[SantaCruzRider]

Never heard of the site and some of the stuff on there is obviously knock-off (check out the Kawasaki rip-off jackets). When I see that kind of thing, I don’t think “quality”.

I second the suggestion of checking out newenough and motorcyclecloseouts. I’ve bought from both and been very happy with products and service. Newenough has some namebrand armored leather jackets for about $100.

[SantaCruzRider]

Fear is personal, but I can tell you how I have reacted to similar situations:

I dropped my bike once during my first month or so of riding. My reaction was to be totally pissed, followed by days of practice riding over the same wheel trap where I fell. Eventually, handling that specific trap became second nature. Did my heart skip a beat everytime I later rode it? Probably, but I no longer felt afraid.

Lastly, I don’t ignore the fear. Several years into riding, I found myself living in Guam where rainstorms are frequent, the wet roads blossom algae that turns them unbelievably slick and the skills of drivers is uncommonly low. At the time, my wife was pregnant with our first son and I began to feel real fear around riding. Part of it was fear of crashing and getting hurt, but it was also fear of getting killed and not being around to see my son born and to support my family. My wife never said a word against my riding, but I sold my bike and temporarily gave up riding.

I don’t look at it as being too afraid to ride. It was that I was too smart to ignore rational fear. Everyone needs to decide what’s right for themself and their given situation.

[SantaCruzRider]

The “ultimate protection” question is interesting from a philosophical standpoint, but I second the sentiment that ease of use and comfort are going to become perhaps even more important, particularly as you gain experience and confidence.

It’s one thing to suit up for an afternoon ride thru the twisties with your buddies. But if a bike is going to be your primary transportation, I have to question how long it’s going to be before you’re dreading all that time to suit up, suit down, clean and stow all your gear — just so you can run out to rent a video (or whatever).

Personally, I know that I need gear that’s easy to use. That means helmet, leather jacket with armor, armored gloves and boots. I add overpants for commuting or superslab. My choices certainly won’t guarantee no injuries, but they do remove any arguments to be worn.

Best of luck with finding your own balance of safety/ease of use.

[SantaCruzRider]

It not only keeps the jacket and pants in position in case of a crash, it also helps keep your jacket from riding up — something that can happen if your hands are held high or you’re leaned over — and getting all bunched up around the neck or shoulders. My jacket also has a single strap that can be tucked under a belt, so it serves the same purpose if you wear jeans.

[SantaCruzRider]

I second Munch’s advice to sit on lots of bikes. I think it’s valuable to get a feel for where each style of bike puts you and see which feels the most natural and comfortable.

To their credit, cruisers typically have such advantages as: low center of gravity, low seat height, large power bands (especially with v-twins) that help give mellower and less-peaky acceleration. Another big advantage is that most have a more raked fork and frame geometry that helps make for relatively short and controlled stopping distances (ie, front-brake panic stops are typically more easily controlled on a cruiser than on a sport bike).
On the other hand, standard bikes (which I personally believe is a category that includes the Ninja 250 and 500) also have their advantages. These include: relatively light bikes, often very reliable (typically with liquid cooling and other features that add to longevity), very maneuverable, lots of features/conveniences and among the most versatile.
Different types of bikes have certain small advantages, but personally, I think that most are far out-weighed by your own personal preference for riding position.
Along those lines, I love the look and value of cruisers, but I am personally turned off by the ergos of most. I’ve ridden them, but those that have the foot-forward ergos always feel like I’m riding a Lazy-Boy Recliner. This is just a personal preference and not at all a value judgement on the road-worthiness, worth or general desireability of cruisers. In fact, the last time I bought a bike, I lusted over a V-Star, Marauder and Vulcan, but ultimately, they just didn’t fit like a glove and I had to pass.
So instead, I’ve been drawn to (and owned) more of the standard type bikes. These include the Harley Sportster (with standard controls), dual-sports, and some larger Ninja-based bikes.
Given your riding background, I would be surprised if you didn’t have a similar attraction to standard-type bikes.
On the subject of new vs. used, I’ve gone both routes. Personally, I’d advise going the used route, but I’ve been lucky. My current bike is 15 yrs old and I bought it for less than 20% of it’s original price. I’ve yet to spend any real money on it.
Either way, don’t be afraid to follow your heart in terms of which type of bike feels right and whether new or used fits your needs.
To put it this way, I have a young friend who got interested in riding and one day we went to a local used bike warehouse. We looked a bunch of bikes, and then he said: “It probably sounds silly, but when I think about riding, I think that anything other than a Harley would be a compromise.”
So who was I to argue: If he was dreaming Harley (or dirt bike or Ninja), he should try one on and give it a whirl.
Hope that helps — have fun.
Dan

[SantaCruzRider]

You’re smart to be cautious and to go into this with your eyes wide open. Truth is, motorcycling is not the safest mode of travel. The best stats I’ve seen show that motorcycle fatalities occur at a rate of 4.8 times the rate of car fatalities relative to the number of registered vehicles. I’d be willing to wager that the average car is driven more miles per year than the average motorcyle, so the death rate per mile ridden is probably even worse than 4.8.
So does that mean that riding isn’t worth the risK? That’s a personal decision that it sounds like you’re already wieghing.
Look at this way, everyone who gets married (self included) is banking that they can beat the odds of divorce. Doesn’t mean that marriage isn’t worth it, just that you should start slow and wear a helmet (that goes for MC and dating ).

