Who bought a motorcycle after FIRE?

[ScooterGuy]

For the record, I ride a Suzuki Burgman AN650 -- a BIG, smokin', 2 cyl. touring maxi-scooter.

Who bought what? How often do you ride?

 

[jambo101]

I kinda went the other way when i retired and got rid of the bike and bought a Miata.After almost 40yrs and an eclectic mix of British,Japanese and German bikes i found that the close calls were getting more numerous as drivers out there are becoming more discourteous , distracted and just plain ignorant.but after 2yrs of no bike the addiction to two wheels is still there and i think another bike might be in the immediate future.The idea of long trips on a bike no longer get my enthusiasm going but local country roads on the occasional sunny Sunday is definitely an itch that needs to be scratched.Bikes that make me go hhhmmmmm are Honda 250 Elite,Kawa KLR250,
Suzuki Burgman 400,Vespa 250GT.
Good riding.

 

[Walt34]

After almost 40yrs and an eclectic mix of British,Japanese and German bikes i found that the close calls were getting more numerous as drivers out there are becoming more discourteous , distracted and just plain ignorant.

That was my issue. I only had two bikes, a 100 cc two-stroke Yamaha in HS and a 650 Yamaha in the early '70's, had a ball with 'em. After I saw a guy get his leg amputated on Wisconsin Ave. I lost my enthusiasm.

 

[travelover]

That was my issue. I only had two bikes, a 100 cc two-stroke Yamaha in HS and a 650 Yamaha in the early '70's, had a ball with 'em. After I saw a guy get his leg amputated on Wisconsin Ave. I lost my enthusiasm.

Sorry to put a negative spin on this thread, but I quit riding in the 70's as well when I married a nurse. Too many grim stories from the ER. My last motorcycle was a Kawasaki 500, 3 cylinder. Very fast (for 1970), very unstable at speed.

 

[REWahoo]

Like Walt, I owned two bikes - one when I was in college and another while I was [-]saving the world for democracy[/-] in the military. Both were Hondas. After seeing several accidents and having a couple of close calls, I migrated to four wheeled ground transportation. There is a reason some call them "donorcycles"...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Sold my last big bike over a year ago, after a string of Hondas and Beemers. I think I'd feel safer on a Gold Wing than on a scooter, personally.

 

[cantlogin]

I sold one and still have three or six depending on how you count them. I don't think it is possible that I'll ever be able to stop shopping for another bike. By the way, tomorrow is the opening round of MotoGP at Qatar. It will be the first ever run at night under lights. It makes NASCAR "heroics" seem laughable.

 

[W2R]

I kinda went the other way when i retired and got rid of the bike and bought a Miata.

Red?

Frank loves Miatas, even though convertibles aren't especially practical in our rainy climate. I keep telling him that for guys, a red convertible Miata is the standard Midlife Crisis vehicle. I'm so BAD...



Actually I'm just envious, because I love them too. I would buy one except that I would feel like I was looking up SUV/pickup tailpipes all the time. My Solara is bad enough in that respect, already, these days when so many people seem to drive SUVs or pickups.

 

[73ss454]

No bikes for me, just something about doors that make me feel better so I'll stick to cars.

 

[cantlogin]

No bikes for me, just something about doors that make me feel better so I'll stick to cars.

I guess that's where the term "getting your doors blown off" comes from.

 

[Martha]

My husband and I have had a series of motorcycles over the years, I got my first one when I was around 40--my midlife crisis. I used to ride a sportbike, a Kawasaki Ninja, but the other drivers started scaring me. We also always had on road off road bikes that were nice to have for exploring the back roads and trails:

After not having any kind of street bike for a couple of years, last year I got a small yamaha 125 scooter. The nice thing about the yammer is that it can go on a rack on the motorhome. Its max speed is about 55, but with those small scooter wheels, I don't like tooling around too fast. It is a great little city bike with a nice compartment for the groceries.

 

[Orchidflower]

You can add me into the mix of accident statistics. Had more than one on a cycle.
Not had a bike for 40 years now, but have thought about getting a Vespa for tooling around in now that I am older.

 

[Goonie]

......i found that the close calls were getting more numerous as drivers out there are becoming more discourteous , distracted and just plain ignorant.......

I've pondered getting a bike for the past couple of years, but I always drop the idea due to the things that jambo stated. I'll stick with my bicycles on the back streets and bike trails. If I get out on the highway, I prefer to ride in my 'cage'.

 

[packrat44]

Still have 10 bikes - 2 street (750cc) and 8 dirt. Most playing in the corners is now done in my Miata. The road is becoming to full of crazy people.

