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MattParticipant
Mike, the question is really only one you can answer. Obviously depth perception isn’t a problem, and general situational awareness isn’t problem, as you’ve driven just fine for a decade.
What you need to know is how significant is your loss of situational awareness? And how can you minimize or even overcome entirely that loss?
Now, it isn’t like you can’t see your left mirror from your right eye. So the only true issue is the 90 or so degrees to your left with your neck fully cranned that you can’t see with your right eye. How much overlap is there between that and your mirrors? What can you do to maximize that overlap? Convex mirrors (like the ones on big trucks that allow the driver to see down on the ride below the hood) might be an answer.
I’m certain there are other one-eye’d riders out there. I’m sure some of them have even figured out how to do it safely. But it will take additional effort on your part.
Actually, a really good source of information would be found in the veterans support world. Eye damage is not uncommon on the modern battlefield, and returning soldiers have long been one of the big buyers of motorcycles. These days the government works pretty hard to get vets back into a normal life. I’m sure somewhere out there are resources and tools for exactly your situation. Not know anything about the specifics of the US veterans support infrastructure, I can’t even suggest where to start
MattParticipantShannon: Interesting… what happens if you don’t have a supervisor? When you take your road/parking lot test does that give you your full license, or a limited license?
MattParticipantMy sister moved to BC a couple of years back, they just recently changed their motorcycle license laws. You now need an m1 equivilant (which in order to get, you have to drive around in a parking lot to prove you know how to handle a motorcycle… which I find very backwards, sicne without a license, how are you supposed to try riding a motorcycle to learn the controls?) and then you have a probationary license like the m2.
MattParticipant350pounds put you right up to the edge of (possibly over) what a ninja 250 is designed to carry. Legally speaking, you are not allowed to operate a vehicle above it’s max load weight. And there are pretty good reasons for that. If you plan on doubling up, I’d look at a Ninja 500 instead.
Don’t be afriad of getting a used 500 (or a suzuki GS500), they haven’t had any significant change in close to a decade. If you can save yourself a few hundred bucks by getting one with a few thousand miles on it.
Thanks, and keep safe over there.
MattParticipantOkay, since I owned a 1984 honda Interceptor 500, these are my thoughts:
Weight, it is heavy, but not too heavy. Moving it around in a parking lot i not hard, however, more than once I almost dropped it on its right side because I let it lean a bit too far right while standing on its left, and once it starts to go, it is heavy enough you’ve to work to bring it back.
Power, the power feels manageable to me. I kept the revs below 8 grand for the most part and never had any issues. But a review I read summed it up perfectly:
Below 4000 rpm, the engine isn’t happy. Between 4 and 7 rpm it starts to haul ass. At 7000 stop looking at the tach, in a blink of an eye you’ll be a bat out of hell with more important things to look at – like the tree you’re about to hit.
There is simply no comparision powerwise between this and a Ninja 250. On the twistys or on a track, in the hands of capable riders, I’m fairly condifent the Interceptor will leave Ninja 500 in the dust. On the race track it left more than a few 600cc bikes in the dust in the 80s.The bike has two VERY big downsides:
1- Mechanical complexity. This is the big one. Few technitions actually know how to work on this bike. It has many technical standards that simply don’t apply anymore. For one, the sprocket seal is NOT removable without spliting the engine block. On most bikes today they are. The idiot mechanic at my dealership (HONDA dealership) ended up cutting off part of the engineblock to get at it, because he simply did not know what he was doing. My bike became a paperweight due to incompotent mechanics.
1.5 – parts. Getting parts is very very hard. Nothing on that bike is still made by honda. There used to be a replaceable cam chain (a part that wears out in 50 000 km, or 30 000 miles), but it is no longer made, so replacing that part requires dissassembling the engine. Frankly, it seemed like every issue I had with my bike was going to involve pulling apart the engine.
