Any Bikers out there?

[upssup]

I actually saw a guy here in the Twin Cities on a Gold Wing today. Snow on the ground and 30 degree temps! I ride a Honda VFR800 but not until atleast 40 degrees.

 

[Catatonic]

I actually saw a guy here in the Twin Cities on a Gold Wing today. Snow on the ground and 30 degree temps! I ride a Honda VFR800 but not until atleast 40 degrees.

I was riding my Goldwing when it was in the 20's a month ago. GW keeps the wind off very well so it's not that bad.
No snow though!

 

[Billy]

I ride every day unless there's ice. We just got motorcycle parking painted in up front next to the guard shack last year which is real nice.

 

[Catatonic]

I ride every day unless there's ice.

Better man than me.

 

[barnyard]

Find a mid point

A Harley XR1200 or a Suzuki Vstrom 1000 looks like your style, and would do a little better for the long haul.

I have a Buell Ullysess for goofen around and commuting.

TB

 

[barnyard]

I actually saw a guy here in the Twin Cities on a Gold Wing today. Snow on the ground and 30 degree temps! I ride a Honda VFR800 but not until atleast 40 degrees.

I saw a few riding around the show. I brought my Uly home from a warranty service in December. It was 11 degrees. Lot of people honked and waved. It was kind of fun.

TB

 

[Catatonic]

I have a Buell Ullysess for goofen around and commuting.

TB

As long as your inseam is about 36" or longer.

 

[barnyard]

As long as your inseam is about 36" or longer.

Got that covered.

I guess you can't quite see that I am standing flat foot, knees bent.

TB

 

[haydendavid380]

Forget it. I'm 5'7"

 

[paganpink]

I've always had bikes since I was 13 years old. I'm on the third Suzuki Hayabusa that I've owned since late 1999 (when I never saw another one for almost a year after buying a new 2000 blue/silver one). I wrecked the first two which is about as many crashes as I've had on 20 or so OTHER bikes in the last 30 years (I'm 55 years old now, btw) I crashed more often when I was younger but at much lower speeds. The Busa is the best bike I've ever owned, it handles great for its size (as it's the biggest of the sport bikes), its very comfortable without being in a crouched position (I have bar risers and have lowered the pegs) and its super smooth when riding distances. It also has huge amounts of torque so you don't have to downshift to scoot away or ride in town at almost any speed. Mine has custom paint ("Tru-fire" its usually called, with about 9 different colors from dark orange to yellow giving it an appearance of looking like real flames), a Racetech suspension, "top gun" tail piece and mods to everything from the clear lenses, footpegs, and braided brake lines, to the engine, power commander, different sprocket and chain, etc. etc. It's not stretched, and is so fast that its really hard to keep down in the front at full throttle at anything under 120 or so. It accelerates hard enough that, at best, your front wheel only touches down when you shift until you get into third gear. Even when stock they reach 60 in as little as 2.2 seconds, and 100 in less than 6, but still go on to 200mph+, so you can get the performance of an Indycar for about 10-12 grand! To put it in perspective you are as much faster than a Viper, than a Viper is to a Dodge minivan. I use every defensive driving trick I learned at UPS- and ones I knew before being hired because of riding bikes!- to stay alive any time I ride a bike around all the inattentive drivers out there. I always wear jackets with hard and soft armor, Kevlar jeans, motorcycle boots, special gloves, and I have a great Arai helmet, all of which have saved me, and almost certainly my life, on more than one occasion. I don't understand the folks who don't wear a helmet at all times even though they aren't required in my state if you're an adult. You wouldn't want to hit your head coming off even a bicycle at speed, and I remeber road rash from bicycles that took weeks to heal. How could you expect to ride on a highway, or at any other speed for that matter, and then expect to never go down? That's simply denying the inevitable. And without protection you will be shredded. My friends and I ride most often out in the country to get away from traffic, and all the poor drivers. Riding a sportbike is as close to flying as you can get while on the ground, but if you are getting a motorcycle and haven't owned a lot of bikes and/or raced them, you should buy a cruiser first and get used to that, or a dirt bike, of course, to help learn how 2 wheeled machines handle and are different from cars in an emergency situation. I can't tell you guys how many people, almost always young men, who pop up every summer with their paper tags still on the back, and then don't even last a month before they destroy their new purchase, and usually hurt themselves. I personally know at least 4 people who have died in the last decade on their motorcycles, so it is serious business to ride any kind of motorcycle, much less liter size sportbikes. There is nothing closer to pure race machines that you can buy at any price, and they are wonderfully fun as long as you ride smart. Sportbikes handle and stop so much better than something like a Harley type bike, or a chopper, that I don't feel safe at all on big opposed twins with their almost "car like" stopping distances, and terrible turning abilities. I know that many people enjoy them, and I have owned several myself, but that lack of control and heavy weight makes me stick with the ones with all of the modern technology and the incredible reliability of the Japanese sport machines. I have never had to fix anything on my three different Suzuki's while covering about 21,000, 18,000, and now, 33,000 miles on my present one.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

I've always had bikes since I was 13 years old. I'm on the third Suzuki Hayabusa that I've owned since late 1999 (when I never saw another one for almost a year after buying a new 2000 blue/silver one). I wrecked the first two which is about as many crashes as I've had on 20 or so OTHER bikes in the last 30 years (I'm 55 years old now, btw) I crashed more often when I was younger but at much lower speeds.