 

[jambo101]

Just to add to the danger i noticed its the rare rider that uses a helmet these days Whats up with that?,Seeing these older riders especially make me wonder as they seem like educated well off individuals riding expensive bikes but no helmet

 

[Rustic23]

It's about 3 miles to the post office box. I have thought about getting a Honda Ruckus or Yamaha C3 for the daily trip. Too hot in the summer for a bike. It would be for the fun more than economy. I figure $75 or so in gas for the Pilot, $4 for the scooter. It would take 20 years to amortize the price of the scooter!

 

[Bultacoman]

Motorcycles

I have approximately 10 also depending on how one counts them. Two are street bikes- 1971 Honda CB500-4 and 1968 Bultaco Metralla- and the rest are dirt bikes - dual sport (Bultacos of course). My youngest son rides the Honda and I ride the dirt bikes about 4-5 times per year on trails in Michigan. This year I want to ride the Michigan Cross Country Trail (750 miles). I don't envision stopping until I can't kickstart one or can't keep the wheels down when stopped. I still ride the first bike I ever bought . It's my favorite even though it's older than almost every person I meet on the trail. DW puts up with it since I've owned it longer than I've known her.

Jeff

Notice there's no bugs on the teeth-I wear a full face helmet!

 

[cantlogin]

Pursang!

 

[hankster]

I'm not retired yet, but I do covet a street-legal dirt bike like a Honda XR600. I live in a rural area with hundreds of miles of country roads and an off road vehicle park about 20 miles away. Sure would be a cheaper hobby than the previous one (flying light aircraft)

Hank

 

[DblDoc]

Ducati Monster 620 Capirex gets me to and from w**k. No waiting for the ferry and first on/first off can't be beat. Also gets ~50mpg.

DD

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Ducati Monster 620 Capirex gets me to and from w**k. No waiting for the ferry and first on/first off can't be beat. Also gets ~50mpg.

Excellent choice.

My BMW K1200LT got worse mileage than my Prius .

 

[jambo101]

Red?

Frank loves Miatas, even though convertibles aren't especially practical in our rainy climate. I keep telling him that for guys, a red convertible Miata is the standard Midlife Crisis vehicle. I'm so BAD...



Actually I'm just envious, because I love them too. I would buy one except that I would feel like I was looking up SUV/pickup tailpipes all the time. My Solara is bad enough in that respect, already, these days when so many people seem to drive SUVs or pickups.

I have what they call a Montego Blue version http://www.miata.net/gallery/images/94montego.jpg.Yes they are a bit low but you hardly notice it once you get rolling. Check out the main Miata site The MX-5 Miata Pit Stop: MX-5 Miata.net
End of post hijack

 

[frank2009]

i've wanted a motorcycle ever since i read 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence". I said read, not understood! As many posters have mentioned though, the dangers are just too great. I do remember seeing the aftermath of a fatal motorcycle-car collision; not pretty.

 

[calmloki]

Had a 50's Triumph 650 twin back in college and still have a nice collection of scars on my hand from going over the bars once after first getting it rolling. It was loud, leaked oil from everywhere - most of which ended up on the down pipes - and shook like a paintmixer at Home Depot. I'd end up at a stopsign next to a smooth quiet Honda and sit there with smoke rising around me, front bars hopping up and down, my rear totally numb from the after market seat i'd installed (think riding about 16" of 2x6). Stylin! Bought it with bent front forks and had the mistaken view that it would be a good dirt bike for the desert - bought Cerriani forks and a knobby for the rear to put under the steel bobtail fender. Plastic front fender to go with the old weathercracked tire. A narrow steel tank. First time i had the cojones to roll the throttle all the way open in 4th the shift lever rattled off as i passed a kid. Any way i rode the bike it was scary - if i was hunched over the bars i was looking at the garbage front tire bouncing up at my face - if i was slamming through the desert throwing my skinny self back to try and get the nose of that leadsled off the ground i was thinking about how the combination of knobby tire and steel fender chopped straight above the axle was liable to remove major parts of important anatomy if things went wrong. After some on road close calls i used to have bad dreams about bread trucks pulling in front of me - result was i'd grab clutch and brake in my sleep and, uhm, startle my bedpartner. Bike was stolen and run out of oil and that was the end of bikes for me. Dang. now i'm wondering...

Oh! and for those who know: Whitworth!

 

[Arc]

I also am not retired yet but enjoy the therapy offered by an afternoon ride on my 2006 Kawasaki Concours - last year before they changed it. It took a while to get used to it but I like it more everytime I ride.