Wife green lit a motorcycle?

[IHateMyJob2004]

Now that she green lit it, I don't even know if i want it.

So, assuming I go forward with this, I know the following:
BIKE
1) I want something less expensive and probably used (sub $6000)
2) I do not care for sport bikes
3) I prefer a cruiser or something between cruiser and sport bike
4) I care about reliability and fuel economy
5) I don't care for a bike that accelerates fast

GEAR
How much is this goingto cost me?
I want a good helmet and proper clothing. Do sneakers work or do I need to get something better?

I really don't know where to start. Any good web sites, etc?

 

[Krazy4Real]

Do you care about living? If so, don't get a motorcycle.

/puts on flamesuit

 

[manimal]

in b4 turbobusaomg


Lucky dog!

My wife convinced me in a moment of weakness when we moved and I sold all my bikes ><

6k gets you a TON of bike even in the season. I always prefer to buy in winter in the midwest because of prices but you may live Socal so...

First off how tall are you and what kind of bikes have you ridden before? Have you taken the MSF course? I retook it after 20 years of riding and I still got something out of it.

Have you ever done long rides? What kind of comfort levels can you tolerate>? When I was 20 I could ride all day on my GSXR but now at my age 20 minutes on a sportbike causes swamp ass somefin fierce...

 

[Xecuter]

kawasaki 250r, sportbike though; nevermind...

 

[z1ggy]

Look for a used sportster if you are into cruiser. Don't be a HD douche and wear nothing for gear, it is asking for trouble. You need a FULL face helmet, a leather or textile jacket, full knuckle leather or textile gloves, preferably also leather or textile pants (although many people wear jeans, they don't do jack shit if you fall down going any faster than like 10mph) and at a minimum, steel toe 3/4 boots ( I wear full length leather race boots, but then again I ride a sportbike, too).

 

[SpatiallyAware]

One of my all-time favorite starter bikes is a Suzuki GS500. You can get an older unfaired version which are bulletproof, parking-lot drop proof, and great handling bikes.

Gear, I would budget $1000 but you can get by with $600 if needed.


I don't have time at the moment, but will post up some more suggestions this afternoon.

 

[consolibyte]

Get a used naked SV650. Reliable. Standard (not quite sport, but not quite cruiser). Excellent commuter bike with 40+ MPG. Cheap. 2nd gens are fuel injected which makes maintenance a bit easier (no worries about cleaning carbs). Put frame sliders on it (Motosliders are a great brand) to prevent drops. Great forum: http://www.svrider.com/forum/

If you're a new rider, take the MSF course. Spend a lot of time practicing in parking lots.

Plan to spend close to $1000 on good gear - a few hundred for a FULL FACE helmet, a few hundred for a jacket, full gauntlet gloves, good boots. DO NOT just buy the first helmet they show you- try them on and see what fits you best, and make sure it fits snug and doesn't jiggle around on your head. Buy a bigger brand name helmet (Scorpion, Shoei, Arai are all great brands, and there are others) - not just for safety, but for wind noise reduction and build quality. Make sure your leather jacket has CE armor in the elbows and shoulders. Don't skimp on the gear, and always wear it. Do not wear sneakers - at least get over-the-ankle work boots. http://www.motorcyclegear.com/ and http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/ have good gear for cheap often.

Go around the internet and look at the aftermath of motorcycle crashes, and read about accident statistics. Understand that motorcycles are not for everyone, and that if you don't wear your gear, crashing sucks. Gear significantly lowers your chances of getting seriously hurt in a crash.

No drinking at all if you're on the bike.

Great guide for what to look for in a used motorcycle: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html If you have a friend who is mechanically inclined or knows about motorcycles, bring him.

If your sole goal is to save money, realize that you probably won't. Yeah, you'll get better gas mileage... but you're also going to have another insurance bill, and have to pay for tires for the bike every 10k or 20k miles or so (depends largely on what you get for a bike, and how you ride).



Motorcycling is totally the most fun you can have with your pants on if you're safe and responsible and understand the risks.

 

[Greenman]

On your own as far as what bike to get. Personally, I've never understood the point of a sport bike for someone that doesn't race.
Gear isn't that big of a deal, but like anything else you can spend as much on it as you want. Good helmets can be had for a hundred bucks or less, the same with jackets. More cash generally gets you better quality, but not always. Take the MSF course.

 

[superccs]

Suzuki savage 900, or honda cb900

 

[jaha2000]

On your own as far as what bike to get. Personally, I've never understood the point of a sport bike for someone that doesn't race.
Gear isn't that big of a deal, but like anything else you can spend as much on it as you want. Good helmets can be had for a hundred bucks or less, the same with jackets. More cash generally gets you better quality, but not always. Take the MSF course.

Disagree with gear is not that big of a deal. Go down once and make that same statement.

If you have a 6k total budget i would spend 1k of that on gear.
The big think people ignore are boots. Broken ankles are pretty common in crashes and can be preventing by wearing the proper gear.

