When it comes to motorcycles want is pretty much all we got and it's enough. Think of it as 'because I can'. It's also a thumb in the eye of the safety Nazis. I love mine and couldn't imagine being without at least one. For those days when you just need some alone time if nothing else. And hey, if you buy one I'll pester Murphy's Law some more until he finally gives in and buys one. Then I'll load up, head out and we'll all go for a couple days ride in the mountains somewhere.
+1 to Six. My wife announced, out of the blue, that she thinks we should get a three-wheeler. I'm thinking that $$$ would buy a nice SUV, but then I see the bikes on the road & all rationale goes out the window.
At around 50 mpg one can go for a ride just to go for a ride. Today I put on about 200 miles. One of the reasons for the ride was to get a ice cream cone. Both the ride and cone were good.
I wanted a HARLEY so i bought one in 1979 sold it in 1988 wish i still had it every time i see one i get jealous but with my very poor balence and deafness would not be a good idea these days.
'Been riding continuously since I was 16 (legally). Now on my 6th bike (or 7th - I've lost count), a 2009 Heritage Softail Classic. Some of the bikes were trades, some were just worn out. The ricers didn't last as long as American iron.
Two things to think about, BP:
1: Only a motorcycle rider truly understands why a dog hangs his head outside a car window, and
2: You never see a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist's office... unless the psychiatrist owns it.
If you want a rational reason to have a motorcycle, move to the UK where they're considered basic transportation. When I told my boss (in Northern Ireland) how much it costs to buy collision insurance for a bike here he was astonished. But since they're considered recreational vehicles here, we pay through the nose.
One nice thing about a motorcycle: the NSA can't hack its CAN Bus and drive you into a tree.
WoFat: OK OK, WE GET IT. Motorcycles are dangerous. Point taken, for the 100th time.
Sorry you fell off your bike and got a boo-boo and are now scared of the things, but us real American men will just keep on riding motorcycles, because, well, that's how we roll. And, after over 25 years in the saddle and more miles than I can count, I'm still alive and without permanent disability.
Life is risky. You can acknowledge this and live, or hide from every single thing that might hurt you, and die anyway.
I understand the desire to bike--I got back into it about 3 years ago and I'm averaging wearing out a rear tire per season.
Don't limit yourself to looking at V-twin cruisers, even if you are quite reasonably avoiding crotch rockets. If I were buying new right now, I'm pretty sure I'd be getting a Honda CB1100-- Basically a fuel injected and modernized version of my current daily driver.
As Tina Turner said "What's rational justification got to do, got to do with it?"
Burt touched on the primary two reasons I ride.
Before you plotz money down though, go take a local Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. Not only will it let you determine for yourself whether riding is for you or not, it will instill skills and practices that will make you a safer rider. Plus, completion of the MSF course will get you a discount on insurance and, in many states, exempt you from the riding exam as it's more stringent than the state test.
Sevesteen, crotch rockets are out, but someone who will remain nameless recommended a Yamaha FJR 1300. But the nice thing about the Harleys is that they're simple and you can get them fized (or get parts and fix them yourself) anywhere.
Joe, I expect I'll sign up for the next MSF class. If I'm not digging it, that's a sign. Plus, I think it gets you out of having to take the Georgia Motorcycle road test.
BP: Old Hawgs are simple, the new F-I ones might take a bit more effort. Still, better than a lot of the other companies' offerings, where ease of maintenance takes a back seat to speed and/or styling.
The fact that you're considering the MSF class is a good thing. You can never learn too much. Let us know how it goes!
NEW Harleys are just as complex and hard to work on as any other new vehicle. EFI, computers, emissions, all of it. Also, don't forget what H-D really stands for - Hundred Dollars. Everything for a Harley costs a hundred bucks, or multiples thereof. There are also plenty of Jap bikes with 50-100k miles on them. The worst thing you can do to a motorcycle is NOT ride it, so dont think because a bike has super low miles it's a steal.
For the cost of a Harley you could get yourself a pretty decent jet boat. Your choice: wind in your hair as you navigate the third street off-ramp, or the wind in your hair as you navigate a set of class three whitewater rapids with 400 horsepower American v8.
In addition to the very good suggestion to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class, I'd strongly consider getting a used "starter bike" that you intend to sell after a few thousand miles or so. Figure out what you like about it, and more importantly what you don't--particularly riding position. (don't worry about horsepower until near the end--your perceptions will change) If you buy late in the riding season and sell early in a future season, you may lose only the cost of maintenance and a rear tire. (Most used bikes seem to need a rear tire...)
