recommend me a beater

[TerminatorX5]

I can ride a bike!!! bicycle, that is!!! lol... only in a straight line, making turns is hard and scary... lol...

[ake53]

Thanks errrybody...
I'm crazy about speed, it hard to stay by the speed limit with my m54.
I drove bikes, but not crotchrockets. I might sign up for motorcycle class and learn some more before picking up a bike. Everyone has different views on bikes. Some tell me Gixers are the perfect starter bike others say the newer cbr600s, I just always liked the R6, the new one even has traction control. :O like who needs that!? Well Bike research will start soon. I just want something fast and that wont kill me on turns, and I dont mind leaning on turns like youre supposed.

[motordavid]

Ah, 'speed'...it is a human condition to embrace and enjoy the sensation.

A good local MSF course is worth taking, imo. I reload on one every few years; have taken about a dozen over the course of my riding time, though they weren't offered way back in the old days. Wish they had been. It may seem like taking 'driver education' again, but I learn something every time I do the MSF course, or at least brush up on skills...

ake: I wasn't dissing the R6, as I really like any brand/model of two wheels with an engine under my fanny. But, "I just want something fast and that wont kill me on turns"...is a vague and hopeful tick list for m'cycle shopping, imo.

Going 'fast' on nearly any motorcycle is relative, but most bikes will walk most cars up to the scoot's top speed. And, riding curvy roads/carving corners is exhilirating, but tiring over time due to the focus & narrow attnetion, that must be paid.

Sometimes a smooth, 'easy corner' half day ride is more enjoyable than an hour of carving corners. Maybe I am just getting old(er), and am fully aware of my expiration date getting closer, but I too often see riders here in our Mtns that thought they were much better than they are, that have gone down or high sided on some of our fabulous two lane blacktops.

NEway, no lecture, but long winded. When you go sled shopping, I am sure there will be a few of us with 'opinions',
GL, mD

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Ah, 'speed'...it is a human condition to embrace and enjoy the sensation.

A good local MSF course is worth taking, imo. I reload on one every few years; have taken about a dozen over the course of my riding time, though they weren't offered way back in the old days. Wish they had been. It may seem like taking 'driver education' again, but I learn something every time I do the MSF course, or at least brush up on skills...

ake: I wasn't dissing the R6, as I really like any brand/model of two wheels with an engine under my fanny. But, "I just want something fast and that wont kill me on turns"...is a vague and hopeful tick list for m'cycle shopping, imo.

Going 'fast' on nearly any motorcycle is relative, but most bikes will walk most cars up to the scoot's top speed. And, riding curvy roads/carving corners is exhilirating, but tiring over time due to the focus & narrow attnetion, that must be paid.

Sometimes a smooth, 'easy corner' half day ride is more enjoyable than an hour of carving corners. Maybe I am just getting old(er), and am fully aware of my expiration date getting closer, but I too often see riders here in our Mtns that thought they were much better than they are, that have gone down or high sided on some of our fabulous two lane blacktops.

NEway, no lecture, but long winded. When you go sled shopping, I am sure there will be a few of us with 'opinions',
GL, mD

well put mD and Alex definitely listen to one of the wisest on our boards, as I believe ol' uncle motor is in his 60s and still lives to tell the tale after 30+ years of riding! If you want to live that long on a bike, don't listen to your buddies who say Gixxers and R6's are perfect starter bikes.

Secondly, Traction control and ABS is not going to stop you from crashing and killing yourself (or from getting hit by another car), its a safety net, but learning how to ride a machine that has some room for error and actually learning how to control said machine without the use of electronic aids will keep you alive for years to come. ABS is nice, but just because the brakes won't lock up on you doesn't mean that you will have the muscle memory and reaction instincts to be able to control the bike at the extreme braking necessary to engage ABS (you most likely will be doing a stoppie almost).

My SV650 was 25 hp down from an R6, hardly a "beginners bike" like a Ninja 250/300, but I had more torque lb. ft than a CBR/Gixxer/Ninja. Horsepower pulls you away at top end rpm's like a rocket, torque is what snaps your head back and makes you do wheelies, you decide which is more important to you.


And food for thought, although I never started on one, if you're looking for speed, a Ninja 300/250 will still outrun most standard cars 0-60, it may not have the top end speed to do over 100, but most any bike, even the smallest and cheapest is going to accelerate faster than a car.

Please take your MSF, please gear up completely with armored gear (you only get one set of skin, its better to sweat than bleed), and please don't ever say again that "you want something that is fast but won't kill you on turns", IT IS NOT THE MOTORCYCLE RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING THE MAN, IT IS ALL IN THE TWIST OF YOUR WRIST AND YOUR RIDING PROFICIENCY. RIDE LIKE A HOTHEAD WHEN YOU ARE A BEGINNER, AND YOU RUN THE CHANCE OF GETTING KILLED. IN THE FIRST 2 YEARS OF RIDING IS WHEN 90% OF RIDERS GET IN DANGEROUS ACCIDENTS.

