Thinking about getting a motorcycle

[mrlynn]

Obviously you don't have real winter where you live, or you wouldn't be thinking of motorcycles, motor-bikes, and bicycles. Well, I guess there are die-hards who manage on two wheels even in winter, but just getting in and out of weather gear could take you as much time as the bus.

Ignore Chopper. Motorcycles can't be fun in city traffic, constantly jostling with cars, trucks, double-parkers, etc. I'd say:

(a) resign yourself to the longer bus ride (try audio books and lectures?), or

(b) bite the auto bullet: buy a 10-year-old Cadillac or Lincoln with a good sound system and plush (heated) seats, and enjoy a comfortable commute each way. It's only 14 miles a day, so don't worry about the mileage. If parking costs much more than the bus, find a nearby coworker to share the ride, or demand a raise.

/Mr Lynn

[mspace]

I find that I appreciate the lack of work/mental "effort" public trans affords. compared to the level of attention one must pay when driving/biking.

I understand not wanting to extend the commute, but you can do many other things on a bus. "Self" commuting to me is another form of high level work.

You could use the bus on "bad weather" days, self commute on good days.

[NewtonMP2100]

.....prefer to work my way up.....unicycle first................then up to a tricycle.............

[M A V I C]

mrlynn wrote:
Obviously you don't have real winter where you live, or you wouldn't be thinking of motorcycles, motor-bikes, and bicycles. Well, I guess there are die-hards who manage on two wheels even in winter, but just getting in and out of weather gear could take you as much time as the bus.

There are days its below freezing, but it's not common that there's snow. I'll probably avoid biking (in either form) on mornings where it's below freezing.

(a) resign yourself to the longer bus ride (try audio books and lectures?), or

I do a handful of things on the bus as it is. There's just really nothing I want to do on a bus. Most content I consume doesn't come in audio book form - or, if it does, it's out of date by the time it is. I don't enjoy staring down at my phone for extended periods of time. I used to use Umano, but they shut down. And taking that much more time on the bus will be taking time away from my family as well.

(b) bite the auto bullet: buy a 10-year-old Cadillac or Lincoln with a good sound system and plush (heated) seats, and enjoy a comfortable commute each way. It's only 14 miles a day, so don't worry about the mileage. If parking costs much more than the bus, find a nearby coworker to share the ride, or demand a raise.

/Mr Lynn

I haven't found a coworker I can carpool with. I'll keep looking. If I was to get a car, it'd be a smaller one, otherwise I have no place to park it at home.

mspace wrote:
I find that I appreciate the lack of work/mental "effort" public trans affords. compared to the level of attention one must pay when driving/biking.

Yes, there can be a little bit of that. But a 20-30 minute daily commute vs ~120 minute... I'd rather a short period of mental work over a long period of being in a bus.

[Yoyodyne ArtWorks]

RAMd®d wrote:
Constant hyper-vigilance is key. While not to be taken for granted, it can become second nature so you can enjoy the ride.

+1000. This is the crux of the biscuit, and many new (and even experienced) riders underestimate its importance. Your response to hazards must become instinctive-if you need time to think about how to react it's often too late. Many of your "natural" instincts will get you in loads of trouble on a motorcycle.

Riders panic when they think they're approaching a curve too fast; often they only need to lean the bike a bit more to make the curve safely, but instead they hit the front brake (which stands the bike up and makes it run wide) or the rear brake (which often locks up the rear tire and causes a skid).

Riders see a car turn left in front of them and fixate on the car; no good, on a motorcycle you go where you look. That's why so many riders plow directly into the car; you need to fixate on the escape path around the car that will let you avoid the accident.

This type of stuff has to become instinct, and that takes lots of saddle time-you can't just intellectually absorb the information and expect it to become instinctual. You have to wear patterns of behavior into your brain by repetition.

