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whatever7 posted:Hi guys, alot of good advise. Right now, the biggest issue is still getting the green light from my wife. I think I am going to retake the MSF, get the gears online first and then worry about bike shopping and my wife. Hi thread and also whatever7. I can speak to hauling stuff; I just bought my first bike (1981 Yamaha XS400 Special II with 2000 original miles!). My car is a 3-series wagon that I can't even stuff a regular bicycle into, and the bike was off in Clarendon, TX--being a two hour drive away. The way I got my bike home was by grabbing a friend-with-a-truck and buying a loading ramp (about $60 at home depot--look up the bike's weight and make sure the ramp you buy can support its weight). If you don't have a truck friend, you can rent them from U-Haul--the rate is like $20 and 60 cents or something per mile. I'd factor that into your initial bike budget. U-Haul rents out motorcycle trailers too out here. I don't know if you have a hitch on your CR-V, but that's also an option. whatever7 posted:What do you guy think about the 2015 CB300F deals on cybertrader like this one?. Think I will get a lemon if I don't check it? If it's coming from a dealer, you're usually paying a little more because they actually check stuff out on a used bike, but absolutely check it out even if only to see that any mods or bits fit your taste/body. If you're buying from craigslist, it's up to you to make sure it runs, the electrical works, the clutch isn't stuck anywhere, and the rubber hasn't turned to raisins. If you're mechanically-inclined, you'll know what you're okay with replacing and what problems you're going to walk away from. whatever7 posted:How do you check market price for used bike? Is there a Truecar app for bikes? I spent about two months picking a bike, and the closest to TrueCar I found was NADA Guides (it's like Kelly Bluebook). That, mixed with checking CycleTrader nationwide for the model you're interested in, seemed to me like a good barometer of a bike price. AveMachina fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Feb 28, 2017 |
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Feb 28, 2017 18:11
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Those uhaul moto trailers are made of pig iron and are Titanic heavy. I would not tow one behind a CRV. That is if you're talking about the trailers that have sides on them. I also have a CRV. I could maybe fit a Grom in the back if I removed the seats but thats about it. I've pulled many bikes behind it in a light 4x8 trailer but the bikes were 500lbs at the most. Maybe try a small box truck from uhaul? You could always fill the rest of the space with drugs or Russian prostitutes and come out way ahead. As for the CBR300 the major issue with them is they are under a  crankshaft recall. Personally for the 300cc starter bikes I would choose the Yamaha R3 or Ninja 300. The R3 is available with ABS in 2017 and the Ninja has had it for a couple years now.As for bike shopping the best way to get an idea of value is to watch Craigslist and get an idea of bike prices. Reasonably-priced bikes sell fast while overpriced ones sit forever.
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Mar 1, 2017 02:29
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Protip: for the frustration of a uhaul rental you could cube the frustration and buy a harborfreight trailer on sale, throw a moto rail on the fucker and done. 
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Mar 1, 2017 06:35
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Gorson posted:As for the CBR300 the major issue with them is they are under a *COUGH* KTM Duke 390*COUGH* If you can find one, and if someone isn't asking a premium price for it when you do find it.
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Mar 1, 2017 08:25
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I looked at the UHaul website a couple times, I can't tell if you have to pay for per mile charge for the bike trailer. If I have to pay per mile charge, I might as well just find a low mileage one locally. Getting a used trailer is not an option for me since I live in a building and the paid parking spot doesn't have extra space for a trailer. A lot of this problems I have are not problems if I have a friend who ride. Thank for you guys advise nonetheless. I will retake the MSF first.
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Mar 1, 2017 16:15
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https://www.uhaul.com/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/202/Trailertowing-Rentals/ says there are no per-mile charges for trailer rentals (unless they're point-to-point). How would they measure it, anyway?
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Mar 1, 2017 16:21
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No per-mile charges, last time I rented one it was like $24 total. Someone mentioned that it's heavy but I didn't think that at all; the thing has tiny little tires and bounces all over the place unloaded. My Ranger didn't even notice that it was attached.
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Mar 1, 2017 18:31
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Fats posted:No per-mile charges, last time I rented one it was like $24 total. Someone mentioned that it's heavy but I didn't think that at all; the thing has tiny little tires and bounces all over the place unloaded. My Ranger didn't even notice that it was attached. I want to say it's close to 600lbs unloaded. Not much for a small truck, but a CRV is nothing more than a civic on stilts with AWD. Then again, I am overly cautious when it comes to towing, so YMMV. A harbor freight trailer can't be more than a couple hundred pounds, and is the better option. They're a bit flimsy but can be made stronger by welding the parts together. There are many threads on other forums about how they can be modified and strengthened.
