Buying a motorcycle....help!

This article is from 2006, but I think you might find it interesting:

http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs...ison-3972.html

Before you buy your motorcycle, be sure to get quotes on what insuring it will cost. The cost of insurance for motorcycles can vary wildly, and the price of the bike is not the biggest factor.

__________________
"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

As I use a motorcycle as my 95 percent of the time daily driver, I'll give you my input.

Cruiser style bikes look nice, but their designs are optimized for open road riding and are often difficult to turn with precision at parking lot speeds. They have a lower center of gravity than most modern designs but also cockpit ergonomics that sometimes make it more difficult to ride for long periods of time without breaks. Their heavier weight and powerful engines (in the 500cc and larger classes) may be stable and powerful at highway speeds, but they also drink fuel and have cruising ranges that can leave you wanting if you are going to ride in areas where service stations are few and far between. Their weight can also be a liability if you need to do repair work on the side of the road, such as fixing a tire or need to get out from under it if it goes down.

Sport style bikes (Ninjas, Hayabusas and such), are fast but that performance can sometimes come at a price. Some designs are twitchy in the way horsepower and torque are delivered. Some are more powerful than a new rider should have until they have several thousand miles of road experience under their belts. If laid down, their plastic bodyworks are easily scuffed and damaged and are not cheap to replace. Maintenance on them also requires the plastics to come off to do many routine tasks on most models. Their racing styled riding position is hard on the wrists, back and legs for more than an hour or so of riding at a time for many people.

I will write more in my next post.

I grew up around bikes. When I took my riders course they provided several bikes, we couldn't ride our own. Take the course, ride a bunch of different bikes. Ask yourself questions. Will I still be comfortable after an hours ride? Are the handlebars comfortable? Is it so underpowered it's dangerous in heavy traffic? Some of the older japanese bikes are pretty tall, BMW's and others with opposed pistons are wide. Both conditions make it hard to sit on the stopped bike with your feet flat on the ground. Is the bike so heavy, that if you dropped it, you wouldn't be able to pick it back up? Cafe style (crotch rockets) are fast if that's your thing. But, you probably won't go any distance without neck or back pain.

The sportster in the picture started out as an 883. As soon as the last payment was made it became a 1200. It was a 2 hour bike. You rode an hour out and had to be sure you were thinking about starting back. Otherwise I could barely walk when I got home. It's gone now. It's replacement is being shopped for now. The replacement will probably be a vintage Norton Commando.

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http://woodsrunnerstrail.blogspot.com/

Touring type bikes, such as the Honda Goldwings and their ilk, are purpose built for long range interstate and highway riding. They are cumbersome, lumbering and require great skill to maneuver at parking lot speeds unless you have lots of experience and body strength, mostly both. While they are very refined, they are also complex, almost to the point of being two-wheeled automobiles in their systemic complexity and can be expensive and problematic to keep maintained as they age.

Generally what I recommend are what used to be called standards, the original do-it-all motorcycle design that had a paved road bias yet could be ridden on most anything that was considered a low-clearance vehicle safe road. These bikes, even if they were the larger displacement designs, had a neutral, easy on the body upright riding position and were reasonably easy to work on, reliable and balanced between power and controllability.

As most of what were standards are now older bikes that may or may not have been well taken care of, now I recommend the enduro style dual sport designs.

I now ride a 2008 Kawasaki KLR650 as my primary rider and have a few older designs from Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha that I still ride. Most of the dual sports are now in four displacement classes that are good for beginners to experienced riders. What used to be the 100 to 125cc class and 175 to 250cc classes in two strokes are now the 200 to 250cc and 400 cc four strokes. The 500 cc class is now the 650 cc class. There are now dual sports in the 750cc to 1000+cc classes as well, but they generally are for more experienced and taller riders due to their weight, power and seat height.