2- The bike was the first of the modern crotch rockets. By today’s standards it is tame compared to a 600cc race replica. But it was the first “racing bike with mirrors slapped on”. This is not a bike to be treated lightly or to be coddled. It wants to be ridden hard. And it will push you to ride it hard. I took mine for a trip through the local provincial park (awesome parkway roads!). The speed limit is 60kph, and after 3 minutes I knew right away that the bike was capable of doing 120 along the whole route. And it wanted it. I had a very hard time keeping my speed DOWN to 70kph (The parkway is patrolled vigoriously and speeders are never given a break – that and all the blind corners meant I could easily become part of the scenery at those speeds). I recently took the exact same trip on my 250. On the 250 there was no sense of urgency, no need to go faster. I’m pretty confident saying that the ninja 250 is doing a much better job of keeping my ego in check and keeping me riding within my boundaries. I’ve still overstepped my skill level a couple of times, and the ninja has saved my bacon… I am not so sure the interceptor would have been so forgiving.
I absolutely love the intercetor 500. It may be my perfect bike. The size fit me perfectly, I loved the way it drove, and the SOUND from that engine was completely unlike anything else under 700cc. But it was never meant to be a learners bike. Yes, it was only 500ccs, but it was the smallest of honda’s top of the line race replicas. It was Honda’s technical masterpiece. And it is now more than 20 years old. It is a hugely complex machine, with a dwindling supply of spare parts, and an even smaller supply of trained technitions.
I love the bike, but save yourself the headache (and heart ache) and make your first bike something more current.
MattParticipantYup, I’m riding a 250 (Basically same engine as the new Ninja 250, just slightly less torque and more top end horsepower).
You don’t need to empty a tank to figure out fuel economy. Next time you fill up, rest your trip odometer. Then, when you fill up again you look at exactly how much it took to fill it back up to full, and how many kilometers/miles you put on your trip odometer.
MattParticipantI don’t know the flow of the I95, but I can easily cruise my ZZR-250 at 120kph (75mph). It still has guts left at that speed.
There aren’t many 250s I’d take on the interstates, but the Ninja is one I have no fears about.
MattParticipantWelcome to the forum
The CBR125 is a sexy little bike.
MattParticipantI’m not sure you can ask for a more solid design than one that is still working 50 years later. Mind you, the “new” 500cc lean burn engine, updated electrical system, and new materials used, it isn’t exactly what it once was. It is better.
I really do like the look of these bikes… I’d love to own one with some of the scrambler kit (tires, engien guards, etc) and go exploring dirt roads with it…
MattParticipanthaha, now whenever I’m on my bicycle I keep trying to thumb my turn signal on and off…
MattParticipantIf you see an SV650 up close, you’ll quickly see that it is not half cruiser. It is full on street bike.
The seat is moderately high, and the handlebars are fairly low, it puts you into a forward lean.
The idea that it is half cruiser probably stems from the fact that it has a V twin engine. But these days, that engine design is being used in a lot of bikes that want lots of low down torque. Honda’s RC51 race bike is a V-twin. Ducati’s 1098S super bike is a V-twin. There is nothing “cruiser” about any of those bikes.
Depending on your definition, there are two types of bike athat are “half cruiser half sport bike”. On one hand you have sport touring bikes (Honda VFR800) that are sport bikes first and foremost, but have made concessions to long distance comfort (slightly more upright seating position, less painful seat).
Or then there are power cruisers (V-max) which are cruisers that have really powerful engines and suspension meant for highspeed cornering.Power cruisers are a huge no no for anyone but experienced riders. They have huge power, huge weight, and a riding position that is not ideal for bike control.
Sport tourers are also pretty poor starting bikes because they tend to be heavy (one of the lightest, the Katana 600, is 475 pounds, 150 pounds more than a Ninja 250).
If you want all day comfort, without plenty of power, look into upright street bikes like the GS500 and Ninja 250/500.
stepping up to the 650s (which are usually twin engines, making htem easier to ride than the 600cc 4 cylinder bikes) the Versys is also a good bike, but heavier than the others.Pros of a cruiser:
Comfortable for longer periods of time, stylishCons of a cruiser:
Heavier than a street (usually)
Less cornering ability (great on the highways, not as good in the twisty back roads)
People think you wanted to buy a harley but could only afford an XPros of an Street bike (not a supersport):
Good body position for bike control, comfortable for relatively long periods of time
Good cornering ability
Stylish
ligher wieght (usually)Cons of a streetbike:
Not as comfortable on the highways
people think you are irresponsible, riding a crotch rocketThe question of cruiser or street bike should be, what do you want to do with it?
