[briderdt]

Those guys will have a lot more first-hand knowledge on your bike than any other, and could give some good advice on the particular FE kits.

http://forums.ninja250.org/

[briderdt]

Great articles and reviews. And also, your head shape may not be constant, especially if you have a lot of hair that you cut off (as I found out in December).

Funny thing is that the helmet I settled on after trying on a bunch (after getting my hair cut) was one that was like a torture device just over a year ago… And it was a size smaller.

[briderdt]

“He doesn’t really like the crotch rockets, how you have to lean and everything.”

I’ll forego my comments on my hatred of the term “crotch rocket”… But seriously, “how you have to lean”? Uh, show me ONE bike that you don’t have to lean. Please, I’ll wait. In the meantime, while I’ll be collecting my Social Security checks, who ever it is that’s looking will STILL be looking. Cruiser, dirt bike, fully-raked-out chopper, sport bike — the ALL turn by leaning. Yes, sport bikes have higher pegs and are built such that you can generally lean it over farther, but that certainly doesn’t exempt any other bike from HAVING to lean in order to turn.

“So he’s probably thinking it’s a crotch rocket too, and that I’ll get myself killed.”

Again with the crotch rocket thing… But believe me, you can kill yourself just fine on a cruiser or motard, a sport bike by itself doesn’t make it any more likely. Cars turn in front of touring bikes just like any other, they merge into you, “don’t see you”, etc. In fact, though, in a situation where you go into a corner a little too hot, a sport bike is actually better equipped to come out of it on the road. Not saying that makes it okay to rail every turn, just that it’s all in the rider’s control.

Not wanting you to get hurt IS a good thing, but I think his arguments need some more work.

[briderdt]

Why not the Ninja 500 or the GS500F? More power, but lighter and more manageable than the SV650…

[briderdt]

before a backpack. I’ve got the Icon tank bag that converts into a backpack with a flap that will hold your helmet. It’s held on by magnets, so when I shut the bike down, it just pulls off and I’m ready to go. And it holds quite a bit also.

[briderdt]

I actually rode my SV to work before I took the MSF class on a little 250 Nighthawk. And when I got back on my SV after the class, it was a rude awakening to this newbie at just how much of a disadvantage I was, how over my head I was, with that SV. I think if I weren’t paying that bike off still (at the time), I probably would have traded it in on a Ninja 250.

And yes, I’ve laid it down. Once. And I was extremely fortunate in that it was a no-speed easy set-down. Resulted in zero damage to the bike. I was LUCKY. And at only 19 months of riding, I don’t consider myself out of the woods for a drop either. I ran it off the road once when I thought I was too hot in a corner and saw gravel. Fortunately there was a shoulder to run off onto.

So… Similar bike to the SV for a beginner? I’d say maybe. Depends a lot on you. I’ve survived (so far). Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Probably not.

[briderdt]

Chain mail with CE armor. That would be so cool.

[briderdt]

Clutch and Chrome brought up nothing on a search on imdb.com, so I’m thinking it’s nothing but a (bad) April Fool’s joke.

[briderdt]

…is to actually be on a Britten. Maybe not moving, but just on it.

[briderdt]

Sad thing is it’s about the lightest chopper around.

[briderdt]

…if you haven’t already taken it.

As for cruiser type bikes, there’s the Yamaha Virago, Suzuki S40 and C50 (Volushia in older versions), Honda Fury (for the “chopper” look, though it’s got a pretty small tank).

[briderdt]

“Also check the insurance rates before you buy”

Yeah, no kidding… Case in point:

I was looking at getting my “next bike” just a little while ago, and thought about various bikes I might like. The Honda RC51 and VFR800 were front runners, so I called my insurance company to check on coverage costs (as having to finance the bike would require full coverage).

The RC51 was something like $1300 a year, due to the displacement being at the 1000cc mark. The VFR was better, but still significantly higher than my SV650s.

Then I looked at a Triumph Daytona. Almost the same displacement as the SV, I figured it wouldn’t be so much more… I was about a half hour away from calling the seller and telling him I’d take it, and then I called the insurance company… $1908 a year! They said it was because “replacing parts is extremely expensive”, and “people who ride those bikes tend to do stupid things”.

I got another SV650s…

[briderdt]

…than a big bike slow.

You’ll have a better learning curve and likely a lot more fun finding (and riding at) the limits of a smaller bike, than the SS bike finding YOUR limits.

[briderdt]

…but when I get on the bike, I wanna keep on riding. So if I were going to look at the cost savings, I’d have to ride something like 800 miles a month that I would have normally been driving, just to break even.

Simple solution – don’t look at riding as a way to save money, but a way to enjoy the time on the road.

[briderdt]

…I think white lights would have to be forward-facing only. There area a lot of options for LED running lights and turn signals already though. I added a set of 6″ LED trips front and rear to my bike soon after I got it. Though not strictly legal, they add a measure of visibility. Next is to add some running lights, as side visibility at night is almost non-existent.

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