Ronny Jingo and the Third-Wave: Riding without training is like owning a gun without a clue about which end the bullets emerge-from. There are things that are completely non-intuitive that you MUST to learn in order to survive on a bike - countersteering for one. If you can and are really serious about learning to RIDE start with a dirtbike. If you just want the "Wind in the Face" effect, roll down the window and spend a week driving with your head out the window collecting bugs and other debris. On a dirtbike you have to learn how to FIND traction - something that you don't learn about on the street until it's too late and traction disappears. It's MUCH less expensive when you drop it - and you WILL - and it won't cause a hernia when you pick it up, or an embolism when you need to replace broken things. (And you won't replace perfectly good working-things with expensive chromed dick-tits.) In fact dirtbikes are supposed to be dropped and occasionally thrown - like thrown uphill - and it's good exercise. On a dirtbike in the woods you don't (usually) face oncoming traffic, and it's just nice to be in the woods. You don't HAVE to jump it either, not big jumps anyhow - but you CAN if you want to and that's something that's usually not advisable on the street because Jump=Landing and streetbikes are not equipped for Landings... And a dirtbike you can spin it around and roost your buddies in a hail of dirt/mud/sand/nasty junk - or dig a trench to bury the axle. Then if you really want to street-ride get a dual-sport and have a height-vision advantage that the low-slung asphalt belly crawlers don't have - and THEN when you have the brake-clutch/gas reaction-set ingrained, learn about street-traction and the utter blind idiocy of car drivers. Or else get an old AMF Harley, then you can have the bike but just not ride it because it's made of broken parts to begin with - imagine a Lucas Harley... Otherwise get a bike and get the MSF training - but remember there's more dirt than asphalt on the planet, still, for a while anyhow...
Totally agree with the "want" bit of getting back on a bike - I started out on a bike, moved to a car for carrying the family, and have just bought a cheap 1987 BMW K100RT for a few hundred pounds. Cheap to run, easy to maintain, and spares are plentiful & cheaper than most Japanese parts.
One site well worth visiting in advance of your purchase is cycle-ergo.com , it gives you a great idea of how comfortable a bike is going to be. I made the mistake of buying a Suzuki RF900R without considering that I am a creaky & unfit 50+ year old.... great bike, but ouch, creak, where are the painkillers, etc....
Consider also your intended riding routes, intended daily mileage and local weather - a faired tourer may make more sense.
One more piece of unsolicited advice. When choosing a motorcycle think of it in the same way as choosing a new firearm. Buy enough bike.
One of the mistakes I most often see in new riders is the tendency to let price and uncertainty be the primary factors in choosing a new ride. If cost is a large factor consider buying used. Nice, clean examples can be had at significantly reduced prices. Likewise don't let anyone try to get yuou onto a beginner bike. It won't be big enough and you'll end up selling it and buying again a year or so down the road.
Instead get your training and some riding experience before you buy and then buy something large enough and powerful enough for a mature adult rider. If you want a Harley please stay away from the 883s, in fact I recommend staying away from the Sportster line completely. You'll end up hating their lack of usable power and range and hating it.
If you get something else stay away from the mid sized. No 600s I beg of you. It's not going to be enough. I've been down that road before and it never ends well. Look at the open class bikes, 1000 CCs and up. If you choose carefully and wisely you'll end up with a bike you not only love but one you can keep forever. Or at least as long as you can still ride.
Call me. I'd love to have a nice long conversation about one of my favorite subjects.
32 comments:
Some things just aren't rational.
Yeah, like every gun you have has a "rational justification"...
When it comes to motorcycles want is pretty much all we got and it's enough. Think of it as 'because I can'. It's also a thumb in the eye of the safety Nazis. I love mine and couldn't imagine being without at least one. For those days when you just need some alone time if nothing else. And hey, if you buy one I'll pester Murphy's Law some more until he finally gives in and buys one. Then I'll load up, head out and we'll all go for a couple days ride in the mountains somewhere.
Motorcycle meets the road. Great feeling.
Motorcyclist meets the road. Great pain.
+1 to Six. My wife announced, out of the blue, that she thinks we should get a three-wheeler. I'm thinking that $$$ would buy a nice SUV, but then I see the bikes on the road & all rationale goes out the window.
