Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I've got a long way to go before I tackle anything like that--I'm just in the research and learning to ride stages.

But as someone who's just moving into SF I think it'd be great to ride a bike instead of a big ol' car.

Many of my friends live in the East Bay so I was wondering if I do this, what size bike would I want to be considering?

I see a lot of those converted-to-streetuse dirtbike style motorcycles in SF. Seems too light, right?

I lived in Monterey for 2 years and made frequent trips to SF. I can see your concern about the bridge !!

A dirt-type (enduro or supermoto) is probably the best style bike for riding in a big city. Here in Naples they are everywhere. They have the best maneuverability, most comfortable seating position (for many) and are inexpensive to own.

The kind of windblast that you experience on the bay bridge will toss any bike around - even an 800 lb goldwing. I would be nervous on the bridge for that reason, bot not overly so - it's just a matter of training yourself up for it.

With that being said, I think you should get the bike that best suits you - learn on it ... take it on the highway and get used to the windblast from passing semis and whatnot, then go on to the bridge. You can ride in almost anything if you are trained properly for it

So those enduro type bikes can hang on the freeway?

Seems like everything I see on it here are larger/thicker bikes with fatter back tires.

And surprisingly few bikes on the freeway at all. Seems strange, with the rising gas prices and the parking shortages in the city. Its a nightmare.

Perhaps I'll consider relocating to Naples! Great pizza in that city. But I couldn't imagine riding through Piazza Garibaldi...