Had a dream I was riding a motorcycle

[Saturos]

What the title says. I've always been intrigued with them, but I don't have the mechanical knowledge to keep up with one nor the skill to even ride one.

Frankly, they scare the shit out of me, but that dream about riding through town on one though felt so awesome. Like it was a calling even. Should I invest in one anytime in the near future, or would I just be investing in my own demise?

 

[<RJMC>]

BORN TO BE WIIIILD!!!1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJS8j9YYB9w

 

[Saturos]

LOL, I'd be more like the nerdy guy (William H. Macy) on Wild Hogs tbh. Except much more muscular and defiant.

Leather jackets look good with the style of dragon shirts that I wear.
i.e. Not the crappy ones with just the crappy eastern dragon image on the front. Mine are black and much more manly. Designer series too. ($30 for each)
An equally awesome bike to match would be in order one day fs.

My dad owns two Harleys (awaiting Harley hating posts). I don't think that a Harley would be for me though as way too much maintenance is involved. Like at every stop.
I wouldn't want to be bothered even if I did have the mechanical know how.

I thought about a Sportster in the past, because they seem a little smaller and easier to handle. Then again, it's still a Harley. Definately not for noobs.
Fatheads are way too big for me as my feet barely even touch the ground. I tried my dads a few months ago and nearly gunned the throttle too hard. Needless to say, I was more relieved to even save the bike from hitting the ground, much less attempting to ride successfully. Good thing I'm not a skinny wimp or it surely would have kissed the ground. Fatheads are indeed incredibly weighty and cumbersome.

Some ideas for a motorcycle for beginners would be nice.

 

[[Matt]]

I have my DAS ansd test next week...

As for a beginner bike go for a small bike made my either honda or suzuki as theyre easy to ride..

 

[Saturos]

I have my DAS ansd test next week...

As for a beginner bike go for a small bike made my either honda or suzuki as theyre easy to ride..

Good luck on your test!

Yeah, I figured Japanese model bikes are good for beginners who suffer from being short. The average height for most of Japan's populace is comparably short compared to the American average, so it's no wonder a Japanese model bike probably mostly designed for short people would be great for me. Honda's are fairly reliable too from what I've heard.

 

[repiV]

What the title says. I've always been intrigued with them, but I don't have the mechanical knowledge to keep up with one nor the skill to even ride one.

Of course you don't - why would you? It's not like you're born with the ability to ride a motorbike, and in fact anyone who thinks they have a natural born talent for riding is probably best off staying away from them because riding a bike safely and well requires a large degree of commitment, study and practice - and it's far more about psychology, observation, intelligence and judgement than it is about actually controlling the machine.

Frankly, they scare the shit out of me, but that dream about riding through town on one though felt so awesome. Like it was a calling even. Should I invest in one anytime in the near future, or would I just be investing in my own demise?

Well, that depends. If you plan to jump on a bike and "just figure it out" then you will be investing in your own demise. If you actually take the time to learn how to do it properly, then there shouldn't be a problem. Having said that, you need confidence and assertiveness to ride a bike in traffic so if you can't crack the nervousness then it's probably not for you.

Just be aware that it's nothing like driving a car. Cars are pretty intuitive - you turn the wheel, it steers. They have a lot of electronic wizardy to make the task of driving accessible to drooling idiots. Bikes are much more difficult to control, often counter-intuitive and unstable by nature. Also, you have to think and plan for everyone else on the road too as otherwise you will get hit. You can't ride along on autopilot like you can get away with in a car.

For example:

- It's estimated that only 10-20% of riders are able to stop a bike in a true emergency situation without crashing. Stopping a bike at the limits of braking power is extremely difficult, especially when you add in bad road surfaces or being in a corner. Most riders (myself included) are only able to use about 30% of the braking power available to them.

- The biggest cause of fatal motorbike accidents is riders panicking when they've entered a corner too fast, grabbing the front brake which causes the bike to stand up and they run off the road. You can't stop a bike in a corner like you can a car - once you're committed, you have to follow it through - the way to get round a corner you've entered too quickly is to lean further in, but psychologically leaning a bike over feels unnatural to the human brain and to exceed your comfort zone in that area instead of hitting the brakes may be something you cannot do in the heat of the moment.

- The instinctive reaction to a slide is to shut off the throttle, but doing so will shift the weight towards the front of the bike and make that slide much more likely to turn into an accident.

