Fuck It - I bought a motorcycle

stussy5555

stussy5555

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Dec 12, 2007
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I've been wavering back and forth on buying a motorcycle for about 10 years (due to all the crash statistics), I finally just said fuck it and bought one. I went with more of the vintage bobber type bike (Indian/Triumph), picture below of the roller. I am taking the MSF course and reading Proficient Motorcycling as well.

For all the riders out there, please provide any tips or suggestions you have prior to MSF and in general. I am having a company complete the bike in early July. It will be all chrome, black, pretty much like the roller looks below ...

34ijksp.jpg
 
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That's gonna be a sweet first bike. I sold my Harley a couple years ago after a crash and too many close calls. The MSF course will help you a ton, especially if you've never even sat on a bike before. I don't have any tips aside from pay attention and take it slow at the MSF. Just remember, when you get out on the road for real, everyone and everything will be trying to kill you. Keep your head on a swivel and don't let any of your riding friends push you beyond your skills. If they want to go fast and you don't feel comfortable, then let them go. Don't be a dumbass and ride in shorts & flip flops. Prepare for every ride like you might have to put it on the ground and wear jeans & boots + some leather if it's not too hot. Trust me, I put my bike down at relatively low speeds and you will get fucked up. Other than that, have fun and enjoy your new ride. Post pics when you get it.
 
efeezy said:
.... Just remember, when you get out on the road for real, everyone and everything will be trying to kill you. Keep your head on a swivel and don't let any of your riding friends push you beyond your skills. If they want to go fast and you don't feel comfortable, then let them go. Don't be a dumbass and ride in shorts & flip flops. Prepare for every ride like you might have to put it on the ground and wear jeans & boots + some leather if it's not too hot. Trust me, I put my bike down at relatively low speeds and you will get fucked up. Other than that, have fun and enjoy your new ride. Post pics when you get it.
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Solid advice, all I'd add is wear a helmet reguardless of your state laws. You can break a leg, arm, lose a limb but you can't afford to fuck up your dome! It's better to suffer a little ridicule (from the "cool" guys who think it's stupid) than to become a dribbling, rubber helmet wearing, chair bound vegetable! I've demolished 2 bikes, had a Shoei on each time and had I not, I wouldn't be posting this advice to you.

Sweet bike bro, good luck!
 
Nice. I have a child/wife, and the wife is the one who'd have my nuts in a vice grip if I got one. We'll see if my resistance increases enough to get one anyways as I approach 30's and enter the mid life crisis stage.
 
Solid advice from Efeezy once again. If there's anything to add, it's don't fucking drink and drive. It's stupid to begin with but you are asking for death if you ride a motorcycle.
 
Hardtail with springer front end. Forward set footpegs so no chance of using your legs as shock absorbers when you hit that un-expected speed bump / pot hole. Sounds like hand stands on the handlebars kind of action. Healthy rake on the headset should add to the excitement. Novice rider that bike = take the before pictures now. Should be fun and possibly interesting. But it looks cool.
 
jeffrey said:
Solid advice from Efeezy once again. If there's anything to add, it's don't fucking drink and drive. It's stupid to begin with but you are asking for death if you ride a motorcycle.
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Yeah, that's a huge one, because it's easy to say "hey I'll go for a ride with my bros and have a couple beers at the local bar and cruise home". A few beers and driving a car is not the same as a few beers and trying operating a motorcycle. In all the years I had my bike, if we stopped for a drink it was one beer max and that's it. Hard enough to survive out there without being sloppy and trying to ride.
 
Why didn't you buy a starter bike to drop a few times before shelling out real money like that?
 
had friends that almost died in motorcycle accidents, because of some idiots don't know how to drive a car. Be very careful, there are to many idiots that don't know what mirrors are good for. Congrats for the ride, looks awesome
 
I almost ran two bikes over down here on a couple occasions.

Turn your lights on whenever you ride regardless of how bright the sun is.
 
Reiterating all of the advice above. They tell you this in MSF, but it takes something like 1,000 brain processes to successfully drive a car, 10,000 to fly a fighter plane, and 7,500 to ride a moto (I probably messed up the numbers, but they are probably made up anyway). Long story short: riding is a lot closer to flying a jet than driving a car, you need to coordinate hands, fingers, feet, and eyes all doing different tasks at once. Don't drink, don't get distracted.