I would look at the Yamaha XT225, the Suzuki DR200SE and Kawasaki KLR or KLX250 for a beginner general purpose bike. None of these are overpowered or overweight for a beginner and they are nimble enough for town riding but still have enough power to ride on roads at 55 mph. They also have good fuel economy and range.

For something more powerful to ride regularly at 65mph but still nimble enough for town riding, try either the Suzuki DR-Z400S or the DR-Z400SM. The former is a dual sport with knobby dual sport tires and the latter is a dual sport with street tires and biased more toward road riding.

If you want something even more powerful, then move up to what I ride, the KLR650 or try the Suzuki DR650SE or the Honda XR650L for a good balance of on and off road capabilities. If you want something that is more road biased for cruising for long commuting trips on paved surfaces but desire just enough off road manners for some dirt and gravel country roads, try the Suzuki V-Strom 650. If you need even more power in the same package, try the Suzuki V-Strom 1000

I personally prefer the Japanese designs over European or American designs because of my experiences with reliability and maintenance issues. There is also the matter of finding repair shops and parts for non-Japanese manufactured bikes when you are in a less than urban area.

I could talk about Norton, Buell, Ducati, Triumph, Harley-Davidson and BMW products, but they are not ones I would recommend for rural area daily riders. I will also strongly caution you to NOT purchase some of these South Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese clones of Japanese designs because while they are inexpensive, they have spotty quality control, terrible parts availability and lack of a good national service support network.

More to come....

What it really comes down for me is the comfort factor. I still ride bikes that some consider underpowered when compared with today's standards. My little Yamaha DT125 enduro has a high-pitched yippy-yap note when I get it much above 55 mph though it has surprising potency for a 125 cc two cycle engine and it makes for a fun, super easy to manage bike for local riding.

My Suzuki V-Strom 650 is a good rider for longer cruising on paved roads and some not too far off the pavement riding (lacks the underbelly protection, ground clearance and suspension travel to be easily ridden far off road).

However, for me my KLR650 rides high for good visibility, cruises fine all the way up to redline, but is best when going along between 55 mph and 70 mph, corrected (the speedo is approximately 10 percent fast); and gives me almost 60 mpg if I ride it sensibly which with its over 6 gallon tank gives me a range of approximately 250 miles before I have to think about finding a gas station. Yes, it is a tall mount for some and I do well to put one foot flat on the ground when stopped at an intersection, but it also rides well over even the roughest asphalt.

I see all kinds of Harleys, Japanese cruiser bikes and crotch rockets burning up the roads here in my part of eastern Kansas. When I talk their riders most of them talk about how they love to either ride fast to make miles (before they absolutely have to take a break to stretch out in an hour or two) or just have a day trip because they can't stand riding their iron horses for more than a few hours a day at a stretch.

I have easily ridden my KLR650 on stints of 500 to 700 miles in a day with no more soreness than I would have driving a car, but I have a comfortable riding bike and I ride the vast majority of the time on a bike.

And before I get picked at for putting down other motorcycle designs, I have ridden cruisers, sport bikes and tourers. They just seem to not be suited to the riding I do and don't have much to offer me that I don't already have with my dual sports.

For an up-date on my new bike
http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=196679

tallpines
Tell me more about your Ural. My impression of them is....well lets just say less than perfect.
In 1995, while staying at Hog Heaven campground in Sturgis, during the Rally, there was a guy that had a Ural with a sidecar. He had 2 young kids, maybe 6 & 8 years old, that absolutely loved riding in the sidecar. They had continuous grins from ear to ear when the bike was moving. The bonding between parent & kids was obvious.
Of course, the bike was trying the patience of the owner. It was a kick start only bike. Normally, it would take 5 to 10 minutes of kicking the tempermental bike before it started. It didn't matter if the engine was warm or cold. Usually, the guy was drenched with sweat before the thing started.
I spoke with the guy repeatedly over the course of the week. He told me the bike simply had its shortcomings, and the starting issue had been with the bike since new. Repeated visits for service didn't change things.
After awhile, it was sort of painful watching this good hearted man struggle with this tempermental bike.

