- This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by bigguybbr.
Advice for aspiring bike owner
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June 21, 2009 at 10:30 am #3037jk365Participant
Hey so I’d like to learn how to ride and get a bike but wondering based on my situation whether I could get one now or should wait a few years. To start off money isn’t a huge issue and I was thinking of getting a used Ninja 250R (although with the way they keep the value might just want to buy new).
Anyways I’m a college student currently between 3 states and two countries. Currently I’m working in California (bay area) for the summer, I go to school in New York and have a Virginia driver’s license. My parents currently live abroad and are heading back to VA next year. I’m out in California without a car so I mostly use public transportation, but it would be nice to be able to get a bike and have more freedom to get around. If I did that I’d probably get a bike and gear here and take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. The two problems with that are would I then have to get a CA license? Would there be implications (taxes, residency status, etc) that would be too much trouble? Also how will I get the bike back to NY (would you guys ride your bikes cross-country?)?
Then there’s the problem of me being at school in upstate NY where it snows from early november until late march. They keep the roads pretty clear, although it is a cold and hilly area, would any of you ride bikes in the winter or mostly stick to a car?
So could I get a bike now? How would I make things work? Or should I wait until I graduate and settle down into one state.
Finally, listening to music on the bike? Possible or unsafe? Thanks!
June 21, 2009 at 2:14 pm #19991MunchParticipantOK…wow… sitting here wondering how you managed all that…. but first…
I imagine you would have to get licensed in Cali as that’s where you will be buying the bike. If it were me, yes I would get one. No no way in hell would you catch me on icy/slick conditions on my bike. I ride in the cold for sure but anything below 20 degrees faren. and dry I take the car… .anything below 35 degrees faren. and wet I take the car.
You have options as far as getting the bike to Va. You could ride… which I suggest you get alot of mental stamina for riding before you try, you could have it shipped though it could get price, or you can simply gauge your progress and see if your ready for something different and then sell the bike and buy your step up when you get to where your gonna settle down at.
Music…personal preference…it’s a debated subject and even some states vary on it. Check the area laws that you plan on riding then experiment with it for your own decision.June 21, 2009 at 7:00 pm #19998zeppelinfromledParticipantIt’s definitely possible to buy a vehicle when you’re licensed in a different state, but it’s a bit tricky (I bought a car in Ohio with a North Carolina license). It takes longer, and they have to send mail back and forth with your home state. One potential problem is that the MSF course is for CA, so it would get you a CA license. You would need a Virginia motorcycle license somehow (the Massachusetts permit doesn’t allow you to ride out of state, so you would need the license).
I see two basic options. You could take the MSF course in VA, get your license there, and then buy a bike. Or you could get a NY license, take the course there, etc. Since you’re just working in Cali for the summer, it doesn’t make any sense to get a Cali license. You’ll be paying CA taxes anyway, since you’re working there. And with a CA license, you’ll have to register your bike there, and pay taxes on it there, but that’s easy. The only way it would make sense to get a CA license is if you know you’re going back there after school.
What year are you in school? And do you know where you’ll end up after graduation? It costs money to transfer registration and title to a new state, so doing that as few times as possible is good.
It seems like you best option would be the see if the VA DMV recognizes an MSF from California. If not, try to get back to the east coast for a weekend to take the MSF. And if neither of those can happen, you’re probably better off waiting until the fall to get your license.
If you do get one in Cali, to get it across the country you could ride it if you’re at a point where you’re comfortable with that, or you could rent a Uhaul or something and put it in the back.
In terms of the winter, my bike will be going into storage for the Boston winter. There’s a dealership that had a deal where they drain all the fluids, put it in a climate controlled garage, hook up a battery tender, and then refill all the fluids when you come to pick it up. The price isn’t bad either. You could accomplish the same thing yourself with a cover and or something. But I won’t be riding on the ice and snow.
For music, I don’t listen to music when I ride, but I’m still a fairly new rider. I would have a problem listening to music in heavy city traffic, but on the highway or out in the “country” (doesn’t even have to be the real country), I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Check the laws. Some states say that one earpiece is ok, but not two. I treat it as a personal choice though, whatever the law says.
