Good starter bike.

[Drac]

My heartfelt advice would be "Don't do it!". All the bikers I've known are either dead or carrying extra metal-work (including me as I think is well known) or haven't been riding very long.

I must be the exception..Been riding since the early 70's and been down a couple of times and I carry no extra metal..

However, that wasn't the intent of the OP so I shall hold my peace. Also, this being a largely American inhabited forum, I'll keep my opinions of Harley's to myself too :lol: {plus, thinking about it, Drac carries a gun for his job so I'd definitely better keep silent }.

...Opinions about HD are varied and most of them false..They DO NOT need constant repair or spend more time in the garage than on the road, I'd have gotten rid of mine years ago if that was the case...The biggest difference is trade in or resale value...My last HD was purchased for $9,965.00 and I had it for 4 years, when I traded it in they gave me $9,900.00 with no problems..

Given what the roads in America are reputedly like and the distances you'll have to cover, a sport-bike would definitely be a bad idea.

I agree 100% on this statement...

 

[Drac]

I took that course... they had nothing bigger than a 250cc bike. I think I did it on a rebel.

I took my MC test on Honda 50...LOL

 

[jks9199]

One note on Harleys... At least according to the Harley owners I know, one of the reasons they maintain their resale value so well, is that Harley Davidson is very particular about who does the maintenance, meaning there's a really good chance you'll have to go to the dealer. (This may also be a factor in the myths about repairs...)

 

[Drac]

One note on Harleys... At least according to the Harley owners I know, one of the reasons they maintain their resale value so well, is that Harley Davidson is very particular about who does the maintenance, meaning there's a really good chance you'll have to go to the dealer. (This may also be a factor in the myths about repairs...)

I've met some riders that will not wrench on their on bikes for any reason..Whenever mine needed repairs I did them myself, saves time and money..The only time it went to the shop was to have a tire changed which can be a problem on ANY BIKE if you lack the proper lift equipment

 

[Xue Sheng]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. The S40 is a pretty smallish framed 650 that doesn't feel like I'd have too much trouble picking up... or Erica either if she dropped it. I'm having a hell of a time finding anything smaller than a 650 around here.

Now that I think about it a 650 would be fine. A friend of mine got an old Yamaha XS650 for his first bike and he did just fine.

Just DON’T do what my uncle did. He went out and got a 1000 cc BMW (full dresser) as his first bike. He rolled it twice before my aunt made him sell it.

 

[theletch1]

Erica and I rode back out to the dealership that we went to last tuesday to check bikes out again. I checked out a couple of bigger bikes and felt very comfortable on them. I'll probably still wind up with a 650 for a starter bike. The up side to that will be that it will be good enough for me to get started and comfortable on and when I outgrow it and upgrade (Erica loves the way I look on a Road Star and I like the feel) the Erica can move onto that bike and we'll both have something that fits us perfectly. It's looking like spring of the year before we're able to actually buy but I'm a bit anal retentive about researching any kind of major move like this. I'll keep looking and trying out.

Kreth, go for it. One of the things that kept me from buying for this long was the fact that it's not a year round type of transportation. I figure that a good pair of insulated coveralls will extend the driving time to about 9 months a year around here. Our winters have been very mild the last couple of years and if they continue that way 9 months a year won't be anywhere near out of the question.

 

[Drac]

Kreth, go for it. One of the things that kept me from buying for this long was the fact that it's not a year round type of transportation. I figure that a good pair of insulated coveralls will extend the driving time to about 9 months a year around here. Our winters have been very mild the last couple of years and if they continue that way 9 months a year won't be anywhere near out of the question.

Well said..One year I was riding well into Dec..Now the Ultra Classica have lower fairings that minimizes the cold air and trap the heat from the engine and sends it back on you...

 

[Kreth]

Kreth, go for it. One of the things that kept me from buying for this long was the fact that it's not a year round type of transportation. I figure that a good pair of insulated coveralls will extend the driving time to about 9 months a year around here. Our winters have been very mild the last couple of years and if they continue that way 9 months a year won't be anywhere near out of the question.

