Thinking about getting a motorcycle

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm sure its a fine bike, its just a bit too modern looking for my taste.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

Harley V-Rod

regards
Gary

Hey, that's not too bad.

[R.I.D.E.]

One in Williamsburg for $8500.

regards
Gary

[Jay2TheRescue]

If I go Harley, I'd like to get a Heritage Soft tail, similar to the following bike, but new enough to have fuel injection, because I don't want something that will be hard to start if I didn't ride it for a week.

[cat0020]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I'm looking at cruisers & touring bikes because if I'm not comfortable I won't ride it.

Have you ever ridden a cruiser for extended amount of time to know for sure that they are comforble for you?

Personally, I find cruiers rather uncomfortable for extended riding, too heavy to be nimble in traffic or parking lot speed, poor fuel economy compare to most other type of motos and the dated styling to complete the package.

The closes thing to cruiser that I've ridden for over 12,000 mile:

[R.I.D.E.]

A motorcycle is a bulls eye target for morons. The last thing I want is a sluggish, heavy tank of a bulls eye so the morons can kill me, or even worse just cripple me up for the rest of my life.

Of all people Jay, I would think you have seen enough of that to know how dangerous they are. Not because of the motorcycle driver, but because of the lack of attention of others on the road.

I have been on Harleys, Kawasaki 900, Suzuki Savage, and even an old Honda 350 Chopper in a storm with 75 MPH winds. My biggest fear is always the other driver. Some of them even have the courtesy to apologise after they pull right over into you when they didn't see you.

Personally, if I was going to get a bike, it would be something like a 250 Ninja, but I would get some handlebars that let me sit more vertical. At 59 and almost dying in a car wreck on the 13th (Friday) Dec 1987, I still like a bike, but I definitely do not like the other drivers when they get near me, and I know they will not see me and just run over me without even knowing it.

One of my good friend's brother was riding a 900 Kawa and a lady ran over him and drove 4 miles home, leaving a trail of body parts and bike parts. The police followed the parts to her driveway. She told them she didn't even know she had hit him.

regards
Gary

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by cat0020

and the dated styling to complete the package.

I kind of like the dated styling... I definitely do not like the "modern" styled bikes. Yes, I know the dangers.

Here's my take on all of it:

* I know that cruisers & touring bikes don't get as good mileage as other styles, however, the typical configuration I'm looking at will yield 25 - 30 MPG city, and 45 - 55 mpg highway. This is at least twice the mileage I can hope to get out of my truck under optimal conditions.

* I have been told by many people that because I'm as tall as I am (6'4") that the smaller bikes would quickly become uncomfortable for me.

*My taste in bikes is very similar to my taste in cars. Give me chrome, whitewall tires, and classic styling any day.

*The cruisers & touring bikes seem to hold their value a lot better than the sport bikes. Also, because of the economy there are a lot of extremely low mileage cruisers & touring bikes on the used market right now. Many of the bikes I'm looking at have less than 5,000 miles on them.

*Safety is a concern, that's why I'm going to be the dork wearing the day-glo orange reflective vest. I do not plan to ride in heavy traffic or bad weather. That's what my cars are for.

I've already been to a Japanese cycle dealer (Suzuki & Kawasaki) last week, and was not really impressed with what they had to offer. My brother in law (a Harley rider) wants to take me to a local HD dealer this weekend to look at Harleys. I really like the Indian, because the styling is straight from the 30's. Only problem is that there is no Indian dealer nearby, and they are kind of hard to come by on the used market.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

*The cruisers & touring bikes seem to hold their value a lot better than the sport bikes. Also, because of the economy there are a lot of extremely low mileage cruisers & touring bikes on the used market right now. Many of the bikes I'm looking at have less than 5,000 miles on them.

Holding their value is a disadvantage for anyone buying used. That's only good if you're buying brand new. Brand new sport bikes are often cheaper than used cruisers. List price on a brand new Ninja 250R is $4300.

I'm not trying to change your opinion. You feel the way you do and this isn't about logic; it's about having something that inspires you to ride. I'm just exploring the logic.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Yeah, I looked at brand new Ninjas and you're right. I can get a new one cheaper than a used Harley or Indian. The bikes I'm looking at don't seem to come up on the used market for under $10,000, so if I spend $12K - $15K on a bike, it isn't going to depreciate much more over time, and it is easy to find them in this price range with under 5,000 miles, and lots of upgrades. The Japanese bikes seem to depreciate down to nothing. My brother in law has a Japanese sport bike that's in nice condition, but because its 10 years old he can't sell it for a decent amount. It sits in his basement because if he's not going to get a decent price for it, he'd rather just keep it. Looking around I even see salvage title Harleys selling for almost $10K. For me to get an Indian the way I want it would cost me $35k new, and a Harley equipped the way I want would be at least $25K new. My target budget is $10K - 15K.

[theholycow]

That's exactly my point about depreciation. If you're buying used anyway, you can buy a used sport bike for almost nothing. However, as I said...if it doesn't make you want to ride then any amount you spend on it is wasted.