Anybody in DR Land Ride Motorcycles?

[jerman]

I have been bitten by the motorcycle bug. I am going to take a Motorcycle Safety Class for beginners and go riding with my brother-in-law on one of his old bikes.
I am curious as to what kind of motorcycles(if any) my fellow Dirt Raggers ride.
I am looking hard at the Suzuki SV650s. Has a nice price and looks to be a well made bike.
Oh, and if you do have a motorcycle, show me a pic.:D

[cMc]

I have been bitten by the motorcycle bug. I am going to take a Motorcycle Safety Class for beginners and go riding with my brother-in-law on one of his old bikes.
I am curious as to what kind of motorcycles(if any) my fellow Dirt Raggers ride.
I am looking hard at the Suzuki SV650s. Has a nice price and looks to be a well made bike.
Oh, and if you do have a motorcycle, show me a pic.:D

I am in the same spot as you! The Suzuki is probably a good choice, in that spirit I'd also look at the Yamaha FZ6. Same idea, but aesthetically more pleasing, IMO. I read a review that said the Suzuki is the better bike, though.

Personally, I really want a Triumph, either a Thruxton, a Speed 4 or a Speed Triple. I'm leaning toward a lightly used S4 or S3. I'm going to wait until next summer to buy, though. I don't think I'll get around to the MSF class until this fall, the way my summer is shaping up.

[K-Man]

Me and the airhead taking a short break on a little jaunt from Pittsburgh to Montana and back.

[ellis]

I ride a 250 ninja 70 miles commute everyday,it is a small bike but I get 72 mpg and it will go slightly over 100. It is anentertaining ride. I have owned over 30 motorcycles in my life. That sv650 is a great all around bike, great handling , good power, a proven and bulletproof design, check out the V-strom version if you would like to spend a bit more on an even more capable mount.

[OTBSkinloss]

If you really wanna call yourself a biker, read One Man Caravan, by Robert Edison Fulton jr. Do what he did, and you got my respect.
Sorry. Just finished it. Cool guy, and a great read.

[Trailer Rails]

The SV650 is a sweet bike.

I have a DRZ400 right now and that is my most road worthy bike at the moment.

[jerman]

Personally, I really want a Triumph, either a Thruxton, a Speed 4 or a Speed Triple..

The Speed Triple is a cool looking bike.

[cMc]

The Speed Triple is a cool looking bike.

Oh yeah. The Speed 4 looks pretty much just like it, but it's a 600 cc 4 cyl instead of a 1050 cc triple. If I can find a nice Speed 4, that would probably be my preference, but they weren't as popular and only sold from 2002 - 2006.

[davkatreb]

Real bikes don't have motors. May this be the final word on the matter.

[BMAC]

Real bikes don't have motors. May this be the final word on the matter.
Your right Dav,they would have engines.

[adam12]

Harley Davidson Fat Boy.

[sommerfliesby]

I took that class last year at this time, and I bummed a friend's Ninja 250 for the summer to practice on. Great learning bike, I got comfortable pretty quickly. I began shopping for my dream bike, a Buell XB9 Lightning, found it, got financing for it, and was one day from going to pick it up when my wife slammed the door! What do they say about women changing their minds??!! I didn't really have a leg to stand on in the arguement...she lets me have pretty much any toy I want...so now I've got a Wrangler instead....with no doors or top it's as close to a cycle as I can get!

[mimbresman]

...so now I've got a Wrangler instead....with no doors or top it's as close to a cycle as I can get!

This time of year I dream of the open road in the USA. Sometimes I want a motorcycle but a Wrangler Rubicon would do just fine (or a Honda S2000...a completely different beast).

[plume_mtb]

I used to ride and race harescrambles. Never had a road bike...

[Marticus]

I've always wanted a Confederate Hellcat, but they're a bit steep (you don't even get in the door at COnfederate without $20K.) So I've been thinking lately that I'd really love the new HD Nightster -- it even comes in my color!

[cMc]

I've always wanted a Confederate Hellcat, but they're a bit steep (you don't even get in the door at COnfederate without $20K.) So I've been thinking lately that I'd really love the new HD Nightster -- it even comes in my color!

The Nightster is sick. I saw one on the road a couple days ago. B A D A S S.

[real_ss_budgie]

i did ride enduro bikes till i got the mtb bug..swapped a yammy xt 600 for a GT LTS FRAME..i did have a vespa 200 but its for sale so i can get my toned arse to kansas and drink kenneths beer....youre toast mate.

[Two Wheeler]

I've always wanted a Confederate Hellcat

Must be you didn't read the review of it that I just did, then.....

[Two Wheeler]

I've been riding since 1983, most of my miles on GoldWings.

Taking an MSF course is by far the smartest way to learn to ride, and an SV650 is a very nice bike. Don't get all hung up on the old "displacement = size of manly appendage" BS. A bike like the SV will do it all and do it well.