[SantaCruzRider]

There are plenty of advantages to the MSF, and I certainly don’t want to undercut that.

These include:
1) Right-sized bikes (as you mentioned)
2) Bikes with proper insurance (which avoids the no-insured-bike-to-test-on dilemma)
3) Lots of practice time and chances to learn from fellow students (some of us learn well by seeing others — both from their successes and mistakes)
4) Coaching that is individualized to your own skills. When I was practicing for the test, I was coaching myself with reminders to “get your eyes off the front wheel”, “look down the turn idiot”… “keep your head level” … “clutch.., not brake!” I recall my MSF coach was much kinder

[SantaCruzRider]

Turns out they wouldn’t take an MSF course from that far back. So I ended up borrowing a buddy’s 400cc dual-sport for the test. I practiced on the course about 10 times Sunday, then showed up for the test on Tuesday.

The DMV folks were very cool and let me test even though there were some issues with the bike’s insurance.

I was still fairly cold, as I only knew about 1 of the 3 skills tests (lane crawl and circle) and the borrowed bike was unconfortably tall — I had to hop onto it from the kickstand and was on one toe at a stop. (It was just like when I was 5 and borrowed my big brother’s 10-speed.)

But I came thru the test just fine. In fact, I was a bit surprised at how minimal the skills tests were. When I first got my license in Hawaii, the inspector made you go through a much more extensive test (at least that’s my recollection ).

Some weekend I’m going to take my Concours over and roll thru the course for fun and see how I do. But I’m pretty sure that it would have been dicy trying to make it all the way thru the test on my 1000cc.

I’ve since found a number of vids online that walk through all the steps in the test. Might have put my mind at ease to see them first, but either way, it was no problem.

Happy New Year,
Dan

[SantaCruzRider]

When someone is aggressively trying to get around, I find it’s good to over-communicate — possibly waving your hand to the side to catch their attention.
I’ve also found that standing up on the pegs will often increase a driver’s following distance. I’m not sure if they suddenly realize there’s a human on the bike or if they think I might jump — but it does tend to get you a bit more room.
If there is room for them to pass, try waving them around. It at least lets them know that you see them and are going to try to help them get around.
But when they do pass you, try to stay in the left wheel track until the driver is even with you. This creates an emergency space to your right, as well as discouraging the driver from thinking he’s going to just share your space with you. Of course you should be constantly ready for them to cut you off — hence that space to your right.
I would avoid using the shoulder. Bad things happen there, including gravel and debris, pavement edges and other wheel traps.

[SantaCruzRider]

In several years of riding, I’ve had a handful of run-ins with idiot drivers who were blind to motorcycles and a couple who seemed to think it was fun to play the bully. Specific situations may vary, but I can’t recall any time where more horsepower would have helped. Assuming you’re invisible and also being alert to suspicious-acting drivers are probably your best defenses. And quick use of a nearby exit is always preferable to turning a 60 mph car vs cycle altercation into a 100 mph match — especially with you packing a passenger.

[SantaCruzRider]

This brought back memories — haven’t done this in years (and frankly, kind of forgot some of the details), but it’s one of those skills that separates the bike owners from the riders.

Cheers to you!

[SantaCruzRider]

A buddy of mine has a DRZ400 and loves it. He does a lot of off road. He’s also comfortable riding freeway for decent stretches on the way to something more interesting. He weighs more than 200lbs and it has no problem getting him moving.

One drawback of the bike is that it’s such a popular model that used ones hold their very really well. Because of that, I would be sure to get a mechanic to inspect anything that looks like an “incredible” deal.

[SantaCruzRider]

These are really high-tech, torquey little bikes made for trials events. Some of the big manufacturers are Gas Gas and Beta Rev. Some older models have two-stroke engines, but most are now going toward four-stroke single cyllinder engines. CCs run the gamut, but this one is probably in the 125-300cc range.
They are all super light. The Gas Gas 300cc with 4-stroke with 6-speed only weighs 150lbs. Gas tank holds less than a gallon, so you’ll need to have a short commute!

[SantaCruzRider]

Sorry, must have been typing too fast

[SantaCruzRider]

Since it’s brass, and fairly soft, you might try drilling it out with a bit that is almost as large as the screws.

One thing I’ve done before is to start small and use progressively smaller bits. You might end up with what is basically a hollow shell of a screw. You can then use a small flathead screw driver and needlenose pliers to pull out the remaining parts of the screw. If you’re lucky, you’ll still have decent theads left on the carb.

[Author]

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