo poo, 1/4 of my commute to Hollywood was spent on sidewalks some days. Sumos own You rock dude. I was born in SD. gently caress what squidbros think. Everything but the rear end torture sounds great.
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Oct 3, 2016 06:26
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Chichevache posted:Seat height is a problem with the rider, not the bike. Same if they don't have abs. All this too. I'm not buying a bike to look cool. It's all about that feeling I had when I was a kid and had a lovely bike that wouldn't go over 60.
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Oct 3, 2016 06:28
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Solvent posted:All this too. I'm not buying a bike to look cool. It's all about that feeling I had when I was a kid and had a lovely bike that wouldn't go over 60. Then you'd love a DRZ.
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Oct 3, 2016 06:31
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:Then you'd love a DRZ. You're probably right, I'd just never get a chance to ride it off road anywhere nice. If I thought for a second I'd definitely get a Zero. I'm sure I could get away with trail riding on an electric. The thing I had for about a year was what my grandpa called a trail bike. I was 17 and rode it around without a license or helmet or anything. One day I let my buddy ride it and he dumped it hard going around the first corner, and took a bunch of skin off his hand. Never got it fixed and a cousin stole it when my grandpa died. Boo. Edit: oh I see now. It's just that the whole page was filled with stuff about riding trails. My mistake. Tires make it a street bike eh? Funny thing, the old bike I had no ABS of course, it was so old my mom used to ride it around SDSU. People warned me about not using the rear brakes too much, but I had good luck with them. I never fishtailed or anything. Just don't stomp em. Edit2: this looks sweet : http://www.cycletrader.com/dealers/Broward-Motorsports-of-Ft.-Lauderdale-2823784/listing/2016-Suzuki-DR-Z400SM-119143823 Not that I'd buy that exact one. Some guys told me here to never buy a new bike as a first bike. That still go for a supermoto? Solvent fucked around with this message at 06:46 on Oct 3, 2016 |
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Oct 3, 2016 06:37
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Solvent posted:
If you're an adult with the money you might as well. Just keep in mind you're likely to drop it and damage it blah blah. The upside is that as a new rider you don't have to worry about buying someone else's wreck. Razzled bought his drz new. He still loves it. That said, depending where you live you'd be able to get a used bike at about half of the price you'll pay new.
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Oct 3, 2016 08:07
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I started on a GPX250R and moved interstate and snapped up a hell of a deal on a DRZ400SM purely on the recommendation of a friend who's owned about 3. He rides day in, day out, in just about any weather at any time of the year. He only 'upgraded' to the DR650 because his last DRZ got stolen the day after he got it back from the shop with a big-bore kit in it. EDIT: and yeah, the seat is pure agony after a short time, but my commute is short enough not to care. On the way home I extend the route a little to hit all the speedbumps and cobble-stone alleys and have some fun. crowtribe fucked around with this message at 10:31 on Oct 3, 2016 |
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Oct 3, 2016 10:29
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Don't buy a new bike as your first bike because you'll likely find something you don't like about it and/or you'll decide whatever style of riding you've bought into isn't for you.
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Oct 3, 2016 11:14
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Just like a new car, a new bike loses 30% of its value as soon as it leaves the dealer floor.
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Oct 3, 2016 13:53
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DRZ talk, what is the issue with the seat? Bad padding, too narrow or combo?
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Oct 3, 2016 14:22
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Both, it's the same with most SM and Enduro seats. After 45 minutes it feels like sitting on a 2x4. Aftermarket has plenty of solutions (Seat Concepts, Renazco, etc.).
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Oct 3, 2016 14:47
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Supradog posted:DRZ talk, what is the issue with the seat? Bad padding, too narrow or combo? I'd wager it's mostly bad padding. Seat Concepts and a few other aftermarket seats seem able to fix (or at least improve) the problem by swapping out the foam but keeping the seat pan in tact. The seat isn't too bad for short rides. However people aren't exaggerating about it being rough once you ride it for over a half hour. 2x4 really is the best comparison for how it feels.