I've also read the exploits of moto-journalist Carla King, who journeyed to the 4 corners of the US onboard a Ural. Her bike broke down repeatedly.

Have Urals improved their quality? I know that Urals have sown a cult like following.
I know someone that is attempting to ride a Ural from Milwaukee to Tierra Del Fuego later this year.
How are the Urals when it comes to reliability issues?

Urals are copied from the BMW R38, a copy of the 1939 BMW horizontal twin. As far as I'm concerned, BMW is the pinnacle of engineering. But 1939 technology is still 1939 technology.

My Ural has both electric start and kick start. Starts every time---the first try.
I've had it only one week so haven't really tested the reliability issue.

I'm still in the break-in period so still going 40-45 MPH.
I was told by the dealer it will go 65 but is happier at 55.

It is meant for the "rustic road" type touring rather than the long haul, 'hurry up and get there' sort of travel.

The Warrenty includes 2 years parts and services.
I haven't had the need to test that yet.

I had heard previous to my purchase that a Ural needs regular 'tinkering'.
My dealer says that was up until about 5 years ago and many improvements have been made since then.

Again--------I've not had any reason to not believe him.

I was told before hand that it is not good on gas milage.
The side car creates lots of extra drag----especially when carrying a 240# husband.
Right now I'm getting only about 30 miles per gallon

I purchased it more for the "fun" factor and I'm getting my money's worth!
The grandchildren LOVE IT! And, hubby is coming around to thinking it might be an okay thing to have.


I was also pre-warned about the UDF.
If you have a Ural there's no avoiding the UDF.

That stands for "Ural Delay Factor".
Be prepared to have many conversations with many people (mostly strangers) about your machine.
When ever you stop for gas or lunch-----just about anywhere. It is guaranteed that you will be delayed because people want to know more about your bike.
I've had my bike for only a week and already, in that one week, I have visited with more strangers than I've talked to in the last 5 years!

Besides verbally warning me about the UDF, the dealer even provided me with a stack of "Ural" brochures to hand out to these people.

I'm begining to to know what the driver of the Oscar-Meyer Weiner Mobile must feel like with all the questions I've been getting.

Thats a heck of a thing to tell someone who is a beginning rider. I have a 1946 Harley that I have been riding for 32 years and I have never 'laid it down".

Txgypsy, do keep in mind that most FATALITIES are people who have been riding less than 6 months (or less than 6 months on a machine thats bigger than they are familiar with).
In other words be very cautious in the beginning. The machine WILL run faster than it will stop. Gravel and wet spots are serious hazards.
Operate it as if you were a "little old lady driver".

...since I've owned a bike but I have thought a few times recently about getting another one. I've always been partial to the more upright riding position type bikes myself. I'm 6'3" and don't have a problem setting both feet on the ground.

Here's one (a new model) I really like for just bangin' around. Nice price!

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Det...specifications

If I had a bit more to play with, I'd like this even more;

http://www.ducati.com/en/bikes/my200...el=MTS1100S-07

Another one I originally looked at back in 2000, before I got married!

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products...7/Default.aspx

And yet another;

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products...8/Default.aspx

OK, a couple of Honda's too!

http://powersports.honda.com/motorcy...odelId=CB600F6

And a bit bigger, basically the CB900 that's been around longer than most rocks!

http://powersports.honda.com/motorcy...odelId=CB900F7

As far as Harley's, I'd really like either a Heritage Softtail or a SuperGlide.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/C...y&locale=en_US

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/C...y&locale=en_US

Well, that's just me!

Dave

Hey---I resemble that remark!
(except I'm not very "little")

You know what I mean! I have a 1942 UL that I have been riding for 20+ years and some cushman motorscooters and 4 Indians and some sidecars.
One of my sidecars is a Goulding Rocket!

http://www.motorcycleshopper.com/articles/goulding.htm

The Cushman sidecar came with no body so I took two garbage cans and joined them and cut out a 'cockpit' hole.
The garbage can lid got some pad and upholstery and now serves as the backrest.
That sidecar got 1/2 page in color in EASYRIDER Magazine.