If your goal is travelling all over, a cruiser is probably a better choice
If your goal is to hit the back roads and enjoy the Gs, a street bike is probably a better choice
Does that mean some street and sport riders don’t ride long distances? No, they do.
Does that mean some cruiser riders don’t attack the corners with a wild smile? No, they do.As always, go with the bike that makes you smile – just don’t buy a big bike thinking a small one won’t be good enough. I just put 200 miles on my ZZR-250 this past weekend. I attacked the twisties, I got lost in the back roads of no where, and I cruised along the freeways and the highways. Bikes are a lot more versitile than the salesmen will lead you to believe.
MattParticipantI don’t know if you can fit a wider tire on a stock rim the way you can a car, so this might be moot. But…
On a bike, tire profile has a very strong impact on the handling of the bike. Rounder, more pointed, flatter centre for touring… these all affect tip in, road holding, and straight line stability.
Side wall profile and flex affects these as well.
Side wall flex is a rather disturbing thing to deal with (I recently forgot to check my tire pressure and the back end was “sliding” down the pavement and moving around on me… I was only down 2 psi, but it gave the sidewalls enough flex to really disrupt my riding).
Less sidewall (like sport tires) means less flex, better cornering control, but less comfort on the road because the sidewall absorbes bumps (hence why the back tires on cruisers usually have a big sidewall).Then you have issues of clearance. Lots of fenders come real close to the tires, and at speed, tires flex, getting taller.
There are a tonne of issue to worry about when changing tire sizes. In a car, those changes are less pronounced because, well, you have four tires and you only ever roll on one part of them.What I’m trying to say is that altering your tire size can be complicated. I have not seen anyone on this forum talk like an experienced customization mechanic. Similarly, I’ve seen lots of squids on other forums sound off like they know everything, but are not people I’d trust with the life of my cactus, let alone my own life.
You should chat with someone at a shop that specializes in motorcycle customization close to your style.If you are pimping a cruiser, find a cruiser shop. If you are pimping a street bike (you went with a GS500 right?), find a shop that does track conversions.
One place local to me is Hybrid Racing. http://www.hybridracing.ca/Home.aspThey specialize in customizing sport bikes and building track-day and drag racing bikes. The guys on my local forum speak very highly of them, in particular when it comes tires. They know their brands and know how different tire brands and models work on different bikes. Drop them an e-mail; asking experts is always worth your time. No sense in wasting time and money when you can do it right the first time…
Just my 2 cents
MattParticipantIf you like the looks of the old school bikes, look at a Royal Enfield 500 (formerly Lee Enfield)
http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/.
essentially it is a 1950’s motorcycle still in production today (some improvements). Single cylinder air cooled. Very simple to work on and repair yourself if that is your want. Handles rough terrain very well. Will do highway speeds. These bikes have ridden all over the world.
But, it does have a number of draw backs, it’ll leak a bit of oil, handling and stopping are not like a modern street bike.
If your goal is simply a bike that works, there are better choices, but these Enfields are just plain neat imo.
On the topic of better choices, look at “street fighter” ninja 250s. Basically you pull off the fairing (usually due to damage), through on a regular headlamp, signals, mirrors, and instrument cluster, and you get a little bike that looks like any naked you want (through a simple round lamp on the front and it’ll look like a nighthawk, put a double lamp from a triump triple on it and people will confuse it for a street triple. There are tons of aftermarket headlights out there.
MattParticipantIn order to see behind me, I have to tuck my arm in and move my head/shoulder a bit.
I had to do this on my interceptor as well. I think it is pretty much standard with any sport / naked bike.
MattParticipantI live in the national capital of Canada (and no, it isn’t Toronto!)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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