First bike

M

musicswapshoppe

Rocker
You lot are awesome I wish I could write advice like that. Especially El Choclo, the words were what I felt but could not put in writing. I reckon a little vintage bike is nice, say Honda CB 250 would be a great bike and quite tasty, though my passion is still the Yamaha RD 250, but not sure how well known or obtainable that classic is now. I still have a Kawasaki Z250 1979 vintage in gun metal grey now that bike sure does get noticed and looks very classic. Not a great bike for you I think as way too sluggish overall, but I just love plodding around on that thing and working on it, though some parts are getting hard to find. I had to wait 4 months for a clutch cable! I am seriously thinking of putting a light sidecar on it as it has a lot of grunt and would plod around about the same speed as it does without one. Anyway these guys will steer you in right direction for sure
Happy riding
 
Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
+1 on getting an old bike to fix up. Major excellent experience.

In NY you can get a Class M license with no car license. My 17 year old son just got hisClass M license. We fixed up a GS250 off of CL. By our agreement we ride together on weekends on some quiet back roads and he also has a job 2 blocks away from our house on neighborhood roads. He is allowed to ride there and back on his own. I do check the odometer. its beeen a great experience for us, nerve wracking for me, but still a great thing to share.

I think if you limit your bike and your miles, stay focused and stay on slow streets and take the MSF course - and if you are really cautious, its doable. You have good taste in motorcycles kid.

Be careful - look out.

I know you feel that even at 16 you are aware of the dangers. The difference is - and hear me now - is that all the calculations that you make , about road conditons, clearance, speed , distance, danger in general - all that changes when you get to about 25. It tips the other way towards safety conciousness and all the dangers seem larger and worse and so you do things like I am doing right now. Its a marginal day with some wet roads and a lot of sand so I am keeping the bikes in the garage and using the cage even though a little 16 year old inside of me keeps wanting to go for a ride. You need to make it to that age. Until then stick with low displacement, slow roads and perfect conditions and assume everyone is out to kill you, because they are.
 
Last edited:
E

El Choclo

moped
TheBigHGman said:
Choclo thats awesome! what kind of music were you playing? I think im gonna follow everyones advice on here, it would be ignorant not to. Gar, being responsible sucks. I guess ill put the triumph dream on the back burner for a while
Click to expand...

[As far as music goes, I have done a little bit of everything over the years. I have worked as a guitarist and a bassist in just about every conceivable musical situation. Lots of time spent in horn bands--everything from 21 piece Soul bands to bratty ska-punk bands. With the exception of Gregorian chant, you name it, I've probably done it. Wait, I may have done Gregorian chant, too...]

Motorcycling is about calculated risk. No one here will deny that they risk injury or death every time they get on a bike. The key to surviving--and thus, enjoying--the ride is to minimize the risk that you can control, while preparing yourself to react to what you cannot control.

It is similar to performing onstage: when a musician practices, she is learning how not to make mistakes. When she is onstage, she is learning how to deal with mistakes in the moment. Same with riding: The MSF course will give you the rudiments of how to react to hazzards; whereas, experience will teach you how to apply those lessons on the street.

Riding a motorcycle forces you appreciate the moment, just like performing. However, the risk that is involved in that motorcycling moment demands that you respect how fragile life is. If you can successfully juggle this duality, you will have the time of your life.

The Triumph dream can go on the backburner for now, but the desire to be a motorcyclist does not have be squelched. Everyone here is giving you good advice. It's up to you how you use it. The intellect vs. experience angle holds a lot of water, but is also slippery. Everyone starts somewhere. The only way to get experience is to go out and do it.
 
sweatmachine

sweatmachine

moped
good advice from all.

Gear was mentioned already, but just in case here's what I consider to be all the gear:

-good motorcycle jacket. I have 3. One mesh for summer, one perforated leather for mild temps, and one heavy textile extra long jacket for winter. All 3 have CE approved armor in them. Armor is the key. Sure, old leather or denim jackets look cool but when you're sliding on your back and elbows down the street at 60mph some real armor will make the difference between having an elbow left over and having a ground down stump/

-good gloves. I'd rather skin the kevlar off my gloves while trying to stop sliding than the skin off my palms. That hurts man!

-good helmet, duh! preferrably full faced

-boots. boots that won't come off when you get off at speed.

-pants. Ok, I'm guilty here. I don't own any real riding pants. Shame on me.

Point is, good gear will make the difference between walking away banged up or getting skin grafts. I don't want to have my ass skin sewn to my face. I'm ugly enough as it is!