I've been thinking along the same lines. As long as I have warm clothes, I can probably stretch the riding season a bit.

 

[Cryozombie]

Between 06 and 07 I had no car... mine died and I was unemployed. I rode my Yami all winter, it was FREAKIN COLD but I made the whole winter on it, with the exception of a few heavy snows where I begged rides.

Riding in the late fall with a Hat Gloves, scarf and long undies on is no big thing anymore. Haha.

 

[Drac]

One year I went out with a few friends shortly after Midnight on New Years Eve to have our FIRST ride of the new year...It was 4 degrees below zero..It was the longest 15 min ride of my life..LOL..Ahhhh the carefree days of being single....

 

[theletch1]

One year I went out with a few friends shortly after Midnight on New Years Eve to have our FIRST ride of the new year...It was 4 degrees below zero..It was the longest 15 min ride of my life..LOL..Ahhhh the carefree days of being single....

Just how much "anti-freeze" did you have in your system during the ride? 4 below is crazy for bike riding.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Just how much "anti-freeze" did you have in your system during the ride? 4 below is crazy for bike riding.

No its not :EG:

 

[theletch1]

No its not :EG:

It is for us "sane" people. You tree abusers are an odd lot from the get go.

 

[Xue Sheng]

It is for us "sane" people. You tree abusers are an odd lot from the get go.

HEY!!!

Just because I use to go out riding in early spring..... ok late winter and... on occasion... ok constantly... hit a tree or two.... ok many more than two... is NO reason to call me an insane tree abuser... no matter HOW truthful that statement may...or my NOT be

 

[Drac]

Just how much "anti-freeze" did you have in your system during the ride? 4 below is crazy for bike riding.

That's the sad part, we were stone cold sober...

 

[theletch1]

That's the sad part, we were stone cold sober...

I highlighter the key word there. Man, I can't imagine doing that.... well, maybe just once, Gahh! Xue's craziness is rubbing off on me!

 

[Xue Sheng]

I highlighter the key word there. Man, I can't imagine doing that.... well, maybe just once, Gahh! Xue's craziness is rubbing off on me!

Well… now that it is likely to late…. I will tell you…..It is contagious :EG:

 

[theletch1]

Well… now that it is likely to late…. I will tell you…..It is contagious :EG:

Well, hell, if it's too late for me to save myself I may as well spread it around as much as possible.

So long as I have gotten some great responses to this thread are there any tips for a fledgling motorcyclist that ya'll care to impart? Little things like do I avoid the middle strip of the lane or are full face helmets really the absolute safest way to go and so on.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Avoid the middle strip of the lane there is a lot of oil residue there, especially if it has been raining.

I like full face helmets and Bell helmets I liked best back when I road. I have used open face helmets but I got tired of eating bugs and the "bat" that hit me one night (the rodent not the one made of wood) made me VERY happy I had a full face helmet on.

And ABSOLUTLY do not drink if you are riding a bike, EVERYONE is out to get you whether they know it or not. And never assume the person in the car sees you at all, IMO, it is best to assume they do not.

And I am very happy that my bike riding days started in the dirt, you learn how to react to a whole lot of things that way

And if you do go for an early spring… ok late winter ride in the Northeast…. You will be AMAZED at how much the temperature drops if you go over a bridge that crosses a river

 

[jks9199]

Well, hell, if it's too late for me to save myself I may as well spread it around as much as possible.

So long as I have gotten some great responses to this thread are there any tips for a fledgling motorcyclist that ya'll care to impart? Little things like do I avoid the middle strip of the lane or are full face helmets really the absolute safest way to go and so on.

Assume that drivers neither see you nor care whether you're there. Expect at least one out of three to actively try to hit you.

That'll go a long way towards keeping you safe.

(Oh, and a possum can stop your front wheel dead, and you can slide more than 100 feet on your back if it does so. Didn't happen to me, but did happen to someone I know.)