RE: A question for the bikers....

RE: A question for the bikers.... (Full Version)

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0ldhen -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:33:12 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GhitaAmati Out of everything I've looked at so far, my favorite has been the harley nightster. I've rode one, pretty comfy, a nice economical cruiser for your size. The 48 is another good HD choice, seat height is about 25 to 28 inches, you should be able to put both feet flat with that one as well.

GreedyTop -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:36:07 AM)
not to mention, changing the seat to a non factory seat can help too. on mine, I switched to a Corbin seat..not only did it drop the seat height by several inches, it felt like my ass was being cupped by gentle hands...

Madame4a -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:36:32 AM)
I'd recommend the biggest bike you can handle.. and I wouldn't stop ata 650 unless you do get a sport bike. If you decide on a cruiser (and if you're going to do any distance riding I recommend it) then you might look at something 850-1200 ... I made the mistake of buying a 650 in the beginning, when I first learned to ride and within three months I was ready for something bigger... I ride a Yahama VStar 1200 right now.. and I recommend Vstars.. reliable and not overly expensive... they don't make the 1200 anymore but they make a 1300 ...

GreedyTop -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:40:24 AM)
I'd think it would depend on what she plans to use it for.. back and forth to work, a smaller bike would be good. if she wants multi state road trips, then yeah, a bigger cruiser. personally, I'd go for the bigger bike, but I would expect to use it for cross town and cross country. She also has to take into account her physical size. Ghita: word to the wise.. regardless of the size, get the crashbars!! (oops, scuse me, engine guards...) They can make ALL the difference if ya drop the bike.

Madame4a -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:41:40 AM)
oh my GOD.. not all Corbin seats are a like... I ride the boi's sportster a lot.. she has a Corbin seat on it.. and basically its like riding an oil can with a piece of cardboard on it... UGH.. I hate it... while I do love the sportster... to the OP... a Harley is nice, but I'd make sure you really want to ride if you're going to make that investment...and be prepared.. you'll have the thing in the shop all the time.. we have four bikes in this house.. and the Harley's are always in the shop.. the Vstar is NOT... quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop not to mention, changing the seat to a non factory seat can help too. on mine, I switched to a Corbin seat..not only did it drop the seat height by several inches, it felt like my ass was being cupped by gentle hands...

Madame4a -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:42:41 AM)
Yep... engine guards saved me and my bike when I dropped it..not to mention they are a great place to rest my feet on long trips.. quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop I'd think it would depend on what she plans to use it for.. back and forth to work, a smaller bike would be good. if she wants multi state road trips, then yeah, a bigger cruiser. personally, I'd go for the bigger bike, but I would expect to use it for cross town and cross country. She also has to take into account her physical size. Ghita: word to the wise.. regardless of the size, get the crashbars!! (oops, scuse me, engine guards...) They can make ALL the difference if ya drop the bike.

GreedyTop -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:43:49 AM)
lets not forget about tank size, too. Sporty's tend to be frequent fliers at gas stations... and I've seen Sporty's with wannabe fatbob tanks.. ICK ICK ICK

BOUNTYHUNTER -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:47:25 AM)
I would suggest a smaller jap bike good on gas milage and low to the ground where she can get that beatiful little butt off easy,my daughters ride bmws ceuisers 1000.B

RapierFugue -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 8:57:29 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop Back when I still had my bike, I took the classes, then (after the beginner class literally saved my ass less than 24 hours after completion) I became an instructor. Decent training will save your life, time and again. And yet, oddly, it's usually the last thing people want to spend money on. I knew a guy, back when I was doing trackday instruction. He'd spent the equivalent of about $10,000 on his bike, on tuning and other mods, and the net result was about 1 second a lap faster compared to him on the same bike before letting the tuners loose on it. With just one day of decent track instruction he cut eight seconds off his lap time (out of a 1m30s lap).

GhitaAmati -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 10:44:08 AM)
I just found a honda shadow for $600 that needs a "bit" of work. I haven't found out what it actually needs so I'm still not sure if this is a deal or not. I also found an 883Low for $2200. I'm going to go look at it, too. And again, yes I plan on getting good instruction. I'm willing to spend the money and the time on that.