Alan, that's good to hear because this sure isn't.
Six, dang it seems that all the gunbloggers have bikes except for me.
WoFat, heh.
Rev Paul, it looks like it's pretty easy to drop $30k on one of those. Ouch.
At around 50 mpg one can go for a ride just to go for a ride. Today I put on about 200 miles. One of the reasons for the ride was to get a ice cream cone. Both the ride and cone were good.
Oh, and Graybeard, all of my guns came through a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.
Especially the Enfield ...
;-)
I wanted a HARLEY so i bought one in 1979 sold it in 1988 wish i still had it every time i see one i get jealous but with my very poor balence and deafness would not be a good idea these days.
Motorcycles share glide characteristics with a foot-locker.
'Been riding continuously since I was 16 (legally). Now on my 6th bike (or 7th - I've lost count), a 2009 Heritage Softail Classic. Some of the bikes were trades, some were just worn out. The ricers didn't last as long as American iron.
Two things to think about, BP:
1: Only a motorcycle rider truly understands why a dog hangs his head outside a car window, and
2: You never see a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist's office... unless the psychiatrist owns it.
What everyone else said.
And if you need justification, here you go: Blogfather says go for it...
Listen to Jay. He knows what he's talking about.
If you want a rational reason to have a motorcycle, move to the UK where they're considered basic transportation. When I told my boss (in Northern Ireland) how much it costs to buy collision insurance for a bike here he was astonished. But since they're considered recreational vehicles here, we pay through the nose.
One nice thing about a motorcycle: the NSA can't hack its CAN Bus and drive you into a tree.
Get!
Motorcycles share glide characteristics with a foot-locker.
Wofat, that sounds like personal experience talking.
Fun > Rational
Just don't be thinking it's cheaper to own than a car.
And remember - they really are TRYING to kill you.
WoFat: OK OK, WE GET IT. Motorcycles are dangerous. Point taken, for the 100th time.
Sorry you fell off your bike and got a boo-boo and are now scared of the things, but us real American men will just keep on riding motorcycles, because, well, that's how we roll. And, after over 25 years in the saddle and more miles than I can count, I'm still alive and without permanent disability.
Life is risky. You can acknowledge this and live, or hide from every single thing that might hurt you, and die anyway.
Your call.
I understand the desire to bike--I got back into it about 3 years ago and I'm averaging wearing out a rear tire per season.
Don't limit yourself to looking at V-twin cruisers, even if you are quite reasonably avoiding crotch rockets. If I were buying new right now, I'm pretty sure I'd be getting a Honda CB1100--
Basically a fuel injected and modernized version of my current daily driver.
As Tina Turner said "What's rational justification got to do, got to do with it?"
Burt touched on the primary two reasons I ride.
Before you plotz money down though, go take a local Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. Not only will it let you determine for yourself whether riding is for you or not, it will instill skills and practices that will make you a safer rider. Plus, completion of the MSF course will get you a discount on insurance and, in many states, exempt you from the riding exam as it's more stringent than the state test.
Then get your knees in the breeze!
Wraith, we're all friends here. :-)
Sevesteen, crotch rockets are out, but someone who will remain nameless recommended a Yamaha FJR 1300. But the nice thing about the Harleys is that they're simple and you can get them fized (or get parts and fix them yourself) anywhere.
Joe, I expect I'll sign up for the next MSF class. If I'm not digging it, that's a sign. Plus, I think it gets you out of having to take the Georgia Motorcycle road test.
BP: Old Hawgs are simple, the new F-I ones might take a bit more effort. Still, better than a lot of the other companies' offerings, where ease of maintenance takes a back seat to speed and/or styling.
The fact that you're considering the MSF class is a good thing. You can never learn too much. Let us know how it goes!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety#Accident_rates
You only live once. If you want it go get it and enjoy it!!
I just traded my Honda VTX1800 for the new Goldwing F6B. I can't wait to pick it up this week!
Honda Trail 90. Only way to go.
NEW Harleys are just as complex and hard to work on as any other new vehicle. EFI, computers, emissions, all of it. Also, don't forget what H-D really stands for - Hundred Dollars. Everything for a Harley costs a hundred bucks, or multiples thereof. There are also plenty of Jap bikes with 50-100k miles on them. The worst thing you can do to a motorcycle is NOT ride it, so dont think because a bike has super low miles it's a steal.
