[SantaCruzRider]

Like most riders, I’ve availed myself of the odd parking lot spot that’s too small for a car, such as weird corner spaces or a little patch of dirt just off the pavement. I figure it avoids having me take up an entire car space in busy lot. But I’m also careful to be sure that I’m not impinging on anyone’s access and sidewalks seem pretty sketchy for me and my bike.

Now a scooter — they have this friendly, non-threatening look, with all the hot and greasy parts politely covered. So they look perfectly at home on the sidewalk or next practically any place you can slide one in.

[SantaCruzRider]

Down at the harbor it’s: the guys with the SAILBOATS always get the girls.
At the local cruise strip it’s: guys with the MUSCLE CARS always get the girls.
At the beach it’s: guys with the METAL DETECTORS always get the girls — OK, that may be a stretch.

I think all that this proves is that girls are both versatile and easy to get — HAHA.

As to your question, I haven’t seen a marked improvement. But that may be because my wife isn’t turned on by my spending my freetime dorking around in the garage or spending our kid’s college fund on bike gear.

[SantaCruzRider]

I bought my bike well-used and am enjoying it at least as much as my last bike — which I bought new.

My bike is more than 10 years old and I got it for less than 20% of the price of a new one. In fact, the purchase price was probably equal to what the tax, prep and license would have been for a new one.

I’ve got no argument with the benefits of new, but there’s nothing on this bike that could break and cost me more than a fraction of what I’ve already saved. Even more importantly, it’s a model I really like and that fits my needs.

I think a big factor that will change whether new vs used is for you is how flexible you are on which bike you want. With new bikes, you have a fairly limited number of bike options, but whatever you see you can have (if you have the $$$). With used bikes, you have many more possible options, but the red-2003-with-optional-ABS that you lust for may never come up for sale in your community. Also, as you’re seeing, certain models keep their value and this reduces the amount you’ll save.

One trick I’ve often used with buying used vehicles is to read bike comparisons that pit your dream bike against similar rides. The top rated bike is often only marginally better than the 2nd and 3rd place ones. But this can result in lower resale for the also-rans. A few years later, the also-rans may be found for significantly less than the bike that beat them. And the real-world differences may be minor.

But one final word — unless you’re broke, don’t buy a bike you don’t love just because you can save some cash. You’ll have wandering eyes and end up wanting to dump in a few months.

[SantaCruzRider]

I guess it’s a matter of your expectations for no fog. I think most helmets are going to fog if you’re sitting still — and it only makes it worse if you don’t have a guard to deflect your breath from the visor.

I’m assuming the Shoei came with a no-fog visor, so maybe a little change is behavior is all you need. On cold mornings, I put my helmet on outside, standing next to the bike while it warms up. Visor is up until I’m ready to roll. If I come to a long light, I often flip the visor up a notch as I roll up or while I’m waiting. If for some odd reason it gets fogged up, flipping it up will usually clear it in seconds. BTW: My helmet is an HJC.

[SantaCruzRider]

It’s not my site, but welcome to the group.
You both sound like you’re off on the right foot. I too started off on an 883. If you own it, ride it — it certainly is not the worst choice for a first bike and is at least as sane as a lot of other bikes that foks start out on.
The one piece of advice I’d pass along is to have your hubsand do some practice with the rear brake. The 883 is prone to rear brake lockup. I experienced this first hand and was lucky enough to respond by keeping it locked and sliding to a stop. Bottomline with ANY bike, once your brain registers a rear brake lockup, ride it until you are stopped. Anything else may result in a highside.

[SantaCruzRider]

I’d find out who did the maintenance. If it was a shop, there should be receipts. If it was done by the owner, ask stuff like: what brand of oil do you use? About how many quarts does it take? Do you prefill the new oil filter? If you don’t get very specific answers, the maintenance most likely was not being done.

[SantaCruzRider]

It’s always a good start to ask lots of questions. Except perhaps for your having your wife pick your bike, your questions about Ducs and the suitability of certain bikes for beginnings are well addressed throughout this site. If it helps, you might try searching for “bestbeginnermotorcycles” and “Ducati” on Yahoo! or that other search engine.
I second the idea that you sign up for MSF training. No offense to your own estimate of your riding skills, but it sounds like the bulk of your experience was 20 years ago. All the bicycle experience will certainly give you a leg up on returning to the sport, but I would humbly submit that it does not equate to MC experience.
As for the Duc — it’s a beautiful bike that will typically cost more to buy, maintain, repair and insure than the same size Metric, but that’s probably part of the allure. I like that you don’t plan to drop the bike. It’s always good to have a plan, but it’s fair to say that your plan is one that was shared by at least half of all bike riders — at least right up until the moment they found themselves prone on the pavement.
Actually, when I read about where and how you intend to ride, I have to wonder if you wouldn’t have more fun on one of the bigger dual sports (KLR650) or road/dual sports (V-Strom 650 or Versys). They are great for twisty roads and are perfect for backroad exploring where transitioning uneven surfaces is part of the fun.

