[Rab]

First of all, congratulations and welcome to motorcycling.

One of the easiest locks to tote around, which offers pretty good security, is a disk lock for the front wheel. You can also get them with a built in movement alarm (made by Xena). The bike will already have a “steering lock” built-in and you should use that too. The only drawback is that the bike (being relatively light weight) can still be physically picked-up and taken away by a couple of burly guys or with some kind of a winch.

The only way to prevent that would be by chaining the bike to a lamp post or something like that however, I think that professional motorcycle thieves are more likely to be interested in more expensive bikes than the Rebel though, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. A sturdy disk lock like a Xena, is likely to deter most opportunist thieves I would have thought.

Regarding “everything else”, get yourself a copy of “The Complete Idiots Guide to Motorcycles”. It’s a wonderful primer on all things motorcycle and can be had very cheaply (new or used). Check Amazon.com, eBay or your local new or used book store; the slightly older editions are pretty much as good as the newer ones (just that the reviews will not be so current, and the reviews are not that great anyway). The only negative I have about this book is that they recommend some bigger engined motorcycles as “beginner bikes” that I personally think are much more second bikes than first bikes.

Also look back through the posts on this web site. I’ll bet that most questions you can come up with have been answered already.

The Rebel is a great bike to learn on by all accounts and depending on your circumstances, might be all the bike you’ll ever need; “want” is a different animal though

[Rab]

No offence to the original poster, but why do we (men) all seem to call ourselves and be called “males”?

I, for one, am proud to be a MAN, not an effeminate sounding “male”

[Rab]

So! Based on the above exchange, I think either will do.

They’re both good motorcycles, so go with the one that speaks to you.

[Rab]

I know you don’t want to hear this, but unless you’re very heavy you should buy a new or used 250 if you’ve no previous experience. That will provide you with all the challenges you need in the early days.

Once you’ve put a few thousand miles on that, riding in town, on the freeway, in the twisties, in the wind and rain, then you should consider graduating to a bigger bike like the Sportster 883. You’ll be much safer doing it that way.

Yes, it is what I did and yes, I am biased, however, I’ve never regretted starting on a 250 Nighthawk and graduating to a Bonneville.

You need to walk before you can run.

[Rab]

I’ve tried various “Winter Gloves”, but they’re not much good in winter temperatures; even here in NorCal.

In the coldest days of Winter, I use a combination of inexpensive (~$50 on eBay) Oxford Hot Hands heated grips plus Firstgear Carbon heated gloves. The grips heat the insides of my hand (that the gloves don’t) and the gloves heat the backs of my hands (which the grips don’t).

The “Hot Hands” just wrap-around your existing grips and secure with Velcro. Very easy to install, waterproof, and can very easily be taken off in the Summer. They do add a little bulk to the grips, but I can live with it.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/heated-motorcycle-grips

The heated gloves are a bit of a pain as you have wires coming from the battery which plug into a “heat-troller” (an extra but necessary expense) in your pocket and from there, the wires run down your sleeves where you plug them into the gloves.

Warm hands in cold weather make your ride much more enjoyable.

[Rab]

I get Motorcyclist (going to drop that one and ignored a free gratis one-year give-away), Cycle World (going to drop that one too although I quite like it), Rider (going to keep that as it’s a friendly little mag), American Motorcyclist (don’t like this at all but it comes free with my AMA membership) and Motorcycle Consumer News (going to keep that too).

Rider is slanted towards motorcycle touring but has the usual fare too (without the embarassing advertisements).

http://www.ridermagazine.com

Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN) is different in that it is entirely subscriber supported (no advertising). It also has intelligent, accurate reviews, the usual mix of letters and general fare along with medical issues relevant to motorcyclists, safety issues and tips, etc. It’s basically a little more cerebral than the other mags. The cost of admission is higher of course given no advertising revenue, but it’s one that I usually read from cover to cover whereas the others are usually flicked through only stopping at anything that grabs my attention. This month MCN is reviewing the Triumph Bonneville, Moto Guzzi V7 Classic and Ducati Sport 1000 (all retro bikes this month).

http://www.mcnews.com

But yes, pretty much all of the magazines concentrate on the biggest, fastest or heaviest bikes on the market (which is probably exactly what their advertisers want them to help sell).

[Rab]

I’d say try to reach a compromise with whatever setting you choose as no-one can predict the angle of your knee hitting the pavement in an unscheduled get-off (which will hopefully never happen).

Well done on having the savvy to wear protective gear!

[Rab]

I know that Suzuki’s announced a fully faired version of the Bandit 1250 for 2010.

Definitely not a newbie bike though

[Rab]

Yes, I too have wondered why Honda hadn’t addressed the hole in their line-up with a middle weight street bike like the Nighthawk 650 or Hornet, but now, I guess they have with the NT700V.

Apparently, the NT700V is the long-in-the-tooth Euro-model Honda Deauville which has had its V-Twin Engine enlarged to 680 c.c. It’s pretty heavy and the non-detachable hard saddle-bags (side-cases) don’t hold much. There are accessory lids available which make them more capacious, but these are apparently very expensive. Nice that there’s an ABS version available, but it’s only available in the silver color, not the red (my favorite). Nice instrumentation too.

