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Posted by PG on June 20, 2008, 1:22 am
I live in Las Vegas, and am considering taking a motorcycle driving
course. I’m sure much of what I’m asking here I will learn during the
course and over time. I was hoping to sell my car (Mitsubishi Eclipse
Spyder GT...basically a stripper car that gets 21 mpg) and buy a 750.
With over 300 sunshine days a year, is it unrealistic for me to
consider riding daily Mon-Fri (50 miles a day) rain or shine?
temps range 25F-115F. Hoping the right gear would keep me warm during
winter...summer may be tough, but I’ve done summers w/o air in a car
before.
Some days are windy 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts. Would that kind
of weather exclude riding?
How do you deal with road obstacles (ex. ladder falls off a pickup),
braking, evasive maneuvers? How much lead time should you keep from
the car in front of you?
Is a heavier 900cc or more motorcycle substantially safer? (defensive
driving being equal)
Can anyone suggest a good site to learn more about riding
considerations for those who have really never ridden with any
seriousness and now considering to ride on a daily basis? I am also
interested in learning about what bikes are most reliable. Fuel
Injection vs other technologies etc.
--
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Posted by ~ on June 20, 2008, 9:13 am
> I was hoping to sell my car (Mitsubishi Eclipse
> Spyder GT...basically a stripper car that gets 21 mpg) and buy a 750.
If you think you're going to save a lot of money by riding a
motorcycle that gets 40 miles per gallon, you're mistaken. You will
have to buy expen$ive new tires every 5,000 to 10,000 miles, depending
on on hard you ride.
I've been riding since 1962 and the most mileage I ever got out of a
rear tire was 14,000 miles, on a full dressed touring bike. The least
mileage was 1900, out of a front tire on a hard-ridden sport bike.
Motorcycles require so much more maintenance than cars, I was forever
changing the oil and filter, and changing tires and washing and
cleaning the motorcycle and oiling and adjusting the drive chain.
By comparison, I can just jump into the car or truck and drive,
without worrying about how fast my tires are wearing out or when I can
devote a weekend to necessary maintenance.
And, I can wear ordinary casual clothes, I don't have to dress like an
astronaut on a Moon mission to go somehwere.
A motorcycle is more of a fun toy to be enjoyed on weekend rides than
a practical form of transportation, but the "committed riders" who
don't have cars will always foam at the mouth and rave about how
they've never owned a car and don't need one and how stupid car
drivers are...
>
> With over 300 sunshine days a year, is it unrealistic for me to
> consider riding daily Mon-Fri (50 miles a day) rain or shine?
I was a "committed rider" for several years during the 1970's and
1980's.
"Committed rider" means that the rider doesn't own a car, so he *has
to ride* every day, to get where he wants/needs to go, rain or shine.
On some occasions, I got caught in unexpected rain showers and had to
work in my wet clothes. My boss told me that I had to be crazy to ride
in the rain, and weekend pleasure riders said that they enjoyed
motorcycles, but that if they thought that they had no choice about
whether to ride the motorcycle everyday, they wouldn't enjoy riding so
much.
Whether daily commuting is enjoyable, or miserable, depends upon
traffic conditions. I was spending three hours a day splitting lanes
in southern California traffic jams and I found it less nerve wracking
to just sit in traffic in a car than to risk losing an encounter with
a car or truck.
> temps range 25F-115F. Hoping the right gear would keep me warm during
> winter...summer may be tough, but I=92ve done summers w/o air in a car
> before.
Even dry desert heat becomes miserable when it's around 100 degrees
F.
Once you get used to the desert, a 90 degree day actually feels cool.
There are nylon mesh jackets you can wear to keep cooler, but it's
your own sweat that's evaporating and cooling you down, and you need
to drink a lot of extra water to replenish you fluids.
I have ridden around Lake Mead at night in 120+ heat, and it was no
fun to stick my head into a hot helmet for hours every day.
> Some days are windy 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts. =A0Would that kind
> of weather exclude riding?
