Things to know before buying a motorcycle

[Hussein Baghdadi]

And what are top brands? what do you think about BMW motorcycles?

[R K Singh]

I thought in US Harley Davidson rules motorcycle market ..

[Joe Ess]

John Todd wrote:what are top brands?

Is your Google broke?

Top brands in 2003 [in the US], the latest available market-share data, according to the MIC:
Honda, 27.4%
Harley-Davidson, 23.7%
Yamaha, 17.4%
Suzuki, 10.8%
Kawasaki, 8.7%
source

Probably the most basic thing to know is how to ride.
What kind of riding do you want to do? Dirt bike? Sportbike? Cruiser?

[Sumit Patil]

The first thing to know is your budget.

[Vikas Kapoor]

Joe Ess wrote:source

Does it work for anyone?

[Henry Wong]

Many many years ago, I had my eye on a semi-naked Ducati. It looked really nice. Unfortunately, after I got my license, I kinda lost interest and moved onto something else... haven't rode since...

Henry

[Ankit Garg]

Do you want a cruiser bike or a sports bike??



I would personally recommend this bike

[Pat Farrell]

Motorcycles are drugs, they cost money, and you will spend more than you think. At one time, I had 13 motorcycles in my basement.

As others have said, what is your budget? What kind of riding do you want to do?

There are still a few "standard" bikes, but most of the market has split into "cruisers" and "sportsbikes"

Modern sportsbikes are insanely fast. They go fast, accelerate harder than any car, and go around corners at high speed.

Crusiers look cool. And they are usually more comfortable than sports bikes.

Harley's start at about the cost of a decent new car. Then they get expensive. No Harley rider would be seen in public with a stock bike, you have to add things, bags, lights, chrome, sissy bars, paint, etc.

Sports bikes look like they belong on a racetrack. And a racetrack is the only place where you can come close to using all their performance.

A 600 cc sportbike (i.e. Honda Hurricane etc.) is faster than a 750cc of just a decade ago, and faster than an unlimited bike of two decades ago.

[Bear Bibeault]

You have to ask yourself what you want to get out of a bike.

This last time around, I decided I wanted a bike that actually started in the morning. So after three Harleys, I switched to a Yamaha and I love it.

[Pat Farrell]

Bear Bibeault wrote:This last time around, I decided I wanted a bike that actually started in the morning. So after three Harleys, I switched to a Yamaha and I love it.

I thought Harley actually had engineers and made their bikes work? Back when I was buying my first bikes, no one would touch a Harley, as they were trash (google AMF Harley). Sometime in the late 80s, early 90s, Harley seriously improved their design and quality.

But the only Harley that I have ever lusted after was the XR750.

Most of my bikes were Yamaha's. I'm not sure that there is that much difference between the big Japanese four.

I currently own a scooter store, and can tell for sure that you do not want any of the bikes (scooters, motorcycles, etc.) made in mainland China. Perhaps they will improve over time, but stay away for now.

[Nitin Nigam]

Some people are fond of the sound bikes make.

Youtube

May be this video can help you decide.

[Sumit Patil]

[Pat Farrell]

Do they *still* make the V-Max? Wow. When it came out, early 80s? it was as pure of a drag bike as they could put on the street. Wicked quick through the quarter mile.

Could not turn or stop, but who cares?

[Sumit Patil]

Pat Farrell wrote:Do they *still* make the V-Max? Wow. When it came out, early 80s? it was as pure of a drag bike as they could put on the street. Wicked quick through the quarter mile.

Could not turn or stop, but who cares?

This bike is recently launched in India, so did not knew about it earlier.....
It's 1670CC bike with a top speed of 310 km/hr.....too much for Indian roads...and price tag of 20 lacs INR.

[Nitin Nigam]

[quote=Sumit Patil
This bike is recently launched in India, so did not knew about it earlier.....
It's 1670CC bike with a top speed of 310 km/hr.....too much for Indian roads...and price tag of 20 lacs INR.

20 lacs = 2 million Indian rupees = appproximatly USD40000

[R K Singh]

Nitin Nigam wrote:[quote=Sumit Patil
This bike is recently launched in India, so did not knew about it earlier.....
It's 1670CC bike with a top speed of 310 km/hr.....too much for Indian roads...and price tag of 20 lacs INR.

20 lacs = 2 million Indian rupees = appproximatly USD40000

My dream bike is Harley Davidson, may be because of the hype around it in India.

But now after knowing the price, I think my dream will always remain dream ..

[Bear Bibeault]

Pat Farrell wrote:I thought Harley actually had engineers and made their bikes work?

Each of my Harleys was better than the previous, but even the most recent (1995 FXD) wasn't exactly what I would term "dependable".