(And BTW a GW is only a Grandma bike if Grandma's riding it - I've surprised a few squids on mine...):p

[davkatreb]

Your right Dav,they would have engines.
Then that would make them "enginecycles", would it not?

[davkatreb]

the old "displacement = size of manly appendage" BS.
F*cking assclowns, the joke's on them. Any weakassed bitch can twist a throttle, and they know it.

And yeah, if I were even remotely interested in putting a motor between my legs (although it would pale in comparison to what's already there*) it would probably be a Gold Wing. Smooth, quiet, refined and reliable.

*My bicycle, perv.

[cMc]

F*cking assclowns, the joke's on them. Any weakassed bitch can twist a throttle, and they know it.

And yeah, if I were even remotely interested in putting a motor between my legs (although it would pale in comparison to what's already there*) it would probably be a Gold Wing. Smooth, quiet, refined and reliable.

*My bicycle, perv.

Do you ever get tired of being such a cranky old fart? ;)

[davkatreb]

Do you ever get tired of being such a cranky old fart? ;)
It's a full time job, let me tell you.

[real_ss_budgie]

It's a full time job, let me tell you.
youre sacked

[K-Man]

Yo throttle twisters, pay no attention to the haters. Let's see those scooters. Say it loud, say it proud: Eat my dust!

Here's a group shot taken at Elk River Tourning Center during a fall leaf-peeper run. I hear folks visit there to mountain bike too.;)

[HoodRN]

'92 Honda VFR 750f, 132,000mi. and counting...

[davkatreb]

your sack
My sack? What about it? Is it hanging out again? Thought it was a little drafty in here. Damned baggies.

[cMc]

Dave, nice title. ;)

[rockhound]

I am in the same spot as you! The Suzuki is probably a good choice, in that spirit I'd also look at the Yamaha FZ6.

I know a guy who is selling his V-Star and his Triumph to get a FZ6...it must be a nice bike.

[myron]

a moped when the friends aren't watching

[davkatreb]

Dave, nice title. ;)
Thanks, pardner. Yours ain't bad neither.

Hell, if I had a dollar for every beer I drank when that song was playing back in the day. I'd be riding titaniun with more Phil Wood and Chris King thanyou could shake a stick at.

'Course, they'd still be rigid singlespeeds.

[Askel]

Motorcycles suck. :D

Good idea on the MSF course. Don't get too hung up on getting a new bike right out of the gate. It would really suck to drop your brand new SV650 in a parking lot due to a novice mistake. Cheap dual sport bikes are good to learn on, and give you something to play in the dirt with once you buy that fancy street bike.

[davkatreb]

Motorcycles suck. :D

Good idea on the MSF course. Don't get too hung up on getting a new bike right out of the gate. It would really suck to drop your brand new SV650 in a parking lot due to a novice mistake. Cheap dual sport bikes are good to learn on, and give you something to play in the dirt with once you buy that fancy street bike.
True dat. I had a dual sport back when they called 'em Enduros. 1974 Yamaha DT 360. Couldn't bust it up no matter how hard I tried. I imagine the current crop of bikes is just as tough and tons more capable.

But that was long ago. Soon as I could afford a car the street-legal crap came off and the bike mostly kept to the woods.

Today, riding on two wheels is, to me, somewhere between meditation and therapy. Damned if I want some noisy, smoking, stinking, vibrating gas engine screwing things up. I spend more time driving than any man should. I bike to get as far away from that as I can.

But hey, whatever floats your boat.

[davkatreb]

Motorcycles suck. :D

Good idea on the MSF course. Don't get too hung up on getting a new bike right out of the gate. It would really suck to drop your brand new SV650 in a parking lot due to a novice mistake. Cheap dual sport bikes are good to learn on, and give you something to play in the dirt with once you buy that fancy street bike.
A Yooper! Welcome to the party, pal. :D

[S. cerevisiae]

A yooper, and his first post/pic doesn't have him holding a pastie? S'not right, ya'know?

Welcome to the fray. That post from Dave may be the last that he isn't bashing something you wrote, though. ;)

[real_ss_budgie]

mines the red n black chopper on kangaroo island
600cc of cod busting torque

its a hobby mate not an addiction...

[S. cerevisiae]

its a hobby mate not an addiction...

So...you could stop any time?

[davkatreb]

That post from Dave may be the last that he isn't bashing something you wrote, though. ;)
NOW who's trolling?:rolleyes:

[Askel]

A yooper, and his first post/pic doesn't have him holding a pastie? S'not right, ya'know?

Welcome to the fray. That post from Dave may be the last that he isn't bashing something you wrote, though. ;)

Technically, I'm not a yooper. I wasn't born here. Although more liberal interpretations of the policy allow me to obtain yooper status after 21 years of continuous residency. I still have about 10 to go.

Dave might not be so cranky if he'd replace some of his driving with riding a motorcycle. :D

And pasties? Well, you asked.