It depends upon your tire profile. If you're riding a light sport bike
with pointy profile tires like Michelin Pilot Sports, a 40 mph gust of
wind can push you right across a lane, into oncoming traffic.
Sportbike tires with a rounder profile don't turn into a corner so
easily, and they have more grip on the pavement to hold the road in
gusty winds.
You will learn to watch the bushes and grass alongside the road to be
ready for gusts, and you learn to be wary of wind gusts as you exit
cuts through hillsides.
> How do you deal with road obstacles (ex. ladder falls off a pickup),
> braking, evasive maneuvers?
You won't be able to ride without paying a lot more attention to road
conditions than you are used to in a car. You learn to watch the
pavement religiously, looking for gravel, oil spills, water, ice. =A0
> How much lead time should you keep from
> the car in front of you?
At normal highway speeds, when traffic is flowing smoothly, the
recommended following interval is two seconds.
But that is on a straight and level road, and it's assumed that the
car driver ahead of you will see whatever road hazard is ahead, and
that he cannot stop any faster than you can, so there isn't a lot of
danger from rear end bumper thumpers.
Many riders just take advantage of their ability to swerve around an
obstacle, and they will "overrun their sight line" while riding on
curvy roads.
Overrunning the sight line means that you are riding too fast, because
you cannot see what is around the blind curve ahead.
The well-respected book "Proficient Motorcycling" recommends that you
be able to bring your motorcycle to a full stop in any circumstance,
and that you allow at least 1.5 seconds for every 100 feet when you're
riding at high speed.
Using the sight line and time concepts means that you will need to be
able to see the road ahead for 1000 feet if you're going to be riding
80 mph, and the open road will allow cruising at 80.
But you will see sport riders racing around blind curves at 80 mph and
only blind luck keeps them from crashing into a rock or a deer or a
car stalled in the road way.
> Is a heavier 900cc or more motorcycle substantially safer? (defensive
> driving being equal)
No, when older motorcycles weighed more than 500 pounds, they were not
as agile as the newer motorcycles that weigh about 400 to 450 pounds.
>
>=A0I am also
> interested in learning about what bikes are most reliable. =A0
Any motorcycle that comes from Japan, England, Germany, or Italy will
be reliable. Avoid Chinese and Korean motorcycles, as they are not
reliable.
>Fuel
> Injection vs other technologies etc.
The only reason that motorcycles have fuel injection is because of
reduced air pollution. Older motorcycles with carburetors cannot meet
the smoig requirements, and you also need to add carburetor cleaners
to the gasoline to keep them cleaned out during the summer.
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Posted by CS on June 20, 2008, 1:45 pm
>I live in Las Vegas, and am considering taking a motorcycle driving
> course. I'm sure much of what I'm asking here I will learn during the
> course and over time. I was hoping to sell my car (Mitsubishi Eclipse
> Spyder GT...basically a stripper car that gets 21 mpg) and buy a 750.
I, too, am making the move to commute on a bike rather than car, however,
I'm keeping the car. Yes, it's possible to ride in the rain, but most folks
only look at the water side of things. Car drivers' visibility is reduced
in the rain, and in downpours it's practically zero. Note that most drivers
rarely slow down, even in the worst weather. Besides inclimate weather,
there are other considerations, such as groceries, dry cleaning, breakdowns,
and so forth. Even if all you have is a junker, it's best to have a car
handy. Bonus points for having a pickup, so you can haul your bike around.
> With over 300 sunshine days a year, is it unrealistic for me to
> consider riding daily Mon-Fri (50 miles a day) rain or shine?
Yes, in my humble opinion. Riding a motorcycle in traffic is a lot of work,
and there WILL be days you aren't up to it. If all you have is a bike, you
will probably use it anyway, and you'll be a hazard to yourself and others.
> temps range 25F-115F. Hoping the right gear would keep me warm during
> winter...summer may be tough, but I've done summers w/o air in a car
> before.
> Some days are windy 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts. Would that kind
> of weather exclude riding?
