As most people know, I started a new job last month that I’m really enjoying. There is only one drawback - it is 45 miles away, and with today’s gas prices, that really adds up. I’ve adjusted my driving habits to compensate as much as I can, my average gas mileage per tank has gone from around 22mpg to around 28mpg. That’s fairly significant. However, even with that, it still adds up to $68/wk in gas, just for my commute. So I started thinking - and started reading - and what I’ve started researching, is this:
Yup - a motorcycle. I’m still in the research stage, and it is not something I’ve decided definitively on yet, but it is under serious consideration. Triana has even tentatively ok’d it. The first step, is to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider Course (BRC). MSF BRC
After the course (which waives the practical test for the Utah motorcycle endorsement, I’d only need to take the written), I’d then really decide if I wanted to proceed, based on how the course went, and how I felt on a bike. You see, I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before, aside from the back of my uncle Rick’s. If I felt good and decided to go ahead with it, I’d then have to decide on a bike.
There are several that I’m considering, and they all have good and bad points. The one pictured above is the Kawasaki Ninja 250r. It is considered the end-all-be-all of beginner bikes. It is light, easy to handle, not too powerful, and supposedly quite fun to ride. However, it is often said that it may not be as good for freeway riding since it has so little power - there isn’t much juice if you need to power away from something. Along with the Kawasaki is the Hyosung GT250R - a very similar bike, just Korean made. I’d go with the Ninja given the choice though.
The next on my list would be the Kawasaki Ninja 650r (or the Suzuki SV650, very similar bikes). Their engines are a good bit more powerful than the little 250’s, but they are still decent beginner bikes, and will serve me better on the freeway, and likely last longer. They look very similar to the bike above. The bikes I’ve mentioned so far are considered “sportbikes” - in the same spirit as a “sportscar”. They are decently fast (most motorcylces will out-accelerate most cars), but not quite “race replicas”, so they aren’t as twitchy, tempermental, or difficult to handle as the faster bikes.
“Supersports,” however, are much faster, much more responsive, and far less forgiving to a newbie like me. They are the bikes that you see at the 600cc and 1000cc levels (and the occasional 750cc and 1300/1400cc level). Yes, the 600cc looks smaller than the 650cc I mentioned above, but the 650s above are either a V-twin or a parallel twin motor, generally carburated, while the 600cc supersports are usually fuel-injected inline 4-cylinder bikes. They are FAST - they are aggressive, and they do whatever you tell them to do instantly, whether you meant it or not. I am not likely to get a 600cc “SS” any time soon, and I’m likely to never get a liter+ bike. If I did get a supersport eventually, I really like the Yamaha R6S.
Now, along with the bike, are some other very important items - gear. I will not ride without full protective gear. Period. That includes the obvious helmet (despite the lack of a helmet law in Utah - dumb), as well as full armored leathers. Armored. That means kevlar inserts and lots of padding to protect me in the event that I put the bike down, or some cager (the biker term for a car) decides to be an idiot. I’ve pretty much picked out and tried on what I want to get, even.
Scorpion EXO 700 Street helmet:
Cortech by Tourmaster Impulse II Leather Armored Jacket:
Tourmaster Apex Air Leather Sport Pants:
Cortech Adrenaline Gauntlets:
Sidi Sport Boots:
That is about as protected as you can get. The leather protects against road-rash, and the armor tries to keep my joints and delicate areas intact. The trick though, is to not crash, but to always be prepared anyways, by wearing all the gear all the time (ATGATT).
I’ve been reading safety tips, advice, instructional sites, everything I can get my hands on to learn as much about the risks and how to avoid them as I can. I have a wife, and a toddler son, both of whom I love to death, and I would not want to leave them, or burden them with what could happen on a bike. However, statistically speaking, bikes are not much more dangerous, or deadly than cars. It’s all about constantly being on the defensive, constantly looking around, watching for road conditions, always have the mindset that you are invisible to the cagers (meaning that they won’t notice you, and will likely run you over/down cause they “didn’t see” you), and always be looking for an escape route.
The other thing that has prompted this is similar to the first. I love to drive. I love to take my car and drive it - anywhere. In the mountains, up a canyon, whatever. I can’t now. It’s too expensive to drive the car everywhere. But a bike - a bike gets 55mpg+ (some get over 70!). They are much cheaper to run. And they can be fun.
Some of you are probably thinking, “just get a scooter, they’re safer.” Actually, that’s wrong. They are more dangerous than a motorcycle, especially at high speeds. Their wheels are so small, that they are very unstable. They are smaller, so more likely to be “not seen” by a cager and run over. You sit lower on them (and they are smaller) so you can’t see as well, either. Scooter riders rarely wear the proper safety gear - rarely even an open faced helmet (stupid), let along a full face one, and almost never any protective apparel. They can barely go highway speeds, and can’t accelerate enough to get away from a bad situation. Their brakes are underpowered. They don’t handle as well as a bike, so you can’t swerve to avoid a problem as easily. They are cheap though, but my life is worth more than the money I’d save buying a scooter. There really isn’t an upside to them besides price (unless you live in Italy and drive little tiny streets at 25mph tops). Plus, no guy can ride a scooter and not look gay. Sorry, it’s true. I don’t care if it’s a vespa. If you’re buying a vespa, though, you can afford a motorcycle that is more powerful, better handling, more stable, has better brakes, and looks a lot freaking cooler. ’nuff said.
And remember:
