Motorcycle riders: Quick questions...

[Ben Dover]

I've been wanting to get a motorcycle for quite a while and I just had some questions for anyone who rides one. I was looking at a Kawasaki Ninja 250, it's great for my price range, good gas mileage, however it's manual transmission. I've ridden my share of ATVs and dirt bikes, however, all have been automatic transmission, just wondering how hard is it to get used to a manual transmission bike? Any tips?

Also too I haven't really looked into gear like jacket, helmet, etc... Who would you recommend for some good bike apparel that I should check out?

Really any other suggestions on riding, what to look at when purchasing, etc... would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

 

[squallumz]

look up the rider gear first gear i think its called. yep.

nice fucking jackets. real safe and padded while looking great.

Premium Link Upgrade

 

[E-Ann-Hilden]

A ninja 250 is a great 1st bike, I would also look at a Suzuki SV650 to give you extra room to grow. Dont be thrown by smaller displacement bikes, a good rider on one can smoke a larger bike. also always dress for the crash, god forbid, not the ride HJC makes very reasonable DOT/Snell rated helmets. Alpinestars makes decent stuff for the price for extra gear. Learning is not hard at all with a 5 or 6 speed manual.

I sold my 3rd bike last summer, I miss it allot. when the economy changes I plan to buy another one.

Ride Safe and take a local certification course, less the $100 and saves on insurance and adds to your ability!

 

[squallumz]

ninjas are great. they have different sized engines too if you want something a little beefier than the 250. if you are light, a 250 will be a great start though.

 

[E-Ann-Hilden]

ninjas are great. they have different sized engines too if you want something a little beefier than the 250. if you are light, a 250 will be a great start though.

Yes, how tall are you and what you weight does matter on the bike you buy.

 

[assholebythedoor]

Get an American bike, foregin bikes require too much. Too, the American bikes also are smooth, but they rarely fuck with you when **** goes wrong. You can ride it to the local shop to get fixed, but if you have a real piece of crap, it will shut down on you right there. You might not even want to keep it around. Too much fuel ********* and too much to deal with.

 

[E-Ann-Hilden]

Get an American bike, foregin bikes require too much. Too, the American bikes also are smooth, but they rarely fuck with you when **** goes wrong. You can ride it to the local shop to get fixed, but if you have a real piece of crap, it will shut down on you right there. You might not even want to keep it around. Too much fuel ********* and too much to deal with.

Sorry but my Honda VFR and two Triumph Sprint's were both rock solid with over 25,000 miles on each and bought new. Whether you buy a Harley or a Honda, both are quality bikes these days even a 8 year old one.

 

[Will E Worm]

Premium Link Upgrade


Premium Link Upgrade

 

[assholebythedoor]

Sorry but my Honda VFR and two Triumph Sprint's were both rock solid with over 25,000 miles on each and bought new. Whether you buy a Harley or a Honda, both are quality bikes these days even a 8 year old one.

It is true, mostly it comes down to which one you like the most. Rather it is from another country or not.

 

[Facetious]

I've ridden my share of ATVs and dirt bikes, however, all have been automatic transmission, just wondering how hard is it to get used to a manual transmission bike? Any tips?

Yea, find a friend with an off road manual shift enduro type bike and
practice your skills off road.

On the roadway cycling -

Always anticipate that you're completely invisible and essentially out of the picture from the perspective of other motorists. When we drive cars, we can get away with making assumptions and appraisals relative to the behavior or actions of other motorists. We have this ***** field around us, as we're surrounded by metal (hopefully), lots of padding and airbags. If we "misunderestimate" ( <- thank you Geo W Bush) the actions of another driver, at least that we have confidence that our healthy bodies are protected in the event that somebody (the other driver, of course, right ? lol !) fucks up.
Do not ride a bike like this because you may die.

Always attempt to maintain the greatest distance reasonable, away from the vehicles ahead, as well as behind you, if at all possible. The greater the distance that you allow between yourself and other traffic will allow for more corrective action when danger presents itself.

Don't be too quick to be the first guy through the intersection ! Let some other dummy take the blow instead ! There's always going to be yellow light - hammer down (the throttle) drivers when the light turns yellow, with that in mind, contemplate the difference when you get T- boned (broadsided) on your bike,. as compared to when you're cruzin in your . . oh . . . ehhh, '70 Pontiac Grand Prix. "can't touch this !" Right ?

Last thing - Don't die out there ! It isn't worth the savings on fuel costs.