Riding is not something you can just do and then "get" all by yourself...it's an activity which is in complete conflict with the way our brains are wired and most accidents are ultimately caused by inappropriate survival reactions kicking in after the rider panics.

As long as you understand this and treat it as a craft, you'll have a great time. If you think you'll just "get it", you'll get hurt or killed, your riding will be sloppy and incompetent and you just simply won't even understand WHY nothing goes right or WHY those other riders are five times faster than you without even putting any effort in. Motorcycling is one of those things with many hidden subtleties that gets both safer and far more enjoyable the more time and effort you put into it. You have to unlock the secrets of it to get the most out of it.

BTW, Japanese vs American isn't even a worthwhile comparison. Harley Davidson don't make bikes, they make attention magnets for posers. They're slow, impractical, hugely overpriced, have riding positions that manage to be uncomfortable, unaerodynamic and offering limited control of the machine - all at the same time - they're largely pointless machines. And you will find most Japanese bikes are actually taller, the sportsbikes in particular. I'm 5'7" and I can only reach the ground on tiptoes on a lot of 600s.
Something like a Honda CB500 would make an ideal first bike. "Boring" commuter bikes but will still feel like a rocketship to you.

 

[angie1313]

Good luck! They scare me too much. I have a friend who was riding on the back of one and the driver hit a rock causing her to fall off. Thank god she had her helmet on but she got some serious road rash...

 

[repiV]

Good luck! They scare me too much. I have a friend who was riding on the back of one and the driver hit a rock causing her to fall off. Thank god she had her helmet on but she got some serious road rash...

Which is why leathers are a good idea...

 

[phantomdesign]

Me too; totally having this awesome dream & then I woke up on the side of the road with road-rash!

 

[Iron Kat]

Sportsters are nice, but I still say Ducatis are better!!!! My dad has two Ducs: an old one and a new one. The first time I went on the new Duc was on a motorway. We sped off at about 80-90mph. All my dad would have been able to hear would have been me yelling "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" down the intercom!!!!!!! The speed scared the shit out of me!!!!!!!!!

 

[alehm]

Riding motorcycles is AWESOME! Until someone pulls in front of you with their car and you wake up in the hospital.

I knew 4 peeps who rode motorcycles. Well, just one still does. All four of them had accidents at some point (the one that still rides had the least severe injury...broken arm). But the other three, after their accidents they gave up on riding. One of them woke up in a hospital not even remembering what happened. And the cops wouldn't give him any details. Both his feet were crushed. He had to move back in with his parents and they had to help him go to the bathroom and stuff.

I am sure motorcycles are fun. But just one factor doesn't sit well with me, and that is being mortal.

 

[[Matt]]

Good luck! They scare me too much. I have a friend who was riding on the back of one and the driver hit a rock causing her to fall off. Thank god she had her helmet on but she got some serious road rash...

Thankfully its illegal to not wear a helmet in the UK to the point where the police can do you for not having your helmet on if when you do without the strap correctly fastened. However we can still ride a bike completely naked other than the helmet and the only thing the police can pull you on is indecent exposure...

 

[repiV]

Riding motorcycles is AWESOME! Until someone pulls in front of you with their car and you wake up in the hospital.

I knew 4 peeps who rode motorcycles. Well, just one still does. All four of them had accidents at some point (the one that still rides had the least severe injury...broken arm). But the other three, after their accidents they gave up on riding. One of them woke up in a hospital not even remembering what happened. And the cops wouldn't give him any details. Both his feet were crushed. He had to move back in with his parents and they had to help him go to the bathroom and stuff.

I am sure motorcycles are fun. But just one factor doesn't sit well with me, and that is being mortal.

If both his feet were crushed, I'm going to hazard a guess that he wasn't wearing proper motorcycle boots. I slid into a tree foot first at 60mph and not only did I receive no injury whatsoever to my foot (unless you count the dislocated ankle), but the boot is only very slightly damaged and I still use those boots to this day. Without the boots I would undoubtedly have no foot left at all.

Contrary to popular opinion, riding a motorcycle doesn't make you a helpless passenger at the mercy of fate.

 

[Saturos]

Good advice RepiV. It'll be a while yet though before I even think about getting a bike. Got about 16 weeks of training in the NAVY to go through first.

Plus, there's no telling where I'll end up eventually, or how long I'll even stay in one place at a time. (Probably would just be another excuse to go riding for you though, but this is all over the world I'm talking about.) Other than that, there's no reason why I shouldn't look into it now though.

