Need Help Choosing a Motorcycle

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I worked part time selling parts for a Kawi / Yam / Suz / Victory / Duc / Polaris / Ski-Doo dealer from '96 to '05 learned a lot and had opportunities to demo ride a TON of different bikes. I'm brand loyal to NONE . I like and dislike all of them. I think my one regret as far as not owning would be a Duc 996 / 998 / 999 . I demo'd a 2005 999 and let me be clear that bike was just an orgasm on two wheels ! At the time my body was really in bad shape and I was just unable to ride in a "sport" position. Now that I have 2 new hips, and i'm taking better care of my lower back arthritis I can ride a sport chassis for about 4 hrs and only feel minimal discomfort. Not only do I have a passion for the ride, but I got a passion for restoring older bikes as well. There is NO better therapy than the wind and the freedom and in many cases hitting 90 mph in second gear in about 5 seconds ?:devilish:?
 
Set my MSF course date today, April 24th. Damn that just sounds so far out. It's a 2 day course in which they provide motorcycle and when complete I get my license and don't need a road test. Just for some reason gotta get my permit after the course and the motorcycle endorsement will then be on my license.

Still undecided on what I want to go check out. So far the Ninja 400 really sounds like a big bang for the buck w/ the r3 not far behind. The KTM is a no go. They seem unreliable and with fit and finish issues. Triumph is just 2k outta my price range. Maybe in 2-3yrs when I pay this off I can use the sale to upgrade into one. I looked at Honda but nothing in the 6k range excited me.
 
still blows my mind that your basing the fundamental core of riding on price... if i couldnt afford what i wanted i didnt ride, and i started on a 600 and went up and down from super moto to a cbr 1000rr and then to a 1450cc harley. to put it honestly anything with 2 wheels will kill you. its all about the throttle control and a 1000cc bike turns just the same as a 400cc bike
 
I'm 34 and haven't thought about buying a bike since the title nightmare I had when I was 21. I'm not an enthusiast I really just want something to save fuel and miles on my truck. Not sure how some of you can't see the value in a bike when gas is $5, it's going there. If I enjoy riding soo much I can always sell in 2yrs and use that cash for something bigger. If not I run this 400 to 20k miles and really get my monies worth. Who's better than me! :LOL:
 
I run 93 in my harley it takes 5 gallons and the tuner and cam job just cost me over $2200 so where are we seeing a savings in a motorcycle? And sorry to poop on your party here but the lower cc bikes are for noobs and are worthless off the show room floor... you buy a bike for say 5k new. Your lucky to get half that with next to no miles 2 years down the road. And hey buddy im 32 went through hell on a motorcycle at 23 and still ride like it never happened. A motorcycle is a feking motorcycle doesn't matter which feking way you look at the damn thing. Seems your just scared of anything bigger than 400cc and at that point stay off a bike because you have no business on one
 
MonsterAir said:
Set my MSF course date today, April 24th. Damn that just sounds so far out. It's a 2 day course in which they provide motorcycle and when complete I get my license and don't need a road test. Just for some reason gotta get my permit after the course and the motorcycle endorsement will then be on my license.

Still undecided on what I want to go check out. So far the Ninja 400 really sounds like a big bang for the buck w/ the r3 not far behind. The KTM is a no go. They seem unreliable and with fit and finish issues. Triumph is just 2k outta my price range. Maybe in 2-3yrs when I pay this off I can use the sale to upgrade into one. I looked at Honda but nothing in the 6k range excited me.
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Keep in mind the MSF courses run rain or shine and they are 2 day classes . It can be cold unpredictable weather in April so if it's going to rain , dress appropriately. I suggest buying a rain suit now. I have a Nelson Rigg Stormrider 2pc suit and it's about 17 years old and has saved my azz MANY times over !

SR-6000 Stormrider Motorcycle Rain Suit | Motorcycle Raingear (nelsonrigg.com)
 
Best thing about a safety course is you get comfortable in a PARKING LOT... said it before too much risk letting people go on bikes on the open road that never rode before....perfect ?


Better yet ive seen people get the poop kicked out of them on 125cc dirtbikes. Its how well your brain coordinates with your hands,feet and eyes
 
Its not about bashing or being mad. I nearly lost my life on a motorcycle for pure enjoyment its a sore subject when I see someone debate about the price of a bike over the overall cost. Ride what you want how you want because if something ever happens that 5k your bitching about means nothing when your in the hole.....its all about luck and skill on a bike. Some guys will go their whole life with not even a scratch and you'll get people like me at 32 that can have a handicap pass to get close parking because someone fecked their lives up. So spare me the bull poop
 
Woosaaa bro.... Let's get this back on track here. So far I'm leaning towards the Ninja 400 but if someone has a cool naked bike in that class in mind I'm open. I really like the Duke, it looks cool with the back pouches but I'm not liking what I'm hearing on reliability. It's also a little smaller than the ninja 400.
 
Im calm monster. Point is don't be afraid of a bigger bike other than price. They all ride the same just one gets their faster.Its the rider that controls them
 
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Rep732 said:
Im calm monster. Point is don't be afraid of a bigger bike other than price. They all ride the same just one gets their faster. They all ride and lean the same. Its the rider that controls them
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No they don't . I'm kinda growing tired of your cocky BS, the OP is trying to make and educated and mature decision and he has a budget, so lets respect it.
 
KevTrem said:
Can you only get finance/loan on a new bike or would you consider finance/loan on a used bike??
In the UK most bikes do less than 2k miles a year, although I was doing 10-20k miles a year when commuting on mine.
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Ya know I haven't considered financing a used model. Haven't even made it to a dealer yet to haggle and find what deals are to be had. I like the idea of new because I don't want ANY problems my first season. Like zero. I don't need any headaches. Being I really know nothing I don't feel comfortable riding anything with major miles but now that you mention I can prob find a good deal on a 2019. Ive been watching vidz of the triumph street triple r and really kinda like it.
Polar_Bus said:
Keep in mind the MSF courses run rain or shine and they are 2 day classes . It can be cold unpredictable weather in April so if it's going to rain , dress appropriately. I suggest buying a rain suit now. I have a Nelson Rigg Stormrider 2pc suit and it's about 17 years old and has saved my azz MANY times over !

SR-6000 Stormrider Motorcycle Rain Suit | Motorcycle Raingear (nelsonrigg.com)
Click to expand...
I think I'm gonna order this thanks! Does the material flap in the wind a lot? Is it a thin type of wind breaker material or heavier than say a wind breaker jacket
 
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