JohnnyV

Wow i didn't realize i killed the thread

after a hard battle with money BS, i probably wont have a bike this summer either, but you can bet all your asses that i will NEXT summer

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JackalUK

That sucks, best of luck to you.

Iluvpowerchords

Oh hey. I got a little 250 Ninja since my last post in here.

Riding it is a joy but I'm not fond of all the plastic. It makes simple maintenance stuff a real burden. It looks pretty good though. It's one of the 250s from before Kawasaki updated the body in '08.

So even though it is from '02 it looks like it came right outta the 80's.

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JackalUK

Cool, you got any pics?

therealtony

I've got a '00 RC51.

JackalUK

That a picture of you or just a similar bike?

therealtony

That's me

Hakael

Started thinking about getting myself one for next summer. Will probably end up being a used 250 of some type or another. Digging around the interwebz so I have an idea on what I'm gonna save up for, but for those experienced here, what's a good starter bike in your opinion?

To compare to, ones I've been looking at is the Yamaha V Star or Honda Rebel.

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Iluvpowerchords

If I had to do it again, I'd prolly get a Buell Blast.

Harley shut Buell down recently but you could prolly get a good deal on a blast on Craigslist.

My little Ninja is excellent though. And very polite. I used to give that thing so much bad input but it's so forgiving that I never found myself in any trouble.

Rebels are cute and decent and so are the Viragos and if you're into cruisers then they're essentially your only option for buying new but Japan has produced lots of amiable, small standard bikes over the years that I like more.

If you've got a year, you've got plenty of time to think about what kind of stuff you'd like in a bike.

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Dirk Gently

If you're into cruisers, and you've taken the Beginner Rider Course, I don't see why you couldn't handle a 650cc bike. As far as what's best, all the Japanese manufacturers put out a similar quality product, so it's what fits you best.

I'm in my 2nd year of riding; I have a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 650R, which was my first bike as well.

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JackalUK

I picked up my bike today!

[LARGE IMAGE WARNING]

http://oxidised.net/pics/bike1.png
http://oxidised.net/pics/bike2.png

A much different experience from my trusty 125cc

I have fallen in love with a machine

I.O.T.M

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a bike that's cheap to buy, maintain and insure. This will be my first bike so I was thinking maybe I should get a Honda CG 125 as they have good reviews as beginner bikes. All of the laws confuse me though, what test would I need to take to get a 125cc bike, would a CBT cover it? Thanks in advance.

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Blayney

I don't have a bike or ride, but I like and respect them.

My mate has a VTR-1000, pretty nice bike.

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JackalUK

For a 125 you first need a provisional license

Then you need to book and take a CBT test which allows you to ride on the road with L plates. You can't go on motorways or carry pillion passengers whilst on L plates. The CBT lasts for 2 years and you have to retake if you havn't got a full license in that time.

CBT test - Easy enough to pass, 2 days of training on basic handling, turning, stopping, emergency stop, figure 8, gear usage. 1st day is off road, 2nd day is off road.

If you are looking to get a full license you have to pass your theory test first and then you can put in for your practical tests.

Module 1 - Off road

This is basically an extension of your CBT and will feature things like manual handling, figure 8, turn in the road, emergency stop, slalom and the infamous high speed dodge.

Module 2 - You will first be asked some basic matenaince questions and safety checks followed by 30-45 minutes of examiner following on road riding, you will be asked to follow directions and stop at the side of the road a few times.

JackalUK

Been some time since anyone posted here but anyway

Thinking about swapping the stock exhaust with another, is it simply a case of unbolting the old one and sliding the new one on or is it a little more complex than that?

Slip on muffler, not the whole thing.

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Iluvpowerchords

You prolly gotta re-jet yer carburetors if yer gonna play around with the exhaust.

You'll prolly need to jet up a size or so.

And the addition of new air filters will help too.

You gotta plug chop!

Really. I did this for my moped and it was kind of a hassle (kinda worth it too, though) and that was with an easily accessible carby.

If you gotta sport bike you'll prolly have to take most of the body apart just to get to the carbs.

You gotta decide if it's worth all the effort.

Personally, I prolly wouldn't on a proper motorcycle. But my puch really needed it to function.

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brndnstffrd

How is this for a naked bike?

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JackalUK

Interesting, certainly not to my taste however.

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Adisturbedone

All right, So I've read a lot of posts and done some research on this, and found out that this is generally not a good idea. But it's probably all I've got and I can't afford a different bike. So I got my permit a few months ago, and I started the motorcycle safety course yesterday and passed the written test today. The actual riding part of this course is this Saturday and Sunday morning. I'm a big guy, 6' 2" and about 315 pounds (lost 35 pounds from last summer!) and I'm probably gonna get stuck on a 250cc bike for the course, don't how that's gonna go, but o well.

Anyway, my dad has like 5 bikes. Every single one of them except for one are old English bikes (they still have kick starts) but all of the controls are switched. So the throttle and the brakes are on the left side, and the clutch and gear shift levers are on the right. I'm not sure what size engines they are, but it doesn't really seem to practical for me to ride these bikes for a while and develop muscle memory on them, but later on when I get a newer bike I'll basically have to relearn everything over again because of the controls being on the opposite side, I'd be used to the old English bikes opposite side controls.

But the one motorcycle that my dad has that does have the controls on the normal side as is kinda newish has a 1500cc engine. It's a 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan Classic, and he's planning on helping me learn how to ride it after I pass the MSF course. It will just be around the neighborhood for the first days. A couple other people in my family is telling my dad not to let me ride it yet, but he's convinced I'll be fine. His reasoning is that it's a heavy bike. The dry weight of it is 644 lbs. And as I've said, I'm about 315. Add a full tank of gas on that's and we're getting close to 1000 lbs. And apparently that's a lot of weight even for a 1500cc engine. My dad said with him on it, it's top speed is about 100 mph. So I'm guessing with me on it, being more than twice his weight, it'll barely be able to hit 80.

So basically my dad thinks since the bike will be so heavy, I should be fine on it. What do you guys think about it? Is it a good idea or bad idea for me to start on a 1500cc bike so early? I'm not gonna be a jack ass driver either, I don't have any plans to die any time soon. The bikes a cruiser by the way.