I ride the back roads on my HD Road King Classic here in De as that is basically all there is. Never hit a critter in the road and there are lots of them here. What I have to watch out for is potholes dead carcasses and things that shouldn't be in the road. Out on the big hwy you have to watch out for everything and anything including cigarettes thrown out the window of the car in front of you . Stuff falling off of vehicles and thrown up rocks are a hazard also. Back to the back roads, you have to be mindful of oncoming traffic as they have a tendency to drift over the center line. I always ride the extreme right side when oncoming traffic is present. In the summer you have to be mindful of those tar strips in the road as when they heat up they are like oil when hot and will put you down if you ride over then even if you are in a straight line of travel. Greg will attest to that I think. Birds will also fly into you and scare the bedevil out of you. I have had that happen twice on my Ultra Classic and both times they hit the windshield or the faring thankfully missing me. If you get a bee up the nose that will most likely put you down too Good luck and have fun.
The protective gear is one of the top things to remember on 2 wheels...that and machine maint.! It amazing what you learn to notice when you ride bikes that you took for granted in a car or truck.You enjoy things alot more but you learn that if you get too relaxed things can go bad. My bad about the Interceptor...I completely forgot about it being a V4...their weak point was the cam chain wear and adjustment.The Suzuki's had the TL series that were twins,lots of torque in them for the H.P. they produce thought,yamaha and the V-Max was a V4 and they were monsters.I had a buddy that converted his V-max to chain drive and added a turbo with undercut tranny and extended it...375H.P. before he hit the bottle(NOS)!If your wanting to get into dual purpose in a big way Look into the BMW's in the 850 cc,nice rides but pricey,the Aprilla has something in the same line!
I've always wanted a motorcycle, but I've never owned one. I've never drove one either, because I don't know how LOL. I'd be a statistic pronto. I tried talking a buddy into teaching me how to drive his old kawasaki, he vetoed that one in short order. :D
My wife and I both have bikes, and love them. I have had my Yamaha 1100 for a few years now, and she just bought her 2007 Honda Spirit last year. We have been to Sturgis twice, (coming from Minnesota) and one year we went from Southern Minnesota, up to Duluth, then into Canada, around the lakes, and back down thru Michigan, and Wisconsin. We love them, but we are going to try and sell both of them this spring. Hate to do it, but we need the $$$ to pay off some bills. So if anyone is looking for a couple of nice bikes, let me know, and I will hook you up.
Let me add on to what Jeff said... I was a young bullet proof lad who was in the US Army flight school and I wanted a Triumph Bonniville in the worst way...there was not one to be located in Lower Alabama so I bought an imitation Bonnie...a Yamaha 650 Special II....I drove that thing through flightschool and then for about a year when I got stationed at Jimmy Dolittle Flight Facility as a Medevac Pilot. After flying to numerous Motorcycle crashes and air lifting some very hurt people who very rarely were at fault, they just weren't seen, I drove the bike back home from the airfield put it in the garage and sold it shortly after... I don't care who you are or how good you are on a bike, it is not a question about if you are going to get hurt...it is a matter of how bad.... My step son didn't beleive me...ask him...ruined his baseball career riding a motto cross bike, at the grand old age of 12, ask his uncle...never mind he got killed two years ago.... on and on.... Bikes are fun....but about as safe as shooting montecs straight up in the air and running around underneath them. SB
I spent about 2 yrs road racing GSXR's in the mid 90's... first thing I'd tell ANYONE about riding is to go to something like California Superbike School when it comes around... you will learn more in a day or two at the track than you will in 10yrs of street riding... I've been riding/racing motorcycles since I was in grade school, raced dirtbikes for a while, got into street bikes, started racing them fora while, sold my last crotch rocket about June of 02 (99 Yamaha R1 w/ track mods)... I consider myself a very experienced rider with excellent skills, on the street I've only been down one time and that was in a parking lot at about 10-15mph (gravel)... I have had but one "close" call on the road since then... and that was due to my own douchebaggery antics... came thru a turn way to hot and it was cold outside and my tires were also cold... bike was in a slow drift through the whole corner and i was able to stand the bike up straight literally the very second my tires hit the gravel... woulda been my own fault and its a good thing there was no oncoming traffic cuz it was a right hand curve and I would ran head on into whatever car was coming thru... now I'm a more laid back rider, i typically only ride often enough to rent a bike once or twice a season but I'm getting in the market to buy soon, probably buy a Harley Road King or Street Glide when I get my basement finished... should be by the end of summer... and for those that say sportbikes are comfortable, i can tell ya from lotsa years riding sportbikes dating back to my 88 Hurricane 600, they are indeed uncomfortable for any kind of distance riding... where I can log 400 miles in a day easily on a harley, when you get off a sportbike after 400 miles you physically HURT... I did a 275 mile day on my gsxr once while I was only about 23yrs old and in great condition (was still a competitive soccer player at the time) and I hurt for a couple days after that... for short local rides, sure, not to bad, but for any kind of 'get lost on purpose' riding that can consume the whole day and several tanks of gas the sport bike will make you pay...
Question, though. Road bikes, and racing motocross are definitely different than dual sporting. I'm not sure, but I feel that dual sport riding can lend itself to be a pretty "safe" segment of the biking industry. Of course if you ride like an idiot, no, but I think mostly rural backroads around here and the dirt roads where there's no vehicle traffic would be fine. Who know's. Your statement I bolded is kind of the stance I had always taken, but I'm slowly convincing myself otherwise.
