SiC-0
09-07-2007, 12:39 PM
Interested in riding a motorcycle? This will give you an overview of the sport, and tell you a lot about how to get started. My two teenage sons recently started riding, and I wrote this for them. Read carefully, there will be a pop quiz. It will be administered by a sleep-deprived mom driving a minivan containing six bags of groceries, three screaming kids, a barking dog and a ringing cell phone.
A great place to start is to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF)http://i.ixnp.com/images/v2.21/t.gif (http://www.msf-usa.org/) course, an intensive two or three day classroom and riding course supervised by expert riders. After taking the course, buy a bike. I recommend you get a 125cc to 400cc dual sport, or a 250cc to 500cc standard or cruiser street bike. If you have at least the sense of self-preservation that God granted to sea cucumbers, you will not get any race replica of 600ccs or more or any bike with 800ccs or more until you have at least 5,000 miles of experience. These bikes have the highest profit margins, so of course the salesman will be happy to tell you that I'm wrong and you can handle it. His shop manager will be happy a few days later to give you your $1800 repair estimate - if you live. To put this into perspective, I had 50,000 miles of experience before I got a bike with more than 450ccs.
Later in this article I'll describe practice maneuvers. To put these into perspective, at the time of this writing I have 38 years of riding experience and have gone over 535,000 miles on motorcycles, and I still do these practices most every week.
Why do we practice? Because two-thirds of all motorcycle accidents happen to beginners, people riding for their first year. Anything that improves your odds of getting through your first year without an accident is a good thing. This course is about trying to improve your chances of survival.
Types of Motorcycles
In the US, there are about 1 million new motorcycles sold every year. There are as many uses for these motorcycle as there are riders, however most motorcycles fall into a category. The basic types of motorcycles are:
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/Silverwing.jpg
Scooters
have low seats, step-through frames, and floor boards for your feet so that your legs are in front of you. Some of these are very small and suitable only for short trips in a city, but get 60-80 mpg and can park anywhere a bicycle can. The larger models are powerful and comfortable enough to take on a cross-country trip, while still getting 50mpg. The larger scooters also have large storage compartments under the seat, and can be fit with additional trunks for more storage. Because of the small wheels they don't handle or stop as well as the best motorcycles. Scooters weigh from 200 pounds to 500 pounds, and cost from $2000 to $8000. Shown: Honda Silverwing
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/Boulevard.jpg
Cruisers
have low seats, pull back handlebars, and forward foot pegs so that your legs are stretched out in front of you. Some people will tell you these are the most comfortable bikes, however you never see them on long rides far from home. They are only comfortable for about 45 minutes at a time. Although these bikes are perfectly safe, they do not handle nearly as well as other bikes in corners or in emergency situations. They come in all sizes and prices, from small beginner bikes for about $3000 up to fully custom bikes for as much as you want to spend. They weigh from 300 pounds to 850 pounds. Shown: Suzuki Boulevard
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/SV650-Blue.jpg
Standards
or Naked Bikes are simple inexpensive motorcycles. The foot pegs place your feet under your hips, which gives you the best control of a motorcycle. These bikes weigh from 300 pounds up to about 550 pounds, and cost from $3000 to $10,000. Some of them go very fast. These can be good beginner bikes, however, some of them, sometimes called "hooligan bikes" are nearly as fast as the sport bikes below. The Suzuki and Kawasaki 650 twins are excellent beginning to intermediate bikes. Beginners should stay away from four cylinder engines. Shown: Suzuki SV650
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/R1_07.jpg
Sport
bikes or "crotch rockets" are replicas of race bikes. These bikes weigh between 400 and 500 pounds, make 100hp to 200hp, and have a top speed of 150 mph to 185 mph. Any of these bikes can make a Corvette look like it's in reverse. These bikes are uncomfortable to ride for long distances, due to the forward lean in the riding position and the high foot pegs that fold up your legs. These bikes are death for a beginning rider. They cost $10,000 to $20,000. I used to ride these, but Jesus had a message just for me. . . Shown: Yamaha YZF R1
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/FJR1300/FJR1300_small.jpg
Sport-Touring
bikes have very powerful motors, comfortable seats, fairings and windshields, and normally come with saddlebags. These bikes are made to do everything on the road - ride around town in traffic, go fast on mountain roads, or cross the country in a few days of riding. They cost $10,000 to $20,000, and weigh 600 to 750 pounds. Sport-touring bikes with four cylinder engines are not very appropriate bikes for a beginner. I enjoy these bikes quite a bit. Shown: Yamaha FJR 1300
