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Get an XR150L and woo the honeys in Garden Grove.
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Apr 11, 2023 04:57
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Slavvy posted:Yeah afaik there was talk of a suzuki 3-500 but it never materialized Not 300 but 250 seems close https://suzukicycles.com/sportbike/2022/gsx250r-abs
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Apr 11, 2023 05:34
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Have recently gotten the itch to buy a bike. I grew up riding dirt bikes and have messed around on family member’s HDs but I have always wanted a naked sport bike. Almost pulled the trigger on a SV650 back in college but it never happened. Fast forward to today and I’m suddenly really into the idea of a new retro bike and have fallen in love with the looks of the Z900RS SE. Should I just settle for a used SV, or go all out for something a little more special like the Z?
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Apr 11, 2023 08:23
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Sagebrush posted:I gotta update that OP because I wrote it back before the recent crop of excellent 300-400cc bikes appeared. The Ninja 250 is still perfectly fine as a learner but it's gotten pretty long in the tooth, and newer bikes usually now have ABS, which is a huge safety advantage. Thank you, your post is very informative. Are you perhaps a math major or some kind of engineering? Dunno why I get that vibe. Anyway I'll definitely get some ABS and any other available safety features. I watched some of the no prisoners videos and now I fully believe I will die in a wreck on the highway even with all precautions. Why do I want something specifically Japanese? @Toe Rag: Probably not going to take it that far or go riding for fun. Question for the thread: I ran into a biker and asked him about his bike and about the possibility of getting an electric one, and he said you don't actually want an electric one because you want motorists to hear you. What are the thoughts on that?
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Apr 11, 2023 08:31
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Loud pipes save lives is complete and utter bullshit. In a modern, well sound proofed car you don't hear a bike until an accident is completely inevitable, no matter how loud the exhaust. The only thing that you do, is piss off people living around nice roads, leading to road closures due to nimby'ism. You want something japanese because the best bike for you is a bike that runs. Japanese bikes are still the most reliable ones out there. Nothing is more frustrating than being a beginner and having your bike be broken all the time - that's an easy recipe for a beginner to just give up on riding. KTMs are an absolute blast, but apparently always broken. The indian BMW is even worse - or so i've heard. If you don't ride it for fun, consider a scooter. They're more utilitarian than motorcycles. However, riding bikes is really fun so you might find out you like riding better than you think. If you almost completely stay within the city, an electric bike is a good option for you.
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Apr 11, 2023 08:40
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EvilBlackRailgun posted:Have recently gotten the itch to buy a bike. I grew up riding dirt bikes and have messed around on family member’s HDs but I have always wanted a naked sport bike. Almost pulled the trigger on a SV650 back in college but it never happened. When was the last time you regularly rode a bike? If the answer is never or several years ago then that is much too much bike imo Vino posted:Thank you, your post is very informative. Are you perhaps a math major or some kind of engineering? Dunno why I get that vibe. Anyway I'll definitely get some ABS and any other available safety features. I watched some of the no prisoners videos and now I fully believe I will die in a wreck on the highway even with all precautions. If you just want utility then a big scooter is by far the best way to go for basically every practical reason. Motorcycles have more performance and are substantially more fun, but they're more complicated and expensive to own by nature. Scooters have lots of cargo space, extremely forgiving riding dynamics, simple twist and go operation, loads of wind protection etc. Regardless of which way you go, you will need riding gear as hitting the pavement at speed will flay you irrespective of what you ride. Japanese bikes are like japanese cars, they are just the best built and most reliable machines; other brands do have things to offer but those things are irrelevant or lost on you because you're learning and will not make up for being frequently broken. Loud pipes do not save lives, that is one of the many coping strategies employed by people who suck at riding.
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Apr 11, 2023 08:48
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Oh trust me I will enjoy riding it. Part of why I want the bike is that I miss the fun of driving a manual transmission. It's something occupy your mind while you're driving. I just mean I won't take it out just to ride it around for no reason. Anyway yes the reason I find it suspect is that in my experience as a motorist I never hear the bike until they're already passing me. Good answer about Japanese bikes, much appreciated. Edit: Do electrics have gears? Edit edit: Looks like no. Vino fucked around with this message at 08:56 on Apr 11, 2023 |
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Apr 11, 2023 08:50
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Slavvy posted:When was the last time you regularly rode a bike? If the answer is never or several years ago then that is much too much bike imo It’s been a minute. Had a CR125 and got my license when I was 16, but fell into fast cars for a while and didn’t ride much outside of the occasional opportunity to try out a friend or family member’s bike. Used SV seems like the sensible choice, and I can upgrade from there.
