[SantaCruzRider]

The Blvd 800 is a great bike, but nothing that will present a challenge for most any other bike to keep up with. It may be marginally faster than a 500, but it would only be noticed if your BF was trying to lose you and working the bike to it’s limit.
Others on this site will have more valuable info on cruisers for someone your height. Best of luck.

[SantaCruzRider]

the easiest route might be to have him hook you up with a cruiser. Worse things have happened to a guy. And then in a few years, you can “upgrade” to a sport bike and it will be like going from a B&W rabbit-ear TV to full-color HDTV. — kidding.

Everyone has given good suggestions. And while agreeing that your dad is wrong in this, sometimes it’s just way better to see that you can’t lose in this deal and it might not be worth pushing for your ideal bike right now. If you look around, you may also find a cruiser that rides more like a standard. The basic Harley Sportster comes to mind, with a riding position much more neutral and similar to a sport/tourer (I’m not suggesting your get an 883, just pointing out the ergos.)

As an alternative, you might look at some of the dual-sports. Many of them are more street bike than dual-anything. They have a more upright riding position, like sports, but may not make your dad think “street hooligan”.

Good luck

[SantaCruzRider]

Congrats on the new bike(s) Kelly. Sounds like you’re in for lots of fun.

In response to your “issues”:

Signals: just keep working at it. You’re probably a bit overloaded by all the new controls. Don’t lose control of braking for the sake of signalling, but keep working it in and before you know it, it will be automatic. Also, a bit of driveway practice cycling your hands through all the controls can help create musle memory and ensure you’re never looking down to hit that right-turn button.

Shifting: as others have said, you can count up/down, or use some type of reference to speed (though different bike models will be in different gears. I don’t typically do either, but rather match the engine revs to the speed I’m currently. If I’m slowing for a turn, I’m sliding down into lower gears, releasing the clutch with each gear (typically without high revs). This allows me to always have the bike in a gear that allows full control and also avoids ever being in a situation where the gearing is out of sync with the current speed. When shifting up, I shift when I went to reduce revs. I don’t really care what gear I’m in — if the revs are right, I’m in the right gear. If I’m accelerating, the revs eventually get higher than I want and so I shift.

Tailgating: sucks, but I don’t typically have it happen very often. One thing I’ve found that works is to make the driver pay attention to you and recognize that there is a human on the bike. This may be as simple as waving “hi” at a passing car (who cares if you know them), sitting up straighter and putting your left hand on your hip, standing up on the pegs and stretching for a few seconds, moving around a bit in the lane, etc… (Please keep in mind that these should only be executed if it can be done safely.) If that doesn’t work, it might be better to pull over and let the a—ole go by.

Overshooting the bank: That’s a scary one. Basically, you’re saying that you were out of control and unable to ride the bike in the intended direction. If you aren’t able to direct the bike to go where you know ahead of time that you want to go, how much worse will it be when you need to ride it in a direction dictated by unforeseen circumstance. This kind of thing has likely happened to all of us, but IMHO, it’s a sign that you are out of control and the bike is basically riding you. Think about what you’re missing (throttle control, proper lane position, ???) and practice to be safe.

[SantaCruzRider]

The shaded visor come down way out in front. I have enough room for even my biggest, bulkiest glasses.

[SantaCruzRider]

Personally, I think the double impact test is the wrong route to go. I’m not much impressed by the prospect of having the helmet save my life from a second impact if the first impact already turned me info a vegetable.

And the idea that a real-world accident will result in two severe impacts to the same spot (yet be one that there is a chance to otherwise survive) — well, it’s just a matter of odds.

To me, double impact testing is like testing a kevlar vest by seeing if it can handle two successive bullet strikes to the same spot. Personally, I’d rather have the vest that stops a single shot with a larger bullet — or that transfered less force to the body behind it.

[SantaCruzRider]

Hey, if people at my work can tout the exercise value of sitting on one of those big blue balls while working at their desk, I can get credit for sitting on my bike and twisting my wrist a few times. I’m sure I burn a few calories just getting my gear on!

On a side note: How funny is it that we’ve been reduced to counting different modes of sitting as forms of exercise? Retorical question — no response expected.

