Bike advice

[Andrew001]

I have been riding for 18 years, so I trust myself in adverse situations and tight spaces.

That being said, I'd go to the shops or to a friend's place in shorts and a t-shirt, but nothing more than say 5km, avoiding main roads or highways, and never with flip flops. Shorts is a dumb idea, but I do it anyway. I have been knocked off twice within 2 minutes of my house, and it hurt like a bitxh for over a week afterwards. Bleeding legs, bruises etc. It's just a tradeoff I was willing to make.

Suburbs are more dangerous than highways in my opinion.

Interesting thanks

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

following. thinking of getting a scooter for when I need to do alot more running around, especially inner city. dont plan on doing much highway or peak riding

 

[Andrew001]

Thanks for the advice everyone who rides.
Do you guys have insurance? What is best? Full coverage or just 3rd party fire and theft?
Bearing in mind the bike is worth 25k

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

Thanks for the advice everyone who rides.
Do you guys have insurance? What is best? Full coverage or just 3rd party fire and theft?
Bearing in mind the bike is worth 25k

If you can afford to have it written off and not worry about the 25k, then get 3rd party, fire and theft. If you can't get full. Depends on your situation.

 

[bromster]

That seems a silly tradeoff. yeah - takes some time getting all the gear on - but, sure beats the pain those 2 times.

Bikers wearing shorts and t-shirts are idiots. Your post is case in point. I see these clowns all the time, usually in the trailer park areas. Sad indeed when people lack critical thinking skills.

no novice or wannabe rider should take advice from the likes of you IMO

Just providing an honest perspective of shortcuts I've taken and the resultant injuries I've faced, instead of pretending like I'm the best rider on here.

My advice is still useful. Don't be a d1ck

 

[bromster]

Thanks for the advice everyone who rides.
Do you guys have insurance? What is best? Full coverage or just 3rd party fire and theft?
Bearing in mind the bike is worth 25k

Insurance will be expensive as a new rider and your excess will probably be in the thousands anyway. 3rd party will probably be sufficient if you aren't going to be driving too fast.


I say buy the bike knowing that if you fall, you just pick it up, dust it off and learn from it. Fix any essential stuff as needed. Shouldn't be too expensive on that bike. Don't worry about cosmetic stuff. If you find that you like riding, you will eventually outgrow your bike and move up to something bigger which you can then start to take care of.

If it so happens that you don't ever fall, everybody wins! If you aren't too attached to the bike and fearful of falling, you can actually become a better rider. This is obviously when you are more experienced.

 

[Andrew001]

Insurance will be expensive as a new rider and your excess will probably be in the thousands anyway. 3rd party will probably be sufficient if you aren't going to be driving too fast.


I say buy the bike knowing that if you fall, you just pick it up, dust it off and learn from it. Fix any essential stuff as needed. Shouldn't be too expensive on that bike. Don't worry about cosmetic stuff. If you find that you like riding, you will eventually outgrow your bike and move up to something bigger which you can then start to take care of.

If it so happens that you don't ever fall, everybody wins! If you aren't too attached to the bike and fearful of falling, you can actually become a better rider. This is obviously when you are more experienced.

Yeah, to be honest I'm pretty **** scared from drivers in SA and so dont see myself speeding or going crazy. I'm known for being a slow driver by friends anyhow and the last thing I want is to **** myself up. I mean who the hell likes the feeling of a broken leg or or sliding along asphalt. I used to skate growing up and lost plenty of skin wiping out. Ca only imagine how much flesh one loses going 100km and sliding along the asphalt. Eish!

 

[copacetic]

Thank you that was super helpful. Do you wear jacket and gloves even on short trips to the shops etc?

The way way I think about it, is imagine running as fast as you possibly can, then belly flopping onto the road with your naked hands breaking your fall. Now imagine this at a triple, five times, whatever, the speed of this. No thanks.

Personally, and I'm not telling you to do this - I wish I had started with a bigger bike, but obviously cost and practicality are issues to be considered. I have a 250cc, and have recently acquired a 1,171cc bike. I now wish for something in the middle. My main issue with the smaller bike is lack of power on freeways (if you are going to end up on freeways, that is). The 250 felt uncomfortable, even on a 100km/h road.

 

[Hamster]

I'll also add something that sounds silly, but "leave your ego in the parking lot".

Somebody is going to piss you off and in the moment you'll see red and want to retaliate (take for example that old bitch of a woman in her silver Jazz on Grosvenor....the cow hates bikes and nearly caused me to have an accident a couple of times. One day I hope she swerves off the bridge and wrecks her car...I boil just thinking about her).

Don't though. You're soft and squishy. Let it go and ride home. Go be angry there.