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Apr 11, 2023 08:56
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EvilBlackRailgun posted:It’s been a minute. Had a CR125 and got my license when I was 16, but fell into fast cars for a while and didn’t ride much outside of the occasional opportunity to try out a friend or family member’s bike. Also consider an mt07 or cb650
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Apr 11, 2023 09:12
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Slavvy posted:Also consider an mt07 or cb650 Yeah I was looking at the mt07 looks like a dope bike. I’ll look into the cb as well Appreciate the help!
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Apr 11, 2023 09:16
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Vino posted:Oh trust me I will enjoy riding it. Part of why I want the bike is that I miss the fun of driving a manual transmission. It's something occupy your mind while you're driving. I just mean I won't take it out just to ride it around for no reason. You could also consider something supermoto like, like a Suzuki DRZ400. Good for potholes and kerbs and such.
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Apr 11, 2023 13:27
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LimaBiker posted:Alright. The aforementioned bikes are good, 500cc or less is good. Water cooled is better than air cooled if you're crawling along with start/stop traffic in hot weather on the regular. No CB500X love for eating potholes on Starbucks runs? 😞
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Apr 11, 2023 15:02
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SSH IT ZOMBIE posted:No CB500X love for eating potholes on Starbucks runs? 😞
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Apr 11, 2023 15:13
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Vino posted:I just mean I won't take it out just to ride it around for no reason. Everyone in the thread is currently smiling knowingly. Motorcycle "just going to pop down to the store" errands have a surprising tendency to turn into fifty-mile "you know, I've never seen where this road goes" joyrides.
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Apr 11, 2023 15:14
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I structure my working week around the weather. Looking decent out? Guess I'll be in the office. Oh it's snowing. poo poo, WFH today
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Apr 11, 2023 15:35
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Sagebrush posted:Everyone in the thread is currently smiling knowingly. Ok you just suppressed my mortal fear of dying in a bike. Thank you.
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Apr 11, 2023 16:18
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Vino posted:I just mean I won't take it out just to ride it around for no reason. lmao
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Apr 11, 2023 18:50
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Vino posted:I just mean I won't take it out just to ride it around for no reason. The reason will be getting a bag of coffee (or similar) from the coffee shop in the next town over, which conveniently has a winding road on the way home.
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Apr 11, 2023 19:17
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"I could take the bike to get milk" "BUT, I could get milk from across the state if I could keep it cool" "I could keep it cool if I had a topbox I could pack with ice" This is how you order a topbox, fill it with ice and stay at a hotel overnight to get milk on the other side of the state. You laugh now, but you'll be seriously considering things like this in a bit
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Apr 11, 2023 19:27
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Having ridden a goon’s Z900RS, it’s not just a lot of bike for a beginner it’s also got so much performance potential that while I was having a blast, I was also very aware that the bike was wasted on me. The difference between wondering if I could push things a little further as my skills improved and knowing that the bike would always be bored of me. Not that I’ve ridden a ton of bikes, but it’s the only one where I was that keenly aware of the gap between the motorcycle’s potential and my potential. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think of getting one someday, but I don’t think it would be good for a newer rider’s confidence. And if you weren’t talking about Los Angeles and missing having a clutch, I’d push scooters more. Man, I love scooters.
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Apr 11, 2023 19:58
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Having a less practical and ergonomically more punishing bike can cut down on but not eliminate the multi-day milk runs (or just ultimately result in buying more bikes for dedicated milk run activity). Just happened to take lunch hour to do a milk run myself, the grocery store is less than a mile away, so of course it only took about 45 minutes.
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Apr 11, 2023 20:40
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SSH IT ZOMBIE posted:No CB500X love for eating potholes on Starbucks runs? 😞 This is the most underrated daily commuter out there right now especially if you have highway mixed in there.