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Mar 2, 2017 02:10
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Gorson posted:Those uhaul moto trailers are made of pig iron and are Titanic heavy. I took one from Madison, WI to Grand Rapids, MI towed by a WRX wagon to pick up my SV650 back in the day. I think I got 12 mpg.
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Mar 2, 2017 04:45
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Great thread, Sagebrush, thanks for all the effort. However, I'm gravely disappointed that the first post is not On Any Sunday in its entirety embedded with no explanation.
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Mar 2, 2017 17:59
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Great OP! I would like some critique of my decreasing radius line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-mdEHnVzdA&t=60s
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Mar 3, 2017 05:03
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Thanks Sagebrush, this is a great resource. I've been riding for about a year. In hindsight, I'd probably have made different choices when getting into motorcycling with the benefit of all the info here. While I like my bike, I'd have looked for something cheaper, lighter, and and better suited for learning. For those that are looking to get into riding without prior experience, keep in mind that your tastes might shift once you actually start riding. Better to make a small investment, figure out what you really enjoy, and go from there. You might think you're a cruiser person and then begin wistfully watching videos of supermoto antics, for example. Or realize that curvy roads are great fun and wish for something sportier. Just random examples and certainly not reflective of my own experience, of course. Also, I cannot overstate how valuable the MSF course was for me. It is amazing how much you learn over the course of a few days. I was very apprehensive as I had zero experience, but by the end of the course all I wanted was to get my license and a bike. Hopefully the things I am starting to figure out with the benefit of hindsight (and lots of good advice from folks on the forums) can help others who are just getting started. Everyone in the Layer Dan Slack room has been really helpful and friendly, so check that out too.
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Mar 3, 2017 23:15
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How stupid is it to start on a Moto Guzzi V7 of some flavor? Through some cursory googling, it seems hard to pinpoint the actual reliability/cost-to-own of these things, as opinions seem to swing wildly from "you'll never have to do more than change the oil" to "after 10 miles it will sound the Italian national anthem via the horn then promptly implode". I'm currently operating under the assumption that it's similar to a Sportster, being mostly reliable due to the age of the design, albeit with some "quirks" (due to selfsame age), and am curious how far off the mark that is.
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Mar 7, 2017 21:05
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Pretty stupid E: posted early, but what sagebrush sez. Get something ubiquitous, used, and scuffed. Shiny unicorns are for the second bike onwards M42 fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Mar 7, 2017 |
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Mar 7, 2017 21:06
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They're too big and heavy and expensive to be a good starter bike, and maintenance will be regular and expensive cause  The people saying they're "reliable" are likely the 1000-mile-per-year coffee-shop-cruisers. e: also old design doesn't mean "reliable", it means "people have figured out how to fix them." big difference there.
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Mar 7, 2017 21:09
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Sagebrush posted:old design doesn't mean "reliable", it means "people have figured out how to fix them." big difference there. Yeah, this. Think Ural.
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Mar 7, 2017 22:50
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ess-vid posted:How stupid is it to start on a Moto Guzzi V7 of some flavor? For reference my MV Agusta's full service every 7.5k miles would be well over $1500 if I didn't do most of it myself. I imagine Moto Guzzi would be comparable.
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Mar 8, 2017 00:04
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Get something reliable first. You don't want a broken down bike tainting your view of motorcycle ownership. After you've decided whether or not motorcycles are for you, you can buy all the Italian or Russian bikes you want. Or, you buy two, one reliable and one not so much. One to ride, one to wrench is the saying.
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Mar 8, 2017 00:25
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Fair enough. And yeah, I'm aware they wouldn't be Toyota level reliable (I guess the bike equivalent would be Honda?). I was more wondering if they were more Sportster "mostly gets the job done but make sure to give everything a thorough once-over often and be handy with a wrench", or more Ducati-Desmoduro-oh-god-this-costs-HOW-much territory. I suppose I'm not particularly against the little "sport" bikes like the R3 and the Ninja. I'm just a bit leery of them as I can't so much as drive to the gas station without at least one blundering twuntwumpus taking deep and serious personal offense at my Abarth's very existence and going all clown car to "put me in my place", so the possibility of all of the same morons thinking that my cruising down the road means "that crotchrocket wants to race me!!!" sits in the back of my mind as I look at them.