[Pat Farrell]

Nitin Nigam wrote:It's 1670CC bike with a top speed of 310 km/hr.....too much for Indian roads...and price tag of 20 lacs INR. (appproximatly USD $40,000)

That bike was never about top speed, it was about acceleration. 1/4 mile in the US, don't know what they call it in SI units.

I've fallen off a bike at 130MPH, I really do not recommend it, and that was on a sanctioned racetrack, with me in full protective gear.

Any bike bigger than 100 cc or so will go faster than you need to go on the roads anywhere. 600 CC bikes will do 200 km/h trivially, many will do more like 250km/h

I would expect that for the crowded roads that I hear are typical in India, you would really want a smaller bike that is more maneuverable and gets better ratings in the km/liter of petrol

[Bert Bates]

One thing to know is that professional riders climb into another animal's dead skin before racing

[Pat Farrell]

Bert Bates wrote:One thing to know is that professional riders climb into another animal's dead skin before racing

And if I had not been wearing one, I would not be writing now. I slid a long way down the track. A really, really long way.

[Arvind Mahendra]

Bear Bibeault wrote:You have to ask yourself what you want to get out of a bike.

This last time around, I decided I wanted a bike that actually started in the morning. So after three Harleys, I switched to a Yamaha and I love it.

Thats a nice bike Mr. Bear. Why are you wearing gumboots?
"You have to ask yourself what you want to get out of a bike."
Mostly sex. What kind of bike would give me the biggest bang for my buck?
Thanks.
ps: Are you affiliated to any biker gangs? I have seen this in movies how all these tattooed outlaw types travel in groups and then hurt people they meet at rest stops. Have you ever done this kind of activity?

[Pat Farrell]

Arvind Mahendra wrote: Are you affiliated to any biker gangs? I have seen this in movies how all these tattooed outlaw types travel in groups and then hurt people they meet at rest stops.

I'm not Bear, so I can't speak for him.

But you do understand that movies are fiction, right? That what they show doesn't happen, right?

Harley's are so expensive that most of the folks who ride them are Lawyers or accountants. Each year, they go to Daytona for bike week. They all stop getting haircuts a month before hand, and stop shaving wed or thursday before they leave. They put on their special "Daytona bike week" costumes and look like they are bad asses.

Same thing with Sturges in the Dakotas.

[Arvind Mahendra]

Pat Farrell wrote:

Arvind Mahendra wrote: Are you affiliated to any biker gangs? I have seen this in movies how all these tattooed outlaw types travel in groups and then hurt people they meet at rest stops.

I'm not Bear, so I can't speak for him.

But you do understand that movies are fiction, right? That what they show doesn't happen, right?

Harley's are so expensive that most of the folks who ride them are Lawyers or accountants. Each year, they go to Daytona for bike week. They all stop getting haircuts a month before hand, and stop shaving wed or thursday before they leave. They put on their special "Daytona bike week" costumes and look like they are bad asses.

Same thing with Sturges in the Dakotas.

But I've SEEN bikers traveling in groups in the US and they were wearing clothing just like Bear. Sure they may have been a tad obese(ok ALOT obese) and much older but with the amount of noise pollution these hooligans were creating was enough evidence for me to believe they were up to no good. Bear is neither a lawyer nor an accountant, yet he has Harleys so I have reason to be suspicious?

[Pat Farrell]

Arvind Mahendra wrote:But I've SEEN bikers traveling in groups in the US and they were wearing clothing just like Bear. Sure they may have been a tad obese(ok ALOT obese) and much older but with the amount of noise pollution these hooligans were creating was enough evidence for me to believe they were up to no good. Bear is neither a lawyer nor an accountant, yet he has Harleys so I have reason to be suspicious?

Its the costume. They all wear it. They are not obese for Harley riders.

Removing the mufflers is the first customization that most Harley riders do, some times even before they take delivery. It is obnoxious noise pollution, and does not improve power or torque. Its all about style. Actually nearly everything about a Harley is about style. Except for my lust object XR750.

It is possible that a few drug dealers ride Harleys, they would have the money to buy them. But seriously, most of they are professionals, not crooks.

Note: the classic fictional bad guy biker was Marlon Brando in "The Wild Ones" but he didn't even ride a Harley, he rode a Triumph.

[Eric Pascarello]

When I read the title of this thread all I could think was: "Do you look good in leather?"

Eric

[Pat Farrell]

Eric Pascarello wrote: "Do you look good in leather?"

and if you are skinny and have good to great hair, the answer is yes.

[Bear Bibeault]

Arvind Mahendra wrote:Thats a nice bike Mr. Bear.

Thank you.

Why are you wearing gumboots?