 

[consolibyte]

Gear isn't that big of a deal, but like anything else you can spend as much on it as you want.

Highly disagree - buy gear that fits you, and is high quality.

The only people that think "gear isn't that big of a deal" are those who haven't crashed yet. I've always worn gear, but it took walking away from a 60mph slide with my helmet on, face down, on the pavement to really cement in my brain exactly why gear is so important. Just imagine that for a moment- sliding at 60mph on your face. Ick.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

in b4 turbobusaomg


Lucky dog!

My wife convinced me in a moment of weakness when we moved and I sold all my bikes ><

6k gets you a TON of bike even in the season. I always prefer to buy in winter in the midwest because of prices but you may live Socal so...

First off how tall are you and what kind of bikes have you ridden before? Have you taken the MSF course? I retook it after 20 years of riding and I still got something out of it.

Have you ever done long rides? What kind of comfort levels can you tolerate>? When I was 20 I could ride all day on my GSXR but now at my age 20 minutes on a sportbike causes swamp ass somefin fierce...

My History:
Small dirt bike when I was a kid. More 3 wheeling though. Other than that, I am an avid mountain biker. None of the firet trail BS. Singletrack stuff where you need to control the bike, not where the bike controls you.

I am 6' tall even though I am probably closer to 6' 1".

Your comments on sports bikes are pretty mcuh why I don't want one.

I intend on taking as many bike courses as posible if I go forward with this.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Lots of good advice here. As others have said, boots are a must. You want your ankles covered. Personally, I just use an old pair of Timberland work boots. They're solidly made and offer pretty good ankle support. I disagree with people who say you need steel-toe boots; it's the ankle protection you're after and any quality leather boot will have enough stiffness at the toe even without steel.

Estimating about $1,000 for gear seems about right. A good jacket will be ~$300 and a helmet, depending on what you get, can run $300-$500 easily. Then $100 for boots and maybe $30-$50 for gloves. A pair of kevlar jeans will run about $100 as well.

Also, the comment on used Sportsters is a good one. My 2007 Sportster has been very reliable and it's a blast to ride. It's not the best canyon carver, but that's not why I bought it and it can hold its own reasonably well. The low center of gravity makes it easier for a novice to control in low-speed situations and the relatively low saddle height (my 1200R has a 28.1 inch high seat, all other models of Sportster have even lower saddles) inspires confidence for many novice riders. The low-RPM torque helps a lot in town too, just let the clutch out and go. Overall, I'd say the Sportster is a very strong "all around" bike, especially the "Roadster" (1200R and 883R) models which are a bit taller and more "upright" than the other Sportsters.

The GS500 recommendation is also a good one. The older unfaired models don't look sportbike-y and the overall bike, as a 47-hp parallel twin weighing just about 400 pounds, should perform about the same as my old Honda CB450SC (45 hp, parallel twin, 390 pounds), a bike that I tend to consider to be the absolute perfect beginner bike. It's big enough that you won't "grow out" of it easily but not a fire-breathing race-clone like most 600cc sportbikes out there.

Honestly, the 1980's were one of the best times for "starter" bikes; there were many more options in the 450-550cc range (in the US at least) and IMO that's the sweet spot for a first bike.

ZV

 

[HybridSquirrel]

buy used gear....used jackets, gloves, and boots can save you a bunch. never buy a used helmet.

 

[Mandres]

First things first: go and take the MSF beginner's riding course to figure out if this is something you really want to do before you even start looking at bikes or gear.

Then buy something slow, cheap and used for your first bike. Keep it a couple years to build experience then sell it and get what you really want. After a couple of seasons riding you'll have a much better idea of what it is you really want.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Do these MSF beginner's riding courses provide bikes and have people there that have never riden before?

How much does it cost?

 

[consolibyte]

Do these MSF beginner's riding courses provide bikes and have people here that have never riden before?

Yes and yes. It's designed specifically for people who don't have a motorcycle, and don't know how to ride.

How much does it cost?

It varies wildly across states/locations. I've seen it cost everyone from $350, to completely free.

Look it up in your state and contact them for more info: http://online2.msf-usa.org/msf/Default.aspx

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

On your own as far as what bike to get. Personally, I've never understood the point of a sport bike for someone that doesn't race.
Gear isn't that big of a deal, but like anything else you can spend as much on it as you want. Good helmets can be had for a hundred bucks or less, the same with jackets. More cash generally gets you better quality, but not always. Take the MSF course.

What about sportcars?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Do you care about living? If so, don't get a motorcycle.

/puts on flamesuit

This. Man I love motorcycles. Have ridden them my whole life. A switch went off in my head one day and I was like wtf am I doing? Sold the bike and now when I see people riding it just looks so dangerous. All it takes is one texter or grandma that doesn't see you and it'll end you or cripple you for life.

