even more abbreviated

[iridium]

still sick. ugh. not yet to the "i'm getting better, really i am" stage. still being (somewhat) patient, but after a few days of this i turn into a very grumpy and irritable sick person.

BUT

i passed the MSF course, know the basics of motorcycle-riding, and will hopefully have my license within a few weeks. banzai!
now i just have to wait for the certificate-paper to arrive in the mail, then go down to the DMV and take the written test. today's class was more challenging, for several reasons: we were doing more advanced maneuvering, i was sick and slightly off-focus from the cold-meds, and it started raining halfway through the afternoon. but hey, it's good to have the experience of riding in the rain on a safe course. and i learned that yes, in fact, the painted road-lines do get wicked slippery in the rain. (skidded out on a stop, but didn't drop the bike. go me.)

any thoughts or suggestions on bikes? i may be looking for one soon...

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

are you short? i know lots about bikes for the short :)

regardless: go you! vroooom! :)

[iridium.livejournal.com]

i'm something like 5'6" or 5'7", which isn't short but isn't terribly tall either.

i'm still all bouncy about the motorcycles. :)

[violin.livejournal.com]

Cold medicine... I'm imagining riding the slalom portion, weaving in and out and doing really werll, only to find that you rode perfectly straight and the weaving was all the effect of the medicine.

[iridium.livejournal.com]

hah. the offset-weave part was one of the easier bits, and fun.
once i got started riding, the wooziness went away. (adrenaline's good that way.)

[violin.livejournal.com]

Oh, and suggestions on bikes... until I know more what you're interested in, my recomendations will sound much like the instructor's recomendations-- hopefully they gave some.

SO, low to mid capacity, used, naked. No point in paying the depreciation yourself. Plus, you'll likely drop it at some point and dropping a used bike will break your heart less. Bodywork can get expensive if the bike is dropped.

[iridium.livejournal.com]

i'm not entirely sure what i'm looking for, myself. the instructors didn't have much in the way of recommendations, but i didn't really ask - it was raining when the class ended and i mostly wanted to get back home and get warm again. :)

"naked" means no bodywork or fancy plastic bits? if so, that seems perfectly reasonable. and i can't afford a new bike anyhow...

been staring at craigslist for the last little while. some of the bikes that caught my eye (mostly going for style here, not necessarily cost or quality or practicality):
- http://www.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/45993931.html
Honda Nighthawk 650, i think similar to the one my friend Max has.
- http://www.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/46000443.html
Kawasaki Zephyr 550
- http://album.topcities.com/591/DSC01842.jpg
Yamaha Virago 750 (yeah, too big, but pretty. and not terribly expensive.)
- http://www.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/45954277.html
Triumph Thunderbird Sport (?)

but really these are just first impressions, ideas...

[violin.livejournal.com]

Visually, I kinda dig the triumph. They're doing a good job with their somewhat retro birt-bike styling.

It's hard to go wrong with a honda in condition. In fact, on the way tothe cellphone place my dad said "If I had to do it all over again, I'd be riding hondas."

[iridium.livejournal.com]

good to know. i seem to know a fair number of people with Hondas, especially Nighthawks. what about the Virago? (just talked to someone else who's borrowing a Virago 950...)

[iridium.livejournal.com]

oh, also - i looked up the ones that jered (below) recommended:
- http://www.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/45965448.html
Suzuki GS450 (hm...interesting...)
- http://www.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/45320508.html
Kawasaki EX500 (a bit more sportbike-type than what generally seems to appeal to me, but...i like the "super forgiving and predictable" part. also not terribly expensive.)

[violin.livejournal.com]

I've actually heard the ninjas have become more like decent sport-tourers than sport bikes, probably moreso for the the smaller ones. And the 500 was unchanged between 94 and 2000-- don't know about the last 4 years. So, I dunno.

[iridium.livejournal.com]

*nod* makes sense. still has more of a sportbike style than some of the others i poked at, but not going crazy with it.

[jered]

Congratulations!

Brian and I just went out for a nice 140 mile ride yesterday. He got his license a few months ago but doesn't yet have a bike, so I had him pillion. It's been interesting learning to ride with a lot more weight on the bike... I've been able to learn its abilities better, and can ride more skillfully by myself now, I think.

I can't suggest better than what already has been for a starter bike. The Kawasaki EX500 is a common starter, as is the Suzuki GS 450; basically, try to stay under 600cc and buy used.

[iridium.livejournal.com]

neat. how long have you been riding?
i can see how riding with a passenger would be a good way to teach yourself to ride more carefully/skillfully. i've still got quite a bit of practicing on my own before i'd want to try riding with an extra person on the bike, though. :)

found pictures of both bikes on craigslist...definitely worth checking out. small and used seem like very good ideas for a beginner bike.

[violin.livejournal.com]

WIth a passenger you have to plan ahead more, since you have a noticably longer braking distance and slower acceleration. My bike is kind of big, but it's still "only" about 600 lb if I recall correctly. So adding a passenger has a proportionally large effect on the wieght the engine is trying to move or the brakes are trying to stop.

Also, by yourself you can be as rough as you want-- smoothness is rewarded of course, with safer more controlled riding, faster more efficient riding (to the extent that's your goal), and satisfaction in good performance. Still, you can get away with rough shifting and clumsy throttle-brake transitions. With a passenger, though, that leads to helmets smacking together.

Still, carrying a passenger is fun (depending on the passenger)

And yes, naked means no bodywork.

[iridium.livejournal.com]

Still, you can get away with rough shifting and clumsy throttle-brake transitions. With a passenger, though, that leads to helmets smacking together.

yeah, i've definitely got a lot of practicing to do there. :)

[violin.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with that, of course. It takes a while. After you've been riding for a little bit, we can talk about ways to refine your shifting. They may or may not make much of a differnece on whatever bike you end up with. But on an old BMW, they help tremendously (their trannies have been described as 'agricultural'). Anyway, it's something you keep working at.

I used to tell Sarah that she shouldn't interpret any lack of smoothness in the car as a sign that I can't drive a stick very well. Rather, she should interpret that as an indication that I drive the motorcycle very well. ::smile::

[iridium.livejournal.com]

heh. :) indeed.

i'll let you know once i get to where i'm reasonably comfortable on the bike (particularly, to where i can ride on the street and all). and then you can come out and visit and teach me stuff.

i'm guessing that bikes are kinda like stick-shift cars that way, each model/car has its own peculiarities.

[loxocele.livejournal.com]

woot! congratulations :)

[iridium.livejournal.com]

thank you. :)