Oh yeah, when I said, "awaiting Harley hating posts" I specifically was referring to you.

 

[Azner]

Whatcha got against eastern dragons
Comrade.

 

[Saturos]

Whatcha got against eastern dragons
Comrade.

Nothing. They're just not me.

I'm very particular about everything in life. Even dragons.
Eastern dragons get plenty of praise from their eastern origins as bringers of good luck, Emperors, and omnipotent beings.

Western dragons on the other hand, are hated in most European stories and mythologies. I tend to be the supporter of the underdogs and/or the least popular.
Plus, I seem to be hated my many Europeans and European decended Americans around here at HL2.net. Quite fitting for me, wouldn't you say?

 

[Kula Meenur]

I am sure motorcycles are fun. But just one factor doesn't sit well with me, and that is being mortal.

Bike Riding 1.01: Every motorcyclist has a fall at some point. It is inevitable. If you don't suck up/conquer the fear you'll never be able to ride half as well as you should.



Dooooo eeeeeeet Saturos!

 

[Saturos]

Bike Riding 1.01: Every motorcyclist has a fall at some point. It is inevitable. If you don't suck up/conquer the fear you'll never be able to ride half as well as you should.



Dooooo eeeeeeet Saturos!

Does sound like a great idea. The fear mentioned above is one I'll conquer one day fs.

If I can just find one that works great for short people. (I'm 5'6)

It won't be until well next year though. After basic training and A-school.

 

[Kula Meenur]

Ha, don't worry about your size mate, i ride with some blokes who complain about not being able to find any bikes that can fit them well either
For a good learner bike that's not very demanding and good stature-wise, check out a Kawasaki GPX250. The weight, size and engine capac of the machine will ensure that you'll have to wring it's ****in kneck if you want to go anywhere quick lol, much like any 250cc 2stroke.

And don't worry, the fear of falling off is just like the fear of a misfire. It goes quickly with practice and patience. No need to fear mate

 

[repiV]

Good advice RepiV. It'll be a while yet though before I even think about getting a bike. Got about 16 weeks of training in the NAVY to go through first.

Plus, there's no telling where I'll end up eventually, or how long I'll even stay in one place at a time. (Probably would just be another excuse to go riding for you though, but this is all over the world I'm talking about.) Other than that, there's no reason why I shouldn't look into it now though.

Indeed not.

Oh yeah, when I said, "awaiting Harley hating posts" I specifically was referring to you.

People buy Harleys because they think having a Harley makes them cool, not because they're good bikes.

Their machines use essentially 50 year old technology, and yet are sold at a premium price. The company has been on the verge of bankruptcy many times, and their marketing agency pulled them out of the fire by selling a lifestyle. Are you a middle-aged bank manager who wants to play at being a bad boy? Buy a Harley Davidson and we'll take care of the rest.

Harleys are for weak-minded poser suckers who want to play at being a biker.

 

[Kula Meenur]

Da.

http://halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=144831

 

[[Matt]]

Indeed not.



People buy Harleys because they think having a Harley makes them cool, not because they're good bikes.

Their machines use essentially 50 year old technology, and yet are sold at a premium price. The company has been on the verge of bankruptcy many times, and their marketing agency pulled them out of the fire by selling a lifestyle. Are you a middle-aged bank manager who wants to play at being a bad boy? Buy a Harley Davidson and we'll take care of the rest.

Harleys are for weak-minded poser suckers who want to play at being a biker.

True but at least harley are taking a small step in the right direction by buying MV augusta a company that could produce some serious competition to Ducati with some cash behind it....

 

[Kula Meenur]

Augusta's bikes are one to rival Ducati. Imo better.


Dunno if Harley taking over is such a good thing

 

[repiV]

True but at least harley are taking a small step in the right direction by buying MV augusta a company that could produce some serious competition to Ducati with some cash behind it....

I think they're starting to realise that they're never going to make any inroads into the European market until they start making decent bikes. See the XR1200, the new bike available only in Europe which apparently is actually pretty decent.

 

[CyberPitz]

Why do you call your mother, "A Motorcycle"?

 

[Moto]

Dude, start small. You need a scooter or something to learn the basics of riding a motorcycle. One of the biggest mistakes people make is jumping on something that they just aren't ready for. I see it all the time in motocross. Some beginner goes out and buys a 450 when he belongs on a 100.

Start small and work your way up.

Also, as someone said above, you will crash. My dad always told me that there are two kinds of riders--those that have gone down and those that are going down.