Advice please, son just bought his first bike

[DarkFury]

"This is also the heart of the matter. There’s no shortage of people who hate loud motorcycles. But that’s a separate issue. Let me say it again: a separate issue. Trying to argue that loud pipes don’t save lives because they’re so annoying is ridiculous. And nine times out of 10, when someone attempts to build a case against loud pipes, they confuse dislike with logic. Loud motorcycles can be annoying—that’s understood—but they only disrupt your reverie for a second or two; we’re talking about safety here, which is more important than you being woken up from your slumber."

Loud pipes irritate, but enhance motorcycle riders’ safety

"The irony of the government attempting to mandate more noise from motorcycles is hard to overlook, but the low speed menace of electric vehicles is real. You can read the NHTSA’s full analysis by opening thisPDF. You can also listen to a sampling of recordings suggested by the NHTSA for use on electric vehicles when traveling at low speeds here. As usual, the Europeans are way out in front of us on this issue, as evidenced by the video below."

It’s Official . . . Loud Bikes Save Lives « MotorcycleDaily.com – Motorcycle News, Editorials, Product Reviews and Bike Reviews

You DID catch the part about government trying to MANDATE louder bikes right?

 

[MarathonMike]

Not looking for conflict guys. I really appreciate all the feedback. He's doing good, wearing all the gear and sticking to back roads....for now.

 

[Sunni Man]

Here is the advice I have given for years to every new rider regardless of age or ability. ....


I say to them......"Remember when you first got behind the steering wheel of your car. You really paid attention to your driving and your eyes were glued to the road with two hands on the wheel. But now you drive down the road drinking a coke, eating a burger, turning the dial on the radio, and looking everywhere but straight ahead.

When you first start riding a motorcycle it will be much like when you first started driving a car. You pay attention and stay focused on the road and the cars around you.

But therein lies the difference.......you can "never ever" become as complacent riding your motorcycle as you do driving your car. If you do.......a serious accident might be in your future.

Riding a motorcycle means being aware and riding aware......every single time you throw your leg over your bike and hit the start button".

Now lets go ride........

 

[Andylusion]

I grew up in Seattle along side Bob "hurricane" Hanna. Used to date his sister Marilyn. That man could ride!

Sure, I remember him, he was quite a legend.

The most famous rider I knew was a flat tracker from my home town named Freddy Nix.

AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame | Freddie Nix

And right down the rode in the next town was Gary Nixon.

AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame | Gary Nixon

I notice your info says retired. Here is my pick to still enjoy the road.
Transverse 3 and front wheel drive. 84 mpg and top end just over 100. Price? 6,800 dollars. Two seater/tandem fuel injected Geo Metro motor and front drive.


They are due out at the end of 2016. You can get on a waiting list now though for a hundred bucks. And THEY WILL finance!
Check it out.

First off, I have to point out how dumb it is to finance something, that drops in value like a rock. Yes, I know it's universally common to finance a car..... but it's fiscally idiotic. You are going to pay $800 of interest, on a $6,800 vehicle, which means you will owe $7,600 on a vehicle worth only $6,000 the moment you roll it over the curb onto the road. Great way to stay poor, is borrow and pay interest on something that will be worth a few hundred in a year or two, when you spent thousands. If you have so much money, that turning $7,600 into $600 in a year or two isn't a problem.... I have a mint condition Grand Marquis '03 to sell you. You'll love it.

A guy down the road from me, bought a commuter car just like that. Big sign. For sale. 60 mpg! That lunch box on wheels, sat there for 12 months straight. He had it for sale for a few hundred bucks before he was able to get rid of it. No idea how much he spent, or worse, how much interest he paid on the paper weight.

Now there is a couple of things I have to point out.

1. I've been saying for 10 years now that we can easily make a car that gets 100 MPG, or similar. We just have to make it tiny, make it wimpy, and make it flimsy. This is proof that I was right. Two seats you can't barely see. A 60 horse power engine. No suspension. A rolling brick. And notice that massive trunk space to fit all your stuff.

2. I've also been saying for 10 years now, that we can make cars cheaper, and that one of the primary drivers in the cost of automobiles, is regulations, mandates and controls. Notice the guy said that because it only has 3 wheels, which means it's not classified as a car, and therefore in his own words, it doesn't have to meet all the regulations and controls imposed on cars by the government.

Now, if the companies, and the left-wing 'regulate the world' people, get their way.... I bet this trike, will get classified as a car, and the price tag will bounce $5,000. Which of course will kill it.

But even so, I highly doubt this will be any better than those wind up disposable cars we already have.

 

[dblack]

He should at least know how to ride a wheelie while standing on the seat. Chicks dig it.

 

[MarathonMike]

You're not helping dblack

 

[waltky]

Buy a good life insurance policy on him...

... my dad once had a scheme to buy life insurance on 10 motorcyclists...

... he figured it'd be a way to make some extra money.

 

[Iceweasel]

"This is also the heart of the matter. There’s no shortage of people who hate loud motorcycles. But that’s a separate issue. Let me say it again: a separate issue. Trying to argue that loud pipes don’t save lives because they’re so annoying is ridiculous. And nine times out of 10, when someone attempts to build a case against loud pipes, they confuse dislike with logic. Loud motorcycles can be annoying—that’s understood—but they only disrupt your reverie for a second or two; we’re talking about safety here, which is more important than you being woken up from your slumber."

Nothing screams retard like loud pipes. The louder the pipe, the lower the IQ. I haven't needed loud pipes in 43 years so your "logic" is nothing but an attempt to justify trying to sound macho. Loud pipes destroy hearing, you can hear them for waaay more than one or two seconds.