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Mar 8, 2017 02:41
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ess-vid posted:I suppose I'm not particularly against the little "sport" bikes like the R3 and the Ninja. I'm just a bit leery of them as I can't so much as drive to the gas station without at least one blundering twuntwumpus taking deep and serious personal offense at my Abarth's very existence and going all clown car to "put me in my place", so the possibility of all of the same morons thinking that my cruising down the road means "that crotchrocket wants to race me!!!" sits in the back of my mind as I look at them. This will happen every time you ride, everywhere, no matter the bike. Get past it, let them smoke you from a stoplight, none of it matters. Let go.
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Mar 8, 2017 04:12
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ess-vid posted:Fair enough. And yeah, I'm aware they wouldn't be Toyota level reliable (I guess the bike equivalent would be Honda?). I was more wondering if they were more Sportster "mostly gets the job done but make sure to give everything a thorough once-over often and be handy with a wrench", or more Ducati-Desmoduro-oh-god-this-costs-HOW-much territory. If you want a car analogy a sportster is like a run-of-the-mill ford or gm product: mostly decent but has the occasional stupid poo poo, poor quality on some of the details and isn't really very good compared to a japanese equivalent, but that's simply because the bar is set so high. A guzzi is like a rusty fiat from the 80's. TheNothingNew posted:This will happen every time you ride, everywhere, no matter the bike. Get past it, let them smoke you from a stoplight, none of it matters. Let go. Also this. Also even a ninja 300 is faster off the line than the majority of cars (or drivers, at least) that will try to race you so really what's the problem here?
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Mar 8, 2017 04:41
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It's also important to realize that what you want now will be very different from what you want after a few months of riding. In this spirit it is best to get a cheap bike.
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Mar 8, 2017 04:52
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Slavvy posted:If you want a car analogy a sportster is like a run-of-the-mill ford or gm product: mostly decent but has the occasional stupid poo poo, poor quality on some of the details and isn't really very good compared to a japanese equivalent, but that's simply because the bar is set so high. Slavvy posted:Also this. Also even a ninja 300 is faster off the line than the majority of cars (or drivers, at least) that will try to race you so really what's the problem here? The bike thing comes in because I watch the same people in traffic around bikes, and they're kind of lovely around "crotchrockets" (sportbikes, modern looking nakeds like the Z650), while acting weirdly timid around "harleys" (any cruiser, most other nakeds with a single roundish headlight like the Bonnie and even the Monster) and giving them a wider berth. Don't really see "adventure" type bikes out here enough to make a call but given the area I imagine it's due to having to state "no officer my 'dirt bike' is perfectly road legal and is made that way from the factory" so much you have it printed on business cards.
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Mar 8, 2017 06:31
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What you need to do is stop giving a poo poo about the dumb fucks in their cars (they'll be there and be dumb fucks regardless of what you ride) and just follow the OP, buy a good normal beginner bike and actually learn What The gently caress instead of trying to extrapolate into the future on the basis of gently caress all. You aren't the first car person to stumble into this forum and you won't be the last, and one seemingly universal thing about them is they all feel like they were massive idiots after riding a slow bike for a few months.
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Mar 8, 2017 07:08
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I'm pretty sure the best advice I've read on this forum is "Ride your own ride". Who cares what you look like, how under powered and not stylish your first bike might be, and what the people behind you or next to you think of you.
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Mar 8, 2017 16:11
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I had a "sporty" looking ninja as a first bike for years and never once experienced what you are describing, other than a few folks wanting to race at a light. And I lived in a major city with some seriously douchy drivers.
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Mar 8, 2017 16:42
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Help. I don't have the disposable income to pay for a bike, gear, and insurance/tags. I CAN'T HELP THAT I WANT IT 
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Mar 8, 2017 20:31
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Dick Burglar posted:Help. Take on a night job and wear a skirt. works for me.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:39
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Dick Burglar posted:Help. I think lurking on advrider is probably the best way to get cheap gear. Learn to wrench so you can buy a super cheap broken bike and then save while you're doing all that for insurance/tags.
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Mar 8, 2017 21:15
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cursedshitbox posted:Take on a night job and wear a skirt. works for me. Just the second one will do ya in most places, Dick Burglar. No need for the added stress of two jobs.
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Mar 9, 2017 03:41
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Never hurts to wear a skirt anyway regardless of your financial standing. Just sayin.
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Mar 9, 2017 04:05
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ess-vid posted:there's only so many times you hear someone go "fix it again tony! haw haw" before they spend the next five minutes trying to get their clapped out Pontiac to start before you decide that for most people talking about anything with an engine should be a crime punishable by death. Oh, well in that case you definitely want a Ninja 250 or 300, so every 3rd person you speak to will tell you "Why'd ya get that? You'll just grow out of it in a month! Hurr hurr" Meantime I've had mine for 4 years and am only getting rid of it because I don't have the space. If you go with something else, don't worry, you won't be left out: if you don't buy a Harley, soo many people will ask you when you're going to get a real bike. If you do get a Harley, plenty of non-Harley motorcyclists will ask you how you enjoy riding your tractor. Stop letting other people's opinions ruin your enjoyment of your things, man.
