Southern California - First step to joining the dark side.

No I am not getting a mountain bike or recumbent. :p I did sign up for a motorcycle class at the end of the month. If I like it will have to start watching craigslist for a good deal.
A friend recommended used Kawasaki Ninja 250, or honda cbr600 f3, or suzuki sv650s. I was considering buying new Ninja 250r, but apparently they are hot item right now and dealers charging at least 1.5k over MSRP. :(

I have a motorcycle license. I've never ridden a motorcycle on the streets.

i wouldn't call it the dark side unless you were thinking about putting one of those ****ing mohawk things on top of your helmet. everyone who does that should be shot. everyone.

I've been riding for a long time. After my last bicycle accident I decided to lay low on riding my street bikes on the street and take them to the track now.

Your friends recommendations on bikes for a newbie are solid.

Dang......and here I thought you were talking about riding a constant. :D

I was considering buying new Ninja 250r, but apparently they are hot item right now and dealers charging at least 1.5k over MSRP. :(

The masses have been waiting for that 250 to be made to not look like @ss for about a decade now, so now that it looks decent, everyone and their moms are flocking to buy it.

For me, if $ were no object, I'd still get the sv. It's the most fun you can have with your clothes on. :D

+1 about the mohawks

Buy used for your first bike, then figure out what really want.

buy a used 600cc and call it a day, you'll learn to ride one and won't need to upgrade anytime soon. Make sure its at least from 2000 up, they changed to fuel injected at that time. You can find them from $3k to 7k.

I'd own a motorcycle but the way I'd ride my road/MT bike I'd proll die on a motor powered one. Wife said I can have a fast car instead so I went that route...if you a turbo miata fast LOL.

Get a Vespa.

Hey - there's nothing wrong with mountain biking :mad: I've been riding off road for over 20 yrs (back before there was any suspension and everything was made of steel). :p

I agree that you should buy a used bike first (the general rule is that almost everyone will lay down their first bike, so it's better to save some money initially). Also, after you've ridden for a while, you can decide what style, size, and features of a bike that are important to you. The motorcycle safety foundation class is well worth the money.

I started w/ a 78 Kawasaki KZ650 that I got for a few hundred, then replaced it with a barely used 94 Yamaha Seca II (600cc - it had 1300 mi when I bought it). At that time, I was told that anything smaller than a 500cc bike may be a little light and unstable to be riding at freeway speeds. I finally stopped riding after one too many cars cut me off (I was commuting from OC to WLA on it at the time) and I figured that eventually I'd have a nasty accident if I kept it.

Good luck - I still miss riding and think about getting another bike from time to time.

This is how my adventure to the dark side almost went:

I rode a 50cc moped for a couple years, met my husband (who rode), took the motorcycle class (scored a perfect score- a first with that instructor), got my license, bought $300 worth of safety gear before *he* decided L.A. was just too scary of a place to be riding.

I *highly* regret not riding. Now I have a kid and it's going to be a *long* time before I get on a bike.

Welcome to the dark side ;)


Grace

sv600

i wouldn't call it the dark side unless you were thinking about putting one of those ****ing mohawk things on top of your helmet. everyone who does that should be shot. everyone.

But you gotta get one of these:

http://www.docsleathers.com/catalog/images/product/hot_leathers/WC111.jpg

Does this guy seriously think he looks bad ass?

http://www.motorcycle.com/images/content/Product/pict0035.jpg

My first bike was a Ninja 500, great bike. It being called a Ninja is kind of confusing when you actually look at the bike, there is not much Ninja about it. You actually sit pretty much upright. I also looked at the 250s and was so glad I got the 500. Even with the 500, I was ready to move to a larger bike pretty quick. I moved on to an '88 BMW K100RS. Don't discount the older BMWs, they may sound like a big bike but they're nothing like a 1000cc sport bike!
Chris

I've owned four bikes, and currently ride a 98 VFR800 with 56K miles on it. Used to commute the 101 and 405 every day. The little ninjas are great starter bikes, but if you're a bigger rider, you will likely soon tire of them. I would suggest a USED SV650. They are great all-around bikes with plenty of torque, and you won't outgrow it as fast. Also, wear ALL the gear ALL the time. I have several riding friends who have had accidents on the road, and because they are geared up head to toe, they have suffered relatively minor injuries. It may feel cool to ride in a Tshirt and jeans (I've done it), but believe me, if you lay it down even at 10 mph, you're going to wish you had a leather or ballistic nylon suit. Losing skin on the asphalt sucks big time. I wear a perforated leather suit in summer, and a full Aerostich Roadcrafter ballistic nylon suit the rest of the year. Definitely start with the Motorcycle Safety course, too. They make you think about doing things the right way.

Happy riding, and keep the shiny side up.
Jim

Also, wear ALL the gear ALL the time. I have several riding friends who have had accidents on the road, and because they are geared up head to toe, they have suffered relatively minor injuries. It may feel cool to ride in a Tshirt and jeans (I've done it), but believe me, if you lay it down even at 10 mph, you're going to wish you had a leather or ballistic nylon suit. Losing skin on the asphalt sucks big time. I wear a perforated leather suit in summer, and a full Aerostich Roadcrafter ballistic nylon suit the rest of the year. Definitely start with the Motorcycle Safety course, too. They make you think about doing things the right way.

