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As a beginner, can I survive with only a bike…
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January 5, 2009 at 2:32 am #2441mjkargerParticipant
I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Michael Karger and I’m a freshman at ASU. I currently own a run down 98 ford ranger. I have some experience riding dirt bikes. But I’m still very green behind the ears as far as road bikes.
I’m considering selling my truck in a few months and buying an SV650 (or something along those lines) because I will be living in an apartment about 1/2 a mile from campus. My truck is giving me major problems and I want to get rid of it ASAP.
My real question is, is it a good idea for a beginner to only own a bike for transportation?
My parents say no. A good friend that is a rider says it can be done.
I’m willing to make sacrifices (ie. no more cargo room, adverse weather, etc.)
January 5, 2009 at 3:00 am #15534MunchParticipantHmm tough question… can it be done… absolutely! Should it be done… that’s for you to answer. The region you live in and/or will visit often will give you a good indicator. I live in NC, we get ice storms in the winter, a bike as only mode of transportation wold not be recommended. If you live in say Miami…. I cannot see any reason why you couldn’t.
You need to sit down and honestly figure out where you ride, and where you could end up riding for things like girlfriends house, family reunions and holidays, where your friend from high school ended up going to college so you can visit… etc.
Check out you weather locally and look at say a 5 yr trend to see what your up against. Or could be up against.
Sorry about the Ranger… what problems you having with it?January 5, 2009 at 3:08 am #15535mjkargerParticipantWell I’ll just give a summary of AZ weather
During the summer the temps average around 105. Some days can reach 115 and above. But most days are around 100.
We have a rainy season for about 3 months and the other 9 months are basically bone dry.
The winters are mild. The temps are usually around 60 degrees during the day and maybe the mid to low 40s at night (on average). There is no such thing as ice or snow here. Occasionally we get frost on the coldest winter mornings.
The ranger needs a valve job, syncro replacement, a new power steering pump, new tires and brakes, and a lot of other little problems fixed. fixable? yeah. But I don’t think it’s worth the investment. Especially as a college student.
January 5, 2009 at 3:15 am #15536MunchParticipantArizona you say… well …. as long as you find some good well ventilated gear, research for gear that has cooling methods… I would say sure… go for it. As far as the truck goes… hmm maybe use the new found money saved in gas to slowly repair piece by piece… heck keep it at the parents house to make them feel better that you have a back up… sorta.
Ofcourse…. remember the part about going other places and venues, if there are no plans of escaping.. then I would if it were me.January 5, 2009 at 3:21 am #15537briderdtParticipant…you could just walk on adverse weather days (as if you have anything that counts as “adverse” there).
January 5, 2009 at 3:24 am #15538mjkargerParticipantI don’t travel a lot. And If I do travel it’s usually up north about 100-200 miles into the mountains for fishing. But I never go alone and I don’t usually take my truck anyway.
The only thing is that I would be commuting a lot on the freeway and there are laws against lane splitting in AZ. Do I risk over heating (both myself and the bike) on the freeways during rush hour?
I run long distance so it takes a lot before the heat begins to effect me.
January 5, 2009 at 3:25 am #15539mjkargerParticipantThe only adverse weather we have is during Monsoon season.
Dust storms and microbursts (75-100 mph winds, hail, etc.). Usually storms are in the late afternoon and last until 10 or 11 at night.
January 5, 2009 at 3:29 am #15540megaspazParticipantIf you’re bike’s air cooled, it can overheat if you’re stuck in traffic doing nothing or stop ‘n go. You probably don’t want to be on the bike if you’re gonna get stuck in winds that 75-100 mph… If it were me, I’d keep the cage for those just in case moments… Like you need to shop for lots of stuff, pets to vet, etc. Truck’s are useful for hauling your bike to track days.
January 5, 2009 at 3:35 am #15542mjkargerParticipantThanks for all the info guys. I’ll have to do some careful thinking in the next few months.
January 5, 2009 at 5:00 pm #15551eonParticipantI am a beginner “surviving” with only a bike. As others have said climate plays a big factor. It sounds like there will be few days where that will stop you from riding in AZ but don’t discount it. When it is a 100′ outside and you have to go somewhere and look presentable how are you going to do that on a bike? Also, every time you go out will be into that kind of heat. That will become a real pain in the ass pretty quickly I’m thinking (living in Seattle I have the opposite problem. Rain does not stop me riding but sometimes it just it just sucks).
