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ilkhan posted:I didn't realize Carmichael includes any of Madison. Close enough if you ever want to ride together. builds character posted:1. Take MSF. Bikes are awesome but some people hate good things and maybe you're one of those people. Thanks for the tip on getting the wife to take the MSF as well. We'll probably be sharing a bike initially due to budget constraints, but it'll be good experience for her.
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Sep 14, 2017 22:17
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builds character posted:2. Make your wife take MSF with you. You will both have more fun if you are riding together than if you are riding and she is passengering. Also, that way when if your bike brakes down you can steal hers to ride. I wish this were 100% reliable, but some folks just want to passenger and gently caress up your ride
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Sep 14, 2017 22:18
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cigaw posted:Oh hey, cool! I'll take you up on that whenever I get a bike! I agree on having her take the course as well. Laws, etiquette, and confidence are important for riders too.
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Sep 15, 2017 05:11
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cigaw posted:While still technically still Sacramento, I'm right at the edge on Carmichael, off of Madison Ave. Personally I took the MSF and bought a bike and wouldn't want a second person riding on it. There is a lot more practice you need once you get your license just riding alone let alone having a passenger. I second getting the wife to take the MSF course with you if you hadn't already planned on it. Its a good experience, and she might come out of it wanting her own bike. If she doesn't, she at least gets the knowledge. Plus if you both pass you will double up on the MSF graduation discounts. It will help save on gear for both of you.
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Sep 15, 2017 16:39
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Do note that decent waterproof gear is expensive as poo poo though.
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Sep 15, 2017 18:05
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JHVH-1 posted:Personally I took the MSF and bought a bike and wouldn't want a second person riding on it. There is a lot more practice you need once you get your license just riding alone let alone having a passenger.
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Sep 15, 2017 18:15
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There's no way that Ninja is sprung for 2 people anyway. Also it's super unfun to be a passenger on a bike unless it's one meant for it, they would learn that real quick.
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Sep 15, 2017 20:41
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No way it is. That's why you throw the 2nd gen on there for next to nothing and 20 minutes of your time. I did that when I was going to be putting lots of camping gear on the back for my trip, and it handled great loaded down.
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Sep 16, 2017 01:04
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Two up on a ninjer 250 even if both of you know what you're doing is agony at best, a bunch of luggage doesn't remotely compare to the way a human being affects handling. Passengers only don't suck on roadbarge bikes with low COG's that can't corner that fast to begin with so you don't miss out on anything. Stability at basically any cost. Also kind of fun on the big BMW's which are so heavy and well-adapted that they feel almost normal with two people. On every other bike it's made me feel really, really nervous because the performance envelope shrinks so badly. The ability to evade road hazards especially, because you have to do poo poo so slowly to avoid destabilizing the bike. In that sense I guess you can't really gently caress it up because if you stay away from huge bikes as a learner, you also automatically stay away from pillion riding because it sucks so hard.
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Sep 16, 2017 05:08
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Buhbuhj posted:There's no way that Ninja is sprung for 2 people anyway. Also it's super unfun to be a passenger on a bike unless it's one meant for it, they would learn that real quick. My girlfriend likes riding on the back of my 701 just fine, although we went for a ride on my dad's Tracer 900 once and that was much better of course.
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Sep 18, 2017 11:02
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My sister swears she was more comfortable on the back of her husband's old Ducati than his cruisers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Sep 18, 2017 16:59
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A friend of mine from work wants to sell me his Yamaha Fazer 700 from the 80s, how much of an idiot would I be to say yes and buy this as my first bike? I've seen the bike firsthand and it's in good condition, it's been garage kept for most of its life and and the only serious problem is a stuck valve on one of the cylinders.
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Oct 6, 2017 05:56
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Don't buy a bike with a stuck valve. As someone who bought a non-running bike as his first (one with no major engine problems -- the only things preventing it from firing were severely clogged carbs and a dead battery), I don't recommend it unless your goal is to spend several months learning motorcycle repair before you start to ride. Even if it was in perfect running shape, it's still too big to be a good starter bike. Pick up a Ninja 250.
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Oct 6, 2017 06:03
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Butt Reactor posted:from the 80s 3 strikes, yer out.
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Oct 6, 2017 06:06
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Carth Dookie posted:3 strikes, yer out. drat.  That rules out pretty much every cafe racer I've looked at in the last 6 months as well, hahaNot afraid of doing some work either, I was pretty much planning on buying a bike this fall and then spending time during winter fixing up any issues it had. Is getting a ninja 250 really the only option though?
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Oct 6, 2017 06:17
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No but it's the most sensible option for the widest cross section of would be riders and recommended for that reason. If you like the cafe/old look maybe a Yamaha sr400?
