Which sportbike is good?

[sze5003]

Two guys washed out of the class I took. One was too nervous, and stalled constantly. The other dropped the bike multiple times.

I had not even ridden a bicycle in 25 years when I took it. I barely made the circle they have all the attendees do on a the bicycle. But, I made it through, and a few years later, I'm probably an above average rider.

Take the class. You may fall in love with it, or say "meh" and walk away.

I know I think I dropped the bike once during the course. We did a lot of stopping and sitting on the bikes and I was paying really close attention to their directions. At one point he was like ok turn em off and take a break. I forgot the kickstand lol.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

And I think a scooter will do the job in hopefully a safe way.

Good plan. Scooters can introduce a rider to two wheeling without having to learn clutch modulation and gear selection. Some motorcycles offer auto-shift now too.

 

[indy2878]

Good plan. Scooters can introduce a rider to two wheeling without having to learn clutch modulation and gear selection. Some motorcycles offer auto-shift now too.

...And scooters are slower paced and gives me much more time to react properly to a given situation which helps with proper situational awareness. Also, scooters are more affordable to maintain and gets decent MPG as well which is a big plus. If it gets stolen, you won't be crying as much as a triple the cost of a competing super sport bike.

I would say the MSF scooter course is the one for me then. Its less risky to learn on a scooter, plus I can always take the regular MSF course if I'm still interested in something quicker. I was looking at the Vespa scooter website and they have a 300cc model that tops out at 80 MPH. For me probably the 150cc (59 MPH top speed) is probably what I'm interested in. And the speed limit in California is 65 MPH on the freeways and much less on where I'm planning to ride around. And no I dont' live in an area where there's lots of slopes and inclines. Its 90% flat roads so a scooter is perfect for this. But of course we'll find out how it goes with the scooter MSF course.

 

[papadage]

Even if you go scooter.. buy some gear. At the very least helmet (full face preferred).. and then riding gloves. You never want to take a spill and lose the skin on your palms because you put them out to break your fall. You can't get grafts there, and you would have hooks for hands for the rest of your life. After that, a jacket and boots.

 

[sze5003]

Even if you go scooter.. buy some gear. At the very least helmet (full face preferred).. and then riding gloves. You never want to take a spill and lose the skin on your palms because you put them out to break your fall. You can't get grafts there, and you would have hooks for hands for the rest of your life. After that, a jacket and boots.

Yup even if you get a scooter get gear. If you decide to transition to a bike you will be set.

 

[indy2878]

Even if you go scooter.. buy some gear. At the very least helmet (full face preferred).. and then riding gloves. You never want to take a spill and lose the skin on your palms because you put them out to break your fall. You can't get grafts there, and you would have hooks for hands for the rest of your life. After that, a jacket and boots.

Thanks for reminding me on purchasing proper riding gear. You mentioned some websites on this thread on proper riding gear so I'll look into those websites when I get the chance. Its funny yesterday I saw a guy with a t-shirt and jeans on a Yamaha R6 on the road yesterday. Of course he was going slow so I suppose he's alright. Even with a scooter I would still suit up fully anyway and if it gets too hot I can always park the scooter and take breaks.

 

[papadage]

motorcyclegear.com has good sales and closeouts.

As for going slow.. I know a guy who got messed up in a low speed collision. He lost a lot of skin sliding on his side after he got hit by a can doing a k-turn.

Most collisions are at low street speeds anyway.

 

[indy2878]

This is going to sound weird. But maybe perhaps if you get a really fast sportbike or supercar, then you are "forced" to be extra careful because for the sportbike you know it is very twitchy and is very sensitive on everything and has brutal acceleration. Same thing with say a Porsche 911 S twin turbo. Because one minor mess up (whether fast or slow) then its bye bye bike or car.

But we can conclude the actual reality for my particular case:

1.) take the msf scooter class.
2.) graduate and get a scooter license
3.) go to a scooter dealership and purchase a scooter and all the proper riding gear.
4.) Enjoy riding and be safe!

