Does anyone here also ride motorcycles?

[nordwulf]

I have been without a bike for a year now and I miss it more than I thought I would. Suzuki reworked the V-Strom for 2012 and I am very tempted...

The newer Gladius engine is still 650 but a bit more powerful, they changed the bodywork to make it a bit smaller and better looking, improved seat comfort and wind buffeting, changed cockpit instruments and a few more smaller things. Many were hoping for an 800 but Suzuki took a model with a proven history and improved on that. Why mess with a good thing?

Around $8000 including ABS is still the best value in this segment. And you can't argue with reliability and go 100K miles with mostly regular maintenance. It's the crossover of motorcycles and I want one..



Or perhaps I am just sick of winter already and want to fast forward to summer.

[Shazam]

Winter... this hasn't been a winter. This has just been an extended fall.

I'm looking at bikes more and more. Since only one of my friends rides, I'm thinking of signing up for one of those 10 hour courses where you end up with a motorcycle license if you pass. Then I can start looking for some cheap bike. I'm thinking '80's Japanese. A million of them around here, and they are a good bike to learn on. Plus, if I get it for the right price, I won't be afraid to drop it if I need to.

Have you seen Erik Buell is back in the bike game? I feel Buell (the older ones) were a bit like Saab. Different, not very popular among the masses, but they are great, and look great. Sure, you can get something that does a specific thing better (faster, smoother...) but they seem to have a personality about them. Buell had some clever innovations too, like Saab used to. But now, his bike is something like $60k! I wonder what he is going to come up with for his "mass market" bike instead of the limited edition he is currently working on.

[nordwulf]

I'm thinking of signing up for one of those 10 hour courses where you end up with a motorcycle license if you pass. Then I can start looking for some cheap bike. I'm thinking '80's Japanese. A million of them around here, and they are a good bike to learn on. Plus, if I get it for the right price, I won't be afraid to drop it if I need to.

That's how I got my motorcycle license. It's a heck of a lot easier than getting your license in Europe. Some of the people that failed the class shouldn't really be riding a bike anyways. It's fun seeing people falling over though..

I bought an old '82 Honda CX650 for my first bike at a garage sale for $150 which needed a bit of work. Not the prettiest or fastest bike but a lot of fun. You can't go wrong with the older Japanese bikes as they seem to last forever. I still would like a Honda CB750 / Nighthawk some day.

[tunnanxwd]

Sadly, along with the medical issues went the last of the bikes. We had a bunch of dirt machines the last two were "Dad & Lad" Yamaha 125's. Just the other day I found a letter from the kid whose dad bought them thanking me. Made me feel good to pass the torch.

However, within the next week I am heading to the local vintage cycle shop to look for something in the BMW or Triumph Cub class. The only requirement will be the ability to convert it to electric start.

Actually our Yammy's were real POS of hard to start crap and I would never recommend one, both bought new so they weren't abused. They almost sold me one of those little twins when I went to pick up the broken choke (cheap plastic clip), but the verbal quote was like $80 then they charged $250 .... hell, I could have put a Mikuni on and expansion kit for that much. I actually had to pull my kid out since he heard the quote and then when the guy gave us crap over the bill he wanted to clean clocks.

Yes, they are a bit on the heavy side but Honda costs more because they run, start. I just spent $1,500 on a 1985 Honda KT5000 11 horse tractor based on all my other Honda powered stuff.

Really, please make suggestions on a light, electric start machine. I really want a classic type "250'ish" ... old fantasy stuff with a "cool factor", hence despite what I just said, Honda is not at the top of the list. If I could still kick a machine over it would be BSA Victor, Triumph Cub or the like; but my fear is getting stuck, so electric it will have to be. Probably have a "dual" battery rigged and keep a can of ether too just in case.


Reminded me of my old Italian Harley 250 that tried to kill me a few times. The throttle would stick wide open on occasion despite work on the carb and a new cable. The good news was that the first time it happened it was 6:00 Sunday morning putting to work through the heart of Trenton NJ. Now, despite how much experience you have riding, when you are faced with an accelerating bike and a few red lights coming up in the heart of town ... you panic ... deer in the headlights kind of stuff. Your first reaction is pull in the clutch, but that just allows the engine to scream and then you wonder how it will be and how much leg, foot, bone and other things you will have to live without when it blows!! Not to mention you have just run a red light. After you play clutch in-out-in-out and go through the second red light somehow your "logical" mind takes over. Now a faster thinking person would have done the right thing in the first place. Smart money would have just reached down and turned off the key.

That is also why God, in his or her infinite wisdom made kill switches, but the boys who made that just a few miles from the Vatican had God on their side so I guess they figured ... hey kill switches are for sissies

I am just looking to do leisurely "putting" down our country roads on a summer evening ... but if something comes to mind ... feel free to toss things out there.

BTW, some old Honda parts are not made anymore, at all. I ended up giving an "Elsinore" away a few years ago because the side casing shattered and ... well beware of a mail-order place called "Bikebandit" .... way in the fine print is a clause that said ... "no refunds, some parts may be listed but no longer manufactured, we will ship if and when the part becomes available" .. I have been waiting over 5 years for that part ... still waiting and they still have my $145.83. Yeah, bikebandit.com just in case, be sure, double sure and then look elsewhere. I called scrap yards too for days. They were prompt in sending a gasket and a few decals however.

[tunnanxwd]

MacNoob, I had the "same" Kawasaki that you posted a pic of. Mine was probably a few years earlier and we just called it "The Barbie Bike", because it had a white tank with a pastel blue and a pink stripe (stock), and to be honest you would have to have real ballz to ride it on the street. The pink was just a little bit over the top. The main difference I can see is that you have an expansion chamber?

What was weird was that the Yamaha dealer collected them and offered me a few hundred more than I paid, the bad news for me was as a dirt bike that old I only had a bill of sale (no state title), from the cycle shop I got it from. That was a nice "combo" bike since it was comfy as heck but you could still field and dirt ride. Old and beat and abused but it kept going ....

[Max]

This is my 89 Vmax.

[FONT=lucida grande] Custom triple tree, Gxsr 750 front end and wheel. drag bars. kerker 4-1. nology wires. stg7 jetted. barnett clutch. mek clear cover,carbon fiber side scoops. Rc comp 17x5.5 solid rear wheel. shorty tail. led tail light. Sportmax seat. 135rwhp/85tQ.[/FONT]

[colombo]

That front suspension is cool. The kind of thing I'd like to invent, if I was an engineer...

The reason I landed in this thread is that I am planning to get a bike in the coming couple of years. What kind of, will have to be seen. But I always likedthe sound of an American V-2...

[widow]

Yes, I have been riding for years. Had a 1981 Honda Goldwing and now a 2006 Yamaha Vstar 1100 classic




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[tunnanxwd]

He lived. My buddy just dumped his brand new Harley SG. He got cut off on the "Parkway" by a guy who slammed on his brakes and took off. Aside from 4 or 5 broken vertebrae he needs 4 weeks rest and will be back to normal. Lucky there were a few folks who witnessed it, one being a retired NJSP. We just went out and looked at another bike for me. With my med issues it has to be light and electric start but I think that will go "back burner" for now. Bike is totaled but he said he had good insurance. I wonder if, like you could 20 years ago, buy the wreck back from the insurance company for 10% of book?

[Burnsside42]

I bought this near the end of last years riding season - my first bike. I bought/bartered it from DeLorean.
2003 Honda Nighthawk 250cc <4,000 miles