Do we have any motorcyclists in the DU lounge?

[JVS]

Would you mind sharing with us any stories and/or words of wisdom about your hobby? I'd ask the cyclists at the bar nearby, but frankly they scare me.

[rfranklin]

1. I used to be a rider....

and raced but now there's so many accountants and lawyers riding around on custom Harleys, I'm ashamed to share the road with them.

[No2W2004]

2. Yep

I just have a small bike, it gets me around town but I wouldn't take a long trip on it. I love riding when I just want to think for awhile with no distractions (other than keeping my eye on the road!}

[RC]

3. Ride as if

you were invisible 'cause most cage drivers really can't see you.

[JVS]

4. you ever get hurt?

[RC]

19. Only dropped it once and that was

because my passenger shifted his weight when I was turning a corner. Not hurt to bad. Neither was the passenger or I. I did find out how heavy it was.

[ILeft]

7. You are invisible...

...and you are riding on oiled ball bearings on a sheet of glass when riding over person-hole (aka manhole) covers and railroad tracks in the wet.

Also, take a MSF course. It's life insurance.
http://www.msf-usa.org/

Somewhere around 100,000 miles on two wheels, many as a motorcycle messenger, and luckily no injuries. Knock on wood.

[gpandas]

5. wisdom-wear a helmet n/t

[yellowcanine]

6. I am a wannabe motorcyclist - does that count. Maybe when the

youngest is out the door....yee haa!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

8. One word...

"Countersteering"

:evilgrin:

[No2W2004]

11. That's a good one!

Take a MSF course and master countersteering. Riding became a lot more fun after I took that course.

[JVS]

22. That's a good idea.

Courses would definitely be the smart way to go about such an enterprise

[JVS]

21. What is that?

[BiggJawn]

9. Cage drivers ARE trying to kill you!

That shit about "but Orificer! I didn't SEE the motor-sickle!" Is just that, shit.

Rain hurts your face at 50 MPH. so do June Bugs. Always wear eye protection.
I recommend wearing a helmet. at least you won't wear a hole in your scalp if you slide.
If you're inclined to go for a ride wearing nothing but a helmet, flip-flops and a Speedo, ask youself "What's the abrasion resistance of this ensemble?"
Oil is slippery. Cars spin-out, bikes flop on their sides.
Stupid embarrassing and dangerous stuff ALWAYS follows the words "Hey, watch THIS..."
Exhaust pipes get hot. They WILL burn you.
Rear blowouts can be survived easily. If you can keep a front blowout under control, you'e a better rider than I ever was.
2-strokes suck.
Never turn down a girl who wants a ride. You never know....

Oh, BTW, I "retired" in 1997. got too nerve-wracking playing amongst the cellie-yacking obliviotrons in their SUV's.

[ForrestGump]

10. I agree with these dudes. Wear a helmet, always. Wear all the

protective gear you can get hold of, for that matter. They are trying to kill you. Ride carefully, but not so carefully that you're dangerous. Stay away from Harleys, for the most part, and save many thousands while riding a technically superior product.

And, oh, yeah: worship at the altar of Kawasaki... :D

[HarveyBriggs]

12. 500,000+ miles over the last ten years.

Took it up after 7 of my friends died in 4 separate bicycling accidents.

Most motorcycles go faster than bicycles, so they have an edge there.

Been everywhere in North America from Key West to the Artic Circle. It's a pretty country out there.

Gasoline goes farther on a scooter than it does in a cage, but not as far as a good pancake meal will take you with a bicycle.

Most SUVs have Bush/Cheney stickers on them, so suck it up, they're going to try to kill you one way or another.

What else do you want to know?

Harvey Briggs

[democracyindanger]

13. Buy a crappy 1st bike

Because you're gonna drop it. Guaranteed. Most likely in your driveway. If you have a lot of nice plastic or chrome, you're gonna hate yourself. And wear a full-face helmet. Unless you're ugly and sliding across asphalt on your face would be an improvement.

Read Gary Hough's Proficient Motorcycling. And don't buy a Harley. ;)

[ForrestGump]

15. Yeah...best to start with a 250cc. If you really need bigger, go no more

than 650cc (and I think that's WAY too much -- I'd suggest 450 as a max, because you can get into trouble enough even on a 125cc bike and the 500s out there these days perform like the first crop of Japanese large-diisplacement superbikes).

It's really sad how many buy a Harley as their first bike, probably almost all of them not because they've always wanted to ride but because it's part of the standard outfitting for yuppies experiencing a midlife crisis or a desire to be an individualistic rebel...like everyone else who wears the full Harley Davisdon apparel line.

Harleys are, for the most part, inferior products when compared with Japanese, German, and Italian equivalents, but they are ALSO far from a beginner's bike -- they're big, heavy, and don't handle or brake well. They perform well enough to get into trouble but not well enough to get out of trouble, certainly not unless you're already a really good rider (like the old-time Harley riders tended to be, many of whom have lately switched to mounts like the Honda Valkyrie), and their reliability issues are also a safety factor. So is the fact that maximum poseur activity tends to be attained with a sacrifice of things like paying attention to the myriad of hazards that a rider faces every time he or she leaves the driveway.

I say this because, unfathomably (well, actually, same old story: style again, as it so often does in the US, handily trumps substance) Hardly Abelsons have a huge market share in the US and I see a lot of obvious beginners who cannot handle their beasts and who, if they're lucky, will run away in terror and add the bike to the legions of used, low-mileage HDs for sale. The company's recovery, a massive PR cue -- is a case study in business courses, but their marketing genius doesn't do new, unqualified riders any favors.