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Oct 3, 2016 15:24
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An aftermarket seat is a quick and cheap upgrade that will solve the comfort problem. I rode the 690 all day long on Friday, and arrived home as comfortable as when I left. The gsxr riders I was with could not say the same. Sumos are comfortable, with the right seat.
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Oct 3, 2016 15:48
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Supradog posted:DRZ talk, what is the issue with the seat? Bad padding, too narrow or combo? It's too narrow and pretty stiff, it's not countoured at all. It's basically like sitting on a balance beam with cloth covering.
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Oct 3, 2016 16:03
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Coydog posted:An aftermarket seat is a quick and cheap upgrade that will solve the comfort problem. I rode the 690 all day long on Friday, and arrived home as comfortable as when I left. The gsxr riders I was with could not say the same. Sumos are comfortable, with the right seat. What seat you got on yours? I'm looking to trade my Duke for an SMC and the seat issue's got me a bit worried, I can ride the Duke for 10 hours in a row no problem.
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Oct 3, 2016 19:02
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Seat Concepts, with the gripper top and carbon fiber sides. At first I thought "Oh no way this thin covering is gonna do anything. I need to get SC to custom make me a seat foam more in tune with my delicate sensitivities.". Turns out, it spreads the weight enough to actually work, and is incredibly comfortable. Not as comfortable as the ducati monster seat, but almost. The sumo has way better ergos, too.
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Oct 3, 2016 20:13
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So now that I know to get a custom seat, I think that pretty much covers it all. I mean, for the price of the Zero I've been drooling over, I could get a new Sumo with a custom seat and other neat tricked out stuff, and a new CBR500R. Woo. Gear too. drat. You guys are awesome. As soon as probate goes though I'm gonna be back to ask you guys to help me come up with a nice list of stuff to get within a budget of like 15k.
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Oct 3, 2016 20:24
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I think if I was looking for a first bike again I would look at the Suzuki S40 Boulevard. Then keep it and buy one of the Ryca motors kits to turn it into a cafe racer or something.
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Oct 3, 2016 22:07
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JHVH-1 posted:I think if I was looking for a first bike again I would look at the Suzuki S40 Boulevard. Well I kinda wanted to steer clear of cruisers cause I really just never liked the way they look or whatever. May be kinda silly on my part. The second sentence I didn't understand at all. Pics?
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Oct 3, 2016 23:27
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Solvent posted:Well I kinda wanted to steer clear of cruisers cause I really just never liked the way they look or whatever. May be kinda silly on my part. http://www.rycamotors.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5r6rhQiT-k
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Oct 4, 2016 00:37
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Started entertaining the idea of getting a motorcycle recently. This one looks cool and good to me: https://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/5811516897.html 1981 is a long loving time ago, but bikez.com didn't have anything particularly bad to say. Thoughts? E: I have no interest in going super fast or anything. Just want a cool/cheap way to get around the city.
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Oct 4, 2016 00:44
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what exactly about cafe racer says "this would make a good first bike"? perhaps I'm jaded but to me they say "I'm wearing $3000 of leather goods and enjoy riding my torture rack to and from the coffee shop"
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Oct 4, 2016 00:46
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JHVH-1 posted:I think if I was looking for a first bike again I would look at the Suzuki S40 Boulevard.
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Oct 4, 2016 00:55
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modestmusashi posted:Started entertaining the idea of getting a motorcycle recently. We generally advise against old bikes as first bikes for a bunch of reasons that mostly come back to them being less safe and more prone to gremlins (assuming you want to spend more time riding than wrenching). For something in a similar style but built this century, may I suggest a Honda Rebel or Kawasaki Eliminator? It looks like there's a few in your area.
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Oct 4, 2016 01:16
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Thanks, but that's totally not my style. That bobber kit thing in the video looks like it would have destroyed my manbits too... I mean, the sumo looks like something I could really like, regardless of what anyone says about it, but if -I- don't like it's look, that's another story. The only reason I wanted something a bit more upright was because I figured that my neck would start to hurt if I had to be swept forward for too long.