RapierFugue -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 10:55:52 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GhitaAmati I just found a honda shadow for $600 that needs a "bit" of work. I'm not being a Negative Nancy, but unless you, or someone in your household, can do the fixes, never buy a bike that needs "a bit of work" - I'm a pretty skilled mechanic, and it never ceases to amaze even me how much worse things are than they first appeared, nor how much time bikes needing "a bit of work" end up swallowing. If you're not a mechanical genius then pay a little bit more, buy from a dealer (not necessarily new of course), get a warranty, and get peace of mind. A very clever man once said "when you buy a bike that needs work, you almost never save money ... you just pay out money over a longer period of time, and without the pleasure of being able to use the bike in the meantime". If you're a mechanical genius then fine, but budget for bits, and your time. If not, buy dealer, with warranty. Oh, and budget for decent kit; leathers, decent lid, gloves, boots, etc ... and if you can stand to wear one, a separate back protector - if I'd been wearing one 25 years ago (not that they were available then) when I had my "big one", I wouldn't have broken my back & neck, nor have suffered 25 years of constant pain.

GreedyTop -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 10:57:01 AM)
yep, what RF said....

mnottertail -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:04:15 AM)
Those shadows, if the direct drive is fucked in any way you are buying several thousand worth of boat anchor all together, if you are not buffed out with tools and manuals and mechanical skills.....

RapierFugue -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:08:32 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: mnottertail Those shadows, if the direct drive is fucked in any way you are buying several thousand worth of boat anchor all together, if you are not buffed out with tools and manuals and mechanical skills..... The other point being, that several of the other Japanese makers produce very reliable bikes that do the same thing; Yamaha: Virago/Drag/ThingStar Kawasaki: Drifter (lovely Olde Worlde bike, if that's your sort of thing, which it isn't mine, but each to their own ...) Suzuki: some of the Marauder range were ok. Ish.

mnottertail -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:20:52 AM)
Those viragos suck if their direct drive goes away, and it happened alot with them, notorious for it.

RapierFugue -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:26:36 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: mnottertail Those viragos suck if their direct drive goes away, and it happened alot with them, notorious for it. Do you mean Shadows? Coz the Virago has a very good reputation, reliability-wise. Although it's worth mentioning that any bike, indeed any mechanical vehicle, will fail without proper maintenance. Another thing to factor into the costs. Bikes aren't a way to save money - they look like a great way of getting excellent mpg, but once you've factored in protective clothing, training, insurance and maintenance (and bikes have much more frequent service schedules) they're often the same, or more expensive, as going by car, per mile. The reason for having them is they're fun, and fast ... well, some of them are :)

RapierFugue -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:27:50 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: mnottertail Those viragos suck if their direct drive goes away, and it happened alot with them, notorious for it. BTW, do you mean primary drive chain? I'm not familiar with the term "direct drive", other than for CVT auto units in some cars. Probably just a pond-related difference :)

mnottertail -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:29:03 AM)
no, they are a direct drive like a drive shaft coming out of the primary and running a worm into the rear hub. chainless.

RapierFugue -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:33:35 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: mnottertail no, they are a direct drive like a drive shaft coming out of the primary and running a worm into the rear hub. chainless. Ah, you mean "shaft drive" then. Failures in shaft drives are almost unheard of in Viragos and the like, unless they've been crashed. And even then, they usually survive fine (low load, wide load acceptance area). Honda did have some worm gear issues a few years ago though, yes. As did BMW for a short while. Also, only some of the larger capacity custom bikes have shaft drive - many of the smaller ones are chain or belt drive. PS: If you think some shaft drive bikes have issues, they are nothing compared to the cluster-fuck that was Harley's attempts at belt drive. Nightmare :)

JstAnotherSub -> RE: A question for the bikers.... (6/6/2011 11:37:51 AM)
Not that it matters, but I have always heard em called direct drives too. I must now Google and hope it does not ruin my daddy's rep as a mechanic in my eyes. I wish I had my old Hodaka 100 back, in great shape. I would sell it and get me a V-Star.

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