Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
The Motorcycle thread
Old 01-29-2009, 03:25 PM   #1
Moderator
Walt34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
The Motorcycle thread

I know I'm not the only one who thinks motorized two-wheel riding is fun. Despite my nurse SIL's opinion, who calls it a "donorcycle", she didn't know what to say when I told her that statistically I was more likely to die as a result of a hospital error than riding a bike.


Anyway, this is what Santa brought for me a few weeks ago:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Me and bike.jpg (21.2 KB, 24 views)
File Type: jpg Right side rear.jpg (17.1 KB, 276 views)
File Type: jpg Left side.jpg (19.4 KB, 13 views)
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
Walt34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 01-29-2009, 04:17 PM   #2
Moderator Emeritus
Martha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: minnesota
Posts: 13,228
Lovely. May I have a ride?
__________________
.


No more lawyer stuff, no more political stuff, so no more CYA

Martha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 04:24 PM   #3
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 417
Sweet ride, man, very sweet. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so what year and manufacturer and model is it?? Just had double-hip replacement surgery 2 months ago, cause I couldn't even throw my leg over a bicycle anymore. Everybody thinks I really want to ride that bicycle, but what I've got my eyes on are the 76 Harley FLH and 79 Yamaha 650 sitting in my garage. Course they haven't been ridden in almost 10 years, so I expect I'll have a summer of rebuilding (if I get the time) before I can be puttin' down the road.
Payin-the-Toll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 04:40 PM   #4
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,155
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34 View Post
I know I'm not the only one who thinks motorized two-wheel riding is fun. Despite my nurse SIL's opinion, who calls it a "donorcycle", she didn't know what to say when I told her that statistically I was more likely to die as a result of a hospital error than riding a bike.


Anyway, this is what Santa brought for me a few weeks ago:
Nice bike, Walt. I too, think motorcycles are fun. I've been riding motorcycles since I was 13 years old in Vietnam. Started out with the 50cc Honda Cub, graduated to the 125cc Honda Scrambler, then 150cc Lambretta.

Came to the USA in 1978 and restarted riding with a 125cc Honda, then 400cc Honda, then 535cc Yamaha, before settling down with a 250cc Suzuki. I don't like riding fast, and I rarely get on the highway.

Hey, I like the statistic you cited. Is it from a reliable source? Do you have a link to it? My M.D. doctor sister is giving me subtle disapproval about the danger in bike riding and I need to set the record straight.

Sam
Sam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 05:35 PM   #5
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Bimmerbill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,645
I had a series of bikes from when I was 19 until 39. Then had DD and got instantly chicken of riding. I sure do miss it some times tho.

Last bike was a fully customized 2001 Harley Davidson Road King, police model. Painted fire engine red, fully chromed out, custom Corbin saddle, chubby bars with internal wiring, stainless steel lines, etc.

I'll cry if I start adding up how much I spent on that bike.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Jun12#02.jpg (66.1 KB, 9 views)
Bimmerbill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 05:36 PM   #6
Full time employment: Posting here.
Frugality_of_Apathy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 622
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34 View Post
I know I'm not the only one who thinks motorized two-wheel riding is fun. Despite my nurse SIL's opinion, who calls it a "donorcycle", she didn't know what to say when I told her that statistically I was more likely to die as a result of a hospital error than riding a bike.
Yeah but does hospital error include letting someone ride home on a motorcycle after waking up from general anesthetic?



I've been riding around on a suzuki savage 650 since october and have put on a couple thousand miles. There's nothing like riding 70 in 33 degree weather in the rain.
Frugality_of_Apathy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 05:53 PM   #7
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
bbbamI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,293
Way cool Walt! I'm glad you finally posted a pic of you and that bike.... Santa was very good to you!

Come on down to the flat part of TX and I'll race ya.....
Attached Images
File Type: jpg flsts 3.jpg (612.3 KB, 9 views)
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
bbbamI is offline   Reply With Quote
No need to throw your leg over
Old 01-29-2009, 05:55 PM   #8
Recycles dryer sheets
ScooterGuy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 150
No need to throw your leg over

I ride a Suzuki Burgman AN650. This has a step-thru frame, plus a CV (automatic) transmission, and thus technically putting it in the 'scooter' category.

