[Elias]

Slice.don’t.do.it.

[Elias]

haha, nice, we’ve got a celeb! Welcome to BBM Crash…

[Elias]

“Guys who I bet couldn’t tell you what color shirt they have on without a quick glance down, will tell you how they agonized over their choice of clutch cover, length of their rear fender, or even the color of their aftermarket fuel caps.” -ranette

“After that, given that bikes are a more ego driven purchase than a practical one, I’d say looks are pretty important.” -Clay

spot on, guys, couldn’t have said it better myself. Of course looks vary depending on who is looking at it, but to the owner of a bike, I think it’s safe to say that looks are damn near close to the top of the list of “Why I Am Buying This Bike, Instead Of That Bike.”

On the other hand, you asked about people who chose practicality over aesthetics. I would like to point out that I have made major vehicle purchases majorly based on aesthetics, that turned out to be COMPLETELY impractical. First I had a souped up and dropped riceburner (that was fun as hell to drive) and then a racing sport ATV that had about 3″ of clearance. Super incredibly clean and sexy machines, compliments everywhere, extremely fast, super fun to drive on flats, but overall: very impractical. Sold the ricer and got a pickup truck. In the process of selling the quad right now, and I’m going to replace it with a sport utility quad that has 4×4, reverse and a foot of clearance. From those two huge financial commitments, I learned two things:

– I will never buy a vehicle that I think is ugly
– Practicality is just as important as aesthetics.

So from now on, I’m finding the happy medium.

[Elias]

“Looks aren’t everything.”

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I somewhat disagree. A big part part of buying a motorcycle is how the bike looks. I myself would never buy a 2008 650R because of it’s color scheme, but I would buy a 2009 650R, with flat color schemes, and different aesthetics. I think everyone would agree here that buying a bike that you think looks good, is very important. The only reasons I could think of for buying a bike that you think is ugly are: you know you’re going to completely destroy it, you’re buying it for someone else who likes it, you want a “project bike” that you’re going to change the looks of, it was super cheap or you just have no personal taste in aesthetics…but who has no personal taste in aesthetics?

[Elias]

Looks so fun! Glad you had an amazing and safe ride.

[Elias]

I had a car cover once…and it got stolen. I understand the concept but vehicle covers just aren’t practical, they scratch the paint and are a royal pain in the ass to put on and take off IMO. I say scrap the whole idea, let the kids drool at the bike without a cover! Otherwise, do whatever helps you sleep easy. I’ve been there, and I totally understand your perspective, but in the long run, I think that you will find it’s useless. But, lock that cover on their until you get sick of it! They ARE great for providing that minor inconvenience you were talking about.

[Elias]

I suggest making a decision after the beginner rider course. You’ll probably ride 250’s in the course, and it will give you a rough idea what their power is like. Me, I’d go with the 650R hands down, but that’s because I feel the 250’s are a bit sluggish. Not that I want speed, but I like the idea of more power than the 250’s.

+1 650R or SV650 from me

[Elias]

Clever, yes, but I can’t actually believe this kid rides like that. Does he not notice that when he looks to the left or right with his eyes that “OH! all the sudden I can only see what I am looking at with one eye…and all my depth perception is lost! Hmmm, I wonder why?!?!” I won’t be surprised when I see a vlog of this guy hitting a trash can on his bike lol

[Elias]

Anyways, here are the pics of my new gear. Still thinking Elvis? Almost sounds like Elias, I guess

[Elias]

Haha, don’t know why, but that reminded me of Back to the Future, where instead of gunning it forward against his competitor, McFly goes reverse. lol

[Elias]

Ugh, I am so paranoid of people “ucking with my shi” (any Flight of the Conchords fans?) I’m lucky enough to have a shed in my backyard that has room for a bike. Me, I would dig through the tool box and find some super skinny needle nose pliers and yank the sucker. If it’s absolutely stuck, then call for help. At least you still have your bike! Go disk brakes!

[Elias]

They don’t see displacement. They are thinking “this guy’s got a bike. people who ride bikes think they are faster than cars. I bet I can prove him wrong…” You could be on a 125 and they will rev at you and display their obvious dominance by flooring it…all the way to the next red light. Good job keeping your head on right, ignore the tools…

[Elias]

haha, you should totally do this SF!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIAMTSROE6Q&feature=channel_page

…lol

[Elias]

The first one makes me think those are the minimum speeds to be entering the sequential gear, but the second table doesn’t make sense to me.

[Elias]

Little food for thought. When was the last time you heard a salesman say “Oh man, that guy who just bought that bike/car totally ripped me off!” Never! And you never will! Because they won’t sell below a certain price. I’m just trying to get it for that certain price, because if they WILL sell it to some other guy for that price, why shouldn’t I be entitled to the same price?? Somehow people are getting the impression I’m trying to get a bike for less than 3% profit margin, taking bites of food out of the children of salesmen everywhere…and that is a mistake on their part. I find the invoice price, add 5% for the dealership commission, and ask for that price. This adjusted price is always under MSRP and acceptable to the dealer, so why not ask for it and save some money.

Look, as far as I can tell, Elwood, Clay and ranette, you guys live in some Pleasantville where people are honest and care about their customers. Don’t get offended by this, it’s NOT a bad thing. I only wish I had the same fortune, to be able to trust most of the people I meet, but I don’t. I live where I live and have learned how to deal with it. We have different views on this simply because your dealerships and salesmen are different (in a good way) than most anyone else’s that I know. So I am throwing in the towel, because honestly this thread is getting old and bland- two viewpoints endlessly defending their point.

You guys are great, and are what make a community like this so amazing. I appreciate all the advice, but we’re going to have to accept our differences on this one and move on.

[Author]

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