Problems with my bike PLEASE HELP ME!

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BigChickenStrips · Sat May 13, 2006 12:22 pm

no offence but if you cant afford insurance or to get the bike fixed, you probably also cant afford propper safety gear or the medical bills associated with the ensuing accident without said gear. so go to craigslist and sell the bike before you hurt yourself or someone else.

Motorcycling, much like any hobby, is expensive. unlike many hobbies, you dont want to cut corners to save cash in this hobby. if you play golf, you can buy pawn shop clubs and play on public courses, but like TechBMW said, something you are entrusing not only your life, but the lives of others to is not where you want to cut corners. and insurance isnt for you, its for the person you hit because your broke-assed bike messed up. if you hit someone they can sue you for everything you own. so your bike, your car, your house if you own it, and many other thing you enjoy could be taken from you if you cause an accident. and bike insurance is only like $130 a year for minimum coverage. it sunds like yo cant afford to ride, maybe you should try golf?

[/rant]

camthepyro · Sat May 13, 2006 1:20 pm

I agree with Ryan, even if it does sound harsh. I'm not going to tell you that motorcycling is a real expensive hobby, but you do you need some money to do it.

I've spent roughly $2200 so far for motorcycling. That's for the bike, gear, MSF class, a year of insurance ($212), and tag fee. $2200 is probably pretty much the cheapest you can start on (I don't think I could have done anything cheaper), so if you can't pay for that, then ride a bus.

Plus, not having insurance is always a bad idea, whether it's legal or not.

JonDoe · #13 Unread post by **JonDoe** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:02 pm

well guys way to crush my dream eh... =/

snwbrdr · #14 Unread post by **snwbrdr** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:37 pm

We arent trying to crush any dreams we would just rather guide you so that you dont make a mistake thatis going to kill you later. insurance is definitelysomething you need whether it is a requirement or not. i personally dont have my bike insured if it gets in an accident, but i do have some nice high medical payment coverage, id rather lose the bike and be out the 1500, then go to the hospital and be paying for it the rest of mylife.
Gear is a must, at least get a helmet. pants, gloves, jacket are strongly recommended, they should be a priority. a $700 bike was a great idea, you saved so much on it you should be able to afford gear.
again we arent trying to crush your dreams, but there ismuch more to riding a bike than there seems.
how old are you by the way? if u dont mind me asking

Lion_Lady · Sun May 14, 2006 2:23 am

You do realize that motorcyling is NOT for broke people?

One reason that insurance is NOT always required, is that it is classified as a luxury expense - a 'toy' like an RV or a sailboat, etc. Owned by people who have EXTRA money they don't need to buy food and pay rent.

I guess you're discovering that now...

By NOT insuring that bike: If you should hit someone (if you get it running) and be deemed at fault, the injured party can CLEAN YOU OUT!!! Take all your money, garner future wages...

THAT's just one VERY good reason to carry insurance. Don't be an idiot. Bite the bullet, take that machine to a shop and get some liablility insurance at the least.

If you can't afford to do that, then just can it all and put the bike on ebay as a parts bike.

Pam

JonDoe · #16 Unread post by **JonDoe** » Mon May 15, 2006 5:20 am

yes im learning that now:( being a broke biker sucks... i do have a helmet and a jacket and gloves. and im 22 years old. guess im gonna park it until i have cash to get it fixed right and i looked up insurance its only 240$ a year for liability..

#17 Unread post by **bok** » Mon May 15, 2006 5:49 am

basic rule of life "Cover your butt"
that means insurance and proper gear. now since that has been hammered over and over and you seem to be smart enough to have that figured out, here are some things you can do.

get a shop manual for your bike. i don't have one for mine yet, but will in the next week or two i reckon. these can help you figure out the correct way to do things and probably show you which projects are beyond your skills. One of my mechanic friends says with the shop manual i can probably figure out a lot of the general stuff myself or at least not sound like as big of a newb when i go to the shop and try to describe what i did to my bike.

check in your area for a local riders club that is newbie friendly, make friends with folks in your area that know how to fix bikes. offer to buy one of them dinner or a case of beer if they come look at your bike. if nothing else you can get someone to actually look at it without costing you a ton of money.

Riding is more than being on two wheels, but its a lot more fun when all you have to worry about is where you are riding today.

ofblong · #18 Unread post by **ofblong** » Mon May 15, 2006 8:31 am

bok wrote:basic rule of life "Cover your butt"
that means insurance and proper gear. now since that has been hammered over and over and you seem to be smart enough to have that figured out, here are some things you can do.

get a shop manual for your bike. i don't have one for mine yet, but will in the next week or two i reckon. these can help you figure out the correct way to do things and probably show you which projects are beyond your skills. One of my mechanic friends says with the shop manual i can probably figure out a lot of the general stuff myself or at least not sound like as big of a newb when i go to the shop and try to describe what i did to my bike.

check in your area for a local riders club that is newbie friendly, make friends with folks in your area that know how to fix bikes. offer to buy one of them dinner or a case of beer if they come look at your bike. if nothing else you can get someone to actually look at it without costing you a ton of money.

Riding is more than being on two wheels, but its a lot more fun when all you have to worry about is where you are riding today.

even with those manuals they are written so you must be somewhat mechanically inclined to be able to understand them. Heck I am mechanically inclined and sometimes I have to look at that manual and study it for a few minutes before I understand something. If you cant figure out how to change your own oil, without the use of a book, you arent mechanically inclined and no book in the world will teach you how to fix the basics.

dieziege · #19 Unread post by **dieziege** » Mon May 15, 2006 8:38 am

shrug.. everyone has to start somewhere....

MotoF150 · Mon May 15, 2006 10:55 am

I do OK fixing my bike myself, I can do anything any mechanic can do like changing oil and changing spark plugs is easy, some mechanics get paid very well to do that, its easy.