C'mon Ride that Hawg
August 4, 2006
by Nate
After six long years of dreaming, I’ve finally signed up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginner’s course. It will take place from 6-10pm on Friday the 11th, and from 7am-6pm that Saturday and Sunday, the latter two days consisting entirely of actual riding. God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia, by the way. Virginia does so many things right and beautifully that are done poorly elsewhere, and the well-run sign up for this MSF class is only the most recent example. (MSF classes are insanely popular and hard to get into.) All of this means: provided I pass the class, I will have my motorcycle endorsement for my license inside of a month. Thus:
It’s time to buy a motorcycle.
I’m a bit torn about what to look for. My favorite bike by far is the Honda Shadow, a big, classic-looking cruiser with nice lines and general feel of substance about it. Anyone had any experience buying used motorcycles? Anyone have favorites? I’m certainly doing my own research, but I always particularly appreciate advice from the blogmass.
Also: I finished my first software design class: it was disappointingly easy. The UML test demanded little more than looking up terms in the reference book’s index, and the projects ultimately required no programming concepts more difficult than while loops. I guess the goal, though, is just to get people’s feet wet and convince them they can do fun stuff with programming before they get dunked into the complicated depths of a real language, but I was already convinced of that. Let’s hope this fall’s Javascript class isn’t so disapointing.
Comments
On August 20 at 10'55 PM
, Marty wrote:
Motorcycles are emotional things. They have personalities, and there is no telling what someone else will bond to.
That said, they are also machines. They are devised by the hand of man and subject to his competences. These are machines well-suited to some tasks and poorly to others by their designs. An ElectraGlide makes a poor dirtbike, and a YZ425 would have a hard time crossing the country by superslab. You don’t mention what you intend to do with your impending purchase, but I’ll give you some advice in general terms.
The Honda Shadow performs very well sitting still. The apehanger handlebars, the low seat and leaned-back, feet-up riding psoition makes perfect sense until you get moving. It is a motorcycle for posing, for being seen on, not for riding.
There are lots of people putting lots of miles on cruiser-type motorcycles. They have their priorities and I have mine; as the blood drains from their arms and the wind opens the parachute the riding position makes of their upper body, they will eventually decide that the pleasures of motorcycling are outweighed by the pain. This would be a shame if it happened to you.
Lean forward a bit, put you feet under you, trade some chrome for better balance, and you will find a lifetime of inspiration and healing for your soul. It won’t grow wearisome, at least not right away, at least not for reasons of moment-to-moment practicality. You may decide you can’t afford the risk, or the lack of passenger and cargo space, or the discomfort of traveling in winter, but you won’t give up after your first long ride with aching back and arms, or crash in your first fast sweeper because you drug hard parts due to a limited lean angle.
Look for a different motorcycle.
The style I suggest is one that is vanishing from new bike showrooms. We used to call them “standards”, the latest marketing term is “naked bikes”. They are stripped of chrome and plastic, more elemental in their design, but beyond what they look like they just plain *work*. The riding position puts your weight over your feet so you can stand on the pegs or shift your weight easily. You lean into the wind, which lifts your upper body at speed. A magical transformation—you become weightless at the proper speed.
What they don’t do for you is make a Statement about Who You Are. Buy a plastic-coated crotch rocket and you are telling the world you are boy racer, ready to disappear into a blinding flash. Buy a Harley-clone chopperette and you are telling the world you’re a badass. If you are confident enough in your masculinity buy a motorcycle for riding and skip the fashion statement.
Now if you have somehow transformed yourself into one of these archetypes by all means, indulge yourself! My own boy racerish tendencies would probably be indulged if I had the means, but for now I’m sticking with my 24 year old street bike and 18 year old dirtbike and lusting after newer machinery in the magazines.
If any of this makes sense to you get in touch and I can make some more specific recommendations. Either way, enjoy what you ride!
On August 21 at 3'50 PM
, Nate wrote:
I think “standards” is still the term most people talking about motorcycles use, going by the various forums I’ve been frequenting. I’ve certainly spent the most time on two different standards (both Hondas), and there’s no denying that they’re fun, flexible, and comfortable.
But a cruiser fits my style. I want to sail along highways and open roads. I want to drive at night along the illumined criss-crossing arteries of Washington DC. I want to cruise down to Charlottesville (two hours away) on weekends where the hills are gentle and the views are great.
I grant you that sport bikes have their appeal — but I don’t want to be a racer; moreover, I don’t want to be tempted into racing. I don’t want to have 100mph just a tempting flick of the wrist away.
In my experience, the cruiser crowd (particularly, though certainly not exclusively, the non-Harley crowd) is far more about being laid-back than about being a bad-ass. They’re people who want big comfortable saddles and bikes that are mostly about enjoying the ride. They like being on the road a lot and for long stretches.
And the biggest ultimate limitation for standards (from what I understand) is really how long and how comfortably you can ride them at highway speeds — especially with a passenger, which I most definitely intend to have.
All of this has led me to look pretty much exclusively at 1100 Harleys or Kawasakis.
It does make me a bit jealous of you guys, though — I can’t imagine any better state for riding than Montana. There’s no question I’ll be taking my bike out west at some point.