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

I'll also add something that sounds silly, but "leave your ego in the parking lot".

Somebody is going to piss you off and in the moment you'll see red and want to retaliate (take for example that old bitch of a woman in her silver Jazz on Grosvenor....the cow hates bikes and nearly caused me to have an accident a couple of times. One day I hope she swerves off the bridge and wrecks her car...I boil just thinking about her).

Don't though. You're soft and squishy. Let it go and ride home. Go be angry there.

If you're still angry once you're like 3km away, you're probably riding wrong. I get angry, but the joy just makes me forget.

 

[Andrew001]

The way way I think about it, is imagine running as fast as you possibly can, then belly flopping onto the road with your naked hands breaking your fall. Now imagine this at a triple, five times, whatever, the speed of this. No thanks.

Personally, and I'm not telling you to do this - I wish I had started with a bigger bike, but obviously cost and practicality are issues to be considered. I have a 250cc, and have recently acquired a 1,171cc bike. I now wish for something in the middle. My main issue with the smaller bike is lack of power on freeways (if you are going to end up on freeways, that is). The 250 felt uncomfortable, even on a 100km/h road.

Thanks. Will keep that in mind. I hardly take the freeway but shall see.

 

[Andrew001]

I'll also add something that sounds silly, but "leave your ego in the parking lot".

Somebody is going to piss you off and in the moment you'll see red and want to retaliate (take for example that old bitch of a woman in her silver Jazz on Grosvenor....the cow hates bikes and nearly caused me to have an accident a couple of times. One day I hope she swerves off the bridge and wrecks her car...I boil just thinking about her).

Don't though. You're soft and squishy. Let it go and ride home. Go be angry there.

Lol, that kinda reminded me of the road cyclist here in ct. For some reason i think they forget they are soft and squishy. I mean they dont even have hair on their legs these days - zero protection, and they still like to fight with cars.
I guess rule of thumb, no mess with someone bigger than you

 

[ArmatageShanks]

Can't remember the last time we had a thread go this well, all pages filled with great input and advice with no one trolling or having thick arguments.

OP I'm in the same boat as you for some time now looking for the same bike for the same purpose, just need to do some finance stuff but lazy lazy.

So far as safety goes (This is my opinion as a cager attentively observing the bikers on my daily commute + what I've seen elsewhere over time) I'd say you are in control 95% of your own safety, 5% for the unprecedented things like being rear ended or cars swerving out infront of you when other traffic is stationary etc etc.

There is a number of bikers on my commute every day (a lot of GS650's for some reason) and all of them bar the occasional hooligan ride very safely and skillfully, I've noticed they wait until traffic is nearly stationary before splitting and do so just a bit faster than traffic and never on the outside left , they pull away from the group of cars at lights and keep to the right of their lane if tailing cars switching to the left when nearing stops and ride with their lights on! high beams in the day help as well, you really struggle to see bikes in your mirror until they are relatively close, if the have their lights on it catches your eye so you become aware of them sooner.

Many other small things I notice that I must remember to do if I start riding, for the most part they seem to try and stay away from traffic, I suppose because ours is so unpredictable, will be difficult on a XR though because its got no power and even less in 5th so you can't accelerate away from traffic seeing as most people drive 100+ on anything other than a church street.

Anyway get proper gear, go for riding courses (BMW do good one's I hear on the Motorcycle Owners thread) take it slow, practice E Stops especially if you don't have ABS, do proper maintenance on you bike and get a helmet cam so you can show us all the idiots you encounter.

 

[pinball wizard]

Thank you that was super helpful. Do you wear jacket and gloves even on short trips to the shops etc?
I'm definitely going for lessons, just gotta find something I can afford.
Thanks for the heads up about lane splitting. I was watching these guys on the M3 yesterday. Swear they had death wishes.

All the gear all the time. You dress for the fall, not for the ride.

Regards lane splitting, some things spring to mind:
*be decisive
*know the right side form the suicide
*either split or claim your lane, don't be a half arse
*when there's other bikes around, and they're also splitting, don't follow right up the guy's bum-hole - if he has to stop quick for a car, you're going in.

 

[pinball wizard]

Lol, that kinda reminded me of the road cyclist here in ct. For some reason i think they forget they are soft and squishy. I mean they dont even have hair on their legs these days - zero protection, and they still like to fight with cars.
I guess rule of thumb, no mess with someone bigger than you

on that note, sometimes all the cyclists are looking for is some understanding of just exactly that from motorists - ie, if you're in a car, give the soft things a nice wide bearth, cause you can kill them easily.

 

[SauRoNZA]

You do it in this order...