Happy riding, and keep the shiny side up.
Jim

I can't echo this enough! +111111111111....

ive got my two vespas but i hardly ride them anymore...to freaky here in the SFV. safer riding my bike...

I've owned four bikes, and currently ride a 98 VFR800 with 56K miles on it. Used to commute the 101 and 405 every day. The little ninjas are great starter bikes, but if you're a bigger rider, you will likely soon tire of them. I would suggest a USED SV650. They are great all-around bikes with plenty of torque, and you won't outgrow it as fast. Also, wear ALL the gear ALL the time. I have several riding friends who have had accidents on the road, and because they are geared up head to toe, they have suffered relatively minor injuries. It may feel cool to ride in a Tshirt and jeans (I've done it), but believe me, if you lay it down even at 10 mph, you're going to wish you had a leather or ballistic nylon suit. Losing skin on the asphalt sucks big time. I wear a perforated leather suit in summer, and a full Aerostich Roadcrafter ballistic nylon suit the rest of the year. Definitely start with the Motorcycle Safety course, too. They make you think about doing things the right way.

Happy riding, and keep the shiny side up.
Jim

Not the SV650S?

Yeah I plan on getting all the stuff if I decide I like riding. I remember how much skin I left on the pavement during my crashes on a bicycle. Those were at less then 25mph, I can only imagine the carnage of a crash at higher speed.

+1 on the msf class. it will stop you from making a lot of stupid mistakes in the beginning.

i've got a sv650s that i haven't ridden in a couple of years. i used to do a lot of trackdays with it, you won't need much more power than that for a while. with a little work they're great bikes for the track and the canyons. i'm sure twowheeltom will chime in soon once he sees that this is a motorcycle thread. i knew him from us both haviing sv's and he used to race his at willow springs and other places

Not the SV650S?

Yeah I plan on getting all the stuff if I decide I like riding. I remember how much skin I left on the pavement during my crashes on a bicycle. Those were at less then 25mph, I can only imagine the carnage of a crash at higher speed.

Didn't mean to say no to the S. Any SV650 will take you from beginner to 'fast grinner'. :D I've ridden one, and that is the bike I would choose if I was just starting out, either standard, S model or the Vstrom 650. Sounds like you've got the right mindset for it. Just remember two things: they are ALL out to kill you, and your accident avoidance skills from cycling will translate to moto-riding, but you'll need to adjust your reaction time because things happen faster at 60 than at 20.

Jim

http://www.spokejunkies.com/forum/uploads/1129662744/gallery_35_51_122286.jpg (http://www.spokejunkies.com/forum/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=397)

I just sold my ZX10R race bike and am buying a Ninja 250R to race. I should save about 12K a year on tires. Get it and come racing.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/479008624_d946b5a424.jpg?v=0

I just sold my ZX10R race bike and am buying a Ninja 250R to race. I should save about 12K a year on tires. Get it and come racing.

How come you are going from 1kcc to 250cc bike?

http://www.spokejunkies.com/forum/uploads/1129662744/gallery_35_51_122286.jpg (http://www.spokejunkies.com/forum/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=397)

That's a sweet db ride.

How come you are going from 1kcc to 250cc bike?

bikes eat up tires at the track. A lot of 1k riders (and even the faster 600 riders) go though a set of tires every race weekend. With tires being around $360 per set, and 12+ race weekends a year (that's not including the occasional track day for practice), the money adds up real quick. That's why a lot of the veterans prefer riding smaller displacement bikes--the grin factor per dollar is a lot higher. On the street, the difference isn't quite as big though.

even on the street you can use up a lot of tires. the first year i had the sv650 i put about 25,000 miles on the bike commuting and riding the canyons and put 12 tires on the bike, 8 rears and 4 fronts. at around $150 for a rear and $100 for a front it adds up, so much for the savings in gas.

felt1 did you race with wsmc or somewhere else?

even on the street you can use up a lot of tires. the first year i had the sv650 i put about 25,000 miles on the bike commuting and riding the canyons and put 12 tires on the bike, 8 rears and 4 fronts. at around $150 for a rear and $100 for a front it adds up, so much for the savings in gas.

felt1 did you race with wsmc or somewhere else?

Damn. Were they "performance" tires or "regular" ones?
Anyway passed the safety course, so as soon as the form arrives will take written and get the license. :D
What insurance do people have? I tried AAA, and progressive and was quoted 2-4k a year. :eek:

How come you are going from 1kcc to 250cc bike?I spent 12K last year on tires alone racing a 1000cc bike. If I race a 250 I can probably buy 3 sets of tires and be set for the year. Plus the 250 class itself has pretty much a no modifications rules and pump gas only.

Just wanted to throw in some love for the CBR600 F3. That's one great bike. I had an Interceptor back in the late 80's and loved it.

Damn. Were they "performance" tires or "regular" ones?
Anyway passed the safety course, so as soon as the form arrives will take written and get the license. :D
What insurance do people have? I tried AAA, and progressive and was quoted 2-4k a year. :eek:

high performance tires, i was doing a lot of riding in the canyons.

insurance for the sv650 was $700 for full coverage and less than $200 for liability. it helps to have a motorcycle license for a while even if you don't have a bike and your rates will be a lot lower. they're just assuming you're another squid who will make a couple of payments to your insurance and then be making a claim for thousands as you have dropped or crashed your new bike. all more reason to start small, used and cheap