Anyway, the Deauville is, by all accounts, a comfortable, solid, reliable and frugal commuter/sport-tourer (although some in the sport bike fraternity have dubbed it the Honda Dullsville).

Whatever, I like the look of it and might consider one when the time comes to replace my Suzuki GSX650F (which is essentially a fully-faired version of the Euro-model Bandit 650 standard).

With gas prices going through the roof, it looks like the American market is finally seeing motorcycles as viable transportation as opposed to status symbols and toys.

[Rab]

They’re better than regular jeans (which disintegrate in 4 feet in a slide according to MSF), but not much better from what I’ve read. It’s important for people to note that they are not completely Kevlar lined; just butt and knees like you said.

If I were you, I’d buy textile or textile and mesh over-pants with CE approved armor incorporated, or that leg armor like WeaponZero said (with Kevlar lined jeans). Leather jeans/over-pants are even better than textiles, but can be hot and sweaty. Avoid chaps as they leave vulnerable areas unprotected.

http://www.rider-pants.com

http://www.Rider-Protection.com

[Rab]

You can put “Slime” in tube-type tires as a get you home repair (only). I used it twice on my last bike (a Triumph Bonneville). One time it sealed the puncture and the other time it didn’t so I had to get a “tow”. It largely depends on whether you’ve got a clean puncture (good) or a tear (bad) in the tube as to whether it will seal it or not. You would of course also need to carry an air pump like the Slime Power Sport Tire Inflator or CO2 tubes to re-inflate the tire once “Slimed”. If you use it, keep your speed under 65 mph though and get the tube replaced a.s.a.p.

http://www.slime.com/product/82/Tube-Sealant.html

http://www.slime.com/product/111/Power-Sport-Tire-Inflator-(%2340001).html

Another, better, solution is “Ride-on TPS” which I use in the tubeless tires on my current bike (Suzuki GSX650F). It has similar limitations to Slime when used in tube-type tires in that it will only seal up to a 1/8″ (3mm) clean puncture, but it’s designed for high speed applications (Slime isn’t) so you put it in the tire and leave it in there; it’s there ready to do it’s job if/when needed. That doesn’t mean that you should neglect regular tire inspections though.

http://www.ride-on.com

FYI – Wire wheels look totally retro-cool, but as a rule, they can’t support tubeless tires (although sometimes, like my Bonneville, it says tubeless on the tire but they run it with a tube inside). So! If a bike’s got wire-spoked wheels, always assume that your tires have tubes in them (like a bicycle tire).

Tubeless tires are much less prone to puncture and are roadside repairable with tire plugs.

[Rab]

Here’s a web site by Pat Hahn (motorcycle book author) that is dedicated to this very topic. They’re offering free reflective decals too.

http://www.highviz.org

[Rab]

Good advice, but I’d also add that if you’re going to park on any gradient where there’s a danger that your bike may roll, you should leave it in gear. Some folks always leave their bike in gear when parked, regardless.

I think most modern motorcycles have an interlock which will prevent the engine from starting if the bike is in gear, so don’t let that put you off, and anyway, you should always ensure that you’re in neutral (check neutral light and/or roll bike) and also pull-in the clutch before starting a motorcycle’s engine.

[Rab]

Clothing? Yes, Hi-Viz is good if a little “Mr. Safety” looking. Personally, I’m past caring if I look “cool” or not and have one of these for Winter commuting:

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=2360

I did detect a snicker once from a Harley rider who works with me, but better to look stupid than dead I reckon; others apparently disagree with me on that one though.

On my last bike I had a headlamp modulator on my main beam and that really used to do a great job when lane-splitting. Many cars (probably initially thinking I was a cop) would make a wide-berth for me when they saw me coming. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea Woe betide any motorcyclist lane-splitting in the next lane though!!

BTW: If you’re going to lane-split (legal or not), please do so in the leftmost lane (in LHD countries); it’s much safer for all concerned (as much as lane-splitting is ever “safe”).

That said though, I eventually took the headlamp flasher off as on more than a couple of occasions, I had the distinct impression that people would pull out in front of me as they thought I’d signalled to them to come out (even though it would be flashing constantly, multiple times a second). On the other hand, maybe they were just plonkers. Whatever !

I had one of these (below) on my last bike too. It seems to work well and being separate from your stop light should be legal anywhere I would have thought:

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=5125

How you position yourself in the lane can also help greatly with visibility and never ride 9 feet behind a van or truck (or any vehicle come to that) like I see so many doing. For one thing, no-one can see you and for another, you can’t see anything of what’s happening on the road in front of the van or truck. In my newbie days, I came within inches of a rear-end collision on a number of occasions when the van in front suddenly stomped on the brakes.

I just never saw it coming.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say for now.

[Rab]

Haven’t tried one, but have seen them and wouldn’t buy one.

I guess advantages would be that they are (in general) cheaper than leather, more flexible and possibly cooler to wear while offering better protection than plain textile.

Just don’t like ’em though. I’d rather go with leather or textile (or mesh) depending on the weather (it gets HOT here in California in the Summer).

[Author]

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