Well, OK, if you're willing to accept 2 cylinders, 650 cc displacement, 110 mph top speed and ability to cruise at 75-85 mph all day, with gas mileage about 50 mpg (and I'm 6' 8" at 275 lbs.). Spare electrical power available for heated clothing. Oh, yeah, and massive under-seat and glove-compartment storage.

If you added a side-car, you'd not even have any problems of balance.

Just my 4 cents worth (inflation, you know).
ScooterGuy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 07:30 PM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Koolau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Leeward Oahu
Posts: 17,715
[QUOTE=Walt34;778124]I know I'm not the only one who thinks motorized two-wheel riding is fun. Despite my nurse SIL's opinion, who calls it a "donorcycle", she didn't know what to say when I told her that statistically I was more likely to die as a result of a hospital error than riding a bike.

Statistics are like a bikini. What they conceal may be as important as what they reveal. Don't have the facts to back it up (and since I don't have a bike, I guess I only concentrate on the hospitals - and trying to stay out of them.) but I would bet there are more people who use hospitals than use bikes. On that basis alone, you would expect at least a higher potential "accident" total (not rate) in hospitals than on bikes. Additionally, hospitals are for folks who are already sick. In most cases, you really need to be there, even if they are understaffed and/or prone to mistakes. Few of us are "required" or "need" to ride bikes.

Having said all that, I think bikes are cool and, when I was young, I nearly bought one. So don't take this as a criticism of bikes, bikers or biking. It's just that I question your stats. (I promise not to tell your SIL!!)
__________________
Ko'olau's Law -

Anything which can be used can be misused. Anything which can be misused will be.
Koolau is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2009, 08:09 PM   #10
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
samclem's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 14,404
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam View Post

. . . Came to the USA in 1978 and restarted riding with a 125cc Honda, then 400cc Honda, then 535cc Yamaha, before settling down with a 250cc Suzuki. I don't like riding fast, and I rarely get on the highway.

Sam
I had a 400cc Honda Hawk. I learned to ride when I was 19, and took it on the LA freeways nearly every day. It was a very good commuter bike--small enough to "split lanes" on the freeway (which was legal, if stupid, in the early 1980s) and quick enough to out-accelerate most cars, which is an important safety feature. I'm sure I cut a dashing figure on my orange-red Hawk with its Comstar wheels and my white Bell Star II helmet.

Lots of fun, and cheap transportation for a starving college student. I gave it up when my Dad died and my responsibilities increased.

Similar, but not mine:
samclem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 07:05 AM   #11
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,155
Quote:
Originally Posted by samclem View Post
I had a 400cc Honda Hawk. I learned to ride when I was 19, and took it on the LA freeways nearly every day. It was a very good commuter bike--small enough to "split lanes" on the freeway (which was legal, if stupid, in the early 1980s) and quick enough to out-accelerate most cars, which is an important safety feature. I'm sure I cut a dashing figure on my orange-red Hawk with its Comstar wheels and my white Bell Star II helmet.

Lots of fun, and cheap transportation for a starving college student. I gave it up when my Dad died and my responsibilities increased.

Similar, but not mine:
That's it. Mine was red. I bought it used in 91 for $400. Rode it for about a year, and sold it for $600. ;-) It wasn't just cheap, it was generating income!



Sam
Sam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 07:30 AM   #12
Moderator
Walt34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
It's a 2008 Suzuki C90T, 1462 cc. It comes with the windshield and saddlebags, I added passenger floorboards, driving lights, engine case guard (aka crash bars) and luggage rack, for my lunch box.

Make sure you put new tires on those 10-year-old bikes before you ride them!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Payin-the-Toll View Post
Sweet ride, man, very sweet. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so what year and manufacturer and model is it?? Just had double-hip replacement surgery 2 months ago, cause I couldn't even throw my leg over a bicycle anymore. Everybody thinks I really want to ride that bicycle, but what I've got my eyes on are the 76 Harley FLH and 79 Yamaha 650 sitting in my garage. Course they haven't been ridden in almost 10 years, so I expect I'll have a summer of rebuilding (if I get the time) before I can be puttin' down the road.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
Walt34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 07:38 AM   #13
Moderator
Walt34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam View Post
Hey, I like the statistic you cited. Is it from a reliable source? Do you have a link to it? My M.D. doctor sister is giving me subtle disapproval about the danger in bike riding and I need to set the record straight.

