soooo I want a bike..

as for the 883, i agree to go with a 1200. the few people i know that started with sportsters grew out of the 883 within the first riding season.

 

Thanks bje..I'll take one for sure. After only riding off road, I'm sure there is tons I don't know. I feel like I'm a pretty defensive driver. I have avoided many bad situations so far, so being cautious won't be anything new.

 

I've got an 06 Shadow 1100 and an 83 V65 Magna and they are both pretty fun bikes. Sportsters are ok bikes but most people upgrade shortly after buying one. I might get flamed for this but HDs seem way overpriced and over rated. Alot of the Jap cruisers out there now offer a much higher quality product for a fraction of the cost. I will say no matter what you choose, think it over a few times before making a purchase. It's pretty common for folks to buy a bike that "fits" for a beginner but a week later they wish they had gone bigger.

 

Jwin...regarless of exhaust, I really don't think we can use "250 Ninja" and "monster" in the same sentence now can we? Just messing with ya...

 

Well there's your problem

I don't know what you're talking about...my aunt and uncle have a chihuahua and I'd call that thing a monster

And finding a bike that fits me is probably going to be a tad problematic. I'm 6'1" So on a beginner 250 bike, the phrase "monkey humping a football" comes to mind...

 

My wife loves motorcycles and encourages me to get them! haha

Mark Twain said there's three kinds of lies: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics!

But seriously, I think your point can be misconstrued a little... A minor accident in a car is almost never fatal... Whereas an accident on a motorcycle is almost never a minor accident.

I have one friend who is practically a vegetable now... he was one of the smartest individuals I knew before his accident. He got sucked up into the back of a very large horse trailer when they cut him off because they "couldn't see him". From what I understand, he was barely going 10mph at the time, because he was about to pull of the road at gas station. His wife and kids have been through a LOT. I used to see him at rallies and we talked about tuning our bikes a lot by email... now he can barely hold a conversation... it's very sad. I miss him. You can read about his story here: mikeformato.info

I have another friend who ran into a woman in a minivan turning left from the opposite lane while on his sports bike, doing the speed limit... he is now disabled and not able to work his regular job.

We lost a local hero and friend to many about two years ago when another person tragically did not see the car in front of him stopped because the car he was behind pulled out of the way at the last second, revealing the stopped car... and it was too late.

I don't mean to be a downer, and I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from riding a motorcycle, but to say that they are statistically way safer than cars is just not true. Anything on two wheels cannot be as safe as being in a steel cage with four tires on the ground. Just because a car gets into a fender-bender, doesn't make it less safe.

Sorry for being such a downer... now back to the fun! :trampolin

 

MSF in TX is same. The driving and written test is taken at the MSF course using their bikes... was way easy. Just had to get the license endorsement at DMV.

Your point about "if you feel you're a defensive driver you're wrong". I completely agree. I used to think I was too... then I got a bike... I wish everyone was forced to ride a bike before getting a car license... we'd all be safer for it... You are absolutely right.

Yeah... you're not. He makes a good point. It's a whole new world of defensive driving when you start riding free (by free, i simply mean not caged up in a car). I like this thread. fun.

Some other stats (derived from TX)

• over half of bike fatalities involved alcohol (the biker!) This should speak volumes...
• In 2008, there were 516 motorcycle fatalities. of those, 316 were not wearing helmets. It is estimated that helmets would have saved 37% of those unhelmited fatalities.
• In 2008, there were 416 pedestrian fatalities. No joke. Exactly 100 fewer... Really, serious. Compared to 3382 "general" traffic fatalities in same year...
• It is true that motorcycle fatality counts are climbing, but it is also true that motorcycle registrations is outpacaing that growth.

I maintain, if you get in an accident, you're better off in a car. But you're better off on a bike if you want to avoide the accident in the first place.

Defensive driving is what's safe here, not the bike per se.

Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics

 

Well, I guess we tested the waters enough with you Irr to make sure you wanted a cruiser, or more of a standard bike instead of anything on the sports side of bikes. That's fine

The honda magna v four is a good bike, and you can pick one up cheap.

 

i got my first bike in 93' i ride like everyone is out to get me, i never EVER assume that a cager has seen me.ill honk, rev the motor,even tap their window! if i think theyre not paying attention or know im there.ive been down once (knock on wood lol)due to the error of another rider. buy the highest quality gear you can afford which is usually the most expensive! dont skimp here!