[SantaCruzRider]

I think SunL is a Chinese company that started making cheap gocarts and then moved into making cheap kids ATVs. The Brute is their foray into motorcycles.

You might check out the following site for more info: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/pieces-of-crap-c14603.html . As you can guess by the title, posters on that site are not happy customers.

Personally, I’d rather buy a used, thrashed bike than something in this toy category.

[SantaCruzRider]

Even a nominal amount ($100) can hold the bike, but you should write up a quick contract stating what the deposit is for. Are you arranging financing, buying decision pending inspection by your mechanic? A short description of the deal on notebook paper can avoid lots of confusion and is legally binding.
Also, I’ve found that most folks willing to sign a quick deposit contract are normal folks who want to make a fair deal and understand the need to protect your assets.

[SantaCruzRider]

Congrats on your first few hundred miles. Sounds like you’re really getting a nice taste for riding.
A couple of quick comments:
MPG: It typically is off a bit when the bike is new. But on many bikes (not all), it’s very dependent on how you ride. I would recommend not focusing too much on it now, get used to the bike, get through your breakin period, etc… In a few months, you’ll find that you encounter times when you can stretch the mileage (freeway or Hwy 1 mid-day) and then there will be times when you don’t care (Las Tuna or Topanga).
FREEWAYS: Yeah, they are spooky at first, but then you quickly get the idea that they somewhat limit the zones of danger.
SAND: Sucks and it never gets easy. A month ago, I encountered a dropped bag of sand on a sweeping mountain curve that is part of my weekday commute — and it prompted significant sphincter tightening. Sounds like your response worked, but Munch is right that the dirt bike foot down response can be very hazardous.

[SantaCruzRider]

I generally keep my fingers off the brake, but I typically cover with 2 when I’m in a situation where I think I may need to brake suddenly — such as when moving thru an intersection with left turners or when in a commuter lane doing 70 and the lane next to me is doing 20.
I haven’t tested it, but I have found that I can typically get all the stopping power I need from two fingers (your brake lever, finger strength and brakes may differ — so this is not universal).
I have also tried covering with one finger, but when I’ve had to slow and then suddenly needed max brake, one finger is not enough and I end up facing the choice of squeezing hard with 1 and hoping I get enough brake or releasing all front brake long enough to get at least 2 fingers on. So I no longer cover with 1.
When I know I’m braking (like approaching a freeway offramp or stop sign), I just squeeze with my whole hand.

[SantaCruzRider]

Interesting site. So they are basically taking wrecked bikes and piecing them together to form whole ones. My main concerns would be whether the whole bike ends up with a salvage title. This can make the bike harder to insure and hugely lowers the resale value for the life of the bike. I’d also be a bit worried about whether there was crash damage that was undetected or ignored (buyer beware issue).

Another thing I noticed is that some of the posted prices don’t look all that great. I would expect to pay significantly less than $2k for a Seca II with 40k miles, especially with a salvage title.

All that said, it might be worth a visit just to see lots of used bikes in one spot.

[SantaCruzRider]

Shrinkage depends on how wet it gets. I’ve ridden in light drizzle where my jackets gets throughly moist, but the water is basically sheeting off and not soaking through the leather — so their is no shrinkage. I suspect you would need to ride in a real downpour for an extended period before the water soaks deep enough for it to change the size.

[SantaCruzRider]

The Nighthawks are very cool bikes, especially for a guy like me who likes the older styling. But buying an ’80s bike is a commitment to sourcing parts, so be sure that’s part of what you’re looking for.

If you get a Ninja 250 or 500 and ride the crap out of it for a couple years, you’ll have a blast and be all set for that step to the Duc (although you may also find that you don’t care about more cc’s at that point).

As for gear, the cost depends on your patience, willingness to source and flexibility in label.

I have bought name brand gear that is perfectly serviceable for very low prices, including:
— DOT/Snell helmet for $109 (seen it on special for $50)
— Leather gloves with armor – $15 (www.newenough.com_
— Leather armored jacket – $100 (newenough)
— Overpants (not armored) — $15
All this gear is quality and I do not believe that it is in any way a compromise of safety. I think it’s possible to ride safe without spending a bundle, but you should also be careful about cutting corners. You never want to be the guy who loses the use of a hand because you wore Ace Hardware gloves rather than spending $60 on a decent pair of leather gauntlets.

[SantaCruzRider]

As for your nephew, there is ample info on this site that touts the benefits of starting small, and in particular starting at 500cc or less, except in certain cases of prior experience and certain models of bike that are more forgiving than a race-tuned 600.

As for yourself, I think enduros are a great choice for most types of riding. One thing you’ll want to consider is whether the vibration that often accompanies an enduro thumper motor will be an issue for your arthritis. Every model is a bit different and there are lots of things you can do to reduce vibration, but it’s something to be aware of.

On the positive side, enduros typically have a very neutral riding position, meaning that you are neither leaning onto or pulling back on your hands.

My advice, go to a bunch of shops, sit on lots of bike and start getting a feel for what feels good.

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