[eternal05]

Now here we have to draw a line: stupidity is an unfair charge for the use of a supersport on the street, even in the absence of twisties. While it is clearly arguable that there are substantial and objective reasons to go with a different type of bike for that sort of riding, having personal taste in vehicles is not the same as being “stupid.” Especially given the dramatic aesthetic differences between supersports and other types of bikes, it’s easy to see why somebody would want to own such a bike. Like Tara, I was original drawn to sportbikes largely for aesthetics (since that’s what somebody who hasn’t ridden a motorcycle before will pay attention to). Your comment was concerned with function above all else, ignoring the very visceral aspects of motorcycle riding and ownership.

On the other hand, do I agree with you that it doesn’t make much sense? Absolutely. While I have ridden plenty of street miles on my gixxer, I’m getting to the end of my need to do that. With more and more access to the track, I can keep my enjoyment of that beast where it belongs, and avoid uncomfortable rides to work. As Ben says in his articles around the site, these bikes were not meant for 20-40mph operation. Nor were they meant to be straight up-and-down all the time. Nor were they meant to make tight slow-speed maneuvers in parking lots or out of driveways. They are track animals. Other bikes (most notably standard/naked/streetfighter types) give 90% of the street performance with 10% of the comfort issues.

In fact, you and I might have very similar taste and opinions about bikes given what you said above and have said in the past. My GSX-R is getting the track bike conversion (i.e. will not be street legal) in a month or two. I’m selling my Ninja 250R to replace it with a DR-Z400sm within the next 6 months, and I’m going to have to try really hard to avoid owning a Triumph Speed Triple at some point. I think we see eye-to-eye on that

[eternal05]

..which is NOT a sportbike in any sense but aesthetics. It’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing, a standard dressed like a sportbike.

[eternal05]

…and they’re your strength-to-weight ratio and muscular endurance. Once you’re on the bike, you’re only going to need to hold yourself on with your legs and support your upper body’s weight using your lower back and other core muscles. Depending on what type of bike you want to ride, you may also be carrying a lot of weight in your legs, so being strong in the squat/lunge/jump department will help a lot as well. Then again, for street riding this isn’t as much of an issue to begin with.

I’m sure you’ll be fine!

[eternal05]

Just to drive this point home further, you should NEVER be tense on the bars. You should never be relying on the bars to stay on the bike. Period. No weight on the bars.

To make this even more dramatic, track riders must follow the chicken-wing rule too at all times. If you can’t waggle your arms goofily while braking down from 140mph to 90mph for a corner, or hanging off with your knee on the ground, you’re doing it wrong.

[eternal05]

Small, but not quite minibikes…I need to get me one of those! I’d have no problem trashing it left and right!

[eternal05]

Munch’s on the money. Any time you’re worried about your traction or the bike’s stability (e.g. grooved roads, gravel, those metal bridges, rain, etc.) you have to do the counter-intuitive thing and loosen up your grip. Your input to the handlebars is more likely to cause problems than help, and in most cases, the front just needs to do its thang and readjust itself. Grab the bike with your knees and loosen up on top.

[eternal05]

And to be honest, I was pretty disappointed with them. I don’t really wear them anymore, so it’s $100 just sitting on the shelf. In particular, they aren’t really any better than normal jeans: only a bit thicker, with a few impact-area reinforcements. The fit was also horrible for me.

One thing to realize, especially in NYC (my girlfriend went to NYU for a while, so I have my fair share of year-round experience there), is that it gets COLD. Riding a motorcycle makes cold worse by up to 15 degrees, so on those days when it’s 45, you will freeze your ass off on a motorcycle. I recommend overpants rather than riding jeans for that reason: they’re warmer, waterproof, and offer more protection. In that case there’s lots of variety available in the $70-$150 range, so I’d just check out your local dealers’ selections and see what fits your body and riding style.

[eternal05]

That red 250R seems a popular choice among our new members. Three in, what, a week or two?

Welcome, and hope you get thousands of miles of fun outta that thing!

As far as pants go, what’s the weather like where you live?

[eternal05]

Man, South Park is all about subtlety, isn’t it? My favorite has still got to be the Scientology episode.

[eternal05]

Yeah, you definitely need your brakes at Pacific! Basically the less wide-open and more technical the course is, the more your brakes matter on a 250. On really wide-open sweeping courses with high corner speeds you’re lucky to even hit speeds that would be too high for the corners.

[eternal05]

Obviously corner speed is super important on a 250, but coming out of turn 2 at PR, full throttle down a steep hill for a quarter mile into tight decreasing-radius turn 3, you BETTER have good brakes! My ninja really suffered from brake fade…not something you want on the track.

[eternal05]

…that’s a guy waiting for a bus at Laguna Seca!

[eternal05]

If…scratch that…WHEN she decides to take her 250 to the track, two MANDATORY mods:

1) Better tires. The stock ones blow for the track.

2) Upgrade those brakes! Steel braided lines, better pads, and bigger disk. The brakes are fine for around the city, but on the track they’re worthless.

[eternal05]

What KIND of bike are you considering? A 600cc sportbike and a 650cc cruiser are two totally different beasts.

[eternal05]

…for money. Yeah, that’s a pickle at your age. I shouldn’t really be saying “at your age” because I’m not much older, but I’m referring mostly to the “money is absurdly tight” phase of life. Well, the college one anyway.

I’m telling you, though, the ‘spaz is right: stay the F#$% away from loans as a student. You have a lot of expenses already and not a lot of income. That’s just a huge recipe for disaster. Credit cards and loans are the reason that most college students leave school in thousands of dollars of debt ON TOP of student loans. Especially if you’re just scraping by money-wise, a loan is a dangerous, dangerous proposition.

So what do you do? Well I got my ’08 Ninja back at the end of ’07 when I was finishing undergrad, and I paid for it in cash for precisely this reason. My income was unpredictable at best, but I’d been hoarding money from all my part time jobs like a fiend since I was 16 or so. The biggest problem I see is that you really want a motorcycle (don’t get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY sympathize with you!) and the idea of waiting 6 months to save up really aggressively seems like an eternity.

I don’t know your dad, but I think you do have a shot at having him solve your problem for you. You just need to appeal to what HE wants. Different parents have different priorities for their kids, but some of them are:

1) Making them happy
2) Keeping them safe
3) Giving them more opportunities
4) Teaching them or allowing them to learn important lessons
5) Making their lives easier in a pragmatic sense
6) Having something over which to bond
etc.

I’m sure you can figure out what angle would work best and try to spin it that way. You think he’s really going to object when he can go on Sunday rides with his daughter? Most dad’s of 19-year-olds would probably kill for that kind of opportunity…then again, maybe you don’t want that Who knows. Point is, he’s your dad, and (I hope) he loves you, so chances are he’ll be willing to help.

The tact I’d take if he says no is the “match my contribution” approach. For instance, if you can save $250 every month out of your $800 and he matches that $250 each month as well, that’s $500/mo towards a bike. In 6 months you’d have the money to pay for it right then and there. I know 6 months seems like ages, but the anticipation would make it all the better when you finally got it, knowing you’d worked hard for it, and knowing you wouldn’t have to carry that debt around for the next couple years.

Alright, I’ve rambled enough. You know what to do

[Author]

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