[CityHunter357]

Maybe if I get better at this I’ll upgrade to a slightly larger cruiser…900 – 1100 range maybe? I don’t know…

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

Helmet: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/38/10632/ITEM/HJC-CL-15-Crypt-Helmet.aspx

Jacket: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/39/1295/ITEM/Tour-Master-Coaster-II-Leather-Jacket.aspx (the black with white)

Pants: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/40/10474/ITEM/Icon-ARC-Overpant.aspx (white with black trim)

Gloves: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/37/418/ITEM/Alpinestars-SPS-Gloves.aspx

Boots: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/36/10482/ITEM/Icon-Superduty-3-Boots.aspx

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

If you are thinking of paying $5300 for this 250, don’t forget your chastity belt.. But seriously, I’d exhaust all options for getting a used bike first. I just got my buddy’s Honda Shadow 2004 for 4300 and he just got his replacement Honda VTX 1300 for 6000 even! If we’re finding deals on good used bikes, you can too!

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

I have insurance for everything on your list except roadside assistance for my bike for 206/yr. Mine’s a cruiser though…

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

I don’t know if I call “smoking a pipe on a tourer” a squid move. I’m just surprised he could keep it lit! LOL

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

Both were really great articles, although I was disappointed to see cruisers not discussed much in the first one (I’m still trying to justify to myself my recent bike purchase )

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

I truly respect folks opinions about the wisdom of starting on a 250, but for me, I based my bike purchase as a result of careful research, calculated risk assessment, and common sense.

Research: I have many friends who are experienced riders, I talked to the instructors at my MSF course, I read books, magazine articles and web articles on different bikes. The overwhelming consensus of opinion between these sources that I found was that a beginning rider should get a bike with the intended purpose in mind. I’m primarily going to use mine for commuting and the route I have pre-plotted doesn’t use freeways, but does put me on 55-60 mph roads.

Risk Assessment: I’m 36 years old, not 16. I’m built for comfort not for speed. I also know that a cruiser with a 650cc engine isn’t going to have the same power characteristics as a Ninja 650 or a CBR 600. If really wanted to start out on a sport bike, I’d probably have gone for a Ninja 250 or something, but since I really like cruiser bikes I went with something a little larger, not too overpowering, that I wouldn’t outgrow in 3 months.

Common Sense: Hey, I’m a new rider, zip experience. Am I going to go out and get that really screaming Harley Davidson V-Rod?…..No! Power notwithstanding, I can’t rub that many nickels together! At least for me, my bike purchase decision was based on a pretty good understanding of my own riding capabilities, how much I could afford for the bike and the associated costs (insurance, gear etc), and re-sale value.

The Choice: 2004 Honda Shadow Aero 750. At $4,300 I think I got a decent deal.

I can only sat that this site has been invaluable in terms of the research value for bikes, gear, maintenance etc. I’ve also found that the “Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles” (also mentioned on this site somewhere) very helpful in evaluating bikes…It even gives you a pretty interesting snippet of history of motorcycles!

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

Isn’t it ironic that CA just recently passed their “NO CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING” legislation. I got into a big argument with my mom about it and I told her yeah, CA can ban cell phones from drivers, but what are they going to do about drivers and lipstick, fastfood, eye-liner, eye-lash curlers, blackberries (txting) etc, etc, etc………..gee, hope I’m not giving the impression of a gender bias on this one…

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

Just purchased my bike today from a co-worker. It’s a really clean 2004 Honda Shadow Aero 750cc cruiser!!

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

Well said. I work in a field unrelated to my major (Food processing and packaging), but it’s nice to have my M.A. in English Lit in my back pocket in case I want to do something with it down the road. As for Engineering or certification, I’m done with school.

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

History would be another one, but as an itinerant English major I’d agree with the English Lit courses too!

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

Happy to hear you have a new ride. I’m still waiting to buy one, but I’ve been looking at the Nighthawks (both CB250 and CB750). The 750 is a pretty sharp looking ride with the alloy wheels

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

My first bike’s going to be a cruiser of some kind. I’ll be getting a full face helmet and some other protective gear. I could give a hoot what others think I look like on my bike. They’re not the ones that have to worry about going skidding on the ground 90 feet without protection!

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[CityHunter357]

I just got a quote for insurance for the bike I’m going to buy in the next couple of weeks. It’s a 2004 Honda Shadow ACE 750cc cruiser. For me the choice is easy for the insurance carrier. Since my house and two cars are already insured by USAA it makes sense for me to go with them. For the level of coverage I went to them for they quoted me $216/yr. I think this is pretty darn reasonable, but then again, I’ve never shopped for MC insurance before so I don’t have any experience to compare it to

–“Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.” — Arnold “Ace” Rimmer, Red Dwarf

[CityHunter357]

I used to work in the building right across the street from that MSF course in Carrollton!! LOL I’m in Frisco, took the MSF in Plano last weekend. Welcome to the site!

–“You don’t get to be old bein’ no foo, see? Lotta young wise men that’s deaaad as a motha!#@% ain’t they?– Richard Pryor as “Mudbone”

[Author]

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