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Mar 9, 2017 07:34
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I got a broken CL350 for my first bike, got made fun of plenty by the usual suspects here for being a stereotypical hipster, managed to fix it up more or less correctly and get it running, rode all over the place, and got nothing but compliments from people on the street and the cool motorcyclists. The douchebag motorcyclists (Panigale 1199, high-tops and jeans) still say things like "can that even get out of its own way?" and I have family members(!) who still tell me "I hope you're an organ donor." What's the line about arguing with a pig?
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Mar 9, 2017 07:46
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I'm honestly kinda shocked you folks have had people talking poo poo on your bikes. I've had a friendly coworker jokingly give me a hard time about not buying a Harley (to be fair, he had an impressive collection of Harleys from every decade except the first two and was a really nice guy) but I've never had anyone talk smack on anything I've ridden. The CB750 often had older guys come over and wistfully recall their days on their bikes, and that was the old-man bike with the hemorrhoid seats. Ya'll need to start riding in places with nicer folks, or just be deaf as a doornail like I am. 
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Mar 9, 2017 14:07
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I just keep a large beard and look like I'm always angry, so nobody ever approaches me about my bike unless they used to own one themselves.
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Mar 9, 2017 16:53
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pokie posted:Great OP! You kinda got caught out with the little extra bend there, but that's fine. I sometimes have that too, and I always take it to mean I need to look further ahead and have a gameplan ready. In your instance it would mean I could turn in later as to not not come out on the cracked bit of road. Other way to go is to be comfortable turning in tighter in a corner so when you find yourself having to make a tighter turn than you anticipated, you can drop the bar no problem.
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Mar 9, 2017 21:44
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karms posted:You kinda got caught out with the little extra bend there, but that's fine. I sometimes have that too, and I always take it to mean I need to look further ahead and have a gameplan ready. In your instance it would mean I could turn in later as to not not come out on the cracked bit of road. Other way to go is to be comfortable turning in tighter in a corner so when you find yourself having to make a tighter turn than you anticipated, you can drop the bar no problem. Thanks! I will keep working on it.
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Mar 10, 2017 00:00
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Nice OP! I'm curious about the use of earplugs while commuting in the city. Isn't it dangerous to muffle external sounds like sirens, horns and revving engines? I'd imagine that with the somewhat limited view from inside the helmet and the relatively small mirrors any extra world feedback would be useful. Also, don't you actually HAVE to take driving lessons in the States? From what I've read in the OP it seems that the MSF is recommended but optional. Sagebrush posted:Retro-styled motorcycles, on the other hand, do have a certain appeal to them, in the simplicity and classic aesthetic of their design. The new Triumph Bonneville, for instance, has sold extremely well on this basis alone. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of bikes with a classic look that are also suitable for beginners; usually they're too heavy and/or too powerful to start on. The Yamaha SR400 is about the only model in current production that has the vintage look and is appropriate for a beginner. Of course, you can also look around for a genuine vintage bike like the Honda CB/CL350 (1968-74) -- and speaking as someone who bought a non-running CL350 as his first bike and learned to fix it up, I do not recommend it if your primary interest is riding a motorcycle instead of working on a motorcycle. Feel free to ask for more details if you're considering this route. How about the 2017 Suzuki Van Van? I love its styling and it seems like a fun little bike to start with at 200cc and relatively low pricetag (around $4500 I think?) 
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Mar 10, 2017 12:54
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Pooper Trooper posted:I'm curious about the use of earplugs while commuting in the city. Isn't it dangerous to muffle external sounds like sirens, horns and revving engines? I'd imagine that with the somewhat limited view from inside the helmet and the relatively small mirrors any extra world feedback would be useful. Hearing damage is no joke, wear your earplugs. When you're riding at speeds around 35mph, the wind noise alone will drown out a ton of other sounds anyways. There's no discernible advantage in trying to hear anything around you when you have an engine stuffed under your legs with a whirring transmission and chain right beside it, anyway. Ask anyone on this forum suffering from tinnitus (me) and they'll tell you the same thing: wear those earplugs.
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Mar 10, 2017 13:13
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You can still hear sirens, horns and revving engines through ear plugs as well or better than you can in a car.
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Mar 10, 2017 13:49
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