June 21, 2009 at 7:19 pm #19999MunchParticipantYou can also check into cross licensing…. Id I remember correctly Va and NC recognize each others licensing standards and can cross…but TX and NC do not. May want to check into that to help you plot your course of action.
June 21, 2009 at 7:39 pm #20000eonParticipantHmm…i’ve been from WA to GA and back to WA and never had a problem with drivers licenses. I simply went and paid the fee, took an eye exam and then was issued a new license. I thought this was the case between all states? I would not want to try and transfer a MSF certificate between states as it really is nothing more than a piece of paper printed by your local school. I’ve also retagged my car in each state and that was straightforward. Pain in the ass but straightforward.
I would love to take a cross country bike trip but I don’t think it is something you should be planning on from day one. Seems like too much too soon to me. You could do it but I doubt you would enjoy it. One way out of this would be to buy the used Ninja 250. As you say they hold their value so it may not depreciate at all over the course of a few months. Sell it before you leave and you may not be out much at all and have had several months worth of riding.
June 21, 2009 at 11:28 pm #20008jk365ParticipantHey thanks for the advice everyone. I managed to solve the problem of getting the bike back east (have a friend who is taking a car back around the same time so I can leave my stuff in his car and convoy across the country).
The problem that remains now is license and insurance. I’m working in CA now but there’s a good chance I will work there in the future (next summer or when I graduate in 2 years). Also need to find out if I can transfer the MSF certificate to VA but the dmv is closed today.
What’s a typical insurance rate for new motorcyclists? I’ve had a car drivers license for 4 years and never been in an accident or gotten a ticket.
June 22, 2009 at 4:19 am #20009MunchParticipantok let me clear one thing up. The MSF certificate really doesn’t matter. It’s a certificate of achievement.
What you need to do is once acquiring it is to go get your permit or if the state recognizes it as a substitute for the ridden test, your license and then get that transferred to which ever state you reside in.June 22, 2009 at 6:08 pm #20029SafetyFirstParticipantAs for listening to music…
I’d discourage it. When you are learning how to ride, you need to hear what your engine ‘sounds’ like. A lot of my riding is at 35 MPH. On the Ninja 250, that means 3rd gear, 7000 RPM. Just listening to the engine sound, I can tell if I’m losing speed or gaining without looking down. Worst case scenario is 5 MPH over. Which is a good thing, since most of the 35 MPH roads are speed traps around here. Listening to the engine means less looking down at speedometer, and more looking up for hazards.
June 23, 2009 at 6:46 pm #20079bigguybbrParticipantRiding cross country without much riding experience is more than a little crazy, and doing that on a Ninja 250, which isn’t known for it’s touring capabilities, probably not the best idea either.
I remember reading this blog about a guy who took a rebel 250 cross country. In parts he talks about the problems associated with it, and even that he had ONLY a year of riding under his belt first. Yes, he did it on a 250, but it was a rebel which at least has a more comfortable seat. Yes I know there are people who love the Ninja seat, but I doubt anyone loves it if they sat on it, all day, every day, for a week straight…
If you do get a bike somehow, and you want to get it from Cali to NY you really want to look at just paying a company to ship it back to you in NY. Driving almost 3000 miles in a car is grueling enough, but doing it on a 250cc sport bike is tremendously more strenuous physically and mentally.
Something else to think about: If you want to get something new, and drive it cross country, you better look up some some service stations along the way. A new bike will have to probably stop for scheduled service appointments at least twice durring your trip if it’s with in it’s first 3000 miles with it’s first appointment at as little as 600 miles. Failure to do so could void the warranty.
I hate to be a nay sayer, but you really aren’t in the most ideal position to get a bike. My advice to you is to wait till you are in your state of residence before getting anything.
Oh almost forgot… music… I personally don’t recommend it as I find it’s distracting to a new rider and reduces your situational awareness. The tendancy is to turn it up loud enough to drown out the wind noise, at which point it’s drowning out everything around you like sirens and screetching tires, and also damaging your hearing in the process.
I do however recommend ear plugs to stave off tinitus. They also are known to help reduce fatigue while riding.
June 26, 2009 at 3:15 am #20232bigguybbrParticipantDid you ever figure out the legality behind this? Or has anyone else for that matter? I’m emotionally invested now and want to know how it ends…
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