I'm not. They're classic engineer boots. Hot pipes == burnt legs. I can't believe the number of people I see riding in sneakers. I want a good sturdy sole between me and the ground, and thick leather between me and hot pipes.

"You have to ask yourself what you want to get out of a bike."
Mostly sex. What kind of bike would give me the biggest bang for my buck?

I never have sex with my bike, so I couldn't tell you.

Are you affiliated to any biker gangs?

When I'm not writing code or books, I maraud around town looking for trouble. Usually involving gummi bears.

I have seen this in movies how all these tattooed outlaw types

I don't have any tattoos yet. Maybe I should get The Moose tattooed to the back of my head.

Have you ever done this kind of activity?

Lots of people hate gummi bears.

[Bear Bibeault]

Pat Farrell wrote:

Eric Pascarello wrote: "Do you look good in leather?"

and if you are skinny and have good to great hair, the answer is yes.

I beg to differ. I'm far from skinny, have no hair whatsoever, and look great in leather!

[Michael Matola]

Bear Bibeault wrote:Maybe I should get The Moose tattooed to the back of my head.

But what about the fly? You want a fly buzzing around all the time?

If you're looking to ink the dome, I say you should go with your other hobby -- laundry.

http://www.textileaffairs.com/c-common.htm

How about the symbols for Hand Wash and Dry In Shade and Do Not Wring. Quite the conversation starter.

(Too bad there's no symbol Use Shaver To Remove Fuzz.)

[Pat Farrell]

Bear Bibeault wrote:Maybe I should get The Moose tattooed to the back of my head.

I assume you are smart enough to never ride without a helmet, which means no one could see the moose.

Even riding a bicycle without a helmet is too risky for my tastes. I had one of the first Bell Star helmets in the state back when they first came out. Then I moved up to the later models that you could actually see out of.

[Bear Bibeault]

Pat Farrell wrote:

Bear Bibeault wrote:Maybe I should get The Moose tattooed to the back of my head.

I assume you are smart enough to never ride without a helmet, which means no one could see the moose.

Absolutely. I am never on the bike without helmet, boots and gloves at a minimum.

And yes, Texas is a common-sense-optional state.

[Bear Bibeault]

Michael Matola wrote:If you're looking to ink the dome, I say you should go with your other hobby -- laundry.

Anything to make biking seem more like chores!

Or what about cooking? I could get a Betty Crocker tattoo!

[Pat Farrell]

Bear Bibeault wrote:And yes, Texas is a common-sense-optional state.

just to be clear to the others on this thread, I hate the nanny state law that tells morons to wear a helmet. If they are that dumb, let 'em kill them selves and improve the gene pool.

But I never move the bike under power without a helmet on my brain. There are just too many idiots in cars and trucks drinking, chatting on their cell phones, putting on makeup or texting.

[Jesper de Jong]

Here's one thing to know before buying a motorcycle...

Don't drink and drive over one of our moderators...

[Monu Tripathi]

Bear Bibeault wrote:Absolutely. I am never on the bike without helmet, boots and gloves at a minimum...

Apart from the safety that they provide, I think they also look kind of cool. Take a look at the picture in Bear's profile!

@ Jesper: thanks for bringing that up; for everyones safety!

[Pushkar Choudhary]

Jesper Young wrote:
Don't drink and drive over one of our moderators...

or anyone for that matter..!!

[Michael Matola]

Bear Bibeault wrote:
Or what about cooking? I could get a Betty Crocker tattoo!

You could go whole hog and get the, um, whole hog:

[Ankit Garg]

Can you do wheele or stoppie on a cruiser bike?? Bear's bike looks too heavy to do something like that, especially with him on it (no offense, this is just a joke). Stoppie can be fun if you do it like this

R K Singh wrote:But now after knowing the price, I think my dream will always remain dream ..

We can buy a harley in partnership, what do ya say

[Pat Farrell]

Nearly all bikes can do wheelies, but perhaps not the grossly overweight cruisers or touring bikes. stoppie's are nearly impossible, and that photo is clearly photoshopped. Well, more precisely, with good traction, a stoppie is possible, and getting the read wheel light it typical in road racing. But controlling the bike with one wheel off the ground and the other stopped is another story. Even under road racing breaking into a corner, it gets very weird and unstable.

[ankur rathi]

Ankit Garg wrote:Can you do wheele or stoppie on a cruiser bike?? Bear's bike looks too heavy to do something like that, especially with him on it (no offense, this is just a joke). Stoppie can be fun if you do it like this

R K Singh wrote:But now after knowing the price, I think my dream will always remain dream ..

We can buy a harley in partnership, what do ya say

This image I have it in my orkut profile.