Motorcycle Riders Here?

"what along strange trips it's been".

"what a long strange trip it's been".

That's what you get when you watch TV, eat breakfast, prepare lesson plans and noodle on the Internet!

You need to define traffic before making a sweeping statement like "more than enough power in traffic." You probably have the perfect bike for city traffic, as it is as agile as it is fast. The metric changes when you get on, say I-95 between Palm Beach and Miami, FL when traffic is moving at a good clip. Some extra power could very well save your life when some oblivious texting or drunken moron without warning decides he wants to be in your lane without warning. In this traffic; use of a motorcycle's superior braking will result in Nick becoming a hood ornament on the car driven by the tailgating A-hole behind you (this part can practically be counted on, on that stretch of road. The extra acceleration in this situation should be thought of as just one more emergency option for the rider.

Craven's oncoming truck scenario is equally compelling. Sometimes it's enough to be able to accelerate faster than most every car... but it is quite something else to be able to effortlessly explode ahead of them in the blink of an eye. The bigger Ninja does this, effortlessly.

Cars too. If you've ever had the pleasure of driving a true sports car, you probably considered at least once; that if everyone drove one there would be far fewer accidents. I think this has more to do with the precise handling than power, but it all factors in.

Ultimately; I think it's hard to argue that more emergency options don’t equal a safer ride. Assuming a qualified driver, of course; it should be noted that on the bigger bikes a simple flick of the wrist could easily land the inexperienced rider in trouble he’s never coming out of.

About 30 years ago, I considered getting a motorcycle,
but here in NY, the licensing process requires delivering it to a road test
in a truck. I have no idea how a citizen woud practice for that road test.

In the end, I decided that the danger was unacceptable.
Hospitals & emergency rooms r not my favorite things.




David

I've driven that stretch of rode, but not on a bike. Crazy traffic indeed! Its always going to be possible to come up with a situation where X is more safe then Y However, I don't think overall that makes it more safe as an option. Too bad we didn't have any statistics on percentage of motorcycle crashes that could only be averted by having more power.



An experienced rider as well. Not as likely, but they could hit a bump, or have an arm spasm, at the right moment when they are resting their grip. With extra power comes temptation to abuse that power. I would venture to guess this is more plausible then an unavoidable crash due to lack of power.

Motorcyclist here too. My first bike was a Ninja 250 as well...you made a great & smart choice for your first bike. F**k anyone who tells you it's not a real bike, ect. And yes, it's nice to have the acceleration that feels like it's shooting you out of a cannon, but it's not "necessary" to be safe. You're better off slowing/stopping your way out of trouble vs. accelerating out of it.

I'm on my 4th bike, a new Triumph Daytona 675, and in a way I'd still love to hop on a 250 again to whip it through corners and flog the hell out of it. How are you sore after only 45 minutes though? The 250 is by no means a comfortable bike, it's buzzy & vibrates a lot, but maybe you need to focus on your body position & keeping your hands and arms relaxed...use your legs and core to support your weight.

After the 250, I had a 97 Katana 600, then a '03 Honda VFR800, and now the Daytona. Definitely miss the comfort of the VFR, but now I do less street riding and try to get in as many trackdays as I can, which the Daytona is perfect for. Once you get some miles under your belt, you should definitely look into doing one, it's a f'n blast learning the limits of you & and your bike in a controleld environment.

Have fun and be safe out there....and hopefully you're wearing gear....

Not sure about NY, but you can get a permit in Nebraska just by taking a written test. That allows you to ride with another licensed rider in sight. There are also motorcycle classes that only assume bicycle riding skills to enter. They are weekend-long classes, and will prepare you for taking the test.

I grew up with motorcycles, and have ridden in motorcycle trials competitions, so that's where the majority of my practice came from. When I bought my bike, I rode it (illegally) to a school parking lot to practice (the test is mainly parking lot maneuvers). I also rode my bike to the testing place, which is pretty common practice. The instructors gave everyone crap about how they were going to call the cops, but they really don't care. At least you are actively trying to become legal.

Me last month:

Not necessarily sore, but tired. Excellent advice about my riding position, I will try and work on it. Right now I never quite know if I want to lay on the tank like a bigger sport bike, or sit up more like a cruiser. The seating style seems to want me to kinda be in-between the two.

As I've said before, most of my motorcycle experience has been on trials bikes, so its a very different experience. Heck, trials bikes don't even have seats! During my MSF training/testing, the instructors kept reminding me I didn't need to cover my clutch and break ALL the time. On a trials bike you almost ALWAYS want them covered.

It's the same here. 250 and under are a LOT cheaper to insure. I'll be getting another bike, but a small one. Cheaper to run and save taking my car to my very dirty work environment (I work in a steel works).

I never see the point of laying on the tank. Guess if you're on the highway for a long time and the wind is just beating you up.

Keep yourself upright using your legs, abs, and back. You don't want to grip the handlebars tightly at all, actually very lightly, with your arms relaxed. That'll help with your wrists getting tired. As far as sore, might take some getting used to, or just realize that bike vibrates a lot too. I'm sure you can look into aftermarket seats for it, by Corbin or Sargent.

As far as covering the clutch & brake all the time...can't see the harm in that...

Always wondered about the appeal of the bike to you. Now I know....

SLAPPY!! It is so f***ing good to see [in the electronic sense] again! Didn't stick with being a 'prison wife'? Can't blame you, even mass murderers gotta have standards. Good to f***ing see you again you bald-headed, squinty-eyed son-of-a-bicth!!


Came back to make some trouble.