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Got my first motorcycle!

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Originally posted by: state 08
I just got my first bike in August this year.

I'm kinda impatient, so I started with a Kawasaki Ninja 650R, although, it is a bit noob friendly.

Don't forget to take the MSF course. They teach ya some good tips, and depending on your state laws, if you complete the class, you automatically get your license.
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Preaching/on Go to the above MSF site and take the course as soon as you can. Act like your life depends on it. Many new riders wreck in the first week of riding. Some wrecks are fatal. The biggest "correctable by the rider" reason for these wrecks is rider inexperience. With the above course you will learn; how to effectively brake, when to lay the bike down, how to plan for "avoidance", and how to make yourself more visable to other drivers. Most of these skills are things a car driver has little or no use for, but a rider needs just to survive. Preaching/off

With all the above said, it's still great to get out there for a 2 hour or a 2 day little trip to blow the cobwebs out of your brain.

Jim
 
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: Triumph
And note that a helmet is implied in my above post.
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Jeans do not work. On a scale of 0-10, 0 being your skin on the ground and 10 being race leathers, jeans are like 1 or 2 at most.

Get gloves, boots, pants, jacket, helmet.
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Jeans are almost ok if you drive a bicycle. For anything more than that, jeans are better than skin, and not much else
 
I once crashed a bike at 55-60mph (ok, not very-fast but bad enough when your knee takes the impact) and my jeans just had a few scratches and no hole. Which was weird because my knee looked pretty bad (couldn't walk straight for 2 weeks) and you would think my pants would have a huge hole where the kneecap was. Surprisingly, my el cheapo denim jacket shredded pretty bad across the forearm and elbow region, and they had just scraped the road slightly.

Levi's 501 FTW! Cheapo denim jackets FTL!

I started riding bikes in 2001. Crashed first time in Nov 2004. Haven't had another since. And the only reason I crashed was...well...there's too many versions of that story - my version, their version, and the right version[😉]
 
When I first got my ATV my dads friend told me that the majority of motorcycle accidents happen in the first months because you become over confident of your skill.. two months later I was having entirly too much fun in the snow and wiped out.. gg!
 
Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
what qualifies as "high strength textile"? leather pants just don't appeal to me...
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The best textile is Cordura, 500 denier thread count or higher. Goretex is just a membrane, it's added to provide weather protection but nothing else. Alot of the big name motorcycle clothing companies use Cordura - alot of them don't. They use stuff like "RockTeck" and "Ballistic Nylon" which are cheaper imitations of Cordura, but still alot better than jeans. Off the top of my head, some companies that use Cordura are Olympia, Tourmaster, and Aerostich.
 
Originally posted by: Kelvrick
Originally posted by: Triumph
And note that a helmet is implied in my above post.
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Jeans do not work. On a scale of 0-10, 0 being your skin on the ground and 10 being race leathers, jeans are like 1 or 2 at most.

Get gloves, boots, pants, jacket, helmet.
Click to expand...


well , not alla jeans are the same ..
there are some technical jeans just made for motorbiking ...
outside they look like normale jeans but inside there are protection similar to other motorbike pants and the jeans is not made out of simple cotton but with a mix between cotton and KEVLAR , so is very resistant to abrasion

 
Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
Went and picked it up yesterday ('79 gs550), going to ride as soon as i get the registration and insurance done. this waiting is going to kill me.
no pics done myself but here's the craigslist link. and no that's not what i paid 🙂.
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Seriously, please be very careful with your motorcycle. One of my professors died riding his. He just had it for a few months before he crashed. You can see his memorial forum here. It's so sad.

 
I don't ride motorcycles but when I get the money I'd like to buy one. What do you guys think of Triumphs? They seem like they'd be comfortable to ride and the company seems to have a reputation for quality. I also like the look of them. Thing is I never heard of this company until I went into a bike store with my brother, before that I'd never really payed attention to motorcycles.
 
Triumphs are great bikes, you might want to start out with something small, you can always sell it for about what you paid for it and then get what you really want after you've built up your skills. I'm planning for a 6200 mile trip this summer, I got so excited for it last night that I went out for a little ride. 20 degrees is a little on the cool side, but with the right gear, riding in any kind of weather is enjoyable.

Stay safe and have fun!
 
too bad you got such an old bike...hopefully it wont give you problems...but its good to start off with a smaller CC bike...

as far as gear...make sure u get a nice full face helmet, and not one with an uplifting face...you want a solid frame design...
for gear...DO NO..repeat DO NOT get mesh gear. it friggin sucks. i had a 300 mesh jacket with CE padding and everything. i lost by bike @ 60mph and was cut very badly on my arm because the jacket fell apart. you want genuine leather (preferably kangroo if you can afford it, but cow is ok) and if it is hot where u are get perferated with vents in the sleeves and back.

get some nice gloves...with knuckle protection and something for your palm...leather is always better, but my mesh ones did ok in the wreck...

for pants...i'm not sure about this because i was wearing old navy jeans...my legs were ok , just a little rash...
you might consider some of those aramid jeans or possibly some leather slip ons.

i never wore riding shoes and my feet/ankles are ok. however riding boots arent expensive and really will help if you ankle gets trapped...

you really do need to spend the money on gear...for good gear plan on around 1000, maybe a little less. but trust me, its worth it. i only spent 500 and what did it get me? a night in the hospial, 20k bill, 60+ stiches...and tons of morphine/lortab granted my wreck was pretty bad...but i know if i would have had a better jacket i could have walked off with a few stiches

PM me if you want pics (proof) or if you would like advice on gear.
 
Question, how heavy is the average bike and is a 120lb fella like me going to be able to manage keeping the bike upright at a stop light and pulling it up if it ever falls flat to the ground?

Hate to look like an idiot dropping the bike at every stop light, lol.

In terms of gas mileage, can someone give me some numbers? Better than a Civic?

 
Originally posted by: PeeluckyDuckee
Question, how heavy is the average bike and is a 120lb fella like me going to be able to manage keeping the bike upright at a stop light and pulling it up if it ever falls flat to the ground?

Hate to look like an idiot dropping the bike at every stop light, lol.

In terms of gas mileage, can someone give me some numbers? Better than a Civic?
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if chicks weighing under 110lbs can drive a sportsbike, why can't you?
 
out of curiosity, can anything be reasonably substituted for dedicated motorcycle boots (ie, any tall boot with sufficient rigidity)?

congrats on the bike, OP! need some new pics, as your link is down 😛
 
Um.. Wow, the OP should give us an update. It should now almost be 5 months since he's gotten his bike. 🙂
 
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