Since you are at college I will mention alcohol and parties. I would not ride my bike to any party. You may avoid the temptation to have a beer but others probably wont. I avoid riding Friday/Saturday nights as those are the nights most ‘accidents’ happen.
Apart from that, Amazon.com is your friend. I order most large items from there. I have a top box to get groceries but that store also does deliveries if I feel the need to do a large order. I also use zipcar.com if I ever have the need for 4 wheels for a short time. I believe Home Depot rents out trucks by the hour too.
January 8, 2009 at 11:33 pm #15576LokiParticipantI only own a bike. First thing i ever turly owned. You can do it but its hard in weather, no crago (unless you get a backpack), and mainly winter.
January 9, 2009 at 6:46 pm #15582DaggerParticipantEven though I technically have a car and a bike, I’ve pretty much been using the bike only since my gf uses the car for the kids every day.. My original reason for buying it was just to get to work and save some money on gas.. The thing is.. Once you start riding.. You don’t want to stop.. First it was just to work and back.. Then it was “Just gonna go for a lil drive”.. Then it was trips up into the hills behind the house.. Then it was 5 hour bike rides with a motorcycle club..
There’s nothing wrong with getting a bike for commuting.. Just don’t expect that to be all you do on it.. As for the weather.. I’m pretty much in the same boat as you out here in SoCal.. Though you get a bit more warm in the summer.. Some good gear and a waterproof sweat suit to throw on over your clothes when it rains and you’ll be good.. Make sure your gear is well vented for the summers..
If you have to.. Sell your truck and just get a cheap small used car to have for emergencies..
Dagger
January 10, 2009 at 3:19 am #15593boulevardboyParticipantYou know, I first bought the Vespa to save on gas and loved it. I bought the bike as I couldn’t stand not having one after 2.5 years on the 50cc scooter and I have now found myself just going out for a drive – would never have thought it would have happened. I also look for things that need to be fetched from the store to give me an excuse to go out. I have had to spend a bit on new gear though as we have had it very rainy now the snow has gone.
January 11, 2009 at 6:27 pm #15614smokeizfireParticipantif your girl owns a vehicle and she doesn’t mind sharing. Transport of bulk items, and a simple task like grocery shopping will be compromised with only 2 wheels. Now, back to the dating thing. I said so because personally, I wouldn’t have a girl(and definitely not a guy… ever…for personal reasons) riding passenger until I had my riding game down pat. This takes months and years to achieve. But if you can find a chick who won’t mind being chauffeur for a few months, or if she doesn’t mind meeting you places, I don’t see how it will disrupt life that much.
January 11, 2009 at 7:16 pm #15615BenParticipantI’ve been car-less for about 2-3 years now and my only transportation has been a motorcycle. That being said, for the past 6 months I’ve been attempting to save up for a car! Even with a Givi rack, and bungie cords, there are just some things that are difficult to transport on a bike. Sometimes you can borrow a friends ride, or rent a car, but I have found over the years that can be more trouble than it is worth.
Smokeizfire also mentioned dating. Dating is a HUGE pain in the ass when all you have is a motorcycle, especially if you insist on your passenger gearing up with at LEAST a jacket, gloves, helmet, and sturdy boots. Maybe it’s just me but I’ve been finding that a lot of the girls I’m dating in the 18-25 year old range just don’t have cars. Even if they do have cars having someone pick you up or meeting them at the date location gets old pretty quick for both parties.
One thing that I did not think of until it happened to me recently is what you will do if you get in an accident. I crashed and broke my right shoulder blade which means I couldn’t ride my motorcycle anymore until it healed. I could however drive an automatic car really easily, but I didn’t have access to one except at work. I’m now healed up and riding my bike again, but taking public transport for a month and a half really sucked, and we have a really good system in the bay area! I can’t imagine what it would be like in a non metropolitan town.
soooooooooooooooooooooo basically what I am recommending is to keep the truck, and save up for a bike. It is definitely possible to only have a motorcycle, hell, I still don’t have a car but like I said I am saving up for one as my backup mode of transportation. If you do just get the bike I would suggest getting a givi rack and some luggage to go with it, otherwise you will find grocery store trips to be a pain.
Ben
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