Sam
The stat came from Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, 2nd edition, by David L. Hough.

A very good read. Chapter one gets right into accidents and what causes them. Forty per cent of fatals involved a DWI rider. Even in my teens I wasn't that stupid!

Another interesting one is that the highest accident rate involves riders with between 24 and 36 months experience; second highest is riders with 0 to 6 months. Apparently overconfidence is something to beware of.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
Walt34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 07:42 AM   #14
Moderator
Walt34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martha View Post
Lovely. May I have a ride?
My first impulse was to say "Sure!" But then I noticed you're in Minnesota. Minnesota in February on a motorcycle.... ouch!
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
Walt34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 07:46 AM   #15
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
FinanceDude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34 View Post
My first impulse was to say "Sure!" But then I noticed you're in Minnesota. Minnesota in February on a motorcycle.... ouch!
The air temp here is 9 degrees. I saw FOUR Harleys on the road on my way in. My guess is that the heated gloves and saddle and footwell heaters are cranked up..........
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)


This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
FinanceDude is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 08:18 AM   #16
Moderator
Walt34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,290
Quote:
Originally Posted by FinanceDude View Post
My guess is that the heated gloves and saddle and footwell heaters are cranked up..........
That's on my "to-do" list, but DW wants a new kitchen floor first.

Even though it's the color she picked out, and I told her that the light color would show every speck of dirt, but did she listen? Noooo.

I suggested a mud color and got the eyeroll.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
Walt34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 08:42 AM   #17
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ls99's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 6,496
Quote:
Originally Posted by samclem View Post
I had a 400cc Honda Hawk. I learned to ride when I was 19, and took it on the LA freeways nearly every day. It was a very good commuter bike--small enough to "split lanes" on the freeway (which was legal, if stupid, in the early 1980s) and quick enough to out-accelerate most cars, which is an important safety feature. I'm sure I cut a dashing figure on my orange-red Hawk with its Comstar wheels and my white Bell Star II helmet.

Lots of fun, and cheap transportation for a starving college student. I gave it up when my Dad died and my responsibilities increased.

Similar, but not mine:
Thanks for posting the photo. That is exactly like my bike, same color. I bought it in new $800 from the showroom floor, delivered to my house. Still have it and ride it. As you noted, it is a remarkably fast bike for its size.
__________________
There must be moderation in everything, including moderation.
ls99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 08:51 AM   #18
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 331
Perhaps someone could help me out. I'm 56, want to learn or at least try to ride a mc, where do I start. Wife is against it, but who cares?

Any suggestions!

jug
jug is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 08:53 AM   #19
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
REWahoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by jug View Post
Any suggestions!
Buy more life insurance.
__________________
Numbers is hard
REWahoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2009, 08:56 AM   #20
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 944
I have been riding motorcycles for around 35 years - I love to ride!

A few months ago I bought the Can-am Spyder Roadster - it has 3 wheels - 2 in the front. It is very stable...and very fast(it has the Rotax 1000 motor, same as the Aprilla superbikes)! It has VSS (vehicle stability system) and ABS - it is a blast to ride and very much a motorcycle experience - but much safer.
Here is a link to see what they look like:

BRP Can-Am Spyder Roadster
__________________
Freed at 49. You only live once - live it
Donzo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Motorcycle Valuations BOBOT Other topics 1 09-05-2008 03:13 PM
Sidecar for motorcycle/scooter ScooterGuy Other topics 1 07-11-2008 05:11 PM
Who bought a motorcycle after FIRE? ScooterGuy Other topics 33 03-10-2008 08:21 AM
for motorcycle riders Khan Other topics 6 05-01-2007 04:02 PM
Motorcycle Mania Craig Other topics 45 05-14-2006 09:06 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:41 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.