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Oct 6, 2017 06:20
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Carth Dookie posted:No but it's the most sensible option for the widest cross section of would be riders and recommended for that reason. Huh, that's not bad looking actually...comedy option: this ninja 250 conversion I found on craigslist: https://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/mcy/d/2006-kawasaki-ninja-cafe-racer/6279029462.html
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Oct 6, 2017 06:26
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If you buy someone else's cafe-racer conversion, you're buying all their lovely decisions and hacky work. If you want one of those, I say do it yourself, after you've gotten a normal reliable bike to learn to ride on. after you've learned to ride you probably won't want the hack jobs any more The EX250 is an all-round good choice, but there are some other solid options if it's not your style. The SR400 is the closest you're gonna get to a vintage-styled bike that's both reliable and learner-appropriate, though it's a little expensive for what you get. The Kawasaki W650 is a decent option as well, a little on the large side engine-wise but it's a pretty forgiving design. You'll never find one in the USA, though, if that's where you are.
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Oct 6, 2017 06:30
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Alright good stuff to pick over and rethink this. I'll keep looking and post anything similar to the 250 if I find something worthy.
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Oct 6, 2017 06:38
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Butt Reactor posted:Alright good stuff to pick over and rethink this. I'll keep looking and post anything similar to the 250 if I find something worthy. Also, you probably don't want a cafe racer as a first bike. I've been beaten by: Sagebrush posted:If you buy someone else's cafe-racer conversion, you're buying all their lovely decisions and hacky work. but even if we disregard the hackjobs of dubious quality and focus on the factory examples which at least in theory have chassis welded mostly properly and electrics not pulled from a junkyard dishwasher, they're not very comfortable to ride. It's not universally true and it'll depend on your personal ergonomics, but they generally aren't. It's very hard to focus on learning to brake properly, identify hazards and learn your lines when all you really want is for your nuts to please please please oh god please stop hurting.
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Oct 6, 2017 07:29
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One thing I can't figure out with the cafe style is the seat. I mean, look at that ninja cafe racer.  Why is the seat soo narrow? Narrower than the frame so your inner thigh is rubbing on a metal edge with screws? Do they ride spread eagle? Just make a proper modern seat form with fabric edges that dip over the edge a little.
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Oct 6, 2017 10:59
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Butt Reactor posted:Alright good stuff to pick over and rethink this. I'll keep looking and post anything similar to the 250 if I find something worthy. Hello, friend. Have you heard the good word of the super moto motorcycle? Please watch this instructional video and enjoy your new-found life of spiritual freedom. https://youtu.be/rOyGzw0RCxc
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Oct 6, 2017 12:59
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builds character posted:Hello, friend. Have you heard the good word of the super moto motorcycle? Please watch this instructional video and enjoy your new-found life of spiritual freedom. I've always felt that this classic was the most concise way to explain supermoto to people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYu7DQn5vAI
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Oct 6, 2017 16:44
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PolishHero posted:I've always felt that this classic was the most concise way to explain supermoto to people This is a good explanation.
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Oct 6, 2017 19:31
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Are you loving serious? is also the perfect response to every supermoto situation.
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Oct 7, 2017 16:27
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Well, after about a month on the new-to-me bike (2015 Vulcan S ABS), I had my first incident. Not an accident, I'll call it an incident. I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I've only filled up this bike once so far, so still getting the hang of fueling a motorcycle. I was watching the numbers on the pump go up, and was just starting to release the nozzle to stop pumping, and felt my right foot get wet. I had overfilled it, with much of the extra gas spilling down the side, and onto my right boot. Probably a few ounces had escaped. I wiped down what I could, but my foot was still soaked and there was a noticeable puddle of gas under the bike. I let it sit for a few minutes to evaporate, and then went home. Nothing seemed amiss aside from the smell of gas (probably mostly from my soaked boot). Boots are outside airing out, socks in the wash. Anything I need to do here, for the boot or the bike, or is it just a matter of letting things dry out? And on another note, how do I not have this happen? Do you hold the nozzle in a way that you can see the fuel level inside the tank, or just get really good at knowing how much gas the tank can hold? Capn Jobe fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Nov 14, 2017 |
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Nov 14, 2017 03:41
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I usually hold the nozzle so I can see how much is in the tank, but I have yet to have the automatic cutoff system fail on me. I don't know how useful this is, as I don't know how pump nozzle design is informed by local regulations, and I live in Norway. If you were here I'd say your pump nozzle was defective and you had a cause for complaint against the gas station.
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Nov 14, 2017 04:15
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Just stick the nozzle in the tank and let the auto cut off do its magic and if you want more just retract it a bit and squirt some more in.
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Nov 14, 2017 04:31
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Yeah, I'd call that an incident more than an accident. "Incidents" would be anything up to and including the bike falling over at a standstill. Once you're moving I would call it an "accident." Anyway, I've never trusted the auto shutoff in a bike tank so I always watch the level and stop it manually. Keep your visor down while filling to avoid getting Ewan'd. Your boots will probably smell like gas for a long time. Keep them in the garage.