[davkatreb]

Technically, I'm not a yooper. I wasn't born here. Although more liberal interpretations of the policy allow me to obtain yooper status after 21 years of continuous residency. I still have about 10 to go.

Dave might not be so cranky if he'd replace some of his driving with riding a motorcycle. :D

And pasties? Well, you asked.
Wish it were that simple. I'm a commercial electrician by trade, and my company works throughout a pretty large area.

I'm currently assigned to a job 90 miles from the house. I must travel on the Interstate 'mongst some of the most aggressive, distracted and clueless drivers on the Eastern Seaboard. It's a tooth and nail battle for survival in a CAR, for God's sake. No way I'm going to face that mob at 80 m.p.h. on something that affords me no more protection than a bicycle. My family needs me in one piece.

And I hear ya on the Yooper thing. I have lived in this little Western Maryland town for 26 years, 14 of them in the house which own with my beloved wife, The Beautiful Miss Kathy . Our daughter is a junior at the local high school. This town is the only home she has ever known. Still, I am treated as an outsider.

Cool pasties, btw. Can you make 'em spin in different directions?

[real_ss_budgie]

So...you could stop any time?
anytime...........

[myron]

Motorcycles suck. :D

Good idea on the MSF course. Don't get too hung up on getting a new bike right out of the gate. It would really suck to drop your brand new SV650 in a parking lot due to a novice mistake. Cheap dual sport bikes are good to learn on, and give you something to play in the dirt with once you buy that fancy street bike.

.............................

[AM Radio]

Wish it were that simple. I'm a commercial electrician by trade, and my company works throughout a pretty large area.

I'm currently assigned to a job 90 miles from the house. I must travel on the Interstate 'mongst some of the most aggressive, distracted and clueless drivers on the Eastern Seaboard. It's a tooth and nail battle for survival in a CAR, for God's sake. No way I'm going to face that mob at 80 m.p.h. on something that affords me no more protection than a bicycle. My family needs me in one piece.

And I hear ya on the Yooper thing. I have lived in this little Western Maryland town for 26 years, 14 of them in the house which own with my beloved wife, The Beautiful Miss Kathy . Our daughter is a junior at the local high school. This town is the only home she has ever known. Still, I am treated as an outsider.

Cool pasties, btw. Can you make 'em spin in different directions?
Dave,
I hate to pry into you personal life but, are you a commercial electrician by trade? I have a freind that is, and emotes the exact same as you.
Weird.

[davkatreb]

Dave,
I hate to pry into you personal life but, are you a commercial electrician by trade? I have a freind that is, and emotes the exact same as you.
Weird.
It's cool, pry all you want. Yep, that's what I do for a living, and I love it.

"Emote", did he? I hear there's a lot of that going around.

[Two Wheeler]

it would probably be a Gold Wing. Smooth, quiet, refined and reliable.

Smooth? Check. Quiet? Check. Refined? Check.

Reliable??? Now THERE'S an understatement - I know a guy who put 587,000 miles on his '93SE ....and never put anything more into it than maintenance and "wear" parts....:eek:

Like I said - it's also great fun to lead someone with a preconcieved notion of what a GW can do through a set of twisties. On at least two occasions I've had people tell me "I had no idea you could do that on one of those"! (Two up, no less!)

[davkatreb]

Smooth? Check. Quiet? Check. Refined? Check.

Reliable??? Now THERE'S an understatement - I know a guy who put 587,000 miles on his '93SE ....and never put anything more into it than maintenance and "wear" parts....:eek:

Like I said - it's also great fun to lead someone with a preconcieved notion of what a GW can do through a set of twisties. On at least two occasions I've had people tell me "I had no idea you could do that on one of those"! (Two up, no less!)
Well many years ago when I was young, dumb and, well, you know, I fancied a chopped Sportster with loud pipes.

Now I am 55 and have done about everything. I ain't got a f*cking thing to prove.Like I said, I ain't much on motorsickles these days, but a Gold Wing, my beloved wife, The Beautiful Miss Kathy, and all the time in the worls to expore all the places we never even had time to think about when we were starting out? That, I could get used to.

[robmdem]

Hmmmmm maybe a trailer to haul my bicycle on behind my VS800. I could ride to the trails, be a lot cheaper than driving my old truck with my bike in the back.

[K-Man]

Hmmmmm maybe a trailer to haul my bicycle on behind my VS800. I could ride to the trails, be a lot cheaper than driving my old truck with my bike in the back.

Or just get creative, like Cheever did (I've been meaning to try this myself):

[jerman]

Did he just make that himself? Or is that a rack you can buy?

[K-Man]

Some sort of homebrew, as far as I know. He sent in the pic and we ran it in the Rag years ago. Don't know any other info.

[Marticus]

I saw a rack similar to that a few years ago in Philly at the Belmont Plateau race. I'm not sure if it was homemade or not because I never got a close look at it, but I imagine there isn't really a big enough market to support production of those. And, I suppose, some people would think that having something like that on an open vehicle like a bike is unsafe.