Motorcycle riders out there?

[slayer9019]

Anyone else ride? What do you got?

[str8edg]

I ride when I can... kind of hard when I live so far away from my bike.

I ride a Suzuki V-Strom 650, we have a lot of dirt roads in Newfoundland so a dual-purpose bike was needed.

[MsRad]

i tell D all the time about how jealous i am at motorcyclists. there's a few on here that i know in real life. i secretly have been wanting to bug Scott about it, wanting to do trade work to learn as much as he's willing to teach me about motorcycles. but i also like getting tattooed...

i guess the cats out of the bag now!

anyways, i've been drooling over used Honda Rebels (i want to start out with a small engine and i've read several reviews by short, female riders that they're a great beginner bike, plus their pretty cheap). i keep looking on craigslist, keep dreaming, keep looking at romantic photographs and videos related to bikes and riders... and then i come back to the reality of my tiny little 2004 vw golf that i have a love hate relationship with.

[gougetheeyes]

Had a growing interest in bikes for a while now but never know how/where to start, and never matters anyway because I'm always dumping cash somewhere else! Sooner or later I'll make my buddy Todd teach me how to ride.. 'til then, I'll just keep ogling bikes and watching SOA..

[slayer9019]

i tell D all the time about how jealous i am at motorcyclists. there's a few on here that i know in real life. i secretly have been wanting to bug Scott about it, wanting to do trade work to learn as much as he's willing to teach me about motorcycles. but i also like getting tattooed...

i guess the cats out of the bag now!

anyways, i've been drooling over used Honda Rebels (i want to start out with a small engine and i've read several reviews by short, female riders that they're a great beginner bike, plus their pretty cheap). i keep looking on craigslist, keep dreaming, keep looking at romantic photographs and videos related to bikes and riders... and then i come back to the reality of my tiny little 2004 vw golf that i have a love hate relationship with.

if you do want to learn to ride just take one of the safety courses. They usually teach you on 100cc-200cc bikes, and everyone tells me they are pretty damn good (and cheap!) at least here in NJ. As for a first bike I would check out craigslist for a older 70s-80s Yama/Kawi standard as they are user friendly and CHEAP! Plus if you drop it (which almost everyone does) you will not cry at replacing anything. Rebels are nice as well, but a bit heavy. I personally prefer motards (dirt bikes w. street tires) as they are light, cheap to fix, and very very durable.

[slayer9019]

Had a growing interest in bikes for a while now but never know how/where to start, and never matters anyway because I'm always dumping cash somewhere else! Sooner or later I'll make my buddy Todd teach me how to ride.. 'til then, I'll just keep ogling bikes and watching SOA..

same thing I said to MsRad. Start small, try the safety course. I've usually got people up and running in a few days for the basics. It is cheaper than most people think if you start with a small, older bike. just remember dont skip on the gear. Dress for the crash not for style.

[MsRad]

i'm interested in learning the mechanics too. i guess that's my version of wanting to know how a tattoo machine works.

[embers]

fixing a 72 norton combat with my stepdad right now.

luckily the bearings were changed before any major engine damage was done.

its an expensive hobby, but fun as hell

[Shmitty]

I have owned a couple of different Harley Sportsters. Had to sell them because of some money troubles, but I will be getting another bike in the near future. I'm thinking either a really cool bar hopper, hard tail sportster esque, or a sport touring bike, ala BMW K1200GT.

[slayer9019]

I have owned a couple of different Harley Sportsters. Had to sell them because of some money troubles, but I will be getting another bike in the near future. I'm thinking either a really cool bar hopper, hard tail sportster esque, or a sport touring bike, ala BMW K1200GT.

The only hardtail I would buy at the moment would be an older Triumph. I'm not a fan of big bikes (too heavy! Plus not 'flickable') and harleys are overpriced in my opinion. But to each his own.

Bike below is what I want if I had the money for a kidney-busting bike.

[Shmitty]

Yeah I gotcha, if I were going the bar hopper route, I can pick up an older sportster in good running condition for around 2 grand at auction, and I know how to work on Harleys. I really dig on older Triumphs too, but I have never worked on em.

[slayer9019]

Yeah I gotcha, if I were going the bar hopper route, I can pick up an older sportster in good running condition for around 2 grand at auction, and I know how to work on Harleys. I really dig on older Triumphs too, but I have never worked on em.