 

[z1ggy]

On your own as far as what bike to get. Personally, I've never understood the point of a sport bike for someone that doesn't race.
Gear isn't that big of a deal, but like anything else you can spend as much on it as you want. Good helmets can be had for a hundred bucks or less, the same with jackets. More cash generally gets you better quality, but not always. Take the MSF course.

Only good advice here is the last sentence. Sport bike.. uhh.. because that's what certain people like to ride? And gear is actually a huge deal and a "good" helmet is most certainly more money than $100. To me "good" is maybe in the 200-400 range, and "great" would be something like a top tier Shoei, Arai, Bell , etc. Would not buy used helmet at all. Used jacket, gloves, and boots are fine.

In CT, the MSF course is $200, and is 3 days long. You ride a 250cc bike that is basically impossible to stall on and is really good for practicing.

 

[pauldun170]

Now that she green lit it, I don't even know if i want it.

So, assuming I go forward with this, I know the following:
BIKE
1) I want something less expensive and probably used (sub $6000)
2) I do not care for sport bikes
3) I prefer a cruiser or something between cruiser and sport bike
4) I care about reliability and fuel economy
5) I don't care for a bike that accelerates fast

GEAR
How much is this goingto cost me?
I want a good helmet and proper clothing. Do sneakers work or do I need to get something better?

I really don't know where to start. Any good web sites, etc?

A good helmet will run from $150 to $600. A full face helmet is the only way to go. There are a lot of places that have deals on older models (closeout sales) hence a $360 helmet can be had for $150.

Same goes for Jackets. (Leather is best, textile is OK)
$150 (closeout deals) to $600. Average is about 380 for an ok Jacket.


Expect to spend around $60 to $120 for motorcycle gloves

Sneakers are not appropriate for riding. By proper motorcycle foot wear that protects your feet\ankles.

You can find riding pants in many styles from "Riding Jeans" to textile to leather.

Ear plugs will run 9 bucks for a bottle of 100.

Brands - Try them ALL and find the one that fits you the best. There are a couple of brands that really suck but narrow it down to what fits you and what looks like a solid product.
there are usually some sales out there where you can save a significant amount (My current Jacket collection includes an AlpineStars leather Jacket that I picked up new for $110 on sale. MSRP is $370.

As for the "bike".
I'd check everything from Sportsters to BMW F800's to SV-650s.

 

[Railgun]

Here's my take on the MSF course as I've taken that as well as the UK versions of the tests (CBT and DAS).

It's got nothing to do with riding. It kind of teaches you slow speed control, and that's about it. You don't go on the road at all. That, IMHO, will never teach you anything.

The CBT here is partly the MSF class, but you go on the road as well. All on a 125cc bike. You can't ride anything larger for two years unless you do the DAS, which is done on either a 500 or 650, both a full MSF course (plus some additional things) and an on road test (two seperate tests). Pretty thorough. That said, yes, take it. It's better than nothing.

As far as gear and the comment of it's not a big deal, perhaps (and I hope) it was made with the intent to mean there is so much gear that you don't have to worry so much about from where you get it or what brand, or that kind of thing. A helmet, for the most part (if up to snuff (readOT/SNELL..preferrably the latter)) is a helmet (we're talking about casual riding here folks, so it doesn't need all the bells and whistles). Most leathers have the minimum padding you want, with pockets for more. Gloves and shoes/boots are to your preference. Leather gloves with some knuckle padding is better. Then rain/cold weather gear if you so desire.

In Indiana, the MSF was $75 and included a membership. Out here, it's far, far, FAR more expensive.

 

[MiataNC]

You should search this forum. There are already plenty of posts answering all of your questions.

I recommend the following bikes to start out on (all are fairly common on the used market):
Suzuki SV650 ("naked" not the S model with the fairing)
Suzuki DL650K V-Strom
Suzuki GS500
Suzuki GSX600 Bandit
Suzuki GSX400 Bandit
Kawasaki EX250R (Ninja 250)
Kawasaki EX500R (Ninja 500)
Honda Shadow 650-750
HD 883 Sportster

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Make sure to try the helmet on before you buy. Some good sites for gear are:
motorcyclegear.com
motorcyclecloseouts.com
revzilla.com <- they pricematch
cyclegear.com
ironpony.com
leatherup.com

 

[Greenman]

Highly disagree - buy gear that fits you, and is high quality.

The only people that think "gear isn't that big of a deal" are those who haven't crashed yet. I've always worn gear, but it took walking away from a 60mph slide with my helmet on, face down, on the pavement to really cement in my brain exactly why gear is so important. Just imagine that for a moment- sliding at 60mph on your face. Ick.

Been down twice. Both times were when I was young and stupid.

Leather is leather. Material thickness is all that counts. If you want a flashy design or some fellows name printed on it, you pay more. Helmets are much the same, DOT and even Snell rated helmets can be had for less than a hundred bucks. My point is that a cool paint job or beer can graphics don't necessarily translate into a product that will perform better.