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Nov 14, 2017 04:33
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pun pundit posted:I usually hold the nozzle so I can see how much is in the tank, but I have yet to have the automatic cutoff system fail on me. Heh, I have yet to have it not fail on me :v. That could be just the Italian tank - it worked fine on the Ninja. But either way I have learned to always look.
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Nov 14, 2017 08:50
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Sagebrush posted:Your boots will probably smell like gas for a long time. Keep them in the garage. I don't have a garage  Right now they're under the back porch. I haven't checked today but last night the stench wasn't quite so overpowering.
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Nov 16, 2017 00:38
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Burn the gas away  .
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Nov 16, 2017 00:40
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For people who are keeping the score, you may remember me asking some noob questions back in the first page. Well the wife put a hard stop on the motorcycle idea so I never got around to break the sad idea to the thread. Long story short I got an electric bike for commuting now. If it's on a Wednesday or raining, I drive my CRV to work. Otherwise I take the ebike. The commuting time is really not bad. My best time was 63 minutes for the 12.5 mile rooute, that's already better than my average driving time and way better than mass transit commute time. Driving from Manhattan to home takes me anywhere from 55 to 80 minutes thanks to the The Kosciuszko Bridge and the failing American infrastructure. If I take the bike lane I don't ever have to worry about the red colors on the google map. The bicycle is not even a high end ebike, it's an entry tier $1000 36v/350w hub motor folding ebike that's good enough for daily commute. I just get a pair to Marathon+ tires to make sure I don't get flats. Anyway I am pretty happy I have a chance to do some exercise everyday. I still pedal the whole way. I just use the motor to help me get there 10 minutes sooner and not sweating. Motorcycle is cool, bicycle is cool. I still want to get an used SV650 when I get around to it. 
whatever7 fucked around with this message at 12:55 on Nov 19, 2017 |
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Nov 19, 2017 12:52
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My wife wasn't happy about it either. A friend of mine at work said, "I can't believe Julie is letting you get a motorcycle" and I was like dude, she's my friend and my partner. We don't forbid each other from doing things. We're adults.
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Nov 20, 2017 18:36
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Part of what triggered me to get a motorcycle was, after thinking about riding one and lusting after them for years, my friends started getting married and grumbling about all the things their wives wouldn't let them do. Made me think "well, I'd better buy a motorcycle now, then, so that if that ever comes up I can always say that I've just been doing this for years and I'm not going to stop." Easy It's odd how polarizing motorcycles are. I remember one of the questions on OkCupid asks "would you ever ride on a motorcycle?" and a surprising number of women answer "absolutely not". Not even to try it out?
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Nov 20, 2017 18:48
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Sagebrush posted:Part of what triggered me to get a motorcycle was, after thinking about riding one and lusting after them for years, my friends started getting married and grumbling about all the things their wives wouldn't let them do. Made me think "well, I'd better buy a motorcycle now, then, so that if that ever comes up I can always say that I've just been doing this for years and I'm not going to stop." Easy I'm of the opinion that people who complain about what their wives won't let them do, and how their wives kill all their fun, and otherwise buy into all that "real boss of the house ball and chain" bullshit have never considered having a rational civil discussion when one of their ideas gets nixed. Maybe start by having a life together based on trust. Maybe share some of your hobbies rather than making all of your free time about your man cave. Do your chores first and don't bitch about house and family duties, and then go play when you're done. My wife has never told me I can't do something, I think because I listen to her reasoning and respect it when she tells me she doesn't want me to do something. Sometimes I go along with her because it's better to do without an experience or toy and be agreeable than be all "you can't tell me what to do wife, I'm a man!" Then again, I was riding before we were together and she actually likes being a passenger sometimes and trusts me. Also motorcycles are super polarizing and some people just don't want to compromise about them. Sounds like whatever7 and his lady compromised nicely and maybe because of that, bieks are not off the table entirely. This relationship advice brought to you by HenryJLittlefinger, thanks for tuning in.
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Nov 20, 2017 20:09
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Are you trying to tell me relationships are built on trust and compromise????
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Nov 20, 2017 20:43
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FAT CURES MUSCLES posted:Are you trying to tell me relationships are built on trust and compromise???? Almost all of them are built on five minutes worth of decision making followed by months/years worth of rationalising that initial choice. People get into relationships for downstairs-related reasons and by the time that's worn off and they realise they're hosed, it's too late to disengage because of marriage/kids/whatever.
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Nov 20, 2017 20:47
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a true-to-character response
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Nov 20, 2017 20:57
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I just say what I see around me, maybe you americunts have a fundamentally different approach 
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Nov 20, 2017 20:59
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