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Apr 12, 2023 07:43
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Russian Bear posted:This is the most underrated daily commuter out there right now especially if you have highway mixed in there. Does the redesigned one have that vibration from the engine at highway speeds? I found I could always tell when I hit 105 km/h, because I’d hit peak vibration from the motor. Other that that, I definitely agree. Low maintenance, reliable, cheap plastics, and fuel efficient. I wouldn’t say it was exciting, but, it was predictable, and easy to learn on. It dealt with commuting and touring for 9 years until I replaced it with a dr-z400s for a little more fun.
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Apr 12, 2023 13:27
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Snapshot posted:Does the redesigned one have that vibration from the engine at highway speeds? I found I could always tell when I hit 105 km/h, because I’d hit peak vibration from the motor. Haven’t noticed any crazy vibrations out to 120km/h+ on mine. It’s a sweet bike, great for commuting around town, highways, and toodling (slowly) down random FSRs. Sips gas, easy on the maintenance intervals, and if something breaks I’m sure it won’t be outrageously expensive to fix. With heated grips slapped on I’m not entirely sure what else I would ever need in a motorcycle, besides *passion*?
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Apr 12, 2023 23:24
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Suspension that isn't just merely adequate would be my number one thing on that bike
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Apr 13, 2023 00:07
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Vino posted:Why do I want something specifically Japanese? For various reasons the strengths of each manufacturer tends to match up on national, or at least cultural lines. Japanese makers focus on reliability and being boring in various ways. British bikes focus on looking good while parked. American bikes match best with beer, leather, and the US interstate system. Italian bikes focus on soul, bad software, and sounding like something is broken. Austrian bikes are about fanaticism and using every part of the bike as a wear item. Of all these, the benefits of a Japanese bike are generally best for new riders but if you’re really into the look of a Triumph or the mystique of a Ducati’s dry clutch or the lightness and power of a KTM then we shouldn’t steer everyone away, just go into it with eyes open.
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Apr 13, 2023 01:31
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I'm 6'1". When I took my riding course, the other taller guy and I were 'assigned' to Kawasaki Super Sherpas (250cc dirtbikes), and everyone else was on Honda Rebels. My first bike was a Yamaha TW200. Second was a Honda 599. Third and Fourth are a Husky 701SM and a BMW F800GS. I agree with the smaller CC recommendations, but I'd push towards something like a DRZ400SM. They're common as dirt, parts are cheap, they have decent 'crashability', and an upright riding position that's fairly similar to a bicycle. You'll feel like a bear on a circus bike on most of the 3-400cc offerings. Hell, if you look at most of the GP riders on 600cc bikes, they're basically modern horse jockeys. On longer rides on my 599, my hips would lock up because of the angle I had to have them tucked up at. It sucked the fun out of longer rides, but the 701 and GS are awesome.
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Apr 13, 2023 01:33
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My son’s 6'4" (193cm) and I’ll probably have to buy him a bike this year, so I’ve been following this convo with some interest. He wants a metric cruiser but I’ll be in a position to pick his first bike for him, not like he’ll really know what he likes yet anyway. Kinda figured he’d be cramped on anything like the CBR250R that I started on, and was thinking enduro/DS/etc just for the saddle height. I just haven’t started seriously looking or researching. Keep it coming. Ulf fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Apr 13, 2023 |
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Apr 13, 2023 02:13
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Captain McAllister posted:I'm 6'1". When I took my riding course, the other taller guy and I were 'assigned' to Kawasaki Super Sherpas (250cc dirtbikes), and everyone else was on Honda Rebels. A small Enduro is 100% the best built to learn on for every rider. But they tend to be expensive and hard to get depending on where you live. The naked versions of 3-400 bikes have more relaxed and roomy ergonomics. Ulf posted:My son’s 6'4" (193cm) and I’ll probably have to buy him a bike this year, so I’ve been following this convo with some interest. He wants a metric cruiser but I’ll be in a position to pick his first bike for him, not like he’ll really know what he likes yet anyway. If my son told me he wants a metric cruiser idk what I'd do to be honest. I'd like to say I'd be more disappointed than angry but it would probably be both. A dr650 would work really well for your jumbo sized kid.
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Apr 13, 2023 02:24
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Slavvy posted:If my son told me he wants a metric cruiser idk what I'd do to be honest. Not sure if that’s about being young or just the general cluelessness of someone who’s never been on a motorcycle before.