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/FLHTCUSE.jpg
Touring
bikes come with all the options - radio, stereo, GPS, intercom, cruise control, heated seats, fairing, windshield, saddlebags and trunk. These bikes are heavy, typically 800 to 950 pounds, and expensive, about $15,000 to $25,000. They can be a real joy to ride if you want to cross the continent. Loaded with luggage and a passenger, these bikes weigh 1200 pounds or more. If you put a foot wrong at a stop sign, they will tip over and break your leg. Even if you're Arnold. Shown: Harley Davidson Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/r1200gs.jpg
Adventure Touring
bikes are made for riding anywhere - on or off road, high or low speed, short or long trips. They weigh 450 to 600 pounds, and cost $7,000 to $18,000. They are reasonably comfortable, handle reasonably well on mountain roads, and are reasonably powerful. They are able to travel long distances off-road, although not as fast as a dirt bike. Due to the long travel suspension they tend to have rather high seats that make them a bit clumsy for beginners. The current recordhttp://i.ixnp.com/images/v2.21/t.gif (http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthamerica/news/detail.jhtml?newsId=5701) for Prudhoe Bay AK to Key West FL was set on one of these type of bikes (5,700 miles in 4 days 5 hours). I enjoy these bikes a lot. Shown: BMW R1200GS
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/KLR650.jpg
Dual Sport
bikes or Enduros are street legal dirt bikes. These are probably the best choice for a beginner, due to the light weight and the ability to practice off road, where falling is no big deal and you can learn to handle poor traction conditions. These bikes weigh 250 to 350 pounds, and cost $3,000 to $10,000. My sons are starting on these. A 62 y/o friend of minehttp://i.ixnp.com/images/v2.21/t.gif (http://www.angelfire.com/mo/motormark/Punky_n_Lew.html) and his dog rode one of these from Orlando FL to Prudhoe Bay AK to Ushuaia Argentina to Rio de Janeiro Brazil, and got married in the process to a Peruvian girl that is 'way too young and cute for him. Shown: Kawasaki KLR650, the bike my friend rode.
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/crf450.jpg
Dirt
Bikes are made for off road only. They are not legal to ride on the streets. These are also good bikes for beginners, except you can't learn how to ride in traffic. They weigh from 200 to 300 pounds, and cost from $2,500 to $10,000. They are nearly indestructible - when you're carried off the race track with 4 broken bones and a concussion, someone else will casually ride your bike back to your truck. Shown: Honda CRF450
Motorcycle Recommendations
The Best Bikes for Beginners:
Every one of these bikes has one or two cylinders. Don't even think of getting a four cylinder bike.
Cruisers: Honda Rebel 250, Rebel 450, Shadow VLX; Kawasaki Eliminator 125, Vulcan 500; Suzuki GZ250, Boulevard M40; Yamaha Virago 250, Virago 500
Standards: BMW F650; Buell Blast; Honda Nighthawk 250, Nighthawk 450; Kawasaki Ninja 250, Ninja 500, Ninja 650; Suzuki SV650
Dual Sports: BMW F650; Honda XL250, XL 350, XL400, XL500, XL600, XR650L; Kawasaki KLX 250, KLR 650; Suzuki DR 200, DR 250S, DR 350S, DR 400S, DR 650S; Yamaha XT225
Unwise Choices for Beginners:
Any Harley big twin, any British, Japanese or German bike 850ccs or over, any Ducati. These bikes are heavy, powerful, and expensive to fix when you drop them. And you will drop them.
Really, Really Bad Bikes for Beginners:
Honda CBR anything; Kawasaki Ninja ZX anything; Suzuki GSXR anything; Yamaha YZF or FZ anything. Any Japanese bike with an in-line 4 cylinder engine of 600ccs or more. These bikes will kill you. Even the cute little 600s. These are the most popular bikes made, but try to find one used: most of them have total loss crashes in the first year. Usually the engine can be salvaged and used in a competition go-kart. Call your insurance agent and ask for a quote on comprehensive coverage. Those crash pictures that circulate on the Internet are all on one of these bikes.
Motorcycles to Die For (or With)
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/Cbr600.jpg
Honda CBR600RR http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/ZX10.jpg
Kawasaki ZX-10R http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/zzr14.jpg
Kawasaki ZZR-14R http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/GSXR750.jpg
Suzuki GSX-R750
Kellin Winslow http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/hayabusa.jpg
Suzuki Hayabusa
Ben Rothlisberger http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/R1_07.jpg
Yamaha YZF R1
A few of these bikes are pictured above. Every one of these bikes will go at least 155 mph. Two of them, with very minor modifications, will go over 200 mph. If you have better reaction times and athletic ability than Ben Rothlisberger (broken jaw, three lost teeth, nearly bled to death) and Kellin Winslow (broken ribs, collar bone, damaged knee, lost a year of football), perhaps it will be different for you.Borrowed from Mark Lawrence for info purposes.
