Poll: New riders, do you consider weight of a motorcycle?

[totalmotorcycle]

shadowryder to the site and thanks for the really nice complements too. I hope you enjoy your time here and above all, have fun here too!

Mike

[madjak30]

The only real reason I can say that I considered weight of the bike was that I did about a year of reasearch before beginning to ride...I started on a beginner bike forum, and they spouted the same mantra as all the others...start on a 250cc bike, low power, light weight...it makes for much easier learning curve...but I also got some feedback from other riders of my size (275lbs) and it was suggested that maybe something in the 400-500cc area would be a better starter for me...

My other research on the same theme was to ask on the beginner bike forums about how good a 250cc bike would be for two up riding...after they all told me not to even think of two up until I got atleast a year of experience, blah blah blah...then I posed the question this way...the average male rider is 170-200lbs, the average girlfriend of said rider is 110-130lbs...those two people put together pretty much equal JUST ME...so it is like I am riding two up all the time...so I went with the GS500 for that reason, most of the answers were that the 500cc bikes were still light & lower powered but would perform fine for two up...hence my choice...420lbs bike + 45Hp = fun & easy to learn on...

Then when I "upgraded", I didn't consider it as much (still didn't want an 800lbs cruiser) and bought my MT-01...but I have found that getting a new bike, puts you back a couple of notches on the confidence meter...the bikes handle different, braking is totally different...more practice is required to get used to the new tip in point & braking...the biggest difference is in the slow manouvering where the extra weight shows up in every aspect of the handling...

I have come to the conclusion that two bikes are needed to cover the riding that I want to be able to do...a touring type of bike for travel and sight seeing, and a dual sport or supermoto for commuting and getting off the beaten path...now to convince wifey of that requirement!!

Sorry, kinda got off topic...but I think the ramble has some points to add to the discussion!!

Later.

[Katharine]

I absolutely would... On a "fat day," soaking wet, I might weigh 115 pounds. I'm stronger than most people expect, but it's a fact I don't get to the gym as much as I ought. I'd probably be laying that sucker down a lot when I started out (same reason I wouldn't buy a bike with a still-perfect paint job!)... I need to know I can pick it back up! By myself, easily, on the first try, without using the phone-a-friend option or having some passer-by stop to help the "little woman" pick up the big ol' motorcycle she can't handle. (Yes, I would absolutely spend a LOT of time in my own parking lot putting it down and picking it back up until I was 100% confident I could get it back on its feet effectively and quickly every time! The only thing more embarrassing than laying it down in public in the first place is not being able to get it back up!)

At my size, I'm not worried about a lighter weight/lighter powered bike being able to carry me, and obviously I'm not going to be riding 2-up (what'm I gonna do, throw my 250-lb partner on the back, lol?). But controllability is also an issue, esp. until I'd get my arse in gear and get back to the gym on a regular basis. I imagine I might enjoy a lighter bike as well (perhaps not in a high wind or passing ginormous trucks though! But I wouldn't plan to spend much or any time on the highways, esp. at first). I drive a Honda Civic and I like that it's small and maneuverable... probably would like that in a bike as well. The one I think I am in love with (just from reading about it, though I've never been on one) is the Honda XL250 or XL350... sounds right up my alley. Who knows if I'd ever even want to upgrade? I guess I'd know once I'd been riding it for a while.


(I'm with shadow, though-- thank heaven for you all. I've read the books. They have good info. But there isn't the human support [nobody to talk you through it when you've just read the book that spends a whole chapter outlining the horrible ways you could be injured/killed on a bike and you're thinking 'OMG NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS!!'*], there's no way to ask the questions the books don't cover or get personal reviews of bikes/gear/techniques/yada yada.)

*and yes I read that book, don't remember which it was, and yes it had a lot of good info that I appreciated immensely (I read it at the same time as Proficient Motorcycling), but really I didn't think the fearmongering was necessary; I'm NOT reading it because I'm a parent trying to talk a 14-year-old son out of wanting a bike, I'm reading it because I'm a grown-"O Ring" adult who wants a bike, so I'd rather just read about how to mitigate the risks, not find out in detail what they are so they can keep me up at night... so it's a good thing you are all around to keep me sane.

What did she learn or or rode before?

She got her endorsement via a MSF class, I think it was fall a year ago. Her then-boyfriend bought a used late-model GSX-R600 (!!! ). She did some rides around side streets with it, doubt she ever did more than 10-15 miles total. Didn't have any incidents thank goodness, but never got any real experience either. She and that boyfriend separated in March and she moved back to NJ where she's now living with us.

She's started collecting Harley t-shirts, etc, and goes to Harley dealerships and drools over the bikes. At the moment her finances won't let her buy the Sporty she wants. Last summer I offered to buy her a used 250 cruiser of her choice (there were many on craigslist to choose from), it would be her bike, titled to her, she could ride it for a season then use it as trade-in on a Sportster. She turned me down.

(Hard-headed, like a certain other female relative of hers who also lives in my house.....)

She turned you down?!?! Wow! Most people would jump at the chance to have a motorbike of their own to ride.....they can save up for their next one.

Seriously! Would you give my dad a call and chat with him? (If I told him I wanted a bike, he'd probably laugh his arse off. But if I asked him for a loan, or told him outright I wanted a cheap bike, he might well give me one. My mom would probably go throttle him, but he might do it, lol. The only problem would be that I'm pretty sure his taste in bikes and mine vary, lol. "You want a Harley, honey?" "No, I want a vintage Honda dual-sport." "A what?? What the hell is that? You want a little Japanese bike of an age that if it were some guy trying to date you, I'd have to kill him?")

[dr_bar]

When I first bought, weight was never even in the radar... It was a case of how much bike can I get for the dollars I have. I ended up buying a 1971 Kawasaki Mach III H1, the "Widow Maker"... I didn't own it much more than a year or so, and eventually migrated to various other bikes over the years. The H1 weighed in at a measly 384 lbs, but was ugly for handling in the corners despite it's light weight.

I currently own two heavy weights, my touring bike the 2007 Yamaha Royal Star Venture weighing in at 806 lbs dry, but after all the accessories probably closer to 860+ lbs. And my 1997 Honda Valkyrie that is a bit more respectable at about 680 lbs dry. Both of which I bought with comfort and ergonomics in thought rather than anything else. The Honda with about 100 hp and 130ish max ft lbs torque, makes it the best for towing my tent trailer, but it doesn't come close to the comfort of the Venture even though it has lower hp and torque, ( 98 and 89 respectively.)

[caine74]

I traded an old VW Bug for my first (and only still) bike. When I got it home from being on a trailer I thought "this think is going to crush me when I drop it". I was tired from the MSF course all weekend, so I figured that I would get on it a few days later after resting and feel it again. It was still heavy but very responsive even at slow speeds. Since then I have hit a few twisties and have had a blast, even weighing in at 640 pounds it has handled great. I think for me weight is secondary to how the bike fits me and the power output it has.