Motors Motorcycle Mayhem

Didn't he have a licence before so he just converts it?

 

Anyone around here have experience with getting a motorcycle endorsement in the US? Anyone in Washington particularly? Or just any tips for prospective riders in general?

Really thinking about picking up my endorsement this summer since it's looking like I'll have the money for a cheap commuter/light fun bike. Just looking for any tips for going through the process over here. State law requires that a written (multiple choice) test be passed for an instructional permit (assuming you already have a driver's license), and then a skills test be taken for a final endorsement. Alternatively, classes can be taken which, upon successful completion, provide a waiver for the written and skills test. This may obviously vary from place to place, but I assume it's similar elsewhere.

The only catch is that my motorcycle experience is a few minutes on a 50cc dirt bike. Ridden a bicycle for years, and also have an ATV, but my hunch is that assuming it's like a mix of the two is naive at best. Never even driven a manual car so clutch work is entirely new to me in practice (undertstand the theory). A friend with similarly little experience and I are currently looking into taking one of the instructional classes coming up which is geared towards beginners, but I'd like to get a heads start.

The one saving grace is that my dad has a long history with motorcycles and keeps up to date with what's out there (despite giving up on riding and selling his motorcycle), so figuring out what to buy should be the easy part. I'm thinking of CB250 or something similar.

 

Resurrecting the subject a bit, but I got exactly this treatment from a 30-something guy in a dealership recently. I expressed doubt about getting such a big bike as my second (currently riding a 125) and he dismissed it, saying that he had picked up a CBR600 as his first and hadn't looked back, and that I'd be fine.

Blood idiot.

So now I'm trying to find a 250 (non-DAS, 33bhp) bike that's actually comfy for long journeys. Most entry-level bikes feel like you're sat on a plank of wood after a few hours on the road (my Honda CG included), but from what I've seen of tourers/sports tourers you have to spend a huge amount, and get a huge engine, to enjoy a modicum of comfort

 

You're not going to find a decent 250 for comfortable long distance journeys outside of maxi-scooters. (Edit: I'd like to be proven wrong!) The 250 Ninja and CBR are awesome bikes but not all that practical, they also aren't cheap and neither is the insurance. Then we have the lower end YBR 250 but its lack of fairing would make long journeys a chore, and then the CBF 250 but it's essentially a YBR 250 with a less powerful engine making motorway speeds even harder on the bike and the rider.

I have my Mod 2 test a week tomorrow so I've commenced eyeing up bikes and I'm leaning towards something like a CB500 restricted, cheap to buy and really cheap to insure, especially when speaking for under 21s. I've got my eye on several; £1500 to buy tops and up to about £450 for the insurance (lower than what it is for the YBR, it's less than a third of what it costs to insure my car!)

 

It's weather like this that makes me wish I'd taken bike lessons instead of car.

Damn.

Still, looking to hopefully get a bike during the summer. Maybe.

 

The SV650 comes highly recommended but it's not very cheap. It's also a 650; allegedly tuned to more middle-range power and handling, but it's still big. On the plus side, it's comfy and powerful enough to attach a load of panniers and go travelling on...

 

I had a sit on one of those the other day, compared to the other naked bikes I looked at it's a touch more sporty looking and the footpegs are a bit more up and back like a sport bike. It's by no means impractical though plus the half-faired version gives a bit of wind protection too. Insurance isn't the cheapest but it's far from the worst.

 

I still think my 600 diversion was a good first choice of bike, half fairing and a comfy seat, not too heavy (never dropped it) so goes a bit quicker than some other bikes on 33bhp (namely my mates bandit ), plus its tough as hell, always starts first time, and best of all the insurance is cheap

 

Naked or street-oriented Supermoto

Hi Guys,

I'm 25, I've been driving around on my dad's Honda SH125 (125cc scooter) for a few years and last year I took some lessons and managed to get my license on the first try! I will be living on my own by summer and I would like to get my very own bike.

Commuting to work (50km round trip, no highways, about 10km of dense traffic (filtering!)), getting to the city centre (Bruges, cobblestones and dense traffic jams(filtering!)) and just having a blast on some curvy asphalt coultry roads on a sunny day (speeds up to 80-90mph).

