Re: Calling all motorcyclists! I want one, need advice...
Sorry for jumping in late, I just saw the thread.
1. - This depends on your riding style. A Ninja is a differnt kind of machine from the Nighthawk. Personally, I don't like sport bikes. The other problem may be your size. I'm a big guy at 6'4", size 14 feet and over 200 lb. A 250cc would not do much to move me around, and riding one would feel like being on a child's bike.
2. - In most states you do need a motorcycle licence to operate any vehicle that is considered a motorcycle by the DMV, the exception in some cases being scooters. Check with your local DMV.
3. - Liability is mandatory, but you should get comprehensive with high limits on medical claims. You are more likely to be injured on a bike than in a car, but property damage will be less. Also, bikes are easier to steal. In all likely hood you will dump your bike at least once, just plan on it. Buy a used bike that might have some cosmetic damage already and plan to ride it for about a year. By then you will be bored with a small bike and want to get something with more power. Sell the cheap-o bike to another new rider and impart some words of wisdom the buy a nicer bike.
4. - Yes, it is possible to ride in the rain, although I try to avoid it. A responsible biker checks the weather before setting out. I had a car and a bike and when there was a chance of bad weather I would take 4 wheels. You are harder to see on a bike and small obstacles for cars are real hazards on a bike. Riding in the rain can be done but I don't like it. For one thing I took the windscreen off my bike because it looked silly and I rode with a heavy denim and leather jacket, not a waterproof one.
5. - I don't know if it's illegal but I would not recommend it. You take alot of cues from your ears on a bike and doing anything to cut down on sensory input is not a good idea especially when you are first starting out.
6.- All this depends on the bike, check your manual. Most important thing is to watch your tire wear.
My best advise: Take a motorcycle safety course before you do anything. MSF does one that provides the helmets AND the bikes! http://www.msf-usa.org/ This is a great organization and I can not recommend it highly enough.
A few things I learned in my one year as a rider (had to sell my bike when I moved)
A good helmet is key. You need to have good visibility and good ventilation. Fit is important for safety reasons so try on plenty of helmets before buying one. Try to find a helmet with the Snell logo, this shows it offers better protection than the government minimum. I recommend full head helmets, although open helmets may protect your brain, you can still cause incredible damage to your face when in a crash. Get one that protects your entire head. Don't worry about looking like a dork in a full head helmet if you go with a cruiser bike, no one knows who you are anyway. If possible get a light colored helmet, mine's silver with a mirrored visor - it makes me more visible and I think it looks pretty cool. My first helmet came with the bike and was a 3/4 design with an open face, similar to the one they lend the drivers of the Liana and the Chevy. One day while riding at about 70 mph a large wasp got caught between the helmet and my face. Fortunately I sayed calm and the wasp was not in a position to sting me, but damn it hurt and I could have ended up with a swolen head.
Gloves. Buy them. Even if you don't think you need them in the hot summer months wear them all the time. A bee hitting your hand (or face - get a closed helmet) at 70 mph hurts alot. Also rocks and debris is a hazard as well as the possibility of dumping the bike.
Get a riding jacket. The one I opted for was mostly gray denim but has leather shoulders, elbows, cuffs, collar and zipper wind flap. Again, it's better to destroy and expensive jacket then have road rash. More expensive models also include hard plastic or composite armor down the spine and at the joints. I didn't go this route, but you may want to think about it if you go the sport bike route.
Boots. If you don't want to get expensive riding boots get some OSHA work boots with steel toes. I found mine at a local department store for $40. The first pair I destroyed when I dumped my bike on a mountain road. I wrecked my first jacket, so I learned the value of leather - it protected my arms. I learned about the value of steel toes - I scraped right through the leather and scratched the steel. I learned about the value of gloves - so I bought some. I got off easy with minor damage to the bike and myself. I have no doubt I would have broken my foot if it were not for the steel toes.
Riding tips: Put your head on a swivel, you need total situational awareness and do not ever think that anyone else sees you. You need to ride defensively - ride as if everyone on the road is trying to kill you and position yourself so they don't get the chance. Do not use an iPod or cell phone headset while riding, I know they make helmets and even bikes that integrate these systems but they are a distraction and can get you killed - especially as a new rider. Devote all your attention to staying alive.