I'm sorry for the long winded and opinionated response, at 27 years old I have seen 4 acquiantances (some who I used to ride with) go down due to having what I call a "motorcycle ego" and plain bad decision making on the road, and they have all been buried as a result. In all of the situations I know, it was never a problem with having "too fast" of a motorcycle, it was all due to poor decision making in extreme survival situations, and a lack of respect for riding within the skills you have. I am gearing up to be an MSF instructor as we speak (Its a long training course to be accepted but I am in the application/interview stage) because if I can help young guys and girls from having these silly "beginning rider" mentalities I hope I can help save some lives out there. Feel free to pick my brain by PM anytime you wish, I'm sorry for diverting the thread attention.

And before you ride/take the MSF, make sure to pick up 3 books which for 30 bucks I'm sure will save your life, "Twist of the Wrist Part 2" by Keith Code (if you don't know his name his instructions WILL save your life), "Total Control" by Lee Parks, and "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough.



And by the way, as my last lesson will tell you, of the 4 deaths I've experienced over my years of riding, I did not tell you about the 5 survivals I have seen from friends and acquiantances which have gone down. The ones that lived, rode with a full face, armored (shoulder, back, and elbow CE protection) leather of textile riding jacket, riding boots, and sturdy gloves. The ones that died, rode in T-shirts, except for one (however, a jacket is not going to save you from veering off the road and hitting a telephone pole at 110 mph), and one actually survived his crash, but his injuries were so severe due to lack of riding gear, he died 4 weeks later in the hospital.


Riding is a very serious topic for me and I hope you take it as seriously as myself and mD do. It's a blessing to go out for a ride and come home alive and without injury, and you can only do that with proficient skill, respect for the road and other drivers, and a lack of an ego.

[TerminatorX5]

dudes, AK is a russian (or, of the russian mentality), and there is no russian out there who does not like fast speeds - it was in their blood when they were sledding on the icy roads of the mother russia, and riding horses... russians are the ones who came up with the russian roulette, die but prove the point, they have the saying that dying in view of a cheering crowd is fun!!! (на миру и смерть красна)...

I sure hope he gets the point and stays safe...

I had a fellow co-worker, a US Navy SeaBee (CB), who went through Iraq, Afganistan, Haiti, Uruguay, Somalia, Thailand, was with me in Panama, came out of those adventures without a scratch and died on a motorcycle going down on I-95 in DC area... nice kid, we talked a lot about his little kids, his plans to be posted to Italy for his next assignment... his passing really broke my heart...

I'd probably voice an opinion of somebody who has no idea what a motorcycle riding is, but i always think that those guys on the fast bikes are suicidal...

[motordavid]

RB: thanks for the props...
66 in a few weeks, if I make it.
Being riding since I was 15, ~50+ yrs.

Doesn't mean much, as I could go off to Valhalla tomorrow, astride a scoot.

Term: I knew ake was from Russia, and I sort of understand the 'let's haul azz' stuff. Hellsbells, I did some crazy driving/riding in my Ute. Still do, on occasion, but only when there is no around to hurt, but me. And, the haulazz stuff these days is considerably milder probably. When I was younger, I used to think I was a great driver/rider; now I know I am just OK, and that anything can happen on the road.
GL, mD

[ake53]

wow this has almost become a motorcycle thread.
yes term is right, i have russian blood, But When I own something... I take care of it and
I lose that haulazz mentality, I'd rather keep my bike in one piece.

thank you everyone for the info. I will take the course, read the books, buy the right bike, and ride without regrets.

I personally known a kid, buys a R6, goes crazy doing tricks like standing on top of the bike at high speeds. Well 2 months later he dies because he couldnt take a turn at 90mph on the back roads.

You cant say all bikes are bad and kill people. The time comes to all of us, sometimes it just happens to be on a bike for some. Not saying it's not the riders fault in this either.

Hey Term: can you get a fun job like that?

thanks everyone! Who knew the X5 community has bikers.

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by ake53

Hey Term: can you get a fun job like that?

fun job wrecking motorbikes??? hmm.. i am sure it is possible...

or, what fun job did you mean?

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by ake53

wow this has almost become a motorcycle thread.
yes term is right, i have russian blood, But When I own something... I take care of it and
I lose that haulazz mentality, I'd rather keep my bike in one piece.

thank you everyone for the info. I will take the course, read the books, buy the right bike, and ride without regrets.

I personally known a kid, buys a R6, goes crazy doing tricks like standing on top of the bike at high speeds. Well 2 months later he dies because he couldnt take a turn at 90mph on the back roads.

You cant say all bikes are bad and kill people. The time comes to all of us, sometimes it just happens to be on a bike for some. Not saying it's not the riders fault in this either.

Hey Term: can you get a fun job like that?

thanks everyone! Who knew the X5 community has bikers.

I feel better already Alex, very well thought out response going forward. If you do all you said above, you surely will not end up like your "stunting" friend who decided to go into a turn too hot (and with a T-shirt on too I'm sure) and didn't live to tell the tale afterwards.

[xRide]

Stay away from Hondas unless you are ready to deal with tranny issues, especially the 1998 to I think 2001. The automatic tranny on Hondas and acuras are horrible. But if u do, get a manual.

I'm considering selling my "beater" a 2009 Subaru legacy. Havent made up my mind yet.