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The Motorcycle Enthusiast Thread

WindUpBirdWindUpBird
edited April 2011 in Everything Else
We've got one for cars, and I know I'm not the only one with serious bike lust on these boards. Figured I'd start a thread about it. A lot of you guys know more about cars than I do, but motorcycles have always been my leading obsession anyway. I've been hooked on bikes ever since my one of my uncles took me for a ride at age five and my dad and another uncle took me to The Art of the Motorcycle around the same time. It was love at first sight. I have a preference for the old school European cafe racers: big air-cooled sons of bitches with all the fairing stripped off, German-style tire guards, and suspensions that look like they could do battlefield duty. My summer project this year is a rebuild of my dad's old Harley Davidson X-90, a nifty little minibike with a two-stroke and design by Aermacchi, as well as street legalization (she needs a set of flashers, a mirror, rear lights, and some extra dials). I'm figuring out how to get my class M around the same time.

I found my dream bike online today, at a relatively decent price. It's a BMW R65, a late-seventies decedent of the BMW Motorrad bikes the German army employed. It has a driveshaft in lieu of a chain and sprocket drive, and is renowned for the ease of maintenance. You can pull the bike over and rebuild the engine on the roadside if you needed to. All the fairing has been stripped save those badass tire guards. It's beautiful goddamn machine, and I'd like to buy it if I get the chance.

So how about you guys? What do you ride? Dream bikes? Projects? Let's hear it.

Comments

  • WalkerWalker
    edited April 2011
    I am a motorcycle enthusiast enthusiast. I locate, study, and collect motorcycle enthusiasts. I have quite a collection of them in my closet; from massive Harley owners to stringy crotch-rocket douchebags, and even a couple of foppish Vespa riders. The crown jewel of my collection is the entirety of the Hell Hogs; a regionally infamous biker gang from South Carolina. My gargantuan glue trap worked flawlessly; they rode right into it and could not escape. Even when they finally decided to jump from the bikes and continue on foot, they simply fell in the glue and stayed there until I peeled them off the pavement with a comically large spatula stuck on a cherry picker. Now they live in very big jars with holes in the top, a big stick and some leaves at the bottom.

    Suffice it to say, this thread is relevant to my interests.
    Post edited by Walker on
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    I rode a Honda CBR600RR once. I'd never ridden before and managed to lift the front wheel off the ground just trying to set off. I was quite done after that. Then a while later I got to ride around my friend's yard on a 50cc pit bike, which was a lot more fun.
  • AprecheApreche
    I rode minibikes many times at summer camp, so I'm pretty confident I can ride a motorcycle after some basic training. I've always wanted to go take the classes and get the license, but it's all been shit-talking. If my life every quiets down a bit, it is pretty close to the top of the list of things to do.
  • AndrewAndrew
    There are two types of motorcyclists, those who've put their bike down and those who will.
  • RuffasRuffas
    There are two types of motorcyclists, those who've put their bike down and those who will.
    And perhaps a third: those who will again.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    And perhaps a third: those who will again.
    There is nothing in the definition of the second group that implies it can only happen once. :P
  • SailSail
    There are two types of motorcyclists, those who've put their bike down and those who will.
    I was going to say exactly this.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    There are two types of motorcyclists, those who've put their bike down and those who will.
    I was going to say exactly this.
    I won't argue it. Car drivers are notorious for not seeing motorcycles, and wet pavement will fuck a cyclist's day right up. One my aforementioned uncles still has some lingering road rash scars.

    Kevlar and composites were the greatest gift cyclists were ever given.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    edited April 2011
    I'm terrified of riding on the road with cars, but at the same time I'm really tempted by the new Honda CBR 250.
    Post edited by George Patches on
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    The price is definitely right, and it's not too often that you see a bike with ABS under $5k.
  • ChurbaChurba
    edited April 2011
    I'm terrified of riding on the road with cars, but at the same time I'm really tempted by the new Honda CBR 250.
    Do it. At the start, you're super paranoid, and that keeps you safe. Later on, you're still super paranoid, but it kinda fades into a background murmur akin to a seventh sense. And it doesn't go away when you're driving a car, it's like using the fucking force, you almost just KNOW shit is there.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • Originalme8Originalme8
    edited April 2011
    Do it. At the start, you're super paranoid, and that keeps you safe. Later on, you're still super paranoid, but it kinda fades into a background murmur akin to a seventh sense. And it doesn't go away when you're driving a car, it's like using the fucking force, you almost just KNOW shit is there.
    Until the day you get hit by a car...or turn a corner to find gravel....or get hit with a soda can that some prick through out his window. (Looking at you whoever you are from a couple months ago on Herndon!)
    Post edited by Originalme8 on
  • Originalme8Originalme8
    Do it. At the start, you're super paranoid, and that keeps you safe. Later on, you're still super paranoid, but it kinda fades into a background murmur akin to a seventh sense. And it doesn't go away when you're driving a car, it's like using the fucking force, you almost just KNOW shit is there.
    Until the day you get hit by a car...or turn a corner to find gravel....or get hit with a soda can that some prick through out his window. (Looking at you whoever you are from a couple months ago on Herndon!)
  • Originalme8Originalme8
    Do it. At the start, you're super paranoid, and that keeps you safe. Later on, you're still super paranoid, but it kinda fades into a background murmur akin to a seventh sense. And it doesn't go away when you're driving a car, it's like using the fucking force, you almost just KNOW shit is there.
    Until the day you get hit by a car...or turn a corner to find gravel....or get hit with a soda can that some prick through out his window. (Looking at you whoever you are from a couple months ago on Herndon!)
  • Originalme8Originalme8
    Do it. At the start, you're super paranoid, and that keeps you safe. Later on, you're still super paranoid, but it kinda fades into a background murmur akin to a seventh sense. And it doesn't go away when you're driving a car, it's like using the fucking force, you almost just KNOW shit is there.
    Until the day you get hit by a car...or turn a corner to find gravel....or get hit with a soda can that some prick through out his window. (Looking at you whoever you are from a couple months ago on Herndon!)
  • Originalme8Originalme8
    Do it. At the start, you're super paranoid, and that keeps you safe. Later on, you're still super paranoid, but it kinda fades into a background murmur akin to a seventh sense. And it doesn't go away when you're driving a car, it's like using the fucking force, you almost just KNOW shit is there.
    Until the day you get hit by a car...or turn a corner to find gravel....or get hit with a soda can that some prick through out his window. (Looking at you whoever you are from a couple months ago on Herndon!)
  • Originalme8Originalme8
    Wow...that got out of hand...sorry about that guys. Really don't know how all those damn posts got generated.
  • AprecheApreche
    Wow...that got out of hand...sorry about that guys. Really don't know how all those damn posts got generated.
    Make sure you push the preview button, not the submit button.
  • MosquitoboyMosquitoboy
    I have been obsessed with getting a Vespa (or other scooters) since I have been in high school. I have faced two problems, the first is the easiest to get over...