[SantaCruzRider]

I have the IS-16 and I love it. It’s super comfortable, well ventilated and the visor feature is addictive.

Not sure where you’re shopping, but I got mine on NewEnough a couple months ago for something like $145.

The lack of Snell rating doesn’t bother me in the least, having read the studies listed above. It’s always interesting to see technical data about minute test bench advanges of one helmet over another. But I’ve seen some medical research showing that by the time most helmets fail, enough tramma has been inflicted on the rider in other areas to be fatal. I’ll try to find the study online a post (keeping in mind that almost any opinion can be supported with some kind of posted research).

[SantaCruzRider]

You should look at maintenance receipts to ensure that everything was done on time and is up to date. Specifically look for any gaps in service. This may be a sign of 1 of 2 things:
1. A service was missed. Might not be the worst thing, but it makes you wonder if the bike has been properly treated or was otherwise abused.
2. Bike was seriously dropped/crashed and while the forks were being replaced, they went ahead and changed oil, set timing, etc. This service receipt might be missing for obvious reasons — not good.

Check the bike for any signs of being dropped. Newer mirrors or grips, small fairing cracks, mismatched turn signals — all are signs of the bike being on its side, possibly crashed. These are not reasons for rejecting the bike, but should prompt additional questions and inspection — maybe to the point of having the seller pull some fairings.
What you should hear is tough. The sound should be smooth, and there should be no sever rattling. Have someone take the bike for a ride and put it through ALL the gears. Make sure it holds 2nd under stiff acceleration.
Taking an experienced friend along can be really valuable. A mechanic check is also good insurance.

[SantaCruzRider]

That may help cut down on the male attention you think you’re getting.

[SantaCruzRider]

May also be a bit of pity mixed in there — but, hey, work with you got

[SantaCruzRider]

In general terms, softer, stickier tires will make the bike feel more planted and controllable, but wear faster. More durable tires last longer, but may slip a bit in hard cornering. This doesn’t mean the harder tires are less safe — it’s more a matter of choice and matching the tire to the bike and the rider’s needs.

It’s almost universal among new bike owners that the stock tires are less than perfect. But they are also the cheapest tires you’ll ever have — since you already own them. So unless you are immediately finding that you are pushing the bike past the limits of the OEM tires, I’d advise riding them to their wear markers and then upgrading to one of the models favored on your favorite 650R site. But be forewarned that it’s rare for even the experts to agree on the best replacement.

[SantaCruzRider]

Bikes, like cars, are not typically sized to the height/weight of the user. If you’re 5-2 or shorter, or approaching 7 foot, there will be some bikes that feel too big or small. But even then, many can be modified to fit. For someone of your height, you should have no worries.
If it feels comfortable sitting on it, you should be fine.

[SantaCruzRider]

I ride a ’94, but it’s the same model that was built until 2006 – so replacement parts are likely to be around for a good long time.

Dependability is greatly influenced by the model and how it’s been treated. I think that those factors are often more important than the age of the bike. But keep in mind that alot of parts that keep bikes running are soft parts — gaskets, hoses, belts, etc — and these parts degenerate with time. Most bikes past 20 years (and that may be very conservative) are going to have these parts failing. Finding replacements and someone to do the work can take the fun out of riding.

[SantaCruzRider]

I guess because my bike is considered a tourer, Kawasaki installed a fairly decent horn that sounds more like a car horn (import, not domestic). But I have rarely ever used it.
I especially haven’t used it in crossing situations, as my hands are usually busy getting ready for avoidance. Plus, I’m skeptical about whether the car driver is going to be able to quickly located the source of the horn. If he doesn’t already see me, he may just assume the horn is someone behind him.
One place I have used the horn is when I’m along side a car that is starting to creap into my lane or puts on his blinkers for my lane in cases where I can’t immediately accelerate out of the way.
I also never use it as follow up to someone doing something stupid. The way I look at it, if someone made an honest mistake — they usually get it once they see me on their bumper or sliding past at the next light. If they are idiots and truly oblivious — me and my horn can’t help them.

[SantaCruzRider]

Something cold to drink and clean rags to absorb the copious amounts of blood that seem to appear most everytime I start wrenching.

A radio turned up load enough to mask any bouts of swearing is often also appreciated by family members.

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