I used my Hawk GT as my exclusive transportation back in the early Nineties in SoCal; 47,000 miles of riding that was mainly commuting on surface streets and freeways (including much lane splitting). I was experienced and enjoyed it, but in the intervening 20 years the roads have gotten a lot more crowded and drivers gotten a lot more inattentive (cell phones, texting, etc.).

Unless someone is really serious about learning to ride a motorcycle, I don't recommend they take up the sport (on the street, anyway. Track days can be a lot of fun and safer to boot.)

Mavic, wanting a more cost-effective way to commute used to be a popular reason decades ago to take up motorcycling, but in your case and in today's world I think the risks far outweigh the rewards. My .02...

[Robert M]

Mavic,

I used to ride many years ago and have had multiple opportunities to get another motorcycle. Not worth it here on Long Island and in the five boroughs. The pleasure of riding is way offset by obnoxious and distracted drivers, crappytacular weather half the year and the sheer expense.

I considered a nice scooter but decided against one for the same reasons I walked away from a motorcycle. An electric bike sounds great and I could definitely see myself with one except they are illegal in New York. So, I stick with a car, a regular bike and, on occasions, a Xootr kick scooter.

Robert

[N-OS X-tasy!]

mrlynn wrote:
Ignore Chopper. Motorcycles can't be fun in city traffic, constantly jostling with cars, trucks, double-parkers, etc.

Ignore Mr. Lynn. The primary reason I started riding again last year was to reduce my commute time (and drive time in general) by way of the increased flexibility riding a motorcycle in heavy traffic provides.

Riding a motorcycle is not for everyone. Only you can decide whether it's right for you.

[Randalls]

I have ridden a bike since I was 14. I am now many decades beyond that. By the grace of God or a guardian angel I have survived incidents over the years that could have put me under. I still love to ride. If you ride long enough, bike or motorcycle, you will eventually have an accident.

When I was younger there was a 50/50 chance it was my fault for doing something stupid. As I got older it was usually the other persons fault. But eventually you will have an accident. With the roads loaded with distracted drivers, as stated earlier, it has the deck stacked against you.

On the other hand, if you really WANT a motorcycle, get it. Start off with something you can handle now and not something that you want to grow in to. You can always trade up when you have mastered the smaller bike. Get something fast enough to get you to where you want to go but don't buy something you can't handle. There will be oil slicks shortly after it starts to rain. There will be loose gravel. There will be people cutting you off due to inattention and blind spots. Hopefully your reflexes will be sharp enough to not only think ahead but fast enough to keep you out of danger.

Life is short, if you really want a bike get one. But be as prepared as you can be when riding.

[Robert M]

Randalls,

Great advice. I'll build on that and say anyone who is purchasing a motorcycle for the first time or buying one after not riding for an extended length of time ought to spend a few bucks and take some riding lessons. It's been nearly 30 years since I've been on a bike as the controller and I'd factor the cost of lessons into the purchase of a new or new to me hog. FWIW, based on what I've seen on the road, even experienced riders can use a lesson or two. Same goes for drivers...

Robert

[mrlynn]

Ditto what Robert said. About 10 years ago, my two sons decided to buy motorcycles and take a trip around the country. I was not happy with this plan, but we told them we'd help with the financing if they agreed to take the motorcycle safety course the police in New Hampshire offered. They did, outfitted their bikes with extra lights, bought mouth-protecting helmets (both are wind players, sax and trumpet), and took off. They traveled all around the perimeter of the country over a couple of months, about 12,000 miles, and there wasn't a day that I didn't worry. But they arrived home safely.

They did say that the safety course helped them immensely; in fact, a friend who was riding with them wiped out on a mountain road, breaking his arm and trashing his bike; the boys said that had he taken the course, he wouldn't have made the mistake that downed him.

FWIW. I still think a car is both safer and more pleasant in city traffic than a bike, of any kind. Save the riding for Sundays on quiet country roads. And before you get a bike, ask your wife.

/Mr Lynn