Brewswain----Interesting link----thanks for sharing it.

For anyone interested in a sidecar: They change your motorcycle from a free-as-a-bird to a beast of burden. You lean a motorcycle to turn but with a sidecar, you must exert a lot of force to the handlbars to steer.
Turning right is incredibly dangerous until you learn how to do it and flipping the rig over is awfully easy.
I learned the hard way and found out that if the sidecar wheel lifts when turning right, the best way to regain control is steer MORE to the right to LIFT IT MORE!
Thats hard to believe if it hasnt happened to you but if you follow your natural inclination to steer to the left to set the car down, you may find yourself steered into oncoming traffic in the left lane.
I highly recommend an empty parking lot to learn how to deal with a sidecar.

I never rode a cycle before so learning the side car technique has not been too difficult for me.
I do slow way down for right hand turns, though.

I don't know about it being more difficult to steer but I do feel more comfortable not needing to be as concerned about the "road rash" to which some have alluded.

I took my road test with my Ural and I'm a little surprised the tester didn't add the restriction that my license be limited to a 3 wheel bike.

The Ural has a reputation for needing a high rate of repair to keep it running. Here is a link to information that may help you.

http://www.ura.freeuk.com/technical.htm

TxGypsy - I am an MSF RiderCoach for the state of PA. And while I could easily write a multi-page assessment of what bike I think you should get I will only offer two pieces of advice.

1 - Listen to your RiderCoaches. As you said, they know the roads and the area. They have also had a chance to assess your capabilities and skills. And we're pretty darned good at matching folks to bikes.

2 - I would look for what is commonly called a "standard" or UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) in the 500 - 750cc range. You DO NOT need anything bigger. Don't buy into this American garbage of "bigger is better". With motorcycles that's not always true.

1976 - At 6'2" and 225 pounds I was riding 40 miles each way to work on a Honda XL 100 getting 55 mpg.

1977 - Rode 300 miles across NY to see Niagara Falls on a Yamaha DRZ 250. My luggage was a backpack.

1978 - Took a week long trip through NY, VT, NH, and upper MA on a Honda CB360T. Same backpack, but on a luggage rack this time.

1979 - Three weeks touring NY, Quebec, and Ontario on a Honda CB450T. Two backpacks this time, both strapped to the luggage rack.

You can live quite happily with a 500 for several years, great mileage, and low cost.

__________________
"Iron" Mike - Semper Fidelis
Jack of all trades - Master of none

the 400cc to 650cc range for most bikes is the sweet spot for newer riders that want to keep up with modern 70 mph traffic while riding with light loads and rider only.

Yes, one can ride a smaller bike (under 400cc) and get around. However, if one does so, it should be ridden on roads where the speed limit is 55 mph, 60 mph at the maximum. The reason for this is that smaller bikes, while they can run above this, are generally reaching their maximum passing speed (short bursts) and you will be taxing the engine as well as getting an unpleasant massage because of the vibrations.

I'm not saying all bikes smaller than 400cc displacement are like this, but I have ridden enough to know that some bikes are fine for life in the slow lane on slower roads. Others could handle being at 70 mph all the time for interstate riding.

I like having a little extra power left in the throttle in case I need to take evasive action, even at interstate speeds. Thus I ride a Kawasaki KLR650 as it has a good balance of weight, speed and power with lots of torque right where I need it. To bias it more to highway travel I can replace the stock knobby tires with a more road biased dual sport tire, as you can do with most dual sport bikes. Right now the stock Dunlop K750s work well for gravel, dirt and sand while having enough worth on asphalt in the areas I ride in to leave on.

Honda CB360T...that brought back memories...wish I still had that old bike...