"Question, though. Road bikes, and racing motocross are definitely different than dual sporting. I'm not sure, but I feel that dual sport riding can lend itself to be a pretty "safe" segment of the biking industry. Of course if you ride like an idiot, no, but I think mostly rural backroads around here and the dirt roads where there's no vehicle traffic would be fine. Who know's. Your statement I bolded is kind of the stance I had always taken, but I'm slowly convincing myself otherwise." My first bike was a Yamaha Enduro 360 I got when I was in college....had a blast on it....I would say riding rural backroads would be the safest...but let me ask you a question...how many times have you gone around a blind turn on a dirt road in your regular vehicle to be suprised by a vehicle coming around the other way and both you and the other driver had the "OHHHH Sh21" look on your face ? On a Dirt bike gettin it...you coulda been killed. Just be careful man!!!! I've picked up numerous people and knew several who have been killed and more that have been injured ;one of my best hunting pals has been out of work a year and just went back last month(hit a deer)....you spend enough time on a bike you will get hurt. SB
The GF and I really love riding our Harleys. Put on 8000 miles per year. Her's is an'09 RKC and mine is an '07 Softail Custom. Both bikes are super comfortable for cruising for long periods of time. There was no way I could do the same on my son's Gixer, hands and wrists would be numb from leaning forward keeping the weight on them for that long. Harleys don't have to be slugs either. Mine is quite peppy since I added the big bore kit and some others. It almost doubled the stock power! Quite fun.
Yeah I know.....back when I was into being a cool guy helicopter pilot flying nap of the earth, night vision googles, riding a motorcyle was cool...it was fun and the chicks dug it... Then I realized "I" was cool, not the helicopter or the bike....the people I was being cool for weren't nearly as cool as me..... I figured I'd stretch my time line out as far as I could...my kids and wife seem to dig me being around. And able to wipe my own ass.... SB
i hear ya, same here, I just don't see bikes as a significant enough risk to not enjoy them... if you do some further digging into bike accident stats, most street bike accidents happen within the first two years... to the tune of just over 70%... there is a direct correlation between years of experience and accident rates...
I'm not telling you not to....I'm just sayin it is about as safe as Shootin Broadheads straight up in the air and runnin around underneath...fun as hell and wow what a rush....but..... Just be careful my man.
You spend enough time in a car...you will get hurt. I could get killed walking across the dang road. Sorry...I am not going live my life being afraid of what is behind every corner and hiding from it. I understand your guys opinions and I respect them. But if it is in the cards for me to die in a bike wreck...so be it. I went out doing what I love. I would be willing to say that 75-80% of the accidents on bikes that occur are by rookie riders. I would consider myself a seasoned rider. I know to what extent I can push my bike and I respect the fact that it can kill me. I know its limitations and my limitations. I know that the average driver out on the road will not see me and I take that in account every time I ride. You have to watch every intersection, watch the cars in your mirrors at every stop light/sign and every vehicle out there in every direction. I would also wager a guess that around 50% of bike accidents occur with a rider that is under the influence of something. But that is just my opinion. I have actually known some locals that have died in bike wrecks and about 95% were way past drunk. Poker runs are a common thing around here and everybody tries to get me to go...I refrain. I refuse to go bar hopping with a bunch of jokers on bikes that are throwing down a couple beers at every stop along the way.
GMMAT...no hard feelings man. I was just relating my experiences in our area. I respect your choice to not ride and the reasons you choose to do so. But just as I mentioned in my thread...you not only have to watch in front of you and to each side...but behind you. I know first hand how the death of friends and family effect not only us...but the entire community. I am sorry if I said something to bug you...that was by no means my intention.
Good points by all... One thing that just came to me after catching up with this thread is a thought I used to have all the time, but sort of let slip into the back of my mind in recent years: I know for a fact that riding as much as I used to has made me a FAR better car driver. I'm SO much more cognizant of danger zones and escape routes when entering touchy situations than if I'd never ridden.
I can appreciate that Greg and I have always felt that way as I have driven a tractor trailer for over 40 years. IBM, good point about checking your mirrors when at a stop. I always do and I stop to the extream right of the lane to leave myself an excape if necessary
Good discussion, guys. Everyone seems to be thinking pretty logically from both sides. I talked to the fiance about it again last evening, and she really expressed a concern about me getting one. If it's really going to bother her that much, it's not worth it. She's more important to me than a bike, and if it's going to worry her to no end, I'm not sure it's worth while. Like I said, things could change, and I'm not in the market right now anyways. I'm too busy drooling over more tools for the house:D
Well then right now is not the time. When I sold my last bike, I said to myself I'm not getting one until I get the one I wanted. 2 years ago my wife and I said we had a 2 year plan to get a the bike we're getting this year. She's just as excited as I am. By the way Matt, today I talked with Barry. He was telling me more about his motorcycle accident last summer. The man is VERY lucky to be alive. It's an amazing story and he's done with bikes. It's a choice. If I die on mine, it's my turn. We all die, it's just when that's not determined. I don't fear death, I think it's predetermined anyway, when it's your time, it's your time. I'm not going to live afraid of death and I'm not going to be afraid to live. Get your ducks in a row and you'll know when and if your ready for a bike. Lot's of choices in life. You'll love having the house and may never find time to ride anyway so enjoy what you have right now. Good luck.