The Busa is the best bike I've ever owned, it handles great for its size (as it's the biggest of the sport bikes), its very comfortable without being in a crouched position (I have bar risers and have lowered the pegs) and its super smooth when riding distances. It also has huge amounts of torque so you don't have to downshift to scoot away or ride in town at almost any speed.

Mine has custom paint ("Tru-fire" its usually called, with about 9 different colors from dark orange to yellow giving it an appearance of looking like real flames), a Racetech suspension, "top gun" tail piece and mods to everything from the clear lenses, footpegs, and braided brake lines, to the engine, power commander, different sprocket and chain, etc. etc. It's not stretched, and is so fast that its really hard to keep down in the front at full throttle at anything under 120 or so.

It accelerates hard enough that, at best, your front wheel only touches down when you shift until you get into third gear. Even when stock they reach 60 in as little as 2.2 seconds, and 100 in less than 6, but still go on to 200mph+, so you can get the performance of an Indycar for about 10-12 grand!

To put it in perspective you are as much faster than a Viper, than a Viper is to a Dodge minivan. I use every defensive driving trick I learned at UPS- and ones I knew before being hired because of riding bikes!- to stay alive any time I ride a bike around all the inattentive drivers out there. I always wear jackets with hard and soft armor, Kevlar jeans, motorcycle boots, special gloves, and I have a great Arai helmet, all of which have saved me, and almost certainly my life, on more than one occasion.

I don't understand the folks who don't wear a helmet at all times even though they aren't required in my state if you're an adult. You wouldn't want to hit your head coming off even a bicycle at speed, and I remeber road rash from bicycles that took weeks to heal.

How could you expect to ride on a highway, or at any other speed for that matter, and then expect to never go down? That's simply denying the inevitable. And without protection you will be shredded. My friends and I ride most often out in the country to get away from traffic, and all the poor drivers.

Riding a sportbike is as close to flying as you can get while on the ground, but if you are getting a motorcycle and haven't owned a lot of bikes and/or raced them, you should buy a cruiser first and get used to that, or a dirt bike, of course, to help learn how 2 wheeled machines handle and are different from cars in an emergency situation. I can't tell you guys how many people, almost always young men, who pop up every summer with their paper tags still on the back, and then don't even last a month before they destroy their new purchase, and usually hurt themselves.

I personally know at least 4 people who have died in the last decade on their motorcycles, so it is serious business to ride any kind of motorcycle, much less liter size sportbikes. There is nothing closer to pure race machines that you can buy at any price, and they are wonderfully fun as long as you ride smart. Sportbikes handle and stop so much better than something like a Harley type bike, or a chopper, that I don't feel safe at all on big opposed twins with their almost "car like" stopping distances, and terrible turning abilities.

I know that many people enjoy them, and I have owned several myself, but that lack of control and heavy weight makes me stick with the ones with all of the modern technology and the incredible reliability of the Japanese sport machines. I have never had to fix anything on my three different Suzuki's while covering about 21,000, 18,000, and now, 33,000 miles on my present one.

Was just easier to read this way.

 

[sano]

