[WeaponZero]

That is just too cool for words. Even the original video wasn’t this cool.

[WeaponZero]

Driver was an 82 year old woman. Not surprised. They really need to pass a law saying that beyond a certain age you need to have regular exams to keep your license.

[WeaponZero]

I have never ever in my entire life seen an instance where people looked like they were having that much fun on bikes.

[WeaponZero]

Ah, the venerable Yamaha TW200. That thing was good to me when I took the MSF course and I can guarantee you I was having more fun out there than all the other people on rebels, eliminator 125s, and GZ250s. It was the bug that bit me and made me want a supermotard bike. Unfortunately, the only ones on the market that wouldn’t feel like a downgrade power-wise for me cost nearly as much as a full supersport.

[WeaponZero]

The gloves are to help you keep grip on the handlebars for extended periods of time and to protect your hands in the event of a getoff. Not for comfort

[WeaponZero]

I own a 2000 Suzuki SV650, and many reviews I’ve read of the Gladius say that it isn’t as good as older SV650s, with a lot of cost-cutting and a lot of cheap plastics. I’ve read some shootouts (one in my issue of Motorcyclist) between he Gladius and ER-6n saying that the ER-6n is better in pretty much every way aside from the fact that its powerband is more like that of a supersport. It all comes down to personal preference, but just some things to consider…

Me, I love my SV650, and I won’t get rid of it until my finances will allow for me to upgrade to something brand new in the literbike category, like a Kawasaki Z1000 or a Triumph Speed Triple. I’d also get a supermotard bike like the KTM Duke. I really have no desire whatsoever to own a pure track-bred supersport though…

Is your name a reference to metroid?

[WeaponZero]

I don’t own any Fieldsheer gear but my father owns two of their jackets, one mesh jacket and one waterproof sport jacket, the Aquasport I think it’s called. The mesh jacket is everything you’d expect in a mesh jacket and the quality seems okay, but the Aquasport he’s been very disappointed with. The “waterproof breathable liner” seems to be nothing but a sheet of rubberized clear plastic, like what a child’s inflatable water toy is made from. And breathable my ass, the vents are worthless because air doesn’t get through the waterproof liner.

I have a waterproof jacket with a built-in liner too so I have something to compare it to. Mine (the Teknic Freestyle) does have a “breathable waterproof liner” and yes the liner does cut down significantly on the airflow, but it is still sufficient in that jacket for 85 degree weather provided all you’re wearing underneath is a T-shirt, because the vents actually do SOMETHING.

As far as their zippers go, they don’t seem to have any trouble with my dad’s jackets. I’ve only seen one riding jacket that had crappy zippers and that was my Joe Rocket Atomic 3.0.

[WeaponZero]

I think that your first bike really should be a cash purchase. Work to save up more money until you can afford to spend about $2k on a used bike. It may not be the new model Ninja 250 you want but you can easily find an older pre-redesign one for that price. I wasn’t able to get my first bike until I was 27 mostly due to financial reasons.

Best bet is this: blow your savings on the highest quality safety gear you can afford (jacket, helmet, gloves, riding boots, and some sort of underarmor to wear underneath your jeans). After you have all that stuff work your butt off to save toward the bike itself, which realistically a decent used bike should set you back in the neighborhood of $2k-$3k. I know its not what you want to hear because its not immediate, but it really is the best way to go about it.

I always recommend people buy the gear before the bike so that theyre not tempted to ride without proper safety gear on.

[WeaponZero]

which one?

[WeaponZero]

Just bumping this thread to let people know I ordered this jacket and it just arrived today. I’ll wait until after I’ve broken it in to post a review. I don’t have much to compare it to except for a Joe Rocket Blaster 3.0 leather jacket (’cause they’re the only two leather jackets I’ve worn) but I’ll do the best I can.

[WeaponZero]

Before you jump on that deal I would read the thread in this forum titled “Suzuki S40 or Honda Shadow VLX ?” as the VLX is the 650 you mentioned.

[WeaponZero]

welcome! Good cheap cruiser bikes are:

Kawasaki Vulcan 500 (probably the bike that should be top on your list). Best part is it hasn’t changed much at all since 1995 so if you can find an older used model go ahead.

Suzuki S40, which was also called the Savage 650 before its name was changed in 2004/2005. It’s been around since the early 90s and hasn’t changed at all since then.

If you’re willing to go this old, Honda used to make a 450cc version of the Rebel cruiser/standard that was discontinued in 1987. A used one of these would do you fine if it’s in good shape. As long as it isn’t falling to pieces it should have years of life left in it.

You might also be able to find a good deal on the Yamaha V-star 650 as they have been out for 10 years now and haven’t changed much at all since then.

Finally there’s the Yamaha Virago 535, which was the bike that the V-Star 650 replaced when it first came out. It’s a great cruiser with low maintenance costs.

If you’re looking at 250s then the only 250cc cruiser I can recommend in good conscience is the Yamaha V-Star 250. Quality and performance of it far surpass the Rebel 250 and Suzuki GZ250 (its only competitors in that market).

[WeaponZero]

Still, the reviews I read plainly indicated that the poor gearing on the 4 speed transmission (which badly needed a 5th gear for highway duty) kept the bike from being highway-worthy. I am paraphrasing of course but that is the case, and it was not just one single magazine article but a variety of sources.

[WeaponZero]

Regardless, I’ve lived in places where the average speed on the highway, the speed of traffic flow, cruises at 80mph+. To me this says that any motorcycle that can’t comfortable cruise at that speed without pushing the engine to its max and accelerate up to that speed at a decent rate of time is not highway-worthy. Regardless of the speed limit you must be able to match the flow of traffic, IMO. And everything I’ve read about the VLX says it struggles a lot doing that, mainly due to the four speed transmission. I did a lot of research on it because my father was considering buying one at one point and he was too lazy to do his own research. He ended up deciding against it despite liking how the bike “felt” when sitting on it because all of the reviews basically indicated that, in my eyes, the bike was not HIGHWAY-WORTHY. And the main culprit according to these reviews wasn’t the engine but rather the transmission and its poor gearing.

Traffic doesn’t always move at the speed limit. Take for example Bigelow Blvd where I live. It’s a road that has street lights and everything and only has a 35mph speed limit. I take this road on my commute to work mainly because there’s a stretch of Bigelow at one point where it’s about 4 miles in between intersections, and because there’s no traffic signals there traffic cruises at 65-70mph, despite the posted speed limit being 35mph. IN that situation, the one car thar is going the speed limit is just as much of a hazard as the car doing 100 swerving around everyone and weaving in and out. And since traffic on the highway can, in places, flow steadily at 80 or more in some areas, a bike MUST be able to do that comfortably and for an extended period of time while having a bit of juice left over to be called highway-worthy in my eyes.

[WeaponZero]

I have full coverage on my 2000 SV650N through progressive, am 29 years old with a spotless driving record except for one accident that was found to be the other party’s fault, and my rate is only $43 a month. interesting… Maybe the fact that mine is older?

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