[Rocinante]

16. I must agree

Our first bike was a Honda Rebel 250. After a few months I traded it in for a 450. That was plenty big enough of a ride for us.

[JVS]

23. Is the Honda Rebel a good starter bike?

[democracyindanger]

17. Ya, although a 250 could get boring real quick

A 450 is the perfect size, although the SV650 is a great learning bike that can keep you happy for a long time.

You're dead on about HD. Great marketing case study, crappy bikes.

[ForrestGump]

18. Oh, yeah, the SV650 (Suzuki) is a nice bike and would maybe be the only

650 I'd even think of for a neophyte. It's light years away from the bigger, older 650s but the thing can move nicely. Great for twisties, too.

[BiggJawn]

20. Forrest, how many miles have you ridden a Harley?

I'll grant you that they are pretty much an over-priced "Poseur's Toy" now, but "back in the day"...

They're big, they're heavy, and I could make my '77 do ballet. :-)

[ForrestGump]

25. How many times have you stuck a fork in your eye?

:P

I knew better than to get on one. The problem's not so much their inherent quality as a technological piece -- Triumphs and the like, at least the older 'classic' kind, were notoriously pieces of junk -- or even their standing in that respect relative to more relioable, technically suerpior Japanese (etc) 'Harley-inspired' bikes. The problem's their corporate attitude (seems like their dealers tend to be obnoxious, secure as they are in the tremendous demand for their product) and that they're the bike of choice for the destined-to-be-injured-or-soon-out-of-motorcycling proverbial Rubbie (Rich Urban Biker). It really seems that this new bloc of Harley owners has taken over, with the revamped company's eager blessings.

It's not like today's Harleys are totally without worth, or that their riders are uniformly akin to the Hummer pilot in their wanton cluelessness -- some of the most obnoxious riders out there remain the sport-bike 'squids' who, unfortunately, ride some of the most technologically-advanced two wheelers on the planet. People (and their attitudes) turn out to be the real problem -- big surprise.

[BiggJawn]

26. Pffft....Spoken like a true "Sidewalk Commando"....

IOW, "I wouldn't even throw my LEG over one a' them pieces of shit!"

Heard it before.

Now, if anyone would like the opinion of someone who actually RODE a "Milwaukee Vibrator", I'll be here all week....

And I can't speak to today's H-D demographics, having suddenly gotten out of "the family" when my dresser was stolen during the Ray-Gun years (right off my front porch!)...By the time I got back to where I could afford another one, guess what? Jay Leno and his ilk had inflated the price to obscene levels.

When I sold my BMW and bought the Harley, I remember stopping by another Beemer rider I knew to show it off. He looked at and said "Well....You're gonna have to get that thing out of here, I have some club members coming over and I don't want them to see you or it..."
:7

[Susang]

31. Well, speaking as someone who works for one of those dealers

I can tell you that you are about 50% correct. Some dealers & their employees are obnoxious and not friendly. We employ bikers. Bikers tend to be a little rough around the edges, but they know their bikes.

As for the "corporate attitude" you speak of, Harley Davidson almost went bankrupt in the 80s and many of those dealers almost went down with them. A great many of these people have been with the company for a long time and are extremely loyal. Yes, the company does embrace the "yuppie biker". They have to, as they would have gone out of business otherwise. The old Harley riders are still here as well, I ought to know since I sell them parts on a daily basis.

Also, Harley Davidson riders and groups engage in more active charity than any other group of riders that I know of. Our dealership regularly sponsors charity rides and raffles for a myriad of causes. New Harley riders, yuppie bikers included, have been strongly encouraged to join in these activities and seem to be embracing this part of the culture. Hardly a bad thing, IMO.

[Rocinante]

14. Used to be

My wife and I would usually ride along the Natchez Trace Parkway. It's a good place for motorcyclists, however you have to be alert for wildlife. We had a pretty close call with a deer once.

http://www.nps.gov/natr/

[JVS]

24. Ok, basic question time: What are the odds that a rider gets killed?

[democracyindanger]

27. As safe/unsafe as crossing the street

Are you thinking about starting, or are these just rhetorical questions?

[JVS]

28. Toying with the idea

[GOPisEvil]

29. Me too.

I've thought about it - if I can clear the extra finances. I think a bike would be excellent for those small trips that I currently use my car for.

[democracyindanger]

32. It's as safe as you make it

I've got around ten years of riding experience, from heavy urban traffic to long-distance rides. The only get-off I've ever had was on a closed track. Sure, there've been close calls, but those have been because of things outside of my control (I'm looking at you, cell-phone-talkin'-coffee-drinkin'-Escalade-drivers).

If you decide to start, do it with confidence and wear the right gear. Otherwise, don't do it.

[Susang]

30. I'm a scooterist who ironically works for Harley Davidson

Surprisingly, I don't get that much shit, even though my scoot's a Honda. Considering the sexism in the community, I think it works to my advantage that I'm female. They're less apt to tease me because of my choice of bikes.

As a matter of fact, our parts manager always laughs every time it rains because he sees me ride my scoot in all weather, while our big strong Harley riding customers never seem to make it out if there's even the hint of drizzle. Can't get their chrome wet, dontcha know! ;-)