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Oct 4, 2016 05:28
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Solvent posted:Thanks, but that's totally not my style. That bobber kit thing in the video looks like it would have destroyed my manbits too... I mean, the sumo looks like something I could really like, regardless of what anyone says about it, but if -I- don't like it's look, that's another story. Actually cruisers are where you're going to get the most rectal/genital torture. Upright with a slight forward lean is in fact the most comfortable riding position for long rides. When moving at any decent speed, you just lean into the wind and it holds you up, counterbalanced against the weight of your torso. You don't have to use your arms to hold yourself up at all. You actually have to use more arm/abdominal strength to pull yourself forward against the wind on a cruiser with a leaned-back seating position than you do on a bike with a slight forward lean (this is why so many cruisers have backrests, BTW, to make it easier to fight the wind when leaning back like you're in a recliner). The only time you have to hold yourself up on a bike with a riding position like that is when puttering along in stop-and-go traffic, but there's no bike in the world that has ergonomics that will make that experience enjoyable in any way.
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Oct 4, 2016 06:07
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HotCanadianChick posted:Actually cruisers are where you're going to get the most rectal/genital torture. Upright with a slight forward lean is in fact the most comfortable riding position for long rides. When moving at any decent speed, you just lean into the wind and it holds you up, counterbalanced against the weight of your torso. You don't have to use your arms to hold yourself up at all. You actually have to use more arm/abdominal strength to pull yourself forward against the wind on a cruiser with a leaned-back seating position than you do on a bike with a slight forward lean (this is why so many cruisers have backrests, BTW, to make it easier to fight the wind when leaning back like you're in a recliner). The only time you have to hold yourself up on a bike with a riding position like that is when puttering along in stop-and-go traffic, but there's no bike in the world that has ergonomics that will make that experience enjoyable in any way. I don't think an anti-gravity boots could make stop and go fun. Thanks for the advice. I'm for sure gonna sign up for the safety training, so I'll get to try out a few bikes so I hear. But you're really selling me on the Ninja or CBR. I really wanna buy something I'll like for a long time, so the more I know, the better I feel about my choice... This might sound like a stupid question, but is there any chance of me riding from California to Ohio on one of those two? Kinda a fantasy to do something like that, but I don't wanna be Dennis Hopper on an Easy Rider. I wanna be Solvent, on a crotch rocket. E: Oh yeah, I'm 6 feet even and 200 lbs if that makes any difference, and have made the journey from here to there in a car on both the northern and southern routes. Solvent fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Oct 4, 2016 |
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Oct 4, 2016 07:23
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Oh god. I had to post this. It was the first thing that I found looking for motorcycle genital protection. http://msgroup.org/forums/mtt/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12517 whadayall know about groin protection?
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Oct 4, 2016 07:35
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Unless you are unbelievably well-endowed, you aren't going to be hitting your groin on anything in most foreseeable crashes. Any kind of motorcycle pants will do.
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Oct 4, 2016 08:38
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Sagebrush posted:Unless you are unbelievably well-endowed, you aren't going to be hitting your groin on anything in most foreseeable crashes. Any kind of motorcycle pants will do. Well I don't like to brag...  Seriously though, you can rustle your jimmies just riding a bicycle. I was thinking of vibration n stuff I guess. Maybe? I dunno, I just wondered, like if I made any kinda serious roadtrip on a bike I might have some kind of, uh, issues. Maybe saddle sores? Zero problems for the junk eh?
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Oct 4, 2016 10:01
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Your body will ache in different places way before you'll inconvenience your balls.
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Oct 4, 2016 11:24
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If I don't consciously scoot back a few inches on the seat my junk gets numb after an hour of riding. It might just be a signal that I need to buy better riding pants though.
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Oct 4, 2016 11:48
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Short dudes can struggle moving around taller bikes as your balls become the closest point to the tank as you waddle the bike around tiptoed. Outside of that, you junk is safe.
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Oct 4, 2016 13:24
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