Forum Replies Created
5 Common Wear and Tear Items on Motorcycles
-
AuthorPosts
-
October 29, 2010 at 3:29 am in reply to: Kicking over the bee hive – Shadow 750 as a starter bike #28716ngl826Participant
ah, cool! ann arbor is a great town, and it’s where i learned to ride – lots of trips down huron river drive and out to dexter on dexter-ann arbor road. have fun! i miss it.
October 23, 2010 at 8:13 pm in reply to: Kicking over the bee hive – Shadow 750 as a starter bike #28668ngl826Participantcongratulations on the new bike for your wife! sounds like you guys reached the decision carefully and it’ll be a great fit. out of random curiosity, what suburb outside of flint are you from? i went to college in ann arbor and my girlfriend was from gaines. i spent many a weekend up there, and loved it – so beautiful!!
ngl826ParticipantI just went to see a 1985 Shadow 500 the other day, before I bought my Rebel…
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/buyersguide/Honda-VT500Shadow.htmngl826ParticipantUpdate – I bought a bike!
It’s a 2003 Honda Rebel with 2500 miles, and it’s in pristine condition – apparently the original owner kept it IN HIS BEDROOM, and the second owner, who I bought it from, took great care of it, and her partner, who is a mechanic, maintained it meticulously.
So far, my impressions of it are that it’s a beautiful bike, and I’m glad I got it, but I won’t be keeping it too long. My questions about whether it was too small for the highway were answered immediately when I rode it home along the Long Island Expressway and then the BQE. The thing is, it definitely keeps up with traffic easily – I can easily do 65 and still have plenty of juice left in the throttle (maybe this is related to my size).
But the problem is, it is uncomfortable as hell at those speeds. In general, it’s not a comfortable bike to sit on for an hour or more – I start to slouch and my back gets stiff, and even at 5’4″, my legs feel cramped. But on top of that, when the Rebel is doing anything over 55, it’s a vibration machine, and that’s super unpleasant to sit on top of. It feels totally capable of maintaining speed, from a mechanical standpoint – but from a comfort standpoint, doing 65 on this bike honestly just blows.
So I figure I will keep it through this riding season, build my skills, get more comfortable on the bike, and then, this winter/next spring, trade up for a 450-650 standard.
I also thought I’d throw in my (very brief) thoughts on my gear, since one of my primary frustrations when I was shopping for it was the lack of personal experiences/reviews of the products I was looking at.
Jacket – Olympia Airglide 3 – This jacket is kind of ugly, in my opinion, but it could be worse – and overall, from a functional standpoint, it’s been great. Fits pretty well and I love that I can attach it to my regular belt with the snaps on the back (so that it doesn’t ride up on my back). It’s pretty hot in stopped traffic but the air flows through the mesh really nicely when you’re moving, and the armor feels very substantial/beefy (though the back protector is nothing). Only gripe: the collar is built for a bull-size neck, it seems, and is very uncomfortable.
Gloves – Icon Pursuit – These gloves are perforated leather with knuckle protectors. They’re surprisingly un-hot for black leather gloves, and my only problem is that the fingers run a little long. But overall, I’m very pleased.
Helmet – Scorpion EXO-700 – Jury is still out on this one. I love the color (hi-viz lime green / yellow), and it’s pretty comfortable. But it’s my first full-face helmet, and I’m still not sure about the fit. It seems like the chin bar is ALMOST not low enough – my chin isn’t sticking out the bottom of the helmet, but it ALMOST is – too close for comfort for me. It’s weird, though, because the rest of the helmet is definitely the right size for me – so I don’t know, maybe this is just how it’s supposed to fit? Thoughts would be welcome.
Boots – Haven’t bought em yet, still looking for a good protective pair right now. Looks are not important – I’ve decided I’m just going to change my shoes when I get to work every day, because I’ve heard way too many horror stories about injured feet/ankles. So, the most important thing is protective and $200 or under – any recommendations?
ngl826ParticipantWent to see the 1983 Nighthawk 450 today with high hopes. The bike was beautiful and well-maintained but…waaaay too big for me. I was up on my toes (might be fine for down the road, but for my first bike, I want to be able to flatfoot it, for comfort, confidence and safety reasons).
