motorcycles

[silverblk mystix]

...oh yeah...a girl friend of mine called them- "murdercycles"

[stretch]

Stretch- It is kind of hard to make any recommendation since you posted no information…..How old are you? What kind of budget are we talking about? Do you have any riding experience…For the record, navigating a motorcycle in traffic is an acquired skill…Most riders rode dirt bikes years before the turned 16 so riding the bike was not the issue…The real skill is knowing how to stay out of harms way…

ive rode dirtbikes and atvs and crap like that plenty

in my mid 20s now

im not trying to spend an arm and a leg, but i do want something pretty decent

id prefer a crotch rocket

i probably wont be riding a ton in traffic for a while though, of course im gonna take some time first to get a better feel before i decide to drive it to work or anything like that, mainly just leisure/weekend riding for a while

im naturally a pretty defensive driver as is, usually try staying away from other vehicles because people are stupid, and always getting out of blind spots of other drivers as quickly as possible. i never allow myself to ride side by side with other drivers, so in case someone in front of me s up, i can have room on my sides to steer out of trouble. the only wreck I had was some dumb coked out lady ran a red light and caused the wreck. ever since then, im really cautious when approaching and in intersections. from some stats i saw, it said that the majority of bike accidents happen in intersections.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

It would be a HIPAA violation if I posted the wreck pics I have

Have? Wow.

[stretch]

The only thing that kept me alive was that EVERYTIME I rode...I would LITERALLY pretend that I was invisible...

This will keep you from assuming that the guy or gal in the car approaching you will drive logically and yield for you or stay out of your lane...

They literally (motorists in cars/trucks/big vehicles) will stare right at you...you think they are looking at you...you logically assume that they will drive logically---then they pull right in front of you or turn right in front of you....

It is psychological...I think it has something to do with the brain not really registering that they see you for a split second...then it may be too late...

Thats pretty much how I drive period, especially ever since my wreck. I always assume the worst of drivers, and try staying away from other people as much as possible, keeping myself in a position where I can maneuver myself out of trouble in case someone else does something stupid.

[Cane]

think ahead. burial or cremation?

Or donate the skeleton for a custom bike build:

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

dirt bike riding is far > street bike riding in so many ways
so much so, that if i were to ever "need" a streetbike, i'd get a kawi kdx enduro

[Sportcamper]

I like sport bikes but I am a tall rider & I really can’t get comfortable on one…My two favorite bikes right now are the Kawasaki KDX 650 and the Honda ST1300…The Honda is a state of the art sport tour and the Kawasaki is a dual sport…I really enjoy off road riding…Nothing like exploring dirt roads…KDX’s can be had new for 5k….Dealers often have older models unsold, new in the crate…Harleys are great if you have a lot of money, only ride around the block a couple times and have a Japanese bike for serious riding…

[monosylab1k]

yeah, generally its the other morons on the road you have to worry about, like old people, and ing women drivers

And mexicans. Especially mexicans.

Not racist if it's true

[silverblk mystix]

And mexicans. Especially mexicans.

Not racist if it's true

Oh yeah...it's not racist...there is actually a missing gene in mexicans in regards to driving...the "no manejomicroorganism"...

kinda like the gene that is missing from blacks...

I believe it is called the "uneducated ebonix-microorganism" gene...

not racist if true...

[DeadlyDynasty]

Have? Wow.

Had*

It's pretty much against it to even take them at the scene, but they're good to show the ER Docs and trauma team, so they get a better idea of the MOI









*disclaimer

[clambake]

why don't you get motorcycle tattoos......wait for it.......on your calves.

[Greg Oden]

Oh yeah...it's not racist...there is actually a missing gene in mexicans in regards to driving...the "no manejomicroorganism"...

kinda like the gene that is missing from blacks...

I believe it is called the "uneducated ebonix-microorganism" gene...

not racist if true...

so it's safe to say you're a mexican after det one.

[silverblk mystix]

so it's safe to say you're a mexican after det one.

Not safe to ever assume anything...

[Kyle Orton]

A Mexican cop lover? That's a rare anomaly.

[Kyle Orton]

And mexicans. Especially mexicans.

Not racist if it's true

Sorry senor, but Asians are just as bad at driving as Mexicans if not worse. An Asian woman behind the wheel of a car is the equivalent of someone else driving with a .23 blood alcohol level while simultaneously texting and scrolling through his ipod.

[stretch]

Sorry senor, but Asians are just as bad at driving as Mexicans if not worse. An Asian woman behind the wheel of a car is the equivalent of someone else driving with a .23 blood alcohol level while simultaneously texting and scrolling through his ipod.

thats the key word here

[Kyle Orton]

thats the key word here

Asian women are worse than other women, and I've seen plenty of horrible Asian male drivers. The term "DWA" doesn't stem from nothing.

[benefactor]

This is currently the only thing I have been approved for.



They've gotten pretty good reviews from what I've read. ABS, traction control, anti-rollover system, etc. People who have rode them say it's like driving a really fast ATV on the street.

[Soul_Patch]

friend had a person turn in front of him, he had a helmet on. He went through the passenger window of the car, sliced an artery in his leg and he bled out.

Id love a motorcycle, personally, but not at the expense of my life.

I really like those tree wheel jobs...look safer for some reason.

[Soul_Patch]

damn, bene beat me to it.

[Halberto]

Damn. I was serioualy considering getting a bike until reading this thread.

[Drachen]

I know that all of these answers that you are getting are not coming close to answering your question. While safety is important, and I hope you think about it always, I will try to get a little closer to the mark to give you the answer you are truely looking for.
I don't know much about crotch rockets, but will try to relate some general ideas. First, don't be an idiot, take the MSF. You can sign up at themotorcycleschool.com. Secondly, if you are > than a novice mechanic then this one won't really matter, but if you are novice or below, try to get something air cooled. Less systems = less to go wrong = easier to fix. On this same note, if you are not mechanically inclined, or if you don't have a lot of time then try to get something built within the last 10-12 years and no more. I am speaking from experience. Regular bike maintenance takes more time than regular car maintenance, if you add on that an older bike will be more likely to have systems fail, this can eat up your time. Also, shaft-driven bikes require FAR less regular maintenance than chain bikes (no experience with belt-driven bikes). The only downside to shaft driven that I have found is that it is slightly less powerful than an identical chain driven bike, but it is hardly noticable (really I highly recommend shaft driven). Third, get something < 500cc for your first bike. I know male ego won't let you get less power, but manuverability is tantamount. I started with a 2006 Rebel 250 even though I am 5'10'' 230 and I was able to top out at 83 MPH so highway speeds are less than no problem. I currently own a 1984 honda sabre 700 as well, but I still like to ride the rebel too just because the manuverability makes it so fun to ride (I can make a u-turn in a parking space!).

Please ask any other questions that you have.

P.S. If you do have a lot of time to learn, an older bike is most certainly a good way to learn and extremely economical.

[Tree hugger]

[Bender]

like sportcamper said, I can't ride the sportbikes / crotch rockets either. I'm too tall to be scrunched up on top of one. they're made for shrimps.

I ride a kawasaki cruiser a couple time a week to work. I ride like everyone around me is going to try to kill me.

I also think that the excessive power and acceleration of sportbikes encourages reckless riding, even with responsible riders...

[monosylab1k]

Asian women are worse than other women, and I've seen plenty of horrible Asian male drivers. The term "DWA" doesn't stem from nothing.

Oh Asians are drivers too, there's no denying that. But at least they understand the elementary rules of driving, actually have state issued licenses, dont leave their right turn signal on for miles at a time without ever changing lanes, or generally treat US roadways like they're on some Tijuana cluster .