Now that all that is out of the way: Riding a motorcycle is one of the best experiences of my life and I wish I could afford to insure a bike out here in California. If you let it get into your system you will eat, sleep, dream, and live motorcycles.
Start out slow, buy a bike that is no larger than 500cc. A mid 1980's Honda Shadow is an ideal starter bike and can be had for very little. They are reliable machines with a nice low center of gravity and are just the right weight for a beginning rider. If you are significantly smaller than me then a 250cc may be a better way to go. Plan on owning your starter bike for at least a year while you learn to ride - with how cheap these bikes are you may want to keep it as a beater-bike for commuting.
Talk to your insurance company, as a young rider your rates will be pretty high for comprehensive insurance but fork out for it. If you get hurt on a bike your health insurance will not pay for it 99.9% of the time, that's why you have motorcycle insurance. I went with Progressive, which is the largest insurer of bikes in the US. Geico has also been pushing their motorcycle insurance.
Find a way to secure your bike. There are several options available. Brake clamps - a block of steel that locks on your front brake disk preventing the tire from moving more than one rotation. I chose to park my bike an open but video monitored garage that had steel loops set into the concrete walls. I used a Kryptonite brand steel cable to secure the back tire to the wall. Plan on doing something similar, bikes are easy to steal and can quickly be rolled into the back of a van and be gone before you blink. Always lock your handle bars and if you leave your helmet be sure to use your helmet lock - usually under the rear fender on the left side.
Finally. Take everything out of your pants pockets and stow them on the bike or in your jacket pockets (oh yeah, get a jacket with pockets!) The last thing you want is your house keys, cell phone or wallet slipping out of your pocket while you ride.
TAKE A RIDING COURSE! I can't stress this enough! Even if you buy a bike before you take the class please, please, PLEASE don't ride it until you have had professional instruction. MSF offers a series of clases, the more advanced ones require you to bring your own bike, but the intro one let's you use their motorcycles. This also gets you a discount on insurance for most companies and counts as your motorcycle certification for the DMV, including the driving test if one is applicable.
Let us know what you decide on. This is the time of year to buy a bike, most people are trying to sell them instead of storing it for another season and demand is low comming into cold weather. In spring the price of bikes goes up.
EDIT - Regarding your comment about chicks digging bikes. Quite right, but be comfortable on a bike before you try taking on a passenger. Ask around and try to find somone who knows how to be a passenger on a bike and ask if she will help you out by helping you practice. My 500cc Honda Shadow did just fine with two people, even with someone as big as me. You could tell it did not get up and go like it did with less of a load but it was still fun as hell.
Get a 500cc bike if you can, even if you have to go older. Check Craigslist and look for people who are upgrading to larger or fancier bikes - if you give a sob story about being a poor student with no wheels they may even move on the price. A 500cc bike is small enough for a starter, but big enough to cruise with two people.
http://img165.imageshack.**/img165/2781/86hondashadowna0.gif
This is just like my first bike. It's a classic look, nimble in traffic, reasonably comfortable (I'm a little too tall for long rides, but I had the seat recovered so the guy custom carved the foam to fit my ass), and the sissy bar makes your passenger feel secure. Also that sissy bar hides a small compartment to keep your insurance and registration information. This was a fun bike. Mine was custom painted metalic blue and metalic silver. I bought it from a co-worker for $900, put $100 into the seat, laid it down once and sold it for $1000.
There are no stupid questions, you are doing the right thing in asking. Only a fool would think it's better to be ignorant than informed. If there is anything else I can help with please ask. I know this post got a little long but I tried to cover my experience as a new rider. My best advice is to go to MSF http://www.msf-usa.org/ .
BlaRo said:So I've been bitten by the motorcycle bug and I really want one now. Mostly for a few reasons: they're efficient, they're cheap, they're light, they might kill me, I'm sick of missing the bus 4 times in the morning when I really gotta get to class (my dorm is a mile from the campus), and chicks dig 'em. I've been looking at used standard/naked or sport bikes at around the $2500 or less range, and I've found:
1. Kawasaki Ninja 250, $2500
2. Honda CB250 Nighthawk $1500
The Nighthawk, from what I've heard, is a great beginner's bike, but only 20hp doesn't seem a lot considering that the Ninja has twice that. Plus, and this is subjective, the Ninja looks way cooler, and as an easily amused college student that's big in my book. That leads me to a few questions:
1. Would a Ninja 250 make a good beginner's bike as compared to the Nighthawk?
2. Do I need a NY State Driver's License in order to have a Motorcycle License?
3. Is insurance mandatory like for cars?
4. Is it possible to ride a bike in the rain? How about on a freeway in the rain?
5. Can I use headphones and an iPod in my helmet while riding? Is this illegal?
6. Anything about maintenance? How many miles before I have to check belts, chains, change oil, etc?
Sorry about the stupid questions, but I just want to know as much as possible.
