Y U NO MOTORCYCLE????

"PardonMyFlemish16" (TheCoolKid) 04/11/2014 at 10:36 • Filed to: None

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I just rode this loop (well most of it... I did it counterclockwise, got lost at the last quarter, and then turned around and did it clockwise).

I was flying down windy roads where, quite frankly, I'm not quite sure my Z would even fit.... especially if another car passed by. I had the acceleration, at least within the speeds I was riding, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I was in a real rhythm. I can't remember the last time I felt so connected to a machine. So I got to thinking. Why aren't Jalops more moto enthused? I came up with a few reasons why we should be.

It's dirt effing cheap.

I bought my bike (06 Ninja 650) for $3000. It had 250 miles on the clock. Admittedly this was a pretty slamming deal, but even still, a Japanese bike with 6, 10, 15K is fine as long as it's been decently cared for, which a highish mileage bike probably will be. Even after buying mandatory (if you're not an idiot) gear- helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, and to be frank armored abrasion protection pants are not a bad idea either- and doing the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - a must for anyone with no riding experience- you'd still be way ahead compared to a car with similar performance. Gas is cheap too... on this loop I averaged about 85 on the ~40 mile legs up to the road, and then averaged about ~35-45 on the loop, and hit ~44 MPG. With a disciplined hand (i.e. commuting) I could probably break 50 MPG easy.

It's RAW.

I have driven some !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , sometimes even in a track element. In my opinion, those cars still pale in comparison to even a "beginner" bike like mine. I could literally feel the road through the tires, as well as where on the tire profile I was. ANY input on the throttle = INSTANT response. And with the bike being so light, even on long downhill runs I pretty much didn't have to use the brake at all. I could control the speed completely with the throttle. And then of course there are the sensations... the pop-pop-pop-gurgle of the engine braking. The DSG like burp between rapid upshifts. The flood of info through the front and rear end. The sense of satisfaction & achievement when you get in a groove and bang out a succession of turns perfectly. It just doesn't compare.

I *think* I finally got rid of my chicken strip....

It's not THAT dangerous.

Pretty much EVERY rider WILL go down. I have gone down enough in my 10K miles of riding for 2-3 riders. And every time was my fault. This isn't to say riding isn't dangerous or a lot isn't out of a rider's control, but a lot IS under a rider's control. I will lay out all my crashes here and explain how each of them could have been easily avoided:

Hit another dude's bike after he went down. Pretty much a perfect storm- I went riding with a bunch of dudes I met on the internet about 2 months after I got my bike and started riding. The ride was chaotic and rushed. Like I said, dude in front of me went down and I panicked. Wife LOVED that.

Clipped by NYC cab- NEVER come between a cabbie and his fare. Nuff said!!!

Lowsided into Home Depot parking lot- I foolishly pushed too hard coming into a parking lot... lowsided. Best part, I was wearing just a t shirt... 6 months later it's still not fully healed.

You look at motorcycling fatalities, a lot of them involve alcohol and excess speed. Many of the folks were not properly geared up. Etc. So yes while it's relatively dangerous, the numbers more reflect stupid choices people make than the inherent danger of the motorcycle. You have to be honest with yourself about what kind of rider you will be... it's taken me about 3 years and 10K miles to finally get my mind right.

Most riders I've talked to who went down went down somewhere silly like doing a u turn in a parking lot. So often times all that gets injured is your pride.

It's sexy.

'Nuff said.

So in short, if you like going fast, connecting with machines, and not spending a metric fuckload of money for a ton of performance, you should definitely look into a motorcycle.

bob and john > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 10:44

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u still have about a thumbs width of chicken strip on tht tire

don't worry, I do too, and i'm on the competitor to your bike (09 sv650S) on SS tires

protip? when it comes time to change tires, go to a SS tires. I swapped the Dunlop dt(220's I think) for Dunlop sportmaxx q2s. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. within the first hour I was already leaning as far as I had with the DT's, with far more confidence. They last too, thanks to the MIddle being a harder compound


but address your subject: yea, it does surprise me that we have such a small motorcycling group on Oppo and jalopnick. I'm going to ask some of the Jalop guy with we could get our own motorcycle blog going, kinda how they have truck yea and the military blog (FOX TANGO ALPHA I think it was?)

yamahog > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 10:54

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meh, like we said about sorority life:

From the outside looking in, you can't understand it, and from the inside looking out, you can't fully explain it.

If they can't see what they're missing, no use trying to show them!

jariten1781 > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 10:58

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I ride, mostly vintage stuff, but this:

It's not THAT dangerous.

is totally not true.

