Buy a sport bike sometime in the next year

[Ascetic Anchorite]

It is exactly because of the danger on the roads from brain-dead morons (the majority of drivers, and I am sure that can be scientifically proven) that I am building a power-assist bicycle, similar to the type I posted on earlier in this thread.

With this powered bicycle I can use dirt tracks, cycle paths, country footpaths, farm tracks, etc., so I will be able to avoid the roads and dramatically reduce the chance of even seeing a car or truck, let alone colliding with one. Journeys will take a little more time, but I am not willing to sacrifice my health, well being and life on the alter of convenience.

It is true that there are many dangers and hazards. The existence of other dangers is an invalid reason to justify risk-taking in this, or any other area. It would be only prudent to minimize as many risks as possible and only to undertake risky activities that are essential, or the abstinence from which would render ones life completely devoid of sources of fulfillment.

I do not fly commercial jets, I do not eat meat, eggs or dairy, I do not eat aspartame, MSG or foods grown with pesticides, I do not use wireless telephones, I do not do a lot of risky things. These things are not essential and so are not missed.

I used to ride a motorcycle here in the UK. I did not ride it very fast, at around 60 - 65mph whilst on the motorway. It was impossible to go anywhere at any time without being tailgated. I would with absolute confidence bet $20,000 that I would be tailgated if I were to get a bike and go for a ride right now! The problem really is that bad and it is getting worse. And you can thank the corrupt leaders for that.

 

[neonia]

sorry, i was just reading random pages about my new ninja 500r, trying to get some more info, I am KINDA new to motorcyc's but old in moto-x. and yeah I am using my 500r for 30mile commute 2x daily. good bike.

and now for the reason that i had to register: [sorry to reiterate a few things, and sorry this thread is migrating so much]

@ cyrusabdollahi:

ive been shot, hit by bikes, snowmobiles, cars and dirtbikes, I've been drowned I've seen men bounce when their parachute hasnt deployed, I've been bitten by dogs and sharks, I've been bucked off of bulls and horses onto everything from thistles to 550volt barbed hot-wire, and I've been run off the road many times, but guess what!

I STILL HUNT AND GO SHOOTING, I STILL RIDE, RACE AND RODEO, I STILL SKYDIVE, I STILL DRIVE, I STILL TRAIN HORSES, AND I STILL OWN MY MOTORCYCLES.

just because things are potentially dangerous doesn't mean we can't enjoy them, your mom might have std's but your dad still slept with her, right? [i mean, you are here...]

life is only so long, so have fun while you can.
-------------------------------------------------------------

 

[scorpa]

franznietzsche I don't remember if there was ever a follow up to this thread, did you ever end up buying a bike? If so we need details! Or did you at least narrow down your choices a little, try some out?

I went down to the Harley dealership the other day and sat on a few sportsters, and man am I ever in love with them. A nice little 1200 custom would suit me quite nicely :) That or a triumph america, which are nice bikes as well, however there are only 2 triumph dealers in Alberta and I despise one of them. If all goes well I will have an amazing paying job this summer so I would like to sell my dirtbike, and use some of the money to buy a used sportster. It probably won't happen but it would sure be a sweet deal if it did.

In a month we should start getting some good riding weather! Yippee!

 

[JasonRox]

Cyrus, would you at least agree that the risks of riding a motorcycle can be significantly migitated by training, knowledge, patience, care, preparation and practice? We may not agree on the level of the mitigation, but I'm pretty sure that you would agree that riders can have an influence on their level of risk. Nice signature, BTW.

Exactly, you can influence your own risk.

You take training courses, and that teach you how to react and when to react in emergencies and so on.

 

[turbo]

franznietzsche I don't remember if there was ever a follow up to this thread, did you ever end up buying a bike? If so we need details! Or did you at least narrow down your choices a little, try some out?

I went down to the Harley dealership the other day and sat on a few sportsters, and man am I ever in love with them. A nice little 1200 custom would suit me quite nicely :) That or a triumph america, which are nice bikes as well, however there are only 2 triumph dealers in Alberta and I despise one of them. If all goes well I will have an amazing paying job this summer so I would like to sell my dirtbike, and use some of the money to buy a used sportster. It probably won't happen but it would sure be a sweet deal if it did.