Sorry for jumping in late, I just saw the thread.
1. - This depends on your riding style. A Ninja is a differnt kind of machine from the Nighthawk. Personally, I don't like sport bikes. The other problem may be your size. I'm a big guy at 6'4", size 14 feet and over 200 lb. A 250cc would not do much to move me around, and riding one would feel like being on a child's bike.
2. - In most states you do need a motorcycle licence to operate any vehicle that is considered a motorcycle by the DMV, the exception in some cases being scooters. Check with your local DMV.
3. - Liability is mandatory, but you should get comprehensive with high limits on medical claims. You are more likely to be injured on a bike than in a car, but property damage will be less. Also, bikes are easier to steal. In all likely hood you will dump your bike at least once, just plan on it. Buy a used bike that might have some cosmetic damage already and plan to ride it for about a year. By then you will be bored with a small bike and want to get something with more power. Sell the cheap-o bike to another new rider and impart some words of wisdom the buy a nicer bike.
4. - Yes, it is possible to ride in the rain, although I try to avoid it. A responsible biker checks the weather before setting out. I had a car and a bike and when there was a chance of bad weather I would take 4 wheels. You are harder to see on a bike and small obstacles for cars are real hazards on a bike. Riding in the rain can be done but I don't like it. For one thing I took the windscreen off my bike because it looked silly and I rode with a heavy denim and leather jacket, not a waterproof one.
5. - I don't know if it's illegal but I would not recommend it. You take alot of cues from your ears on a bike and doing anything to cut down on sensory input is not a good idea especially when you are first starting out.
6.- All this depends on the bike, check your manual. Most important thing is to watch your tire wear.
My best advise: Take a motorcycle safety course before you do anything. MSF does one that provides the helmets AND the bikes! http://www.msf-usa.org/ This is a great organization and I can not recommend it highly enough.
A few things I learned in my one year as a rider (had to sell my bike when I moved)
A good helmet is key. You need to have good visibility and good ventilation. Fit is important for safety reasons so try on plenty of helmets before buying one. Try to find a helmet with the Snell logo, this shows it offers better protection than the government minimum. I recommend full head helmets, although open helmets may protect your brain, you can still cause incredible damage to your face when in a crash. Get one that protects your entire head. Don't worry about looking like a dork in a full head helmet if you go with a cruiser bike, no one knows who you are anyway. If possible get a light colored helmet, mine's silver with a mirrored visor - it makes me more visible and I think it looks pretty cool. My first helmet came with the bike and was a 3/4 design with an open face, similar to the one they lend the drivers of the Liana and the Chevy. One day while riding at about 70 mph a large wasp got caught between the helmet and my face. Fortunately I sayed calm and the wasp was not in a position to sting me, but damn it hurt and I could have ended up with a swolen head.
Gloves. Buy them. Even if you don't think you need them in the hot summer months wear them all the time. A bee hitting your hand (or face - get a closed helmet) at 70 mph hurts alot. Also rocks and debris is a hazard as well as the possibility of dumping the bike.
Get a riding jacket. The one I opted for was mostly gray denim but has leather shoulders, elbows, cuffs, collar and zipper wind flap. Again, it's better to destroy and expensive jacket then have road rash. More expensive models also include hard plastic or composite armor down the spine and at the joints. I didn't go this route, but you may want to think about it if you go the sport bike route.
Boots. If you don't want to get expensive riding boots get some OSHA work boots with steel toes. I found mine at a local department store for $40. The first pair I destroyed when I dumped my bike on a mountain road. I wrecked my first jacket, so I learned the value of leather - it protected my arms. I learned about the value of steel toes - I scraped right through the leather and scratched the steel. I learned about the value of gloves - so I bought some. I got off easy with minor damage to the bike and myself. I have no doubt I would have broken my foot if it were not for the steel toes.