 

[pitino]

while riding, always keep in mind that the car-driver in front of you can do the worst mistake
and he hasn't seen you in mirror

spend some $ to buy good helmet-jacket-boots and give some time to yourself to get
used to transmit ion and the feeling

 

[Philbert]

Remember...the heavier the bike the more stable the ride. A car weighs in the thousands of pounds, a bike in the hundreds.
I've owned and ridden extensively bikes from a single cylinder 250 to my favorite HD FXR; rode them to the store, to work, and to other countries.
Enough power to weight ratio is essential for living through the fun. Too fast without your skill level being up to the task is a formula for disaster...not counting the danger, dropping your bike is expensive. Every time...
I prefer Shoei helmets, for quality and comfort. Never rode without boots, gloves, and vest or jacket. If the fall does happen, better to land on someone else's skin.
Light bikes are not good for any distance, and road conditions throw you around more. The bike moves itself, you don't have to do any work to ride it other than to balance it upright, pretty simple. I've seen many smaller ladies riding Harleys.
My second favorite ride was my 1988 Honda Shadow 1100, owned it for 11 years...it sat a lot after I got my FXR, but it was a great dual purpose bike and ran forever.
Took me and a passenger wherever I wanted to go, easily and at the same speeds as solo.
If you got the money a Harley is the most fun you'll ever have on 2 wheels. Not a stock bike, ya gotta make it your own by fitting it to your size and style of riding; Harleys can be made to fit anyone just right, unlike most Euro and *** bikes that are hard to change.
I had a Honda 350 four, a Suzuki 850 four, and started really smiling while riding when I got my Shadow...cruisers go anywhere in comfort, and can canyon shoot or go to the store for munchies.
I rode my Shadow to Guatemala, St. Louis, Mo., really anywhere I wanted to go, or just around town.
Crotch rockets are made to go fast, not see the country.
I only wore a helmet (full face Shoei) when weather or dust was a factor; laws are different lots of places, a nice lid is not too annoying where a helmet is mandatory.
Good luck...keep the rubber side down!

 

[stevo2]

Automatic bikes are rare here in Britain ,save for atvs . if you can ride a motorcycle im sure you will get used to manual shift , it soon becomes second nature. ive had lots of different bikes- road, trials, enduro etc. at present i own a harley 1200 sportster sport, 100 year anniversary model, i love it !, but its too nice for all weather use. I also have a 1983 Moto-Morini 250 2c v-twin , a lovely little bike. the gearshift and brake pedals are on opposite sides which did cause a problem once when i jammed on the rear brake instead of downshifting ! (thankfully on the morini), but you soon learn to make a mental -note to remember. Best of luck and ride safe.

 

[stainedblueyes]

Don't be put off by a manual, its quick to learn, easy to master, and puts you so much closer to the mechanics of biking, be one with your ride

I'm riding a honda shadow 750... shes a lump but shes low, smooth, and powerful no finer thing on a clear day than an open road and a great big throbbing engine attached to two wheels

Oh, finally... look carefully at your gear, don't ever compromise on leathers or your lid, I've had a few scrapes and I'm convinced the extra investment has made the difference between me walking away and being an organ donor... serious.

 

[marquis2]

A lot of good advice already. At a junction try for eye contact with the other driver-you know then that he's seen you.
And however hot the day ,NEVER ride without protective clothing.What happens to unprotected skin if you fall off even at low speeds is too horrific to think about , at high speeds even worse.Don't wear dark visors or sunglasses, you need all the visual information you can get.And you need to make eye contact with other drivers as I mentioned .
I've never driven an auto motorcycle excepting a little 50 cc runabout;it's not what it's all about in my view.Auto boxes never change at quite the right moment and they don't anticipate your future actions either.You'll take great delight in making really quick and snappy changes.

 

[E-Ann-Hilden]

It is true, mostly it comes down to which one you like the most. Rather it is from another country or not.

I thought it was interesting hanging out with one of my friends a Harley ride at a local Harley shop. 1/2 of the accessories for those things are made in China. Also Harley now owns MV Agusta a Italian firm, also Porsche of Germany designed the V-Rod and Buell uses Rotax of Austria for engine design.

Makes you wonder what is a American bike anyway?:glugglug:

 

[Ben Dover]

Yes, how tall are you and what you weight does matter on the bike you buy.

Yeah that's one reason why I figure on the Ninja250 instead of the 650 (Besides the huge gap in price :tongue: ), I'm 5'10" 175lbs. I don't need the extra power. I've always liked the look of the Ninjas so I looked at those first, I'll do some looking around at other makes and models before I make any final decisions, but the Ninja has an early lead lol.

