What makes it a "city bike"?

 

I've been following the California DMV thread with interest, and it raises a
subject I'm curious about. I live in San Francisco and ride an old Honda
CX500.  I've been using it as a commuter bike for a little over a year.
Before that, my motorcycle experience was limited to a tiny Yamaha 125cc
2-stroker which I road in LA in the 80s for a few years.

I always thought that a larger bike was safer in city traffic.  My thinking
was that a larger bike had more power to "drive" you out of tight spots and
would, at least, offer some inertial protection if someone rear-ends you.  I
always cringe when I see people on their little scooters, putt-putting up
and down the hills.

Is my thinking wrong?  I never take my bike on the highway, and rarely get
it above 40 mph in the city.  I was hoping to move up to something in the
750-900cc range in a year or so.  Should I consider something in the same
size as my current machine instead (I just can't see going smaller)?





Top ten San Francisco hazards to motorcyle riders:

1. Women in SUVs on cellphones.
2. City busses pulling out into traffic without looking.
3. Women in SUVs on cellphones.
4. Taxi drivers cutting across lanes without looking or signalling to pick
up fares.
5. Women in SUVs on cellphones.
6. Tourists who will drive ANYWHERE -- the wrong way down one way streets,
in diamond lanes without a passenger, in bike lanes, 10 mph on busy streets.
Ugh!
7. Women in SUVs on cellphones.
8. Women in SUVs on cellphones.
9. Women in SUVs on cellphones.

and

10.  Women in SUVs on cellphones.

 

On Fri, 5 Aug 2005 14:18:23 -0700 As Androids Dreamed Of Electric


Nice one.Join us,
http://cx500.gobinet.se/smb/
http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/cx500/



The old CX has loads of bottom-end-torque as you may well have found
out and from start to get-out-of-jail they can leave most traffic in
your mirrors(Shaft drive) :)


Do what you wanna do but before you do anything else read here,
http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/cx500/ridesafe/

The single most important thing about riding a bike IMHO
is,"Anticipation".



Anyone with Cellphones,on or off the road<grin>


They always do,even in the UK so flash them when you are behind and
let them pull out :P


As above.
Note:If a women has her hand out of the window looking as if she has
mastered the old and used to be required skill of using,"Hand Signals"
there's only two thing you can guarantee.

1:The window is open.
2:Her fingernails are not dry.



USA/UK.All Taxi drivers are absolute C**ts  when driving unless it's
3am and you are drunk/pissed and they get you home.Give them space.



As above.Do As I do and get some stickers made which I keep in my
pocket.When stopped behind a 4X4  as we call them over here(SUV) with
a lass in it and she's cut me up place a sticker on the back of the
SUV.

Sticker reads,"Does My ASS Look Fat In This".Heh .Heh :D




We are all,"Tourists".Ask an Amoeba ;-)



--
Free Windows/PC help,
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html

 

On Fri, 5 Aug 2005 14:18:23 -0700, "PTravel"


I had a '74 DT175 that I rode for a dozen years in L.A.  


A smaller bike has the agility to avoid tight spots.


In 40 years I've been rear-ended twice.   In the last 30 years never
-- I learned to watch.


To be safe, you need enough power to run with the prevailing traffic.


The Iron Butt Association lists a CX500 going coast to coast in under
50 hours, two doing  Bun Burner 1500 miles in 36 hours, and six
SaddleSore 1000 miles in 24 hours.  The Bike is quite capable of long
distance cruising.

At 450+ pounds I consider the CX500 to be a middleweight.  It is what
I toured the United Kingdom on in the early '80's.  Each to their own.
I personally would be riding a 350-400 street machine if any were
available to me that were not a decade or two old.  


All of which are highly visible and easily avoidable.  And a little
lightweight can take to the bicycle and pedestrian routes to avoid
them.

FWIW, last week I saw two women in an SUV that were both talking on
cell phones.

 



Sccoters barley can get up to freeway speeds. Its limited. anyhting
bigger will do fine, but of course on long trips, you want a biger bike,
so at freeway speeds, the tach is a bit lower, and doesnt cause your
limbs to go numb. I would want to frequently manuver a gold wing in a
paking lot. Aside from thoes ends of the spectrum, any bike will do for
city crusing...



--
1984 RZ350

 

PTravel wrote:

PT, you have a great bike right now in the CX500. I had one from 1979 to
1985 and loved it. It is a very capable "all around" bike, gets good
milage, has a large frame and can take you as far as you would want to go.

--
PC Paul

Trip pics at: http://photos.yahoo.com/paul1cart

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society" - Theodore Roosevelt