Riding tips: Put your head on a swivel, you need total situational awareness and do not ever think that anyone else sees you. You need to ride defensively - ride as if everyone on the road is trying to kill you and position yourself so they don't get the chance. Do not use an iPod or cell phone headset while riding, I know they make helmets and even bikes that integrate these systems but they are a distraction and can get you killed - especially as a new rider. Devote all your attention to staying alive.
Now that all that is out of the way: Riding a motorcycle is one of the best experiences of my life and I wish I could afford to insure a bike out here in California. If you let it get into your system you will eat, sleep, dream, and live motorcycles.
Start out slow, buy a bike that is no larger than 500cc. A mid 1980's Honda Shadow is an ideal starter bike and can be had for very little. They are reliable machines with a nice low center of gravity and are just the right weight for a beginning rider. If you are significantly smaller than me then a 250cc may be a better way to go. Plan on owning your starter bike for at least a year while you learn to ride - with how cheap these bikes are you may want to keep it as a beater-bike for commuting.
Talk to your insurance company, as a young rider your rates will be pretty high for comprehensive insurance but fork out for it. If you get hurt on a bike your health insurance will not pay for it 99.9% of the time, that's why you have motorcycle insurance. I went with Progressive, which is the largest insurer of bikes in the US. Geico has also been pushing their motorcycle insurance.
Find a way to secure your bike. There are several options available. Brake clamps - a block of steel that locks on your front brake disk preventing the tire from moving more than one rotation. I chose to park my bike an open but video monitored garage that had steel loops set into the concrete walls. I used a Kryptonite brand steel cable to secure the back tire to the wall. Plan on doing something similar, bikes are easy to steal and can quickly be rolled into the back of a van and be gone before you blink. Always lock your handle bars and if you leave your helmet be sure to use your helmet lock - usually under the rear fender on the left side.
Finally. Take everything out of your pants pockets and stow them on the bike or in your jacket pockets (oh yeah, get a jacket with pockets!) The last thing you want is your house keys, cell phone or wallet slipping out of your pocket while you ride.
TAKE A RIDING COURSE! I can't stress this enough! Even if you buy a bike before you take the class please, please, PLEASE don't ride it until you have had professional instruction. MSF offers a series of clases, the more advanced ones require you to bring your own bike, but the intro one let's you use their motorcycles. This also gets you a discount on insurance for most companies and counts as your motorcycle certification for the DMV, including the driving test if one is applicable.
Let us know what you decide on. This is the time of year to buy a bike, most people are trying to sell them instead of storing it for another season and demand is low comming into cold weather. In spring the price of bikes goes up.
EDIT - Regarding your comment about chicks digging bikes. Quite right, but be comfortable on a bike before you try taking on a passenger. Ask around and try to find somone who knows how to be a passenger on a bike and ask if she will help you out by helping you practice. My 500cc Honda Shadow did just fine with two people, even with someone as big as me. You could tell it did not get up and go like it did with less of a load but it was still fun as hell.
Get a 500cc bike if you can, even if you have to go older. Check Craigslist and look for people who are upgrading to larger or fancier bikes - if you give a sob story about being a poor student with no wheels they may even move on the price. A 500cc bike is small enough for a starter, but big enough to cruise with two people.
http://img165.imageshack.**/img165/2781/86hondashadowna0.gif
This is just like my first bike. It's a classic look, nimble in traffic, reasonably comfortable (I'm a little too tall for long rides, but I had the seat recovered so the guy custom carved the foam to fit my ass), and the sissy bar makes your passenger feel secure. Also that sissy bar hides a small compartment to keep your insurance and registration information. This was a fun bike. Mine was custom painted metalic blue and metalic silver. I bought it from a co-worker for $900, put $100 into the seat, laid it down once and sold it for $1000.
There are no stupid questions, you are doing the right thing in asking. Only a fool would think it's better to be ignorant than informed. If there is anything else I can help with please ask. I know this post got a little long but I tried to cover my experience as a new rider. My best advice is to go to MSF http://www.msf-usa.org/ .
) and the only hurt I had was in my left knee because I was wearing regular jeans 
. Gloves, boots and jacket all got scuffed but I was OK. I learned my lesson: next time I own a bike, proper riding pants are in order.:lol: 