1. Training (to make sure you actually want to and can do this).

2. Learners.

3. Gear.

4. Bike.

5. License.

6. Bigger bike.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Should lane splitting be encouraged considering it may be outlawed (from what I've heard)?
And before riders lose their shite and get all worked up - I'm a rider, not a commuter, just a rider.
That being said I commute in a car and abhor lane splitters in traffic.

That is a fake news fallacy and has since been resolved.

Even if it was outlawed it would never work anyway.

 

[Archer]

There is a number of bikers on my commute every day (a lot of GS650's for some reason) and all of them bar the occasional hooligan ride very safely and skillfully, I've noticed they wait until traffic is nearly stationary before splitting and do so just a bit faster than traffic and never on the outside left , they pull away from the group of cars at lights and keep to the right of their lane if tailing cars switching to the left when nearing stops and ride with their lights on! high beams in the day help as well, you really struggle to see bikes in your mirror until they are relatively close, if the have their lights on it catches your eye so you become aware of them sooner.

Riding with high beams on all the time is dangerous. The same applies to additional spot lights that are overly bright. It all merges into a singular bright light making it incredibly difficult for other roads users to judge the distance to you. It's also really distracting at night, dusk or dawn. I often needed to look away from one such rider who thought strapping the sun onto his bike made it safer (I was on my bike going in the opposite direction). Ya, making people look away is great...
Rather get an orange headlight cover which makes you stand out much more while still allowing others to judge the distance to you.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Yes - OP is in CT. No? Why do I have the impression he is

Commuting on a bike in this country is just asking for shite IMO. Seen way too many riders in traffic sprawled on the road. Self-safety only goes so far, it's everybody else a rider has to be constantly vigilant of. Throwing lane splitting in to that is just amplifying the risk tenfold I reckon.
I regularly attempt lane changing in my cage only to have to, at the very last second, abandon my attempt because some dumb fukk rider is coming down the middle at an insane pace. If I, or another motorist misses that last second of awareness, there's another rider sprawled on the road.

Truth is, the majority of the riders in traffic, just have limited sense and awareness and think motorists should give way. That's not bravado, that stupidity.

OP - the absolute best advice when commuting on a bike you can ever stick to, every single time, is ATGATT. You will inevitably fall, and most likely through no fault of your own, but at least you can prepare for the worst. Minimize your risk of major injury.

Kak riders are kak, it’s really just that simple.

There are more of them in cars, you just don’t get exposed to them as readily.

Lane splitting isn’t the problem, individuals are.

Also the “through no fault of your own” line is a logical fallacy and that of a victim who blames there failures on everything else. There is also per always something that you could have done to a avoid an accident, this applies to any vehicle.

It’s all about risk mitigation.

 

[Andrew001]

Can't remember the last time we had a thread go this well, all pages filled with great input and advice with no one trolling or having thick arguments.

OP I'm in the same boat as you for some time now looking for the same bike for the same purpose, just need to do some finance stuff but lazy lazy.

So far as safety goes (This is my opinion as a cager attentively observing the bikers on my daily commute + what I've seen elsewhere over time) I'd say you are in control 95% of your own safety, 5% for the unprecedented things like being rear ended or cars swerving out infront of you when other traffic is stationary etc etc.

There is a number of bikers on my commute every day (a lot of GS650's for some reason) and all of them bar the occasional hooligan ride very safely and skillfully, I've noticed they wait until traffic is nearly stationary before splitting and do so just a bit faster than traffic and never on the outside left , they pull away from the group of cars at lights and keep to the right of their lane if tailing cars switching to the left when nearing stops and ride with their lights on! high beams in the day help as well, you really struggle to see bikes in your mirror until they are relatively close, if the have their lights on it catches your eye so you become aware of them sooner.

Many other small things I notice that I must remember to do if I start riding, for the most part they seem to try and stay away from traffic, I suppose because ours is so unpredictable, will be difficult on a XR though because its got no power and even less in 5th so you can't accelerate away from traffic seeing as most people drive 100+ on anything other than a church street.

Anyway get proper gear, go for riding courses (BMW do good one's I hear on the Motorcycle Owners thread) take it slow, practice E Stops especially if you don't have ABS, do proper maintenance on you bike and get a helmet cam so you can show us all the idiots you encounter.

Thanks for the advice.

I was thinking the other day about the lights. I being a car driver have noticed that the newer bikes sport a smaller squarish orange light next the regular light. I think I've seen them on BMW bikes. Anyhow, I read a study recently about cyclist that there fewer are involved in crashes when they wear something unusual. Apparently it catches peoples attention as they are like what is that and now have seen you. Maybe these bike manufacturers have picked up on this?

Anyhow, be nice to fit something like this on the bike. Any got a good place in ct that does this sort of thing?