I've always had bikes since I was 13 years old. I'm on the third Suzuki Hayabusa that I've owned since late 1999 (when I never saw another one for almost a year after buying a new 2000 blue/silver one). I wrecked the first two which is about as many crashes as I've had on 20 or so OTHER bikes in the last 30 years (I'm 55 years old now, btw) I crashed more often when I was younger but at much lower speeds. The Busa is the best bike I've ever owned, it handles great for its size (as it's the biggest of the sport bikes), its very comfortable without being in a crouched position (I have bar risers and have lowered the pegs) and its super smooth when riding distances. It also has huge amounts of torque so you don't have to downshift to scoot away or ride in town at almost any speed. Mine has custom paint ("Tru-fire" its usually called, with about 9 different colors from dark orange to yellow giving it an appearance of looking like real flames), a Racetech suspension, "top gun" tail piece and mods to everything from the clear lenses, footpegs, and braided brake lines, to the engine, power commander, different sprocket and chain, etc. etc. It's not stretched, and is so fast that its really hard to keep down in the front at full throttle at anything under 120 or so. It accelerates hard enough that, at best, your front wheel only touches down when you shift until you get into third gear. Even when stock they reach 60 in as little as 2.2 seconds, and 100 in less than 6, but still go on to 200mph+, so you can get the performance of an Indycar for about 10-12 grand! To put it in perspective you are as much faster than a Viper, than a Viper is to a Dodge minivan. I use every defensive driving trick I learned at UPS- and ones I knew before being hired because of riding bikes!- to stay alive any time I ride a bike around all the inattentive drivers out there. I always wear jackets with hard and soft armor, Kevlar jeans, motorcycle boots, special gloves, and I have a great Arai helmet, all of which have saved me, and almost certainly my life, on more than one occasion. I don't understand the folks who don't wear a helmet at all times even though they aren't required in my state if you're an adult. You wouldn't want to hit your head coming off even a bicycle at speed, and I remeber road rash from bicycles that took weeks to heal. How could you expect to ride on a highway, or at any other speed for that matter, and then expect to never go down? That's simply denying the inevitable. And without protection you will be shredded. My friends and I ride most often out in the country to get away from traffic, and all the poor drivers. Riding a sportbike is as close to flying as you can get while on the ground, but if you are getting a motorcycle and haven't owned a lot of bikes and/or raced them, you should buy a cruiser first and get used to that, or a dirt bike, of course, to help learn how 2 wheeled machines handle and are different from cars in an emergency situation. I can't tell you guys how many people, almost always young men, who pop up every summer with their paper tags still on the back, and then don't even last a month before they destroy their new purchase, and usually hurt themselves. I personally know at least 4 people who have died in the last decade on their motorcycles, so it is serious business to ride any kind of motorcycle, much less liter size sportbikes. There is nothing closer to pure race machines that you can buy at any price, and they are wonderfully fun as long as you ride smart. Sportbikes handle and stop so much better than something like a Harley type bike, or a chopper, that I don't feel safe at all on big opposed twins with their almost "car like" stopping distances, and terrible turning abilities. I know that many people enjoy them, and I have owned several myself, but that lack of control and heavy weight makes me stick with the ones with all of the modern technology and the incredible reliability of the Japanese sport machines. I have never had to fix anything on my three different Suzuki's while covering about 21,000, 18,000, and now, 33,000 miles on my present one.

Very interesting. I enjoyed reading this. Obviously the voice of experience.

Every time I think about getting a bike, I talk to my brother who is a EMT and decide to wait awhile.

 

[rod]

Was just easier to read this way.

Too much time on your hands Steve?

 

[UPSNewbie]

A friend of mine has a BMW tour bike that I am quite fond of.

Also, for you bikers, there's two shows on the Sky One channel (UK) with Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan) and Charley Boorman, who ride tour bikes from the top of the UK to NY, top of UK to South Africa. It's a great show. Google it: Long Way Round and Long Way Down.

*Edit* Those premiered a while ago.

 

[trplnkl]

A friend of mine has a BMW tour bike that I am quite fond of.

Also, for you bikers, there's two shows on the Sky One channel (UK) with Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan) and Charley Boorman, who ride tour bikes from the top of the UK to NY, top of UK to South Africa. It's a great show. Google it: Long Way Round and Long Way Down.

*Edit* Those premiered a while ago.

Amphibious tour bikes?

 

[UPSNewbie]

Amphibious tour bikes?

That would be quite interesting, I think.

They just put the bikes on the plane from Russia to Alaska.

 

[trplnkl]

That would be quite interesting, I think.

They just put the bikes on the plane from Russia to Alaska.

lol

 

[haydendavid380]

Amphibious tour bikes?

a jet ski with wheels

 

[LastBest&Final]