Per 100 million miles traveled in a passenger car there is ~1.11 deaths. Per 100 million miles traveled on a motorcycle there's ~39 deaths (NHTSA 2006 data). I love riding, but it's a seriously large risk considering the most dangerous thing a normal person does is drive a car and riding a bike is 39x more dangerous than that. I don't fault people who are unwilling to take that risk (hell, they're probably smarter than me).

doodon2whls > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 11:00

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We're here , man. We're here . And here . And still here . Here . Here .

Having been a motorcyclist for nearly 30 years now, I can tell you that people that are not into motorcycles probably have their own reasons. It's hard to convince non-riders to join our ranks. I taught MSF BRC, PBR, ERC and can tell you that a good portion of people that think they should be riding, shouldn't be.

Motorcycling is definitely dangerous compared to most other modes of conveyance via motor. Your three examples and the MSF research statistics pretty much prove that. It's a calculated risk that only some of us are willing to take. My bride rides with me, but will not ride her own even though she knows how (and has done so off-road).

E30Joe drives a Subaru > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 11:06

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I've got an 05 R6, it's fast, cheap, reliable. You CAN get all three if you pick the right vehicle.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > bob and john 04/11/2014 at 11:06

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Last year I went here and wore ALL the chicken strip off my '97 F650. Frankly it was a little terrifying as the guys I was riding with were both more experienced AND on better handling bikes. Long Story Short: I DO MOTORCYCLE ;)

What you can't see in this horrible gmaps screenshot, is that the pavement on this little stretch is immaculate and well banked, and if you zoom in it becomes clear there are fast sweepers galore .

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > doodon2whls 04/11/2014 at 11:08

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Amen.

bob and john > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/11/2014 at 11:10

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you do motorcycle?
I DO MOTORCYCLE TOO. INSTA-BUDDIES (just add motorcycle)

you see, i'm kinda jealous of you guys. i'm in Ontario, so what I have is mainly flat, straight, not-so-well paved roads. exciting turns and twistys are few and far between for me.

PardonMyFlemish16 > bob and john 04/11/2014 at 11:13

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Yea I def wanna switch to SS tires when the time comes up. Look at that tread though... I might have these tires for another 10K miles :(

I will probably change bikes before I change tires. I'm thinking old Z1000 or SV1000N.

I think the motorcycling sub Kinja is a good idea. Definitely been wanting to shoot the shit about that... MotoGP and WSBK are both looking really good this year.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > jariten1781 04/11/2014 at 11:15

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Y'know, I've been broken SEVERAL times now, including requiring some serious surgical reconstruction of my left forearm due to motorcycle-related incidents (and 95-year-old men from florida drving Mercedes 450 SLs...) and each time I think "Y'know, it really is dangerous. I should stop." and then a couple months later I'm like "fuck, man. I need to get on a bike. I miss it!". I never expected to be one of those dudes, but there's just SOMETHING about it. I keep doing it. I know I'll get injured again, it's just a matter of time, and it probably won't be my fault, as I've gotten over the squidlyness, and yet I keep doing it. Crazy? Addicive personality? yeah, probably both.

bob and john > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 11:19

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well look at you waving ur fat stack of cash around. "i'll change bikes before I change tires"
I'm going to be on my sv for probably another 3-4 years.
I kid, but being serious now, the z1000 is a bit of a jump from a 650 ninja IMO. Id say look more into the 600-800 nakeds. the if you can find a street triple R, those make GREAT bikes. brembos and olhins stock, and a 675CC triple tht just begs to be revv'ed. cant go wrong.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 11:58

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I love riding on two wheels. I've been riding motorized bicycles and moded mopeds for a long time but I finally think it's time to upgrade to a proper bike. I currently carpool to work but that arrangement will be coming to and end this summer - I think I'll be getting a bike as my DD. Currently looking at used Harley Sportsters and very excited to get riding!

bob and john > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 13:51

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checkout my lastest post, i'm trying to get a bike blog up and running

BJ > bob and john 04/11/2014 at 14:10

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You're lucky to be in Ontario, the roads here in Quebec are embarrassingly bad in comparison. It's the primary reason I haven't got back on a bike since selling out and moving away from Alberta 8 years ago.