I do not want a supersport, they go too fast, too easy and I prefer an upright position that is comfortable below 45mph and with wide enough handlebars so it is easy to maneuvre at slow speeds. I would prefer as less fairing as possible as wind is the best indicator of speed. My car will still be used for highway rides or when it's cold or wet (so most of the time).

As I'm planning on riding often (whenever the weathar allows it), it needs to go longer then 500km without an oil change (preferable at least 5000km). So, unfortunetly the true supermoto's are out of the question (SMR510, WR400, CRF450 or any Husaberg). It does need to be as light, nimble as possible and should go up to 80mph as a rocket.

I will be buying used, have a budget of about 5.000 - 5.500 euro but could stretch to 6.000 euro if needed. At the moment, I've narrowed it down to these, although bouth amazing, quite different bikes.
- Honda Hornet CB600F (2007+), preferable with ABS and aftermarket exhaust
- KTM 690 SMC (2008), lighter exhaust would be nice but not needed

The hornet is really the smartest choice, it is a track proven commuting animal. It has an amazing engine, is very comfortable to ride and can handle any kind of riding. Although it lacks fairing, it does pack over 100bhp..

KTM has made (in my eyes) the best compromise between a supermoto bike and the servicing of a 'normal' bike with there 690SMC. It comes with very high quality components (WP Suspension, Brembo brakes, hydraulic slipper clutch). Can anybody comment on there maintenance, service?? Also, I have been told they are perfect for filtering as there steering bar is higher then normal carmirrors.

All input is very welcome.

cheers, Mike.

 

http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/motoendorsement.html

I definitely recommend taking a driver's course since you will #1 learn a bit more from experienced riders and #2 by completing a course like that you'll get lower insurance rates.

Either way, good luck.

 

Lovah could you not do an oil change yourself? They're not that hard to do on most cars/bikes, if you're even vaguely confident with a spanner you should be able to manage.

Seems a shame not to get the bike you want for the sake of a few oil changes. The Hornet's recommended intervals are 4000 miles, ~6000 km. Shouldn't be too hard to keep up, should it? The KTM is a different story though, 1000km/service is pretty shocking lifetime really.

 

Hi Krikkit,

Thanks for your response. The bike will be sleeping in the hallway, no garage at home, but still I don't mind doing the oil changes myself (at my parents house or something), I'm confident enough with mechanics to handle that. Brake pads, filters etc are no problem either. It is the valve checks (every 500-1000km on a track-SM) that I'm worried about, I've never done those and have now idea how to do them. Also, I prefer to spend my time on the bike, not under it. So the less time I have to spend doing oil changes and what not, the better.

The servicing on the Hornet is very reasonable, good even. I'm perfectly ok with that. Track-Supermoto's won't go for 1.000km without oil&filter changes and a valve check. And they require rebuilds ever 5.000 - 10.000km (so about every bloody year!).

I thought the KTM690SMC is a good compromise between a track SM (like the 450SMR) and a naked bike, offering the best of both worlds. The 690SMC shares its engine with KTM there naked bikes (690SM and 690SMR), so I was counting/hoping on 5.000km oil changes and 10.000km valve checks.

 

Hmmm, yes, the thing is, the market between 125 and 600 isn't well stocked, as these bikes don't do too well in europe.
There's the 250 kawasaki ninja, that's been around for a few years and very new the Honda cbr250.
But I'd also break a lance for going into the no-sport end of the 600 market.
Especially the 1991-2003 Yamaha Diversion.
It's not too heavy, not too powerfull, has a very smooth engine and power delivery and is comfortable enough even for long distances.
What it's not is sporty.

The CBR600 may be the smoothest 600 sports bike, but it's still a sports bike.
The SV650 is a real hammer of a V2, I wouldn't recommend it for starters.

 

According to the user manual (UK Manual admittedly) you need an oil change every 1000km, valve check every 10k. That manual also has detailed instructions for loads of the low-level maintenance tasks, including oil changes and even the torque settings, which is pretty impressive.

Since it only holds 1.9L of oil it shouldn't be too expensive to keep replacing either.

I'm jealous! Suddenly I want one, if only to play with.

 

I just found the manual aswell, it was on the KTM website, must have missed it before. I can live with 10.000 valve checks, that is normal. Oil and filters every 1.000km means every 3-4 weeks from april to september, which is quite often tbh. I will have to think long and hard if I can put in the effort of maintaining that strict schedule.