For the cost of a Harley you could get yourself a pretty decent jet boat. Your choice: wind in your hair as you navigate the third street off-ramp, or the wind in your hair as you navigate a set of class three whitewater rapids with 400 horsepower American v8.
Of course you know which of the two I chose....
I'm late to the party, and linking from the Latin thread, so...
Carpe diem.
"Want" is a perfectly rational explanation. Nice bike, I really need to get my FXR back on the road...
In addition to the very good suggestion to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class, I'd strongly consider getting a used "starter bike" that you intend to sell after a few thousand miles or so. Figure out what you like about it, and more importantly what you don't--particularly riding position. (don't worry about horsepower until near the end--your perceptions will change) If you buy late in the riding season and sell early in a future season, you may lose only the cost of maintenance and a rear tire. (Most used bikes seem to need a rear tire...)
Ronny Jingo and the Third-Wave: Riding without training is like owning a gun without a clue about which end the bullets emerge-from. There are things that are completely non-intuitive that you MUST to learn in order to survive on a bike - countersteering for one. If you can and are really serious about learning to RIDE start with a dirtbike. If you just want the "Wind in the Face" effect, roll down the window and spend a week driving with your head out the window collecting bugs and other debris. On a dirtbike you have to learn how to FIND traction - something that you don't learn about on the street until it's too late and traction disappears. It's MUCH less expensive when you drop it - and you WILL - and it won't cause a hernia when you pick it up, or an embolism when you need to replace broken things. (And you won't replace perfectly good working-things with expensive chromed dick-tits.) In fact dirtbikes are supposed to be dropped and occasionally thrown - like thrown uphill - and it's good exercise. On a dirtbike in the woods you don't (usually) face oncoming traffic, and it's just nice to be in the woods. You don't HAVE to jump it either, not big jumps anyhow - but you CAN if you want to and that's something that's usually not advisable on the street because Jump=Landing and streetbikes are not equipped for Landings... And a dirtbike you can spin it around and roost your buddies in a hail of dirt/mud/sand/nasty junk - or dig a trench to bury the axle.
Then if you really want to street-ride get a dual-sport and have a height-vision advantage that the low-slung asphalt belly crawlers don't have - and THEN when you have the brake-clutch/gas reaction-set ingrained, learn about street-traction and the utter blind idiocy of car drivers.
Or else get an old AMF Harley, then you can have the bike but just not ride it because it's made of broken parts to begin with - imagine a Lucas Harley... Otherwise get a bike and get the MSF training - but remember there's more dirt than asphalt on the planet, still, for a while anyhow...
Totally agree with the "want" bit of getting back on a bike - I started out on a bike, moved to a car for carrying the family, and have just bought a cheap 1987 BMW K100RT for a few hundred pounds.
Cheap to run, easy to maintain, and spares are plentiful & cheaper than most Japanese parts.
One site well worth visiting in advance of your purchase is cycle-ergo.com , it gives you a great idea of how comfortable a bike is going to be.
I made the mistake of buying a Suzuki RF900R without considering that I am a creaky & unfit 50+ year old.... great bike, but ouch, creak, where are the painkillers, etc....
Consider also your intended riding routes, intended daily mileage and local weather - a faired tourer may make more sense.
Best of luck * stay safe!
One more piece of unsolicited advice. When choosing a motorcycle think of it in the same way as choosing a new firearm. Buy enough bike.
One of the mistakes I most often see in new riders is the tendency to let price and uncertainty be the primary factors in choosing a new ride. If cost is a large factor consider buying used. Nice, clean examples can be had at significantly reduced prices. Likewise don't let anyone try to get yuou onto a beginner bike. It won't be big enough and you'll end up selling it and buying again a year or so down the road.
Instead get your training and some riding experience before you buy and then buy something large enough and powerful enough for a mature adult rider. If you want a Harley please stay away from the 883s, in fact I recommend staying away from the Sportster line completely. You'll end up hating their lack of usable power and range and hating it.
If you get something else stay away from the mid sized. No 600s I beg of you. It's not going to be enough. I've been down that road before and it never ends well. Look at the open class bikes, 1000 CCs and up. If you choose carefully and wisely you'll end up with a bike you not only love but one you can keep forever. Or at least as long as you can still ride.
Call me. I'd love to have a nice long conversation about one of my favorite subjects.
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