Probably not, but again, you'll be working harder to maintain control.
> How do you deal with road obstacles (ex. ladder falls off a pickup),
> braking, evasive maneuvers? How much lead time should you keep from
> the car in front of you?
The manual says two seconds. That gives you just enough time to do
'something'. Even in heavy SoCal traffic, I give a good deal more space,
mainly because I've spent a good chunk of the past 20 years driving heavy
trucks and busses, which gives one a good bird's eye view of all the silly
antics going on.
In my Not so humble opinion, the rider's course, posters, and whatnot have
made 'drinking and driving' into the Crime of the Century, and have done a
disservice to those they're trying to help. Fatigue, sleepiness, and
distraction are the real killers. At least when your drunk, your trying to
be careful, but when your tired, your body physically wants to shut down,
and there's little you can do about it. Sure, you can suck down coffee,
NoDoze, and Red Bull, but these do very little to keep you alert for more
than 20 minutes or so. It's simply not possible to overcome fatigue with
anything but rest. When you want to go home, what are you going to do?
Drive any damn way.
Ok, soap box is put away. The lead time depends on traffic, escape routes,
speed, weather, visibility, your bike's condition, your physical condition,
the road condition, your riding ability, and probably a dozen or so other
issues that folks can chime in with. A 'two second' rule works fine for
cops giving tailgating tickets, but it's hardly a real life rule.
> Is a heavier 900cc or more motorcycle substantially safer? (defensive
> driving being equal)
A bike that you feel comfortable on and can control is the safest bike.
Size, engine, those are irrelevent.
> Can anyone suggest a good site to learn more about riding
> considerations for those who have really never ridden with any
> seriousness and now considering to ride on a daily basis?
http://www.msgroup.org/articles.aspx
> I am also
> interested in learning about what bikes are most reliable. Fuel
> Injection vs other technologies etc.
I noticed the other response to your post, and I'll have to disagree
regarding costs of riding a motorcycle. If you buy a fairly reliable bike,
maintain it, don't abuse it, and drive like a responsible person, you will
save money, eventually. Invest in some tools, get a shop manual, and spend
some time learning how to do your own maintenance, and you'll save hundreds
of dollars a year. Brakes, oil and other fluid changes, valve adjustments,
these can all be done at home. As for tires, they tend to last a lot longer
if you don't take every turn like a madman.
In years past, riding was somewhat expensive, at least in the US, and you
weren't going to save any money, period. Today things have changed. You
have the internet to shop around for the best prices on parts and service.
You have more reliable bikes. Gas will be $5 a gallon Very Soon.
Everything else is getting more expensive, including fuel efficient cars and
motorcycles. Insurance! I'm even saving about $12 a week in parking.
As for Most Reliable motorcycles, you'll hear a lot of different things on
that. I'm told modern Harleys are reliable. The other poster mentioned
English and Italian bikes being reliable, though I know they've never been
known for making reliable cars.
I'm partial to Japanese bikes, mainly Yamaha and Honda. Plenty of reviewers
agree. I know that Yamaha offers a 5 year, unlimited miles warranty on some
of their bikes, and nobody else does. That should tell you something right
there.
I recommend a water cooled bike, as they're less likely to overheat. Fuel
injection means never having to mess with carbs, which is a substantial cost
of owning a bike. I believe brand new bikes now have catalitic converters
and other smog stuff, and I'm told you have to get them smog tested every
couple years. Maybe that's just CA.
I recommend you keep the fancy doodads to a minimum. Goldwings and Ventures
are awesome bikes, but they have a lot of gadgets that can break, and it's a
real bear getting all that fluff off to do any work on them. In General, a
bigger engine doesn't have to work as hard to perform the SAME work, so less
wear and tear. If you buy a used bike, check to see that it's well
maintained. Is the brake fluid fairly clear, or is it dark brown? Has it
been wrecked? Are there a bunch of loose bolts and fittings all over the
place? Is it rusted out or banged up, with tape holding everything on? Are
parts easy to find?