 

[sze5003]

This is going to sound weird. But maybe perhaps if you get a really fast sportbike or supercar, then you are "forced" to be extra careful because for the sportbike you know it is very twitchy and is very sensitive on everything and has brutal acceleration. Same thing with say a Porsche 911 S twin turbo. Because one minor mess up (whether fast or slow) then its bye bye bike or car.

But we can conclude the actual reality for my particular case:

1.) take the msf scooter class.
2.) graduate and get a scooter license
3.) go to a scooter dealership and purchase a scooter and all the proper riding gear.
4.) Enjoy riding and be safe!

You may think that because you know super sport bikes are dangerous and have unexpected consequences that you will be careful but you won't. Going in with this sort of confidence can get you killed. So you get on it go around the block,great. Next thing you know is you think you can handle it and you take it past your limits. End up dead or a vegetable.

Play it safe and get a scooter or 250 for the first year. Also, don't buy a brand new scooter, look for used and pay cash.

Having a payment on a bike is the worst type of asset. It can get stolen, crashed, and you will still owe money. Buy used and sell it next year for the same value.

 

[indy2878]

You may think that because you know super sport bikes are dangerous and have unexpected consequences that you will be careful but you won't. Going in with this sort of confidence can get you killed. So you get on it go around the block,great. Next thing you know is you think you can handle it and you take it past your limits. End up dead or a vegetable.

Play it safe and get a scooter or 250 for the first year. Also, don't buy a brand new scooter, look for used and pay cash.

Having a payment on a bike is the worst type of asset. It can get stolen, crashed, and you will still owe money. Buy used and sell it next year for the same value.

No. I'm NOT trying to "sneak" my way into buying a sportbike as my first bike. :biggrin: I was just making a point that sometimes things that are pricey and valuable CAN surprisingly be a good thing for some people. Because at least the owner will tend to pay extra careful into taking care of the product versus owning a cheaper product and just doing whatevers with it, etc. But yes, I totally do understand and see your point on my particular case.

Scooter Questions? How much mileage would say a used 150cc scooter (59mph top speed) have that's worth purchasing? Say a Vespa or Yamaha? What are some tell tale signs to look out for in terms of the scooter brakes, engine, tires, that indicates its not a good purchase?

I'm just asking because I ALMOST bought a salvaged 1991 honda civic 4 door coupe before. I was ready to buy it till I saw the "salvaged" paper from DMV hidden deep inside the glove compartment of the vehicle. Walked away from that and haven't looked back ever since.... 😎

 

[sze5003]

Check the brake pads you can see by looking at them, make sure they aren't thin and the brakes grip nicely. Check the cables that connect to and from the engine and to the steering, brake lines, and check the chain. Make sure the chain isn't rusty, has good tension by feeling with your hand.

Look at the tires and make sure they have decent tread on them. Make sure all the lights and signals work. The scooter or bike should start up without issues unless it's carburetorated and its really cold out. If it's carburated you will need to use a little choke to get it started.

Most of this is for bikes but scooters are mostly fuel injected if they are newer models.

Make sure the title is clean too. Don't buy if it's salvaged.

 

[tortoise]

The scooter or bike should start up without issues unless it's carburetorated and its really cold out. If it's carburated you will need to use a little choke to get it started.

Scooter constant velocity carbs have an enricher (choke) function, which starts a cold engine at high idle, which typically belt-engages the rear clutch, which is why the rear wheel should be off the ground on the center stand.

 

[tortoise]

some tell tale signs to look out for

Test cylinder compression, which typically requires a 10mm spark plug adapter.

Used scooter guidelines.

If budget allows, include the Lance PCH 150 (12" wheels) and Kymco Super-8 150 (less twitchy 14" wheels) in your research.