Compared to a "real" track-SM like the 450SMR it is still very reasonable, (oil/filter changes and valve checks ever 3 hours of riding, so that adds up to more time working on the bike then riding it..).

I'm thinking a Hornet is a much more sensible bike, much more suitable for longer rides and commuting to work on. But the 690SMC would be an amazing bike for backroad-bashing and just having a blast on. In a perfect world I would have room/cash for bouth, alas I have neither.

I'll try to find a dealer who will let me play with a 690smc, to see if I LOVE it. I have already test driven a Hornet and was quite impressed by how easy and comfy to ride it is. Plus the power was more then plenty for my needs/taste.

To be continued!

 

To be honest, a 1000km oil-change interval for a bike that's used on a daily basis is a bit of a let down.
I'm sure you can find some SM models that don't require it...
Yamaha sells SM-versions of the XT660
Suzuki sells SM-Versions of their DR's (350 - 650)
There's the (probably rare in Britain) MZ Bagheera.

Of course all of these aren't "ready to race"
For the heartier types:

There's the 640 LC4 Supermoto or the 625 SMC, both have longer intervals.
I think the Husqvarna 510 SMR also has longer Intervals...

 

Cheers for the advice. I should mention though, I'm not, strictly speaking, new to bikes - I currently ride a CG125 and have done regularly for 3 years now. I'm quite familiar and comfortable with biking per se - I've just never ridden a larger bike and don't know how unawares the changeover would catch me.

The SV650 is a bit sporty, but I've seen versions of it on ebay fitted with an official aftermarket touring conversion kit that makes the posture more upright, the bars a bit wider, and so on. I'd be tempted to go down that route if I got one (the conversion kit, I mean, not ebay).

The Diversion is nice, I hadn't heard of it before. So far, then, my list of candidates goes like this:

Kawasaki Ninja 250R
Kawasaki Ninja 650R / ER-6f (don't know much about these or how threatening they are as a first bike, but they seem to be very popular around here )
Yamaha Diversion
Suzuki SV650
Suzuki GS500F (the fully faired version)
Honda CB500
Suzuki Bandit 400/600 (whatever's got fairing and won't kill me)

That's my foremost criterion, something that isn't a real sports bike, and so won't kill me, but has some/full fairing and is comfortable for long journeys. Criticism of choices very welcome, I need to narrow it down.

 

Ninja 250; gorgeous little machine, but it costs a lot in terms of money value and insurance. Plus, think how nickable it is. If you have the money though, I'd go for it.
Ninja 650...isn't that a tad sporty?
ER-6 F, nice little bike, but I've heard better things about the Diversion and the rest of the XJ6 family.
SV650, can't fault that either, and if you were willing to put that extra effort in it could suit you perfectly.
Not really looked at the GS500 much myself, so I'll reserve comment on that as I've heard the CB it in terms of everything (price, reliability, performance, handling etc.)
CB500 is what I'm looking at getting myself when I pass my test, though by the sound of it you'd value a fairing more than I would so it might not be ideal. Hopefully getting one by the end of this month though and if I do I'll let you know how it is. Apparently putting a screen on helps considerably with the windblast though so consider that.
Bandits, again, solid bikes, nothing much wrong with them to be honest.

Have a sit on a few, see what you think!

 

I tried the CB500S, the GS500 (pre 2000 model though) and the Diversion.
Ended up buying the Diversion as it's simply a much bigger bike and didn't feel as small and narrow.
I came from a CB450S and a Suzuki DR-BIG though.

Of that list, the SV650 is the one with most punch and it's the only "real" sportsbike on your list, engine-wise.
The ER6-f and 650 Ninla are the same bike really, just a different fairing and suspension bits, no? Anyway they're quite polular and easy to drive, the two-cylinder makes them seem a bit punchier than they are.
The Bandits are good, popular bikes as well.

 

I started off riding (having done a direct access course) on a GPZ500s (lets not forget the S)
It was a brilliant little bike, easy to maintain, simple and fun to ride, covered reasonable distances as well in relative comfort (half fared) and it was cheap to run and insure.
It was pretty easy to rebuild when I fell off too lol or was it practice made it seem easy?
I moved from that to a CBR600FW which threw me off the back, I so didnt expect the additional power from the 500 took me well by surprize. I really in hindsight kept with the 500 a year or so longer.