[eon]

Do you have the piaggio 3 wheeler? I do and I can assure it does 2mph drops just as easily as a 2 wheel bike. And at 538 lbs dry and a 31″ seat height, it’s hard to stop once it starts to go over. While it is entirely possible to learn on one (I did) it is far from being the perfect beginner bike you make it out to be.

For the record I have not dropped it but it’s been close at times. If I was any shorter or weaker it would have gone down. I have had a low speed low side that scraped all that nice plastic. Repair bill, $2100. Think on that before recommending as a good first bike.

[eon]

Jeff, did you actually read any of that before posting?
I couldn’t make it all the way through as there is only so much crap I can stand to read. But several things jumped out at me.
MSF teaches you to grab and lock your brakes in an emergency.
Really? What fricken MSF class did this guy take? My Sycho Friend?

You steer through a corner with you rear tire?
WTF? Are you power sliding round these corners? If not please explain to me how you are steering with your rear wheel.

That’s about as much as I could read but I’m sure there are other howlers in there.
Sorry for being hard on you but that’s sone of the worst advice I gave seen in a long time.

[eon]

Cannot give you a sure fire answer on the learners permit but I think in general you take a written test and then you get your permit. Typically it might be valid for 90 days (but can be renewed), you are not allowed to ride at night and no passengers. I don’t think there is any limit on engine size. Try looking up your local DMV webpage. I find they are usually pretty helpful.

I understand $300 might seem like a lot and I remember starting out to be very expensive. Having to buy everything all at once is a big hit. Trawl through the old threads on here as the cheap but good question has been asked many times. Look in the close out sections of online retailers as there are often good deals in there. Browse through webbikeworld.com for reviews, newenough.com and motorcyclesuperstore.com for user feedback, revzilla.com has great video reviews. All those sites are great to buy from but to be honest I’ve not heard anyone complain about any site.

But back to that $300. If money is so tight you need to forgoe training then I think you should consider waiting till that changes. I reckon you need to spend AT LEAST $500 on gear (though everyone has different opinions on what is safe/good enough). If you skip training then chances are you will need that gear and if you have skimped on that, well you could be looking at a hospital bill in the thousands.

But that’s my opinion. If you do go ahead with it at least get some training books. They are cheap and could be invaluable.

[eon]

Looks like a cool place for a ride
I’m surprised you found it easier coming down than going up. Going down those tight 180′ hairpin corners that have large drops in height with even larger drop offs just to the side of the road, now those I found challenging!

[eon]

I’m trying to keep the costs down, although I am seriously eyething that VHoldR HD camera. Looks real nice. Or maybe stick with the GoPro but get the HD version. Then of course I would probably need a computer upgrade to edit HD movies.

I got a bit annoyed on that ride as I was trying to use my camcorder for the shots from the rear. I’ve had this camcorder sitting on a shelf for years that has never been used. Finally had the bright idea to try it out on the bike but I managed to strip the camera mount before getting a single shot. Doh!! It records on mini dvd so I was doubtful how useful it would be. Ended up using my normal digital camera but that seemed to suffer from lots of vibration. Not sure what effect (if any) the SD card I have in it would make. It’s not as fast as the ones I use in the GoPro. Might swap them out next time just to see.

[eon]

I think it likely the attitude towards driving is being carried over to riding. The bar for getting a license in the US is so low you get in and go with the barest minimum of instruction. You learn as you go and any mishaps are likely to be non fatal. Maybe it’s not surprising a lot of people do the same on a bike.

In the UK getting a driving license is a lot harder and I took over 25 hours of one on one instruction in order to pass (and this was 20 years ago and I know the test keeps getting harder each year). Still, I had my share of mishaps in the car in those early years. Mistakes that would have been very bad on a bike.

[eon]

Neat job man. This track day thing has really got a hold of you I see. You plan on racing at some point?

I’m curious how long you have been riding and how you got into the track day thing. MegaSpaz (he still around?) seemed to get into it very soon after riding if I remember correctly. It also looks like an expensive hobby!

ps. get some flames down the side of that thing!!

[eon]

There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!
Hope you stick around as this is the best site by far. Lots of good information without the usual internet forum bullshit.

[eon]

I can’t say I understand those who do not take training as training factored into my decision even before I bought a bike. Taking the BRC was a great way to see if I would like riding. Even for that reason alone it was worth it but of course it is so much more than simply a cheap way to ride a bike for two days.

Have to say I was disappointed with the ERC as I was expecting it to take my skills to the next level. Instead as has been mentioned it is mostly a rehash of the BRC. It was good to confirm I had not let bad habits creep in but it would have been nice to learn some ‘expert’ techniques. I guess that was my fault for having the wrong expectations of the course. Having a lot of ‘experienced’ riders on the class who were really there to get licensed didn’t help I think, as they were learning the basics for the first time.

I’ve noticed on a lot of other boards the inevitable question of “why we ride” is often answered with “the danger”. Can honestly say that has nothing to do with why I ride. Sometimes I get a surge of adrenalin but mostly that’s when I have effed up and scare myself. I then get mad for having made a mistake but maybe others go from corner to corner scaring themselves silly? I dunno. Maybe training would rob them of the thrill they get by riding badly?

For me the learning is going to continue for a long time yet. Recently watched a training video from an ex UK Police instructor, read the training book for UK Police riders and have an Advanced Street Skills class coming up in June. Also have a mechanics class this weekend where I hope to learn the difference between a spanner and a screwdriver.

[eon]

Damn, here was me feeling all smug about parking my bike in an underground garage protected by TWO heavy steel gates. Come home tonight to find out thieves had broken in during the night and stolen someones bike. Apparently they got through the pedestrian door at both gates, wire cutters on the first one and drilled out the lock on the second one. They must have walked right past my bike to get to one in the floor below me. And get this, despite the whole thing being caught on security cameras, the cameras are so lame they cannot even make out the license plate on the bike. At this point they have no idea whose bike was stolen! Apparently the cameras are only there for insurance purposes. Might as well put up an empty box for all the good they do.

I guess my best insurance is having an ugly, heavy three wheel scooter. Not exactly top of the list of bikes to steal (and that actually did factor into my buying decision).

[eon]

I lock mine under my seat

[eon]

He did mention Walmart so he might be there some time!

[eon]

Depends on the location. My understanding is that it is typically illegal but that enforcement can vary greatly from location to location. Places like Walmart are considered private property so the parking regulations are entirely up to them. I could see one store turning a blind eye but another calling the tow truck. Outside of mall type locations sidewalks fall under the control of the local city or township, and enforcement will come under police jurisdiction (I think!). But again it all depends on the prevailing attitude. Are people happy that you leave a space for a car or do they see you as flouting the rules?

In short, I would do as others do. If no-one else is parking on the sidewalks I would say you are taking a risk. It also depends on the bike as there is a big difference between a small scooter and a Gold Wing.

As for your helmet getting stolen, I wouldn’t think parking location is going to help much. Either invest in lockable luggage or a specialized helmet lock (or take it with you).

[eon]

I remember France used to have yellow headlights. In Googling that to make sure I wasn’t being senile I found the following useful webbikeworld page that I had not seen before. There is an especially useful user comment towards the bottom of the page
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-light-bulbs/yellow-light-bulbs.htm.

[eon]

Riding at night with your high beams on is a completely different story than during the day. Your eyes will have adjusted to the dark and are more susceptible to being ‘blinded’ by any bright light. That’s why you NEED to switch them off for oncoming traffic. Do you think the rules are different from riding a bike to driving your car?

[Author]

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