If someone really was that worried about not being noticed, motorcycling is not for them. And usually they aren't, they weekend Harley toys where they can dress up like a bad ass and get noticed as much as humanly possible. Between them and the road racers the general public gets really really turned off. And THAT is where the hazards lay. When you create a nation full of enemies due to your indifference to their considerations you've made is more dangerous for everyone.

I just wish the Harleytards would rent a chrome plated bus with loud speakers so they could enjoy a cold beer, right next to each other, the way they ride and lumber along the roads in solidarity. Leave the rest of us in peace.

 

[TNHarley]

I would ride with him if possible
If he passed the course, he has the basics. But ALWAYS remember to be defensive. That is probably the most important thing. Will make his 4 wheel driving better as well. Well, it did for me..
IMO, the only thing left would be GAIN experience. He has to get out there. As long as it isn't too big a bike for him and he stays defensive, he should be good
The most dangerous thing to a motorcycle rider is other drivers!

 

[Dajjal]

As a biker of many years experience I would recommend giving him a copy of the police motorcycling manual.
I expect it is available online and even though it originates in England it is just as relevant to USA.
It teaches techniques like reading the road ahead, and watching for loose gravel and oil slicks on bends.
You can learn a lot from it that could save your life. Like what to do if you are facing a collision you cannot avoid.
I gave my copy to a kid that was speeding up the street outside my house.

I also recommend getting the best tyres you can. They too could save your life as they hold the road better and are worth the money. Never let your tyres get worn down as you only have two wheels and you want them to stick to the road. Never do wheelies as showing off can kill you.

 

[Dajjal]

Do a google search for the following, it is available on amazon.

Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook to Better Motorcycling

 

[Dajjal]

More on tyres. I always chose to get a matched pair of 'S' tread tyres on both the front and back wheels.
Cross treads are often used on the back wheel and 'S' treads on the front. But I preferred ' S' treads on both.
It is a trade off because you get better grip for cornering with an ' S' tread but you may lock the back wheel if you have to do an emergency stop. Because you get a better grip on the road with a cross tread when braking and an 'S' tread is likely to lock the wheel and slide.
I felt safer with an 'S' tread on cornering and because I always read the road ahead well I rarely had to stop quickly. On one occasion I did have to stop suddenly when some silly cow stopped dead in front of me, and I did lock the back wheel, but I quickly released and re applied the back brake and I survived.

 

[Dajjal]

Here is some more advice. Firstly you need a bike powerful enough to hold your own in traffic. Then you can choose your own road position and I used to ride just inside the white line, at the crown of the road. That way you are lined up ready to overtake vehicles in front, and you keep people behind from continually overtaking you, which they will do if you ride in the gutter.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Just about any bike (except a 125 Eliminator and maybe a Rebel) is powerful enough to keep up with traffic.

 

[Dajjal]

Just about any bike (except a 125 Eliminator and maybe a Rebel) is powerful enough to keep up with traffic.

I would prefer at least 500cc between my legs. Especially on motorways, as a smaller bike would leave you vulnerable to being cut up by lorry's. You need power to overtake quickly and a 500cc will accelerate up to 100 miles per hour. I had a 400 cc which was ok, but I much preferred my 500cc Honda.
I also had a 650cc Honda and that was more power than I needed, as I got two speeding tickets in three months,

 

[Jarlaxle]

My wife has a little 250 that will run 50+kph past the speed limit on any motorway in England. It tops out at about 175kph. For that matter, a 250 Ninja will out-accelerate most cars and top out at 105MPH.

 

[ABikerSailor]

My first "real" bike was a Honda 600 Shadow. Loved the power, but hated riding it in crosswinds because it was really light and would go down the road at an angle.

Next bike was an 883 Sportster that I bored out to a 1200 and put in some serious cams and other engine work. Bike was dependable as hell, and topped out at 130 mph. Most of my friends who had Big Twins would always look at me shocked when I was keeping up with them as they were trying to drop me.

However.................there are old bikers, and there are bold bikers, but there aren't many old, bold bikers.

I've only been wild a time or two, I much prefer to keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Actually I bought it, he got his gear and his own insurance. So how long do you think he should "practice" with the bike before he rides in traffic? He's passed the motorcycle safety course but has no experience riding.

Put sugar in the gas tank.

 

[ninja007]

if you want some real world good advice from someone who rode 15 years, here I am. I had 4 bikes AND SURVIVED a terrible accident that wasn't my fault- helmet came off on impact,hit him at about 50 mph no brakes. It was a kid who made a left turn (idiot) in front of me. I even bought the same model bike after almost getting killed two years later (yamaha r1).


3 tips to start- stay to the left side of the middle of the lane (oil and car fluid suck)

- stay out of peoples blind spots

- most of the accidents happen when a vehicle is turning left in front of you.


ps- it was hard enough in the 90's and 2000-2005 to ride safely but now cell phones and texting are an epidemic. My advice? forget it.

It also doesn't matter how good a rider you are as its usually someone else who takes you out.

 

[MarathonMike]

if you want some real world good advice from someone who rode 15 years, here I am. I had 4 bikes AND SURVIVED a terrible accident that wasn't my fault- helmet came off on impact,hit him at about 50 mph no brakes. It was a kid who made a left turn (idiot) in front of me. I even bought the same model bike after almost getting killed two years later (yamaha r1).


3 tips to start- stay to the left side of the middle of the lane (oil and car fluid suck)

- stay out of peoples blind spots

- most of the accidents happen when a vehicle is turning left in front of you.


ps- it was hard enough in the 90's and 2000-2005 to ride safely but now cell phones and texting are an epidemic. My advice? forget it.

It also doesn't matter how good a rider you are as its usually someone else who takes you out.

I appreciate the comments, but he is going to find out for himself. He's over 18 and was getting a bike no matter what. He's already laid it down once. Banged up his knee and the bike but maybe that will be a wakeup call that it isn't play time.