From: tssmith@netcom.com (Tim Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Fastest Bike Known
Date: 21 Nov 92 08:08:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.1992Nov21.080820.12579
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <22565@drutx.ATT.COM> ljb@parkcity.dr.att.com (BLO54620-BonhamLJ(DR2194)240) writes:
> Hopefully the title got some attention.  I chose it because I've
> noticed FAQ type newbie questions don't get much response on this
> net and I, unfortunately, have such a question.

:-) But maybe it's because most people email their answers.
 
> I am considering buying a new bike, which would also be my first
> bike, and I'm not sure what to get.  Also, I've not found a wealth of
> info talking to bike dealers here in the Denver area and have had to
> make assessments based on reading the magazines and talking to the
> few people I know who ride.

(Getting out the soapbox...)
Depends on why you want a bike.  If you want to really learn to ride,
don't think of your first bike as the last bike you'll have.  Think
of it as a learner, something that if you drop it once or twice (at
low speed, hopefully) it won't break your heart, and your wallet.

You don't want a big, fast, expensive bike as a first bike.  Some
people immediately take offense at this ("what, are you implying that
*I* can't handle a fast bike").  No offense intended.

Riding a bike well takes a lot of skill, and you have to build it up
over a period of time.  Some people learn fast, some never learn. 
Varies.  But anyone with less than 10K miles is really still a beginner.

The skills aren't just athletic skills, but also situational
awareness skills, the kind of thing you can only learn from
experience.  You need to develop a good feel for surfaces, and know
when and where to look for problems.  You need to know what kind of
goofy behavior cagers will confront you with.  They "don't see you",
you're just invisible to them, and you gotta learn to ride like you
are invisible.  You need to learn how to brake.  It's a lot trickier
on a bike than in a car.

My usual advice to people getting a first bike is to get a streetable
250cc dirt bike.  You said you won't ride on dirt, but you did
mention dirt roads.  That's where you'll learn a lot about surfaces,
and braking.  And have a lot of fun too!

But if you really don't want a dirt bike, or can't stand the look of
them--functional but plug ugly--get a 400cc twin sport bike. Twins
are easier to maintain than fours.  You should learn some of the
basic maintenance stuff.

Buy new or in very good used condition. Bikes wear out a lot faster
than cars, and a bike (except maybe a Beemer or a Harley) with 30000
miles on it is usually completely crapped out.  Most cars don't
cruise at 7000 rpm.  An unreliable bike can be a real bummer.

Use it to learn on for a year, then get the bike of your dreams.

>                                          I would like to be able to
> ride for an afternoon or whole day with out lots of breaks and
> without feeling hammered at the end of the ride [...]

When you start out, you'll get saddle sore and tired quickly.  It's
usually not the bike, it's just that you're using different muscles,
and aren't used to sitting for hours on a narrow perch.  So when you
feel hammered, don't blame the bike.  Just keep at it; it gets easier.
Once I did a 350-mile, two day trip on a 50cc Honda, and it was kind of
fun, in a perverse sort of way.

> Hope you folks can help.  Spending a bunch of bucks on the wrong
> machine would probably burn me out to the point of selling the beast
> and not ever returning to the sport, so your advice will really be
> appreciated.

Either you'll like riding or you won't.  Bike won't have too much to
do with it. I've owned at least 18 bikes, and some of them were real
dogs (anybody else around here old and stupid enough to have owned a
200cc Triumph Cub?).  But even the worst bike is better than the best
car. IMHO, of course.

--Tim (tssmith@netcom.com)   (DoD #2^12)