A great place to start is to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF)http://i.ixnp.com/images/v2.21/t.gif (http://www.msf-usa.org/) course, an intensive two or three day classroom and riding course supervised by expert riders. After taking the course, buy a bike. I recommend you get a 125cc to 400cc dual sport, or a 250cc to 500cc standard or cruiser street bike. If you have at least the sense of self-preservation that God granted to sea cucumbers, you will not get any race replica of 600ccs or more or any bike with 800ccs or more until you have at least 5,000 miles of experience. These bikes have the highest profit margins, so of course the salesman will be happy to tell you that I'm wrong and you can handle it. His shop manager will be happy a few days later to give you your $1800 repair estimate - if you live. To put this into perspective, I had 50,000 miles of experience before I got a bike with more than 450ccs.
Later in this article I'll describe practice maneuvers. To put these into perspective, at the time of this writing I have 38 years of riding experience and have gone over 535,000 miles on motorcycles, and I still do these practices most every week.
Why do we practice? Because two-thirds of all motorcycle accidents happen to beginners, people riding for their first year. Anything that improves your odds of getting through your first year without an accident is a good thing. This course is about trying to improve your chances of survival.
Types of Motorcycles
In the US, there are about 1 million new motorcycles sold every year. There are as many uses for these motorcycle as there are riders, however most motorcycles fall into a category. The basic types of motorcycles are:
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/Silverwing.jpg
Scooters
have low seats, step-through frames, and floor boards for your feet so that your legs are in front of you. Some of these are very small and suitable only for short trips in a city, but get 60-80 mpg and can park anywhere a bicycle can. The larger models are powerful and comfortable enough to take on a cross-country trip, while still getting 50mpg. The larger scooters also have large storage compartments under the seat, and can be fit with additional trunks for more storage. Because of the small wheels they don't handle or stop as well as the best motorcycles. Scooters weigh from 200 pounds to 500 pounds, and cost from $2000 to $8000. Shown: Honda Silverwing
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/Boulevard.jpg
Cruisers
have low seats, pull back handlebars, and forward foot pegs so that your legs are stretched out in front of you. Some people will tell you these are the most comfortable bikes, however you never see them on long rides far from home. They are only comfortable for about 45 minutes at a time. Although these bikes are perfectly safe, they do not handle nearly as well as other bikes in corners or in emergency situations. They come in all sizes and prices, from small beginner bikes for about $3000 up to fully custom bikes for as much as you want to spend. They weigh from 300 pounds to 850 pounds. Shown: Suzuki Boulevard
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/SV650-Blue.jpg
Standards
or Naked Bikes are simple inexpensive motorcycles. The foot pegs place your feet under your hips, which gives you the best control of a motorcycle. These bikes weigh from 300 pounds up to about 550 pounds, and cost from $3000 to $10,000. Some of them go very fast. These can be good beginner bikes, however, some of them, sometimes called "hooligan bikes" are nearly as fast as the sport bikes below. The Suzuki and Kawasaki 650 twins are excellent beginning to intermediate bikes. Beginners should stay away from four cylinder engines. Shown: Suzuki SV650
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/R1_07.jpg
Sport
bikes or "crotch rockets" are replicas of race bikes. These bikes weigh between 400 and 500 pounds, make 100hp to 200hp, and have a top speed of 150 mph to 185 mph. Any of these bikes can make a Corvette look like it's in reverse. These bikes are uncomfortable to ride for long distances, due to the forward lean in the riding position and the high foot pegs that fold up your legs. These bikes are death for a beginning rider. They cost $10,000 to $20,000. I used to ride these, but Jesus had a message just for me. . . Shown: Yamaha YZF R1
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/FJR1300/FJR1300_small.jpg
Sport-Touring
bikes have very powerful motors, comfortable seats, fairings and windshields, and normally come with saddlebags. These bikes are made to do everything on the road - ride around town in traffic, go fast on mountain roads, or cross the country in a few days of riding. They cost $10,000 to $20,000, and weigh 600 to 750 pounds. Sport-touring bikes with four cylinder engines are not very appropriate bikes for a beginner. I enjoy these bikes quite a bit. Shown: Yamaha FJR 1300
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/FLHTCUSE.jpg
Touring