Favorite saying that's kept me alive this long: "Ride Your Ride". You are the one in control of the bike, so you have to decide what to do. Don't just blindly follow friends around a corner like you might in a car.

For the course, I'd recommend getting fitted and purchasing a good helmet prior-to because the loaners are probably gross. Wear some ankle-high boots if you have 'em. Bring food, water and some caffeine, the classroom sessions can get tiring, especially after being on the tarmac all afternoon.

Good riding! You're doing it right taking the course first and reading up, stay diligent and you'll be rewarded.
 
clyde said:
I almost ran two bikes over down here on a couple occasions.

Turn your lights on whenever you ride regardless of how bright the sun is.
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It's illegal to ride a motorcycle without lights on, in most states. Any decent bike has, at least the lows hardwired on. Ride with high beams on at all times, doesn't matter if you are sitting behind a cop at 1am at night, light the fucker up.
 
SniperRyan said:
For the course, I'd recommend getting fitted and purchasing a good helmet prior-to because the loaners are probably gross.
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Try to find the racer in the shop. The first two helmets I bought, I didn't know shit, and neither did the store manager or salesman - same with the first jacket actually. If a helmet doesn't have either DOT or Snell on it, don't buy it. Don't buy Icon anything. Don't by skull caps, or anything that flips up.

Get a helmet that is extra tight at the cheeks - the foam will adjust for you within a few rides. Never, ever, ever, wear a ski mask, or any other material between your head and your helmet. In winter, it seams like a good idea, to keep warm, but you'll find that after winter, your helmet no longer fits you properly.

As a n00b, consider going for textile until you are used to riding. It's only good for one crash, but there is a lot of opportunity for dehydration, and discomfort otherwise. Once you're used to it, leather is great.

Get some decent gloves, riding without them is idiotic.

I greatly prefer to wear my Sidi Streetburners over full boots (on the street). They are comfy, and offer a ton of protection.

SIDI_STREETBURNER.jpg
 
efeezy said:
That's gonna be a sweet first bike. I sold my Harley a couple years ago after a crash and too many close calls. The MSF course will help you a ton, especially if you've never even sat on a bike before. I don't have any tips aside from pay attention and take it slow at the MSF. Just remember, when you get out on the road for real, everyone and everything will be trying to kill you. Keep your head on a swivel and don't let any of your riding friends push you beyond your skills. If they want to go fast and you don't feel comfortable, then let them go. Don't be a dumbass and ride in shorts & flip flops. Prepare for every ride like you might have to put it on the ground and wear jeans & boots + some leather if it's not too hot. Trust me, I put my bike down at relatively low speeds and you will get fucked up. Other than that, have fun and enjoy your new ride. Post pics when you get it.
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ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time. You dress for the crash, not the ride. While this is easier for the sprotbile crowd where it's actually cool to rock leathers and full face helmets, its a little harder to feel cool while being responsible on a cruiser. Dont be an idiot and get a little skid lid because if you go down the chance of having a direct facial impact is extremely high. You can get by in life just fine if you lose a leg or a hand but losing your lower mandible would make things pretty tricky.

MSF Course - Totally worth it for soooo many reasons. You'll learn how to properly ride a bike and get some pretty solid discounts on gear and insurance if you give your MSF Rider id number (or whatever the fuck it's called) when making a purchase.

That is going to be about 5 times too much bike for you if you have never ridden before. It will have a ton of power, shitty braking (contact patch and the size of the rotor that will likely be used...if they ever set you up with a front brake), lack-luster suspension, and won't really want to turn. Just make sure to take it easy and do you're best not to get overly confident in your ability. The period between 3-6 months after you start riding is when most people realllly fuck it up because in their minds they are Jax/Duhan/il Doctore when in reality they don't have the experience to avoid a situation that might require them to possess superior skills.

Now that my safety rant is over, that is going to be one sick ride and you're going to be grinning ear to ear and up to your neck in pussy. Ride it in good health and keep the shiny side and the rubber side down. ;)
 
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