[Clay Dowling]

Put insurance on the bike, handed the dude the money, had a friend ride it home. Went to the DMV, presented title, proof of insurance and money. Was give a plate and a tag, which I put on the bike when I got home.

That’s not entirely the way you want to do it. We took back roads home, and I had the title in hand so if we got pulled over we could show it to the officer, and hopefully they would be cool about it.

The right way to do it is to get the plates, then go pick up the bike.

[Clay Dowling]

Let the clutch out. Throttle + 1st gear should be fast.

[Clay Dowling]

That bike has similar performance statistics to my Magna. I can hit 70 in second gear (and did it a couple times this morning on the way to work).

My bike hasn’t killed me yet, partially because that throttle is predictable about how it opens up. It doesn’t shoot me off into space, and I have to really twist it to get that kind of performance out of it.

My advice is to find an open stretch of road and find out what happens if you goose the throttle. Does the bike try to leap out from under you, or does it just pick up some speed and get going? Just make sure you’re wearing FULL gear when you do this, armored pants and jacket included, as well as a full-face helmet, because if you get it wrong you’ll being exiting the bike while it’s still in motion. I’d also wait until you have a bit of experience riding the bike before conducting this experiment.

As to the “doing it wrong” side of things: get the speed up a little before shifting. I don’t think you should be looking for 6th gear until you’re up above 60. I’m not familiar with the bike’s gearing, but that just doesn’t seem right. At the low speeds where you’re shifting it’s easy to stall the bike, and stalls can be really awkward. The only time I’ve ever dropped the bike was during a stall while turning.

[Clay Dowling]

I have zero problem with helmet hair, and I’m shaved clean.

[Clay Dowling]

Actually, if you’re looking to ride from New Jersey to Florida, a Goldwing isn’t a bad choice. They’ve always been designed to be comfortable and they have the same performance as the Ninja 650R. You can also pack most of your stuff on one. The trick is that they’re very expensive bikes, because they are comfortable, powerful and popular. Unfortunately, from 1200cc to 1500cc these bikes lost any kind of sport styling. The early 1000cc bikes definitely had a sporty styling, and the 1800-2000cc machines have a sporty styling again.

These, again, aren’t beginner bikes. The weight of the machines makes learning them a challenge. But they do have the performance and the comfort.

[Clay Dowling]

I looked at the performance specs for a Ninja 650R, and they compare with a Goldwing, Valkyrie or Magna. I started on a Magna and really like it. It has good and predictable throttle response, goes damned fast without catching me by surprise when I do it, and is easy to control at slower, saner speeds as well.

So you’ll probably be okay on this bike. If you check the attitude.

You’re coming off as young and cocky. My Magna is perfectly capable of killing me, except that I ride it like an old woman. That means that the Ninja 650R is also perfectly capable of killing you. If you want to ride that bike, there’s probably nothing to stop you, but if you don’t respect the machine’s power it’s not going to respect you as the rider. You’ll be off it in a tragic way.

If you’re determined to follow this course, make sure to get all the professional instruction you can. There are sport bike and stunting schools that are well worth your time and money. They’ll teach you how to get the most out of your machine.

[Clay Dowling]

Are totally worth the money. For one, my ride is a lot more comfortable now because the pants keep the cold and wind out better than the insulated work pants I had been wearing.

The armor is a nice thing though too. I work a desk job, but my hobbies keep me on my feet. Losing the use of my legs, even temporarily, is a terrifying prospect.

[Clay Dowling]

I think that’s what it was. I know it was a black dot dropping out of the sky and making its way across the road at the same time. Cicadas seem to be the highest flying of our local bugs, and they’re damned huge, so that seems the most likely. Sounded like hitting a rock, so that fits the big-bug theory.

[Clay Dowling]

Is a game of patience. I hunted for a long time to find my Magna. Most of a summer. Of course, I still bought it a few weeks before my MSF class.

Craigslist and EBay were my friends for finding this bike. I just trolled them every day at lunch hunting for a decent bike.

Rebels and Nighthawks, BTW, are a bear to find, and used they go for close to new prices. Popular bikes because of the fuel efficiency and easy of handling. Their record for longevity doesn’t hurt either. A co-worker uses his ’83 400cc Nighthawk as his daily commuter in the summer, and it’s pretty trouble-free.

The only problem with buying a used bike will be getting a loan. Banks don’t want to lend on a vehicle more than about 3 years old. It used to be you could fund an older bike using a personal unsecured loan if you had decent credit, but right now Chase isn’t writing those, and most other banks are probably following along.

[Clay Dowling]

A Ninja 500 might be a happier choice if you’re planning to ride it north to south. Most small bike owners I know can take it on the highway, but they don’t enjoy it. As for the stoppies and wheelies, your a year or three away from that. Learn to ride the bike first. That will take longer than you’re thinking.

For the long ride, you can’t figure pulling 12 hours in the saddle. Those kinds of long days are reserved for bikes with seats designed for touring. You can’t afford one of those bikes right now, and they aren’t appropriate for your skill level. Find a friend with a truck and a motorcycle chock (harbor freight sells very inexpensive chocks). That’s how you should get your bike to Florida.

[Clay Dowling]

You still go to jail if you kill somebody with your car due to negligence. It’s typically reserved for drunk drivers, but there’s probably a good case here. She hit someone who was very clearly marked, and has admitted to doing things she wasn’t supposed to be doing. A prosecutor shouldn’t have a hard time with this case.

[Clay Dowling]

First, everything is negotiable when buying a vehicle. Unless it’s something special where the dealer can’t keep them on the lot, they’ll probably dicker.

Don’t discount the expense of having something delivered though. Last summer I had to calculate the cost of having a table shipped, and I found that shipping would cost as much as the table. That’s when I decided not to try to sell it nation wide, and limited it to places I could drive to.

[Clay Dowling]

That’s definitely where you should go.

[Clay Dowling]

That’s a fairly tall-sitting bike, looks good, definite sport bike.

[Clay Dowling]

There’s no exact point where you should shift. Going up, it’s a matter of shift when you can. If you need the power of the lower gear, delay the shift. If you shift earlier, you’ll save on fuel at the sacrifice of power. But power isn’t always appropriate, so it isn’t a big deal.

Shifting down, you need to shift before the engine gets rough. Shift down at higher RPMs if you need to slow faster by using engine compression. You’ll work out very quickly when the right times to downshift are.

The tach is nice, but that shouldn’t be your guide for when to shift. The feel and sound of your bike will tell you when it’s time.

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