Thanks everyone for the helpful and cautionary info everyone, I appreciate it

 

[lurkingdirk]

A couple of points from a seasoned rider:
1. American bikes are not superior. nor are they easier to fix or find parts for. i'll never buy one. This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with reliability and fixability. I currently have an old (1979) Kawasaki 650. I've rebuilt it and never had ANY trouble finding parts. also way more reliable than a harley - don't start on me, harley riders. harley v-twin motors vibrate off the engine mounts right out of the factory. also, harleys have terrible mileage. smoother ride with foreign bikes, especially BMW
2. small bikes are nice in town - if you're leaving town, get more than a 250.
3. get a manual transmission. It is easy to learn (go to a parking lot, or just on your own street for a half hour) and will save your breaks. a well used manual transmission all but eliminates the need for heavy breaking.
4. always wear a helmet and a bike-jacket at least. dress for the crash, as someone else said earlier. really it is just a bad idea not to. good quality and decent price jackets and saddle bags and gear in general are tour master (tourmaster.com). I've gone down on a bike (car accident in front of me, only way to avoid it) and the tour master jacket and pants saved my joints and skin.

Have fun riding! enjoy your good gas mileage.

 

[Legzman]

its not hard to learn, if you know how to drive a stick your golden! Other than that, you may want to take the certification course as others have stated. BTW 99% of bikes are manual!

 

[Philbert]

A couple of points from a seasoned rider:
1. American bikes are not superior. nor are they easier to fix or find parts for. i'll never buy one. This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with reliability and fixability. I currently have an old (1979) Kawasaki 650. I've rebuilt it and never had ANY trouble finding parts. also way more reliable than a harley - don't start on me, harley riders. harley v-twin motors vibrate off the engine mounts right out of the factory. also, harleys have terrible mileage. smoother ride with foreign bikes, especially BMW2. small bikes are nice in town - if you're leaving town, get more than a 250.
3. get a manual transmission. It is easy to learn (go to a parking lot, or just on your own street for a half hour) and will save your breaks. a well used manual transmission all but eliminates the need for heavy breaking.
4. always wear a helmet and a bike-jacket at least. dress for the crash, as someone else said earlier. really it is just a bad idea not to. good quality and decent price jackets and saddle bags and gear in general are tour master (tourmaster.com). I've gone down on a bike (car accident in front of me, only way to avoid it) and the tour master jacket and pants saved my joints and skin.

Have fun riding! enjoy your good gas mileage.

Lot of inaccurate info here; as to be expected when you start off claiming complete knowledge you don't have.
Harley has many models, and versions of those. Do you even know what a Dyna Glide is?
I rode an FXR for a few years, and the Dynas replaced the FX line due to a certain amount of redundancy in the two lines of bikes.
They both were rubber mounted frames, but not laden with large fenders, bags, or any real unneccesary accessories. Smooth riding, almost no vibration (my Shadow was a lot rougher riding), and, while powerful, easy to lean over in a high speed turn, or ride 10 hours without any discomfort.
Only a few (true, some of the most popular among the weekend riders) are heavy vibration offenders...like the Fat Boy and some Heritage models from a while back, even though the newer tech has a counter balanced cam shaft that removes a lot of vibration without the rubber mounts.
Most diehard Harley riders add lots of improved performance parts right away, anyway...hard to do on a *** bike.
I had an S&S Shorty carb, Progressive suspension, an EVO cam, Dyna ignition single fire, a fork brace (FXRs had Sportster front forks, smaller and lighter for performance), forward controls, lower and more pulled back handle bars...but nothing that exceeded stock performance. True, I had PMC rear brakes and dual discs up front,and tuned exhausts, but I could stop fast without downshifting in a mountain emergency. That bike ran and ran, and didn't get blown sideways into the other lane in a high wind. Stable, fast, and bulletproof . My *** bikes were great, but limited.
I could hit 130 on my FXR, or cruise to El Salvador without much trouble. With or without gear and/or a rider it did what I asked it to.
Many Harleys are vastly improved, the 96 CI motor is a joy. I don't see a lot of 50 year old *** bikes around, but I have seen many really old Harleys still being ridden daily.
Same for BMWs...I have seen so many really old Beemers still being ridden. Love big bikes.
I rode a 1949 Ariel with 89 actual miles on it from London to Morrocco in a really nasty winter once; a big bike like a Harley, but with one 600 cc cylinder, and that machine ran and ran. Solid ride, and fun to be on.