So, looks like I’ll probably be going with a Rebel 250 after all – get comfortable, build my skills on a small bike, and then trade up next year for something a little bigger.
Thanks for all the help!!
ngl826ParticipantYeah – the concerns about old bikes are very real – thank you for bringing them up. The problem is that I’m really not interested in a sportbike at all – so that eliminates the Ninja. And I know that the GS500 is technically a naked/standard bike, but it seems to me (from my very newbie perspective) that it’s still more on the sport side of standard than I’m looking for.
I’m also considering a Honda Shadow…but just would prefer to avoid a 600cc bike as my first, if I can help it.
July 29, 2010 at 3:53 pm in reply to: Jackets: Firstgear Kenya vs. Olympia Airglide vs. Scorpion Holeshot #27846ngl826ParticipantThanks for all of the help, guys. To answer WeaponZero’s question about what kind of jacket I want – what I’m looking for is a reliable 3-season textile jacket. I don’t plan on riding in a ton of rain, and I don’t plan on riding in winter, but I do want a jacket that can serve my needs pretty decently from ~40 degrees to ~85 degrees.
I know that’s a tall order, and I’m not looking for anything perfect – I don’t mind being a little hot in the summer, or wearing extra layers under my jacket in the late fall. But for now, because I’m just starting out on a motorcycle, I don’t want to buy more than one jacket – so I’m just looking to buy one decent, all-around jacket.
So, my more detailed requirements:
-Not a mesh jacket – ideally, it’d be Cordura, but at the very minimum, some kind of 600+D non-mesh nylon.
-Nothing longer than waist-length.
-CE-approved armor.
-Doesn’t need to be a waterproof shell – just needs to have the option of waterproofing – either waterproof shell or waterproof liner.
-Must be versatile for spring, summer and fall.Right now I’m thinking I will be giving a closer look at the Firstgear Kenya and the Olympia Airglide (I’ll probably shop around for a used Airglide 2, because I much, much, much prefer the aesthetic of it to the 3).
Any other jackets I should take a look at?
ngl826ParticipantThanks for all of your help, everyone. At this point I’m considering either a Nighthawk 450 or a Rebel 450. The only problem is that I’m still not sure if buying a bike that’s 20+ years old is a good idea.
Here are a few of the bikes I’m gonna try to go see this weekend – any opinions on these? Do they seem fairly priced? (I’m assuming the $16000 Rebel is supposed to be $1600.)
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/1826279776.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/1830858620.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/1791671211.html
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/mcy/1860918727.html
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brx/mcy/1866299420.htmlThanks again for the help!!
July 28, 2010 at 5:30 pm in reply to: Jackets: Firstgear Kenya vs. Olympia Airglide vs. Scorpion Holeshot #27817ngl826ParticipantThanks for all the information! Very helpful. I had no idea that the Holeshot was Scorpion’s bottom-of-the-line jacket…I was just drawn to it because I’m really trying to avoid flashy, sportbike-y jackets, and it’s more subtle. But that’s definitely not a reason to buy a jacket, and it sounds like I’ll be steering clear of it.
Gotta say I’m surprised by what you say about the Airglide – I’ve actually read that it’s intended to be a 3-season jacket, like the Kenya, and intended to be useful in temperatures ranging from very hot to fairly cold…check out this quote from Olympia’s website:
“Enhanced function and versatility are the key elements offered in our new Airglide 3 jacket. Heat, wind, rain and cold are no match for this cutting edge style. Constructed in authentic Dupont Cordura® with ballistic nylon mesh panels, this jacket offers maximum airflow with superior abrasion resistance. For added safety, the Airglide offers double rows of 3M Scotchlite® piping at the chest, back and sleeves. Equipped with a sporty two stage, wind and waterproof / breathable Thermolite® insulated liner jacket, this style delivers the ultimate in multi season riding comfort.”
-
AuthorPosts