- This topic has 23 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by sycofirefighter.
Questions
-
AuthorPosts
-
July 9, 2009 at 8:38 pm #20471zeppelinfromledParticipant
Anecdotes aside, many people use bicycles as their primary means of transportation, especially in cities.
And I also recommend riding a bicycle for a 17 year old (or anyone for that matter), but riding a bicycle doesn’t preclude riding a motorcycle. He can do both, like I do.
July 9, 2009 at 8:44 pm #20472zeppelinfromledParticipantIf we’re speaking in generalizations, then a 17 year olds are pretty lazy. But this guy is a firefighter. It’s tough to get and keep a job as a firefighter while being lazy.
You say that he’s less likely to kill someone on a bicycle, but that’s true of every single one of us.
To assume that he’s too immature to responsibly ride a motorcycle at his age is unfair. Your assumptions aside, from everything that’s been presented to us, he’ll be a responsible rider who just happens to be younger than us.
July 9, 2009 at 8:49 pm #20473zeppelinfromledParticipantYou don’t need a 650 – a 500 would be plenty. I mentioned those two 650 cc bikes because of their riding posture, not their engine size.
Don’t assume that just because you’ve seen more bad wrecks on sport bikes than cruisers that sport bikes are inherently more dangerous. They do tend to attract the kind of people who will ride dangerously. But it’s all about how you ride. You could ride a sport bike responsibly or a cruiser irresponsibly. I’m just saying that cruisers can go plenty fast too, and their wrecks can be just as bad, so keep that in mind.
July 9, 2009 at 10:57 pm #20475SantaCruzRiderParticipantIf you can get a license and your parents are cool with it (yeah, I’m a parent, so I have to throw that in), I think it’s perfectly sensible to want to ride. Wow, and what a concept that you might find that kind of advice on a motorcycle-related forum!
Now I don’t necessarily think it’s going to save you much money over driving your Escape, but so what. I’d still commute on my bike every day even if it got the same mileage as my car.
As for bikes, +1 on the Vulcan 500. It should have no problem with your weight (and personally, neither the Vulcan or I care whether it’s muscle or fat).
A bit of advice: If you haven’t already done so, go to a lot of shops and sit on as many bikes as possible — including ones that might not initially call to you. It will help you start to hone in on what’s right for you.July 10, 2009 at 8:23 pm #20488sycofirefighterParticipantOk, so I have read all the new posts and took it to heart. elwood1960 the weight isn’t all in the middle, its the chest, arms, legs, and if I don’t say so myself a nice set of abs.
On another note, I went to some dealers and sat on a lot of bikes, some I like some I don’t. Being cooped up on a sport bike it’s just not natural for me. The vulcan 500 is a tad small but doable with highway pegs I think it would be much better.
I believe that I should wait at least a year before buying a bike for a couple reasons
1. money is a real issue and I want to move out so every penny counts and buying a bike right now wouldn’t help me with my goal
2. Parents. my parents and I don’t exactly see eye to eye (that’s why I joined the fire department) and they wouldn’t support me with my decision. What parent would? they signed the paper saying I could go into training that has been classified hazardous, but they said that a motorcycle is to much.I’m taking a class that ends in November and after that I will be seriously looking for a job firefighting so I think after I move out I will be in a position to buy a bike. I’m looking at it as time to make an informed decision andfind what I really want in the long term.
sorry it’s so long
July 10, 2009 at 9:37 pm #20489AParticipantGood on you to see it through.
I’ve always wondered what type of physique is suited for ideal firefighter.. bulky muscles to break down doors and carry trapped people out of danger.. or skinny muscular type that have less chance of getting trapped with large lung capacity to conserve oxygen intake and consumption during firefighting?
July 10, 2009 at 10:19 pm #20490eonParticipantBest of luck with all your plans. I think you are making the right choice by waiting as having your own place is expensive. Until you know exactly what your disposable income will be it’s better to be cautious.
July 11, 2009 at 6:51 pm #20499EliasParticipantgood move. The wait is worth it, and it will force you to do that much research and be positive about the bike you want. Stick around the forums, and learn as much as you can in the meantime. If you’re getting itchy, take the MSF course…even 2 or 3 times, I had fun in mine!
July 12, 2009 at 12:56 am #20506sycofirefighterParticipantA. your question got me thinking. I Am a large firefighter and can carry 2×3 times my body weight with adrenalin pumping but there are many small firefighters that can get into some places that I can’t. I have been known, even with my physique to get through 16” regular up to code wall studs(with full gear and air pack) so even large guys and girls can squeeze into some tight spots. it is about 80% mental but some times it gets quite physical. I was in class all day and we decided to see how far we could go on 1 breath, I got 4 flights of stairs in full gear but some small kids got 5 and nearly passed out. Air consumption for firefighters is up there with marathon runners in 1 bottle. My 45 min. bottle will last me about 15 min. in a rocking structure fire but I have large muscles that need lots of oxygen to work. small guys will last about the same because they can’t put their weight into the hose and pull up a charged(filled with water) hose up a flight of stairs as easily as I can.
elwood1960. I know exactly what your talking about with the Marines, I tried to get in. I was born with an arteriole septal defect(a hole in my heart) I had it fixed when I was 4 and they cut me open and split my sternum in half to get to my heart. there is a sack of fluid around my heart that they had to cut and you can’t sew it up. It is a permanent disqualifier. I appealed to the Army but the damn doctor didn’t want to write out the paperwork.
Thank you for all the encouragement, I will definitely stay around the website soaking up all the info I can to make a good unbiased decision.
Sorry about the length.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.