Also, the drivers here are ridiculous.

bob and john > BJ 04/11/2014 at 14:13

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2 words: dual-sport.

but I do know what you mean, when I visited my friend in montreal, the roads were brutal

PardonMyFlemish16 > bob and john 04/11/2014 at 14:14

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Oh it will probably be about 2-3 years before I change bikes, which, looking at my tires and miles per year will probably be before the tires wear out. I'm thinking about the bigger capacity bikes because

- I want more grunt- I occasionally ride 2 up and pretty much never take it to redline. For all the talk of the 650's torque, I found myself shifting a lot as the torque and throttle response on my bike is a little shitty under 4K for twisty work

- Big capacity older bike will be much cheaper than a new small capacity naked

I would probably get an old Speed Triple over a new Street Triple. I can always upgrade bits and pieces down the road.

bob and john > PardonMyFlemish16 04/11/2014 at 14:17

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this is also true.

also, I usualy end up changing tires once a year now. I ride A LOT (think 10k miles a year now) and I do some corner carving on the weekends.

and I want to start doing track days too

PardonMyFlemish16 > doodon2whls 04/11/2014 at 14:18

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You got a new follower.

PardonMyFlemish16 > bob and john 04/11/2014 at 14:23

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Yea I want to do track days too. Just need a suit, boots and more cash flow. I'm hoping I can do it next year... I'm about 50 miles from a local track and like 200 miles from Road Atlanta

SerialThriller > doodon2whls 04/11/2014 at 16:44

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I think riding is more or less genetic. As someone who was born to ride, I can't fathom how folks who race cars, etc can have zero desire to ride a motorcycle, but I guess it's just that different. It's funny how polarizing it is, too. You'll rarely hear anyone say, "Yeah, motorcycles are OK, I guess. I tried riding and it was just alright."

Jason955i > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 18:50

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My Triumph Daytona 955i and my lady's Harley Davidson Sportster 1200. We spent less than $5000 on both, though in fairness, she got a deal of a lifetime on hers from a family member who wasn't interested in riding anymore. I custom painted the Harley to make it a lot more... girly.

Riding is fun, it's a blast. Only thing for us is living in Wisconsin we only get about 7 months of riding a year.

Conan > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 19:12

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It's about the danger to me. I took classes. I know the basics. The same day I completed the course I spent some time playing GTA IV using the motorcycle. The ragdoll effect of bodies flying off motorcycles might be one of the scariest possible gaming experiences. I've autocrossed, drag raced, and done a few track days. I've never been close to frightened. I've been involved in a major collision on a highway due to a drunk driver. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here if I'd been on a motorcycle. I won't say I don't get the appeal. The raw speed and low prices are tremendously appealing. I teach a lot of teenagers who are much less responsible than I am though. Thankfully none of them have suffered any fatal auto accidents so far. Two of my students have passed on motorcycles and they were each great kids. I'll stick to cars for now.

Decay buys too many beaters > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 19:31

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Another rider checking in here, I've got an 06 CBR1000RR for whenever I need to feel arm tearing brutal acceleration.

It makes my FR-S feel slower than a v6 Accord ...wait ...shit

Expanded Horizons > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 20:00

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Street bikes have always had a special hold over me and all of your points are valid. The kicker for me is that lower level of overall traction and not having any type of safety cage whatsoever. One mistake or slip and all the PPE in the world won't do you any good, even when you're not going THAT fast. Not to mention what some numbskull who can't be bothered to shoulder check could do to you with an ill-advised lane change.

I've always considered a bike as a good pleasure cruiser/summer DD option, but every time I see a near miss or a blood smear on the highway I stop considering it.

CptStumpy > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 20:34

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I ride everyday over here in Japan. To work, for fun, in the winter, in the rain. I bought my 98 Vmax within my first year of living here. It's a great time in the mountains. I grew up riding dirt bikes. You're right in that it's amazingly fun.

Ark > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 21:08

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The main reason I don't ride is because I just don't want to get killed doing it. I've been in enough minor wrecks that would have seriously injured me if I were on a bike instead of a car.

I think I would enjoy the shit out of riding a motorcycle, and that's what scares me. I know I would get myself killed on one. I've been hanging out on the same Chrysler forum for almost ten years now, and so far nobody's spouse has had to come on and post about how a member got killed driving their car. Motorcycle forums can't say the same.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > PardonMyFlemish16 04/15/2014 at 23:14

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Try looking at a CB900F6. (919)

Just make sure you have enough experience.

PardonMyFlemish16 > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 04/16/2014 at 07:47

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O yea 919s are good. A little too "old school" looking for me though. I would need to spice it up a little bit...

Dest > PardonMyFlemish16 04/16/2014 at 08:47

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Simple: it's additional cost ontop of my car, and no one around here can fucking drive.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > PardonMyFlemish16 04/16/2014 at 13:53

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I recommend that you shouldn't. Old-school or not, some mods may cost you your life.