bikes come with all the options - radio, stereo, GPS, intercom, cruise control, heated seats, fairing, windshield, saddlebags and trunk. These bikes are heavy, typically 800 to 950 pounds, and expensive, about $15,000 to $25,000. They can be a real joy to ride if you want to cross the continent. Loaded with luggage and a passenger, these bikes weigh 1200 pounds or more. If you put a foot wrong at a stop sign, they will tip over and break your leg. Even if you're Arnold. Shown: Harley Davidson Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/r1200gs.jpg
Adventure Touring
bikes are made for riding anywhere - on or off road, high or low speed, short or long trips. They weigh 450 to 600 pounds, and cost $7,000 to $18,000. They are reasonably comfortable, handle reasonably well on mountain roads, and are reasonably powerful. They are able to travel long distances off-road, although not as fast as a dirt bike. Due to the long travel suspension they tend to have rather high seats that make them a bit clumsy for beginners. The current recordhttp://i.ixnp.com/images/v2.21/t.gif (http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthamerica/news/detail.jhtml?newsId=5701) for Prudhoe Bay AK to Key West FL was set on one of these type of bikes (5,700 miles in 4 days 5 hours). I enjoy these bikes a lot. Shown: BMW R1200GS
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/KLR650.jpg
Dual Sport
bikes or Enduros are street legal dirt bikes. These are probably the best choice for a beginner, due to the light weight and the ability to practice off road, where falling is no big deal and you can learn to handle poor traction conditions. These bikes weigh 250 to 350 pounds, and cost $3,000 to $10,000. My sons are starting on these. A 62 y/o friend of minehttp://i.ixnp.com/images/v2.21/t.gif (http://www.angelfire.com/mo/motormark/Punky_n_Lew.html) and his dog rode one of these from Orlando FL to Prudhoe Bay AK to Ushuaia Argentina to Rio de Janeiro Brazil, and got married in the process to a Peruvian girl that is 'way too young and cute for him. Shown: Kawasaki KLR650, the bike my friend rode.
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/crf450.jpg
Dirt
Bikes are made for off road only. They are not legal to ride on the streets. These are also good bikes for beginners, except you can't learn how to ride in traffic. They weigh from 200 to 300 pounds, and cost from $2,500 to $10,000. They are nearly indestructible - when you're carried off the race track with 4 broken bones and a concussion, someone else will casually ride your bike back to your truck. Shown: Honda CRF450
Motorcycle Recommendations
The Best Bikes for Beginners:
Every one of these bikes has one or two cylinders. Don't even think of getting a four cylinder bike.
Cruisers: Honda Rebel 250, Rebel 450, Shadow VLX; Kawasaki Eliminator 125, Vulcan 500; Suzuki GZ250, Boulevard M40; Yamaha Virago 250, Virago 500
Standards: BMW F650; Buell Blast; Honda Nighthawk 250, Nighthawk 450; Kawasaki Ninja 250, Ninja 500, Ninja 650; Suzuki SV650
Dual Sports: BMW F650; Honda XL250, XL 350, XL400, XL500, XL600, XR650L; Kawasaki KLX 250, KLR 650; Suzuki DR 200, DR 250S, DR 350S, DR 400S, DR 650S; Yamaha XT225
Unwise Choices for Beginners:
Any Harley big twin, any British, Japanese or German bike 850ccs or over, any Ducati. These bikes are heavy, powerful, and expensive to fix when you drop them. And you will drop them.
Really, Really Bad Bikes for Beginners:
Honda CBR anything; Kawasaki Ninja ZX anything; Suzuki GSXR anything; Yamaha YZF or FZ anything. Any Japanese bike with an in-line 4 cylinder engine of 600ccs or more. These bikes will kill you. Even the cute little 600s. These are the most popular bikes made, but try to find one used: most of them have total loss crashes in the first year. Usually the engine can be salvaged and used in a competition go-kart. Call your insurance agent and ask for a quote on comprehensive coverage. Those crash pictures that circulate on the Internet are all on one of these bikes.
Motorcycles to Die For (or With)
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/Cbr600.jpg
Honda CBR600RR http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/ZX10.jpg
Kawasaki ZX-10R http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/zzr14.jpg
Kawasaki ZZR-14R http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/GSXR750.jpg
Suzuki GSX-R750
Kellin Winslow http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/hayabusa.jpg
Suzuki Hayabusa
Ben Rothlisberger http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Intro/R1_07.jpg
Yamaha YZF R1
A few of these bikes are pictured above. Every one of these bikes will go at least 155 mph. Two of them, with very minor modifications, will go over 200 mph. If you have better reaction times and athletic ability than Ben Rothlisberger (broken jaw, three lost teeth, nearly bled to death) and Kellin Winslow (broken ribs, collar bone, damaged knee, lost a year of football), perhaps it will be different for you.Borrowed from Mark Lawrence for info purposes.