Sometimes after buying a bike it's tough to spend another few hundred on gear, but if you don't have the money for the gear, then you don't have the money to ride. Get the gear! Shop around too, lots of deals to be had, esp on Craigslist or newenough.com
 
tomville

tomville

Scooter
^^^

Excellent advice, Sweat. It's important to factor good riding gear into your budget when considering a bike. It's easily overlooked.
 
T

TheBigHGman

Scooter
im getting an Arai Vector helmet for my bday which i've only heard good things about, i already have a leather motorcycle jacket and i wear 14 hole oxblood (steel toe) Dr. martins, does that all sound good for the equipment? Also i havnt worn anything besides jeans in years anyway haha.
 
Texas94fs

Texas94fs

Hooligan
Research, like the kind you are doing here. I'm 21, been riding for 3 years. First bike was a 535 CC Yamaha Virago cruiser. FIRST DAY riding it I went down. Gravel in a corner, literally, not 3 minutes after I had just gone through it. Wasn't speeding, wasn't riding recklessy, just happened. Buy something smaller and lighter first, use your head, don't ride like a twat, get used to riding. I rode 12,000 miles on that little bike on all types of roads in just over a year, then got my Thruxton, that now just a year and two months later has right at 12,000 miles on it. I like the twistys, I like going fast, but there is a time a place and experience level. I'm not the most experienced by any means, I have far less experience than I wish I had, all in time though. Everyone is out to kill you while you ride, no one sees a biker and no one is looking, this is an attitude you must have, or some soccer mom on her cell phone will run you down. Keep a level head and be patient, ATGATT, and one of these days you shall have your bonnie. Just not yet.
 
Carnation

Carnation

Street Tracker
TheBigHGman said:
im getting an Arai Vector helmet for my bday which i've only heard good things about, i already have a leather motorcycle jacket and i wear 14 hole oxblood (steel toe) Dr. martins, does that all sound good for the equipment? Also i havnt worn anything besides jeans in years anyway haha.
Click to expand...

The Vector is excellent. It saved my face (maybe not a great thing)....:chin:

A word of advice - steel toecap boots are not a good idea on a bike. If you come off and your foot gets caught under the bike it's quite possible for the sole to fold up and the toecap to cut your toes off. This is why you rarely see steel toecap motorcycle boots.
 
T

TheBigHGman

Scooter
Oh one more note, i decided to get my dads old bike running with or without him. Im guessing ill need to take everything apart, clean it, new battery, new spark plugs, possibly a new frame for the thing. Also right now it doesn't have turn signals so i guess ill need those 2. I have absolutely no idea where to start.... its kind of daunting.
 
T

TheBigHGman

Scooter
Carnation said:
it's quite possible for the sole to fold up and the toecap to cut your toes off. This is why you rarely see steel toecap motorcycle boots.
Click to expand...

that....sounds.....terrible. On the flip side i've heard stories of boots getting worn all the way through to the toecap... so toecap or no? whats the best way to keep my feet intact?
 
ivar

ivar

TT Racer
TheBigHGman said:
my pops built the bike himself actually, even made the seat by hand ( beautiful seat, has this blue snakeskin diamond in the middle). I've been trying to convince him to get the thing up an running for ages, its a shame to have that sitting in the garage but he doesnt seem to have the time
Click to expand...

you really need to put up some pics and more info of this one!

As somebody else mentioned, would be a great father/son project to get it back up and running , and you can ride together when finished.

For a start, buy e.g a haynes manual for the base bike, then read it several times to get an understanding how its put together
 
T

TheBigHGman

Scooter
Alright ill try to take a few, way dusty, prolly a little rusty also. apparently the thing flew in its glory days. I cant remember what the base bike was exactly, i think it was from 65 for so.
 
TC_Dick

TC_Dick

TT Racer
Carnation said:
The Vector is excellent. It saved my face (maybe not a great thing)....:chin:

A word of advice - steel toecap boots are not a good idea on a bike. If you come off and your foot gets caught under the bike it's quite possible for the sole to fold up and the toecap to cut your toes off. This is why you rarely see steel toecap motorcycle boots.
Click to expand...

If the sole folds that far, you got problems either way. I am a + on the toe cap:

boot.jpg
 
T

TheBigHGman

Scooter
Well the power of the boards seems to have worked in my favor. I managed to convince my dad to work on his bike with me. Idk if it will actualy happen but it's a step forward. I hear that if the bikes a classic your aloud to ride it without adding directionals andvwhat not?
 
geolpilot

geolpilot

Street Tracker
The trick of turning with a sidecar is to always carry a cow in the sidecar. The cow is so heavy, nothing else matters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top