I've always had bikes since I was 13 years old. I'm on the third Suzuki Hayabusa that I've owned since late 1999 (when I never saw another one for almost a year after buying a new 2000 blue/silver one). I wrecked the first two which is about as many crashes as I've had on 20 or so OTHER bikes in the last 30 years (I'm 55 years old now, btw) I crashed more often when I was younger but at much lower speeds. The Busa is the best bike I've ever owned, it handles great for its size (as it's the biggest of the sport bikes), its very comfortable without being in a crouched position (I have bar risers and have lowered the pegs) and its super smooth when riding distances. It also has huge amounts of torque so you don't have to downshift to scoot away or ride in town at almost any speed. Mine has custom paint ("Tru-fire" its usually called, with about 9 different colors from dark orange to yellow giving it an appearance of looking like real flames), a Racetech suspension, "top gun" tail piece and mods to everything from the clear lenses, footpegs, and braided brake lines, to the engine, power commander, different sprocket and chain, etc. etc. It's not stretched, and is so fast that its really hard to keep down in the front at full throttle at anything under 120 or so. It accelerates hard enough that, at best, your front wheel only touches down when you shift until you get into third gear. Even when stock they reach 60 in as little as 2.2 seconds, and 100 in less than 6, but still go on to 200mph+, so you can get the performance of an Indycar for about 10-12 grand! To put it in perspective you are as much faster than a Viper, than a Viper is to a Dodge minivan. I use every defensive driving trick I learned at UPS- and ones I knew before being hired because of riding bikes!- to stay alive any time I ride a bike around all the inattentive drivers out there. I always wear jackets with hard and soft armor, Kevlar jeans, motorcycle boots, special gloves, and I have a great Arai helmet, all of which have saved me, and almost certainly my life, on more than one occasion. I don't understand the folks who don't wear a helmet at all times even though they aren't required in my state if you're an adult. You wouldn't want to hit your head coming off even a bicycle at speed, and I remeber road rash from bicycles that took weeks to heal. How could you expect to ride on a highway, or at any other speed for that matter, and then expect to never go down? That's simply denying the inevitable. And without protection you will be shredded. My friends and I ride most often out in the country to get away from traffic, and all the poor drivers. Riding a sportbike is as close to flying as you can get while on the ground, but if you are getting a motorcycle and haven't owned a lot of bikes and/or raced them, you should buy a cruiser first and get used to that, or a dirt bike, of course, to help learn how 2 wheeled machines handle and are different from cars in an emergency situation. I can't tell you guys how many people, almost always young men, who pop up every summer with their paper tags still on the back, and then don't even last a month before they destroy their new purchase, and usually hurt themselves. I personally know at least 4 people who have died in the last decade on their motorcycles, so it is serious business to ride any kind of motorcycle, much less liter size sportbikes. There is nothing closer to pure race machines that you can buy at any price, and they are wonderfully fun as long as you ride smart. Sportbikes handle and stop so much better than something like a Harley type bike, or a chopper, that I don't feel safe at all on big opposed twins with their almost "car like" stopping distances, and terrible turning abilities. I know that many people enjoy them, and I have owned several myself, but that lack of control and heavy weight makes me stick with the ones with all of the modern technology and the incredible reliability of the Japanese sport machines. I have never had to fix anything on my three different Suzuki's while covering about 21,000, 18,000, and now, 33,000 miles on my present one.

I got 2000 Kawasaki Ninja ZX12 that I love. I feel that the super-sport bikes are the safest bikes made, but always respect the amount of power they have. I thought about getting the new ZX14 but really had no good reason to get it. The ZX12 has all the power a really need and if I wanted more I would put a big bore stroker kit on it. I did gear it down because I could go 80 MPH in 1st gear, and never would take it to it's top end. I've rode a busa once and it nice, but I thought the kaw had more leg room and looks nicer. It's personal choice and have nothing against Suzuki's.

 

[JimJimmyJames]

I started off in 4th grade with a 1971 Honda Mini-Trail. Fun little bike but I always had problems keeping it running.

My second bike was a 1973 Honda CL350. This was the scrambler version of the CB. My father bought it brand new, than gave it to me when I was in 6th grade. He had it tuned up for me, but refused to fix it if I broke it. I treated it like a dirt bike and beat it into the ground. I broke my Dad's heart but I learned a valuable lesson when it came to taking care of your possessions and the value of a dollar.

After high school I bought a 1984 Honda Nighthawk S. This was the sport version of the Nighthawk. I sold it several years later for what I paid for it and regret selling it to this day.

After I got married I bought a 1977 Harley Sportster XLT. At the time I bought it I was on a waiting list for a new one for almost a year and became sick of waiting so I bought this old iron head. I spent about as much customizing it as I had on purchasing it. It was a fun bike even if it did like to mark it's territory everywhere we went. I sold it after we bought our first house and money was tight.

Several years after that I bought a 1966 BMW R50/2 with a sidecar. I still have it. It was/is a blast to drive around the neighborhood with the kids in it, and always fun to take anywhere because it is an instant conversation starter. People love that bike! Alas, I am going to put it up for sale this year because as the kids have grown older they are losing interest in it and quite frankly so am I.

I bought a 1979 Triumph Bonneville shortly after the Beemer. Lovely piece of eye candy, great handling with a sweet sounding motor but damn, what an unreliable piece of crap it turned out to be! I sold it on eBay after I just couldn't take it anymore.

My latest purchase (in 2005) was a brand new 883 Sportster. I wanted a big Harley but with two car payments as it is that was not going to happen at this time. I paid cash for the Sporty and for all the time I get to ride, it is a fine bike for me right now.

I definitely will be buying a touring bike in the future as I want to do just that. I also have kicked around the idea of buying a dual sport bike as there are a lot of woods where I live and I miss exploring them as I did when I was a kid.