Nice 2 grand for a sportster, (80s Im assuming?). I helped a friend salvage his fathers ironhead (sat on a deck of 10 years!! Such bike abuse!!). In terms of working on the older bikes they are all relatively the same stuff, and pretty basic engines. It's when you get into 4 bangers and Japenese bikes that things get scary! Tried and failed to fix a katana...it is not easy!

[slayer9019]

Had a growing interest in bikes for a while now but never know how/where to start, and never matters anyway because I'm always dumping cash somewhere else! Sooner or later I'll make my buddy Todd teach me how to ride.. 'til then, I'll just keep ogling bikes and watching SOA..

actually thinking about it you live in the same area as me. look at getting a motard/dual sport. City riding is HORRIBLE on a cruiser but fantastic on a upright, high torque bike. Manhattan runs rule on the 400cc Suzukis!

[Kev]

Yep- '78 CB750 tracker. Here's an older thread on the subject: LSTers Who Like Motorcycles

[Wedge]

I've been riding various dirt and street bikes for over 30 years. I bought my first Harley about 3 years ago and will never look back. I'm not a very big guy so I bought an '07 Sportster Cutom 1200 set up to stage 1 specs and I love it. I might trade up to a Fat Boy Lo or a Softail Deluxe at some point because they sit low to the ground. Some of my other street bikes were a Kawasaki LTD 650 (great bike!) and before the HD I rode a Honda Nghthawk. I love the Harley and the lifestyle and have participated in many charity rides that I would never have done before.

[Amok]

Been riding for about 15 years now, at the moment I have a Honda VTR1000 which I'll have to sell soon ( no time to ride anymore unfortunately). But bikes will always be a passion of mine.

[Shannon Shirley]

Yeah I gotcha, if I were going the bar hopper route, I can pick up an older sportster in good running condition for around 2 grand at auction, and I know how to work on Harleys. I really dig on older Triumphs too, but I have never worked on em.

I rode triumphs and BSAs fer years, still love em.'' Witworth'', those are the wrenches that fit, not metric. I grew up workin on cars and bikes, amature raced yamaha 600s, I would always recommend diving in to anything you dream about,whatever the cost. thats why im old and broke,but i have no regrets.I never have to say''I wish i knew how to.........''.when youre old and shotout you dont wanna say ''I wish I had....''. corny but true ''just do it''. Even broke my hip on a 73 triumph, back in 90 i think, yeehaw, been there done that...lol

[Shmitty]

I rode triumphs and BSAs fer years, still love em.'' Witworth'', those are the wrenches that fit, not metric. I grew up workin on cars and bikes, amature raced yamaha 600s, I would always recommend diving in to anything you dream about,whatever the cost. thats why im old and broke,but i have no regrets.I never have to say''I wish i knew how to.........''.when youre old and shotout you dont wanna say ''I wish I had....''. corny but true ''just do it''. Even broke my hip on a 73 triumph, back in 90 i think, yeehaw, been there done that...lol

lol I hear that, I broke my pelvis in 2 places when I was 16 in a wreck. I am totally down to build a metric bobber, but I want to have one build under my belt before attempting it. I was actually looking at an old kz650 basket case that I could pick up for peanuts, but the guy sold it before I could even have a day off to check it out. Oh well, it will happen eventually.

[hawk]

Yes, I ride and just got home on a 47% night ride through "Deer Alley". I don't think I would be here if it weren't for Harley Davidson, my Dad rode by my Mom one day when she was sitting on the lawn of her parents home, eventually a girlfriend of hers told her that "Bob Hawk wants to take you on a date", my Mom replied "As long as he picks me up on the robin egg blue Harley Davidson of his then he has a date" and the rest has been history. I eventually restored the same year and model with the factory paint color, it was HD color code "Peacock Blue"(Mom always called it robin egg blue) for 1949. My every day rider is a 1948 panhead HD and my land barge is a stock 1967 Electraglide HD and my go fast machine is a 93 inch S&S in a 1974 frame with all the cool chit but goin into Winter I'm ridin a stock 1978 bagger with full fairing and snap on leg covers to deflect the cold and I will probably be ridin it come the early Spring, may have to head to South Dakota on that next week due to a death in the Family. Those are what I have plated to ride but I will always have a Triumph in the garage til I die, it's a 1962 pre unit 650. Can't count all the bikes I've had in my lifetime now and the whole Family rides, in fact we would come home from school to go ridin when we were young and Dad would take one of our bikes to work, guess he felt entitled, ha!