    Money. I am 23, have an apartment, and have really spent money on nothing over the last year unsure if I would need a down payment on a car, so money is done.
    Fear/Skill. However my second problem is very daunting. When I was in 3rd grade I got to have that beautiful moment when your father lets go of the bike and you are riding by yourself. Yeah, I immediately shattered the largest bone in my body. 5 months later and a lot of re-learning how to walk I finally recovered, but have not been on a bike since.
    Can I just start riding a Vespa with no real bike experience? Should I go buy a bike for like a month for practice? (Seems like a waste of money) I can ride certain scooters without a motorcycle license in my state, but I may end up taking classes to get my license anyway if only for the practice.

    I am so scared of riding it, but I want it more then anything else. It's so conflicting.
  • AprecheApreche
    Can I just start riding a Vespa with no real bike experience? Should I go buy a bike for like a month for practice? (Seems like a waste of money) I can ride certain scooters without a motorcycle license in my state, but I may end up taking classes to get my license anyway if only for the practice.

    I am so scared of riding it, but I want it more then anything else. It's so conflicting.
    Come to New York City. You'll see old geezer ladies riding bicycles and Vespas all around. Man up.
  • VhdbloodVhdblood
    I have a Peace Sports 50cc for my commute to work and back. Previously I had no interest in two wheeled vehicles, but now that I've had this thing for a couple months, I'll probably be buying something akin to the CBR 250.

  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited April 2011
    However my second problem is very daunting. When I was in 3rd grade I got to have that beautiful moment when your father lets go of the bike and you are riding by yourself. Yeah, I immediately shattered the largest bone in my body. 5 months later and a lot of re-learning how to walk I finally recovered, but have not been on a bike since.
    Can I just start riding a Vespa with no real bike experience? Should I go buy a bike for like a month for practice? (Seems like a waste of money) I can ride certain scooters without a motorcycle license in my state, but I may end up taking classes to get my license anyway if only for the practice.

    I am so scared of riding it, but I want it more then anything else. It's so conflicting.
    You don't need a Class M to ride a Vespa. Just buy one and work at learning to ride it. Get some protective gear if you want, but be aware that beyond a helmet, a dude in full gear on a Vespa is going to look really silly. It's also pretty unnecessary; you won't be moving at speeds where you'll need gauntlets, plates, and kevlar weave to protect you if you take a spill.

    Also, keep in mind that scooters are really stable. Gyroscopic force will help you stay balanced, as long as you don't wobble about like an idiot. The only thing you'll need to work at is learning how to position your legs to hold the scooter up and then fold them in as you get going, but that shouldn't be hard.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • VhdbloodVhdblood
    Also, keep in mind that scooters are really stable. Gyroscopic force will help you stay balanced, as long as you don't wobble about like an idiot. The only thing you'll need to work at is learning how to position your legs to hold the scooter up and then fold them in as you get going, but that shouldn't be hard.
    Yeah, this is definitely true.

    The first time I drove a scooter was when I bought mine, and I got on it, cranked it, and rode it home 10 miles with no issues. It was a bit strange at first, but it's super newbie friendly. Don't do anything stupid, and it's almost impossible to go wrong.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    I'll probably be buying something akin to the CBR 250.
    0-60MPH in 8.5 sec is a really nice place to be for fun.
  • ChurbaChurba
    edited April 2011
    Until the day you get hit by a car...or turn a corner to find gravel....or get hit with a soda can that some prick through out his window.
    Never had any of those problems. The worst I've had is laying it down or high siding it.
    Post edited by Churba on
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