 

[JulesMaximus]

No. I'm NOT trying to "sneak" my way into buying a sportbike as my first bike. :biggrin: I was just making a point that sometimes things that are pricey and valuable CAN surprisingly be a good thing for some people. Because at least the owner will tend to pay extra careful into taking care of the product versus owning a cheaper product and just doing whatevers with it, etc. But yes, I totally do understand and see your point on my particular case.

Scooter Questions? How much mileage would say a used 150cc scooter (59mph top speed) have that's worth purchasing? Say a Vespa or Yamaha? What are some tell tale signs to look out for in terms of the scooter brakes, engine, tires, that indicates its not a good purchase?

I'm just asking because I ALMOST bought a salvaged 1991 honda civic 4 door coupe before. I was ready to buy it till I saw the "salvaged" paper from DMV hidden deep inside the glove compartment of the vehicle. Walked away from that and haven't looked back ever since.... 😎

You haven't spent much time around guys who ride motorcycles have you? I've seen more thrashed 600cc supersports than probably any other type of motorcycle... and Harley guys seem to wear the "I never clean my bike because I'm too busy riding it" to the extreme. I've watched guys take a nice stock literbike and start customizing it and making it completely worthless in the process (at least he is riding it... or was, now it needs major service and he is too broke to do it so he just keeps riding it).

When it comes to looking at a bike I can tell if it was used as a stunt bike or for track days within seconds. Honestly, a bike that is completely unmodified is what you want to look for. One with honest mileage and ownership history, and complete service history. Do your homework and run the vin through one of those vin check services to see if the owner's story checks out with the vin history.

See, bikes are cheap and maintenance is expensive relative to the cost of the bike. If you know how to work on them they can be a bargain but most riders don't and they balk at the frequent and expensive maintenance so they just ignore it and/or sell it before it becomes a problem. Oil changes on a car are $19.99. On a motorcycle they are $100. Valve checks are non-existent on cars these days (Ferraris excluded) but they are mandatory on a motorcycle and they come every 15,000 miles or in half that on the Italian bikes and those services can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The 15k service on my bike would cost nearly a grand at the dealership and my bike is worth maybe $8k and it is not even 3 years old yet. Imagine spending 1/8th the value of your vehicle on maintenance every couple years? Or more if you actually ride it regularly.

How about tires? You'd be the fucking man if you could get 10k miles out of one. I can't get half that out of a rear tire on my Ducati. I'm on my third set of tires (F/R) and I'm just short of the 15,000 mile service on my bike, which is comprehensive and I'm going to tackle myself (with the help of a friend who has done this on two Ducatis he owns).

A front tire on my bike (same tires you'd find on any 600cc supersport) is $130. Rear tire is $150-180, plus mounting and balancing. You might as well add another $100 to the cost of the tire unless you plan on removing the wheels and taking them in to have them mounted and balanced in which case you can expect to be charged $40 per wheel. You might find better deals if you are involved with the local motorcycling community and/or buy the tires from a local chain and bring the wheels in off the bike yourself.

Of course, you should really take the MSF course first... in case we haven't beat you over the head with that recommendation enough yet. :whiste:😛

 

[papadage]

Yeah, bikes are not cheap to own, and race replicas are even more expensive. I'm a big fan of the parallel and V-twin sports bikes for that reason. That, and they are more practical on the street and highway, and because of a more relaxes riding position, are more comfortable to ride long distances. I have no problem at all doing 400+ miles a day on my bike for a week long tour, though slightly less when on more fun, twisty roads.

BUt yeah.. maintenance and some necessary mods.. expensive.

I just got my bike back from the shop. I had the oil changed, new headlight, brighter headlight bulbs put in, the stator rewound to put out a bit more power (I have heated grips also, so needed to get a bit more charging capacity). I also had lighter, better Racetech springs put in the forks, and the fork oil changed to fix the pogo action I was getting in the front over bumps and to get proper suspension sag for my weight. And some new EBC HH brake pads. Say goodbye to $850.