The above site will give you more info on this. I suggest you find a bike
you like, go home to think about it, and while your thinking, go on Ebay and
look for parts. If you find a bunch, good, if not, keep in mind you'll have
to buy a lot of stuff new. If the bike's pretty beat up, this could get
costly. You can also check for reviews on-line, so you'll have some idea
what to expect if you do buy it.
Please, do NOT buy a bike based on pressure! If the guy is telling you the
bike will be sold in 30 seconds if you don't buy it right now, do yourself a
favor and move on. There is absolutely no shortage of good motorcycles! If
you don't have time to do a little research on it, if you can't take a
couple hours or overnight to think on it, pass on it. No legitimate seller
is going to expect you to believe everything they say, nor will they
instinctively know what kind of bike is right for you. Either they will
understand your desire for research and contemplation, or they're taking you
for a chump.
Also, do NOT buy a bike without a pink slip! I don't care how
fancy/cheap/pretty/shiney the bike is, and I don't care if it's the Pope, no
pink, no deal. It is a simple matter for the legitimate owner to get a
replacement pink slip, and if they're too lazy for that, that should tell
you how well they've maintained the bike. If it's not in their name, that
means you'll have to track down a bunch of strangers and hope they'll make
time to help you out. That is, IF you can find them. Unless your looking
for a parts bike, have the pink in hand before you pay!
Good luck,
CS
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Posted by flynrider via MotorcycleKB.com on June 20, 2008, 5:14 pm
PG wrote:
>
>With over 300 sunshine days a year, is it unrealistic for me to
>consider riding daily Mon-Fri (50 miles a day) rain or shine?
It can be done. I was bike-only in Southern NM and AZ for 4 yrs., when I
first started riding. It's not the most convenient transportation. You
have to deal with whatever mother nature has on tap for you on any given day,
although most days in Southern NV should be excellent for riding. Grocery
shopping can be a pain and picking up your date on a bike is not always met
with enthusiasm.
A bigger bike is not substantially safer. A 750 should be fine for
commuting. As for riding safety, you'll learn all of that stuff in the
riding course. I recommend taking the course before selling the car and
buying a bike. It'll give you an idea of whether or not riding is for you.
If your going to put up with the inconveniences of having just a bike for
transportation, it helps if you really love to ride.
John
--
Message posted via MotorcycleKB.com
http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/bike/200806/1
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Posted by on June 20, 2008, 11:50 pm
> I live in Las Vegas, and am considering taking a motorcycle driving
> course. I=92m sure much of what I=92m asking here I will learn during th=
e
> course and over time. I was hoping to sell my car (Mitsubishi Eclipse
> Spyder GT...basically a stripper car that gets 21 mpg) and buy a 750.
>
> With over 300 sunshine days a year, is it unrealistic for me to
> consider riding daily Mon-Fri (50 miles a day) rain or shine?
> temps range 25F-115F.
Done some long distance all weather touring:
1. Weather - With good gear it's doable, (I assume that's 25Mi. one
way, less than 1 Hr.),
but you won't enjoy the winter, or those other 65 days. If you're
young and in good shape,
you can handle it. If you've got any circulatory problems, think
again.
2. The wind doesn't get to be a problem until you're over 45 MPH or
so, and on a heavier
bike, not much of one.
3. Ride the bike like you'd drive a car with 'iffy' brakes, and you'll
have no problems.
Leave about 2.5-3 Sec.' trail` to the car ahead and you'll be fine.
A ladder falls off a pickup...don't be there! You can dodge better
than a car can, but
any incident is more serious.
4. if your going to be on a highway you want at least 750ccs out west,
but don't expect
much better than ~40MPG.
5. Find and take an MSF rider course. It WILL be worth your time &
effort.
6. Be prepared to do your own maintenance.- (Don't get a Harley).
7.Touring tires will last about 20K Mi. If you don't 'push it' you
don't need the softer 'Sport' rubber.
Best of luck.
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