In a month we should start getting some good riding weather! Yippee!

Go for it, Scorpa! You're long-legged enough to benefit from a neat little demographic wrinkle. Lots of women start on a Sportster, and when they eventually want one of the bigger bikes, they tend to gravitate toward Low-Riders, and other bikes with lower seat heights, because on average, women are shorter than men. For this reason the Dyna usually sells for a lot less than the Low Riders and Dyna Wide Glides. My friend just took a '95 Dyna with about 25k miles on it in great condition (with forward controls,custom pegs and pedals and quite a bit of chrome) for $6000 in trade against a Peterbilt that he is selling. A Low Rider or DWG in that condition would probably sell for $8000 or so. You can easily add forward controls to the Dyna if you like the foot-forward cruiser seating.

 

[scorpa]

Go for it, Scorpa! You're long-legged enough to benefit from a neat little demographic wrinkle. Lots of women start on a Sportster, and when they eventually want one of the bigger bikes, they tend to gravitate toward Low-Riders, and other bikes with lower seat heights, because on average, women are shorter than men. For this reason the Dyna usually sells for a lot less than the Low Riders and Dyna Wide Glides. My friend just took a '95 Dyna with about 25k miles on it in great condition (with forward controls,custom pegs and pedals and quite a bit of chrome) for $6000 in trade against a Peterbilt that he is selling. A Low Rider or DWG in that condition would probably sell for $8000 or so. You can easily add forward controls to the Dyna if you like the foot-forward cruiser seating.

Yeah I would really like to Turbo, I love to ride and getting a street bike of my own is definitely a major goal of mine! I figure I'll start with a sportster and definitely the 1200, the peanut tank on the 883 won't have enough range for me. I think if you get the 1200 custom it actually comes with the forward controls already which is nice because I do prefer them. I've been riding for about 8 years now but just on dirtbikes, my street riding has been minimal so a sporty will be more than enough to start on. I'd like to give my dads wide glide a go but unfortunately it has extended forward controls for taller people and from just sitting on it I don't really want to deal with the weight of it to start with. A low rider is a good option though but definitely a few years down the road. Being only 19 years old I would imagine the cost of insurance may put a bit of a snag into that plan but I haven't looked into that at all yet. I wish I could stomach the idea of riding a japanese bike but they are so god awful ugly I will gladly save the extra money for a bike I will actually like...either a Harley or a triumph. I suppose some of the Honda's arent to bad, I don't mind their 750's but I prefer the look and feel of a Harley.

 

[turbo]

Remember that you can keep any bike upright if you already have it near balance when you stop and you don't stop in a place where the placement of the kick stand will cause your bike to lean heavily. Experience and skillful riding can let you handle a bike that is a LOT heavier than a dirt bike with no more effort. You don't have to be particularly strong/tall/massive (etc) to handle a full-sized Harley under most circumstances. Look at the trade-in values for Dynas in your area and see if you can swing one. Over the years, you can turn it into anything you'd like (within reason) and you can buy in at a bargain price.

 

[scorpa]

Remember that you can keep any bike upright if you already have it near balance when you stop and you don't stop in a place where the placement of the kick stand will cause your bike to lean heavily. Experience and skillful riding can let you handle a bike that is a LOT heavier than a dirt bike with no more effort. You don't have to be particularly strong/tall/massive (etc) to handle a full-sized Harley under most circumstances. Look at the trade-in values for Dynas in your area and see if you can swing one. Over the years, you can turn it into anything you'd like (within reason) and you can buy in at a bargain price.

True enough. It is definitely something to consider, because I do wonder how long I will ride the Sportster before I start wanting something bigger. So I suppose I have two options, buy the sporty which is initially cheaper and upgrade it a bit as I move along, although that can only be taken so far before it just gets silly. Or I could go with a Dyna, or a Softail if it is set up the right way for a slightly higher initial cost but be happy with it as is (more or less). Haha I was just talking to my mom on the phone and I kind of brought up the idea and she doesn't seem pleased, I'm sure dad will be more receptive to the idea though. One thing I have on my side is the price of Harley's has gone down quite a bit so that will help me out.

 

[turbo]

If you can find a reasonably-priced Softail that would be nice. You'd get the wide front-end, the forward controls and a trim-looking rear end in a fairly low package. I love mine!