 

[Fenixgoon]

and if you're young, you get assraped on insurance.

130/mo 🙁 (Ninja1000 ABS, 27 y/o rider, MSF endorsement, no accidents, riding 6 years)

 

[papadage]

The Ninja 1000 is put in the same class as the liter ultra-sport bikes by some carriers, even though it does not appeal to the same demographic as the racer kids. Shop around a bit. Some carriers classify it properly.

 

[indy2878]

Yeah, bikes are not cheap to own, and race replicas are even more expensive. I'm a big fan of the parallel and V-twin sports bikes for that reason. That, and they are more practical on the street and highway, and because of a more relaxes riding position, are more comfortable to ride long distances. I have no problem at all doing 400+ miles a day on my bike for a week long tour, though slightly less when on more fun, twisty roads.

BUt yeah.. maintenance and some necessary mods.. expensive.

I just got my bike back from the shop. I had the oil changed, new headlight, brighter headlight bulbs put in, the stator rewound to put out a bit more power (I have heated grips also, so needed to get a bit more charging capacity). I also had lighter, better Racetech springs put in the forks, and the fork oil changed to fix the pogo action I was getting in the front over bumps and to get proper suspension sag for my weight. And some new EBC HH brake pads. Say goodbye to $850.

That's why I'm choosing to go the Vespa scooter route actually. There's just far too many positives for a beginner going the scooter route. Who cares if I look "puny" on one! :biggrin:

Question? Is it safe or not to have someone ride on the back of your bike? I guess it depends if the bike is big enough and the person in the back has the guts to do it as well.... I know I wouldn't allow such a thing for me.

 

[sze5003]

That's why I'm choosing to go the Vespa scooter route actually. There's just far too many positives for a beginner going the scooter route. Who cares if I look "puny" on one! :biggrin:

Question? Is it safe or not to have someone ride on the back of your bike? I guess it depends if the bike is big enough and the person in the back has the guts to do it as well.... I know I wouldn't allow such a thing for me.

I never take anyone on my bike. I don't want to be liable if anything happens. I also don't have a lot of experience to actually have a rider on back so I just don't.

 

[papadage]

Don't do it until you have a couple thousand miles in mixed traffic under your belt. And your passenger should wear equal gear to yourself.

 

[repoman0]

and if you're young, you get assraped on insurance.

130/mo 🙁 (Ninja1000 ABS, 27 y/o rider, MSF endorsement, no accidents, riding 6 years)

Man that is crazy, but I'm assuming you have full coverage? I didn't get collision on my 03 SV650 because I remember it being in a similar price range (24 years old, MSF, 1 minor at fault car accident) .. instead I pay something like 130/year for liability and accept either potentially replacing the bike or paying to fix it with the savings. It's only a $2500 bike.

 

[sze5003]

I pay 56 bucks a month for 100k/300k liability and uninsured motorist liability with the same coverage. Collision and comprehensive as well. I use dairy land cycle.

 

[Greenman]

and if you're young, you get assraped on insurance.

130/mo 🙁 (Ninja1000 ABS, 27 y/o rider, MSF endorsement, no accidents, riding 6 years)

Assraped is right. I pay $400 a year for full coverage including mods.
Get something classified as a cruiser and save a bunch of money.

 

[indy2878]

I would not get < than full coverage especially on a motorcycle to be honest. What if you get into an accident with someone else on the street and it was your fault? You can replace your bike and get a completely new one even if you purchased it new.

 

[sze5003]

I would not get < than full coverage especially on a motorcycle to be honest. What if you get into an accident with someone else on the street and it was your fault? You can replace your bike and get a completely new one even if you purchased it new.

Well older bikes it may not be worth it since you could just buy parts or if you total it, insurance may not give you much. Either way it will depend on where you live. I'm in a high risk area since it is also expensive for car insurance too.