I sold off allot of bikes back when I bought the home I live in now, back then Bankers weren't very keen on Tattooers cause it wasn't "popular" like it is now and the banker told me that they could ask for as little as 10% down and the usual was 15% down but from ME they wanted 20%, I knew this was a way for them to get rid of the long haired tattooed biker trash but I said OK. I went home and called a friend of mine whom I worked the motorcycle swap meet circuit with, I tattooed and he sold parts, told him what was going on and to come over and make an offer. Sold him all of my 6 and 12 volt parts, a 1948 Indian Chief, a WW-II 1942 WLA HD, '81 FXR, '80 FLH HD, '74 shovelhead Chopper HD, and a stroker shovelhead custom and that 1049 pan and didn't look back, went to the bank and laid down the 20%. Another kid was comin and we needed more room for what was going to be my last rug rat, 4 boys and this 5th to be a Daughter and here is a picture of the smartest one of the lot, well armed when she was just little, you guys don't get any pic's of the lady she's grown to be...The second is a pic of my other precious the 1948 Pan and she's had some mods since this pic. Thanks for kick startin this thread, enjoying the read. RIDE HARD DIE FREE

[Jake]

In terms of working on the older bikes they are all relatively the same stuff, and pretty basic engines. It's when you get into 4 bangers and Japenese bikes that things get scary!

Just finished spending a couple days fixing up some stuff on an 81 Suzuki I recently got. It's not difficult so much as it's frustrating. Parts just aren't located where they should be (screws impossible to get to without tearing out 8 other unrelated parts, etc.) Either way it's still easier than working on a car.

[hawk]

Just finished spending a couple days fixing up some stuff on an 81 Suzuki I recently got. It's not difficult so much as it's frustrating. Parts just aren't located where they should be (screws impossible to get to without tearing out 8 other unrelated parts, etc.) Either way it's still easier than working on a car.

Tell me about it! Just helped a friend awhile back in putting a "fresh rebuilt" trans in his shovel, placed it in, replaced starter, battery box, primary(inner and outer), adjusted the chains, etc. to find out the trans was not done right, wouldn't shift to fourth....Everything back off and out and the "mechanic" didn't replace a simple plunger that was obviously out of spec, so the part replaced and back to doing the left side to right side motorcycle jog (you know what I'm talkin about), got it all back in place and correct and got that "Motorcycle Zen" feeling when she found fourth and she's been runin smooth ever since. If only I had taken the top cover off for a look before we put it in but the "mechanic" had "totaly rebuilt" the trans, just because some have wrenches don't make them a mechanic but when everything is right it seems to stay right for good while and there's no feelin like knowin whats going on inside and how fresh the parts and/or wear is.

Good luck with the Suzi, there will be rewards.

[Snydcat]

My 2007 Harley Street Bob....ride every day rain or shine :)

[slayer9019]

So the sickness is starting again...currently rebuilding a 71 sportster that was inherited from a friends uncle, a real cycle rider. Thing has unknown mileage and needs some serious restoration. Deal is I have to restore it back to previous glory.

Then....my other friend wanted a new bike so I picked up his old 85 LTD454 which is about to go under the blade and get bobbed. Hopefully it will be a fun hack-n-slash job and since I got it for 500 it is gunna be fun!

After looking at the LTD454 bobber builds for inspiration I realized what I really want to build, a Harley bob from the ground up. Just started pricing out a build that will hopefully begin at the end of the riding season. This will be my first ground up build so it is going to be an interesting one for sure. Luckily I got a buddy that co-owns a machine shop so he has agreed to help with some of the parts manufacturing.

Just ordered a seatpan, so exhaust wrap and other odds and ends.

[SacramentoDan]

Anyone else ride? What do you got?

I have had a bike since 1978,here are the bikes I can remember that I have had over the years.

70 triumph tiger 650

72 BSA 650

80 KZ1000

83 KZ550

83 GPZ750

77 HD sportster rigid stroker

80 HD FLH stroker

sold my last one in 2003,have not had a bike since :(

I have the itch again though,will get another one sometime.

looking at a new HD dresser

[sbhikes]

I have a 2005 Vespa ET4 with 22,000 miles on it. Red.