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Apr 13, 2023 02:31
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That's mostly ignorance + a sprinkling of internet bullshittery, I say this because I've met many midlife crisis cases who have never ridden a bike and suddenly decided they wanted a Honda shadow cafe racer or a cb750 with knobby tires or what have you
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Apr 13, 2023 04:46
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Probably just cluelessness. My sister informed me back in high school, twenty years ago, that her favorite motorcycle was the Honda 599, I assume because some hot guy in her school had one. The first motorcycle I ever wanted was a cafe'd out Norton Commando and I don't remember why. I probably just saw one once and thought it looked cool. Thinkin bout buying that 599 tho
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Apr 13, 2023 06:01
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How come people keep recommending enduros as starters? Like a drz400 is fun and cheap, but like... it's better at dirt than highway? I'm looking at like a KTM 690 SMC, CRF450RL, GasGas SM 700 as a second bike. Or like are y'all European with fire trails\seasonal mountain paths everywhere? The DRZ is heavy for enduro, but lighter than most bikes and might blow around a touch? I can't imagine wanting to put serious road miles on a single cyl enduro. Every one I've ever been on is pretty vibratety. I haven't been on a drz400 specifically, but I imagine it feels like any other enduro, but slightly heavier and slower. I would really expect that the rider would be wanting to do dirt with some road if they were to get one? You are getting some pretty decent suspension on it..but...I think the downsides don't make up for that upside - for street riders. SSH IT ZOMBIE fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Apr 13, 2023 |
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Apr 13, 2023 07:30
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Got nothing to do with dirt, it's because they have really severe weight transfer and geometry changes when you brake/gas, they have loads of corner speed if you do it right, very forgiving handling if you get it wrong and they generally reward doing it right while punishing doing it wrong (by being slow and wobbly). You can't just park it in the corners and smash the gas and brake on the straights like you can with a sporty bike, they force you to learn to ride properly. Also they're made to fall over.
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Apr 13, 2023 07:38
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Ulf posted:You don’t have to take such absolutist advice. It’s best to match what you actually want from your bike with what the bike excels at.
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Apr 13, 2023 08:07
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When you're riding a bike for the first time, even a boring-ish bike is pretty exciting. I still remember the first time i used the full rev range of the pretty boring CBF500 of the riding school.
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Apr 13, 2023 14:23
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Slavvy posted:Got nothing to do with dirt, it's because they have really severe weight transfer and geometry changes when you brake/gas, they have loads of corner speed if you do it right, very forgiving handling if you get it wrong and they generally reward doing it right while punishing doing it wrong (by being slow and wobbly). You can't just park it in the corners and smash the gas and brake on the straights like you can with a sporty bike, they force you to learn to ride properly. Also they're made to fall over. Yeah, that's all good and correct. I guess I usually just end up thinking more the types of riding - long trips vs short, dirt vs road, lot of highway vs none, comfort, etc - and less about _how_ to ride. Enduros IMO definitely sacrifice some things - maybe just comfort and highway safety - in exchange for being good at handling and happy in dirt. An enduro can log some highway time, wind becomes a serious factor because they are so light and how they sit. They're like street legal specialty bikes, with maybe the DRZ being the least special, where theres a plethora of small to mid displacement Japanese bikes that are "just a bike" Unless this thread is trying to breed sumo riders...which is awesome 😂
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Apr 13, 2023 15:03
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LimaBiker posted:When you're riding a bike for the first time, even a boring-ish bike is pretty exciting. I still remember the first time i used the full rev range of the pretty boring CBF500 of the riding school. Can confirm- the pokey rear end GZ250 I learned on was an absurd amount of fun as a first time rider.
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Apr 13, 2023 15:48
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LimaBiker posted:When you're riding a bike for the first time, even a boring-ish bike is pretty exciting. I still remember the first time i used the full rev range of the pretty boring CBF500 of the riding school. I distinctly remember the feeling,and the grin on my face, from the second day of riding school when they told us to just ride around the parking lot circuit to get the bikes warmed up and I got into third gear on my little TW200 for the first time. It's quite lovely
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Apr 13, 2023 15:50
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SSH IT ZOMBIE posted:Yeah, that's all good and correct. I guess I usually just end up thinking more the types of riding - long trips vs short, dirt vs road, lot of highway vs none, comfort, etc - and less about _how_ to ride. I think what Slavvy calls an enduro we call a dual sport. So not like an EXC-500 but maybe an XT250. Neither are good on the highway but that isn’t super important when learning.
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Apr 13, 2023 17:05
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