chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach) (10/24/85)
I'm looking to buy my first cycle. Anyone want to suggest a good first bike
for someone who's never been on one before? I'm planning mainly to do short
(~10 mile) commuting and local errand type stuff. How do you recommend
learning to handle the beast? What other things should I know about?
Please mail to me and I'll summarize to the net if there is interest.
chuq
--
:From the Crystal Caves of Avalon: Chuq Von Rospach
sun!chuq@decwrl.DEC.COM {hplabs,ihnp4,nsc,pyramid}!sun!chuq
Our time is past -- it is a time for men, not of magic.mazlack@ernie.BERKELEY.EDU (Lawrence J. &) (10/25/85)
>I'm looking to buy my first cycle. Anyone want to suggest a good first bike >for someone who's never been on one before? I'm planning mainly to do short >(~10 mile) commuting and local errand type stuff. How do you recommend >learning to handle the beast? What other things should I know about? > Something relatively small and cheap. Small (about 250cc) because you have to learn a different set of reactions, takes about 5,000 miles. Also, if you really are going to only do short stuff, you don't need anymore. Cheap because (a) you may not want to stay with it, (b) you may want to upgrade and most bikes depreciate very quicly (except BMWs, which are neither small nor cheap).
gadfly@ihuxn.UUCP (Gadfly) (10/28/85)
-- > I'm looking to buy my first cycle. Anyone want to suggest a good first bike > for someone who's never been on one before? I'm planning mainly to do short > (~10 mile) commuting and local errand type stuff. How do you recommend > learning to handle the beast? What other things should I know about? (1) Get something small (<400cc). This will be easier to handle, especially around town, than a large cruiser. Also, if you're not going very far, a large bike may not warm up sufficiently for best running. Most states now have classes of MC license, depending on the size of the bike you take your test on. You might want to learn on something larger than you buy if you want to avoid restrictions on the size of bike you are allowed to drive. (2) Get a used bike. It's cheaper than new, and already broken-in. And it will have a few dings and dents, so when you have that inevitable first fall (your baptism into riding), you won't feel so bad about it. And you won't be so paranoid about it happening before hand. But have any used bike checked out by a good mechanic. My recommendation--the bike I ride (mostly around town, but on occasional 150 mi. trips) is the 200cc Honda twinstar. Maintenance is very easy, with valves you can get to without pulling the gas tank off, and a single set of points (the only other 2-cyl bike I'm aware of that has only 1 set of points on the crankshaft, so that the plugs also fire on the exhaust stroke, is the BMW). It's very smooth running, quiet, and has the most comfortable seat of any small bike I've been on. But get a 1981 or earlier--with a kick-starter. The electric starter is fine for occasional stalls, but it's attached to a pathetically weak 6-volt system. My 1980 starts on the 1st kick at -15F. -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 28 Oct 85 [7 Brumaire An CXCIV] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7753 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***
animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (10/31/85)
> -- > > I'm looking to buy my first cycle. Anyone want to suggest a good first bike > > for someone who's never been on one before? I'm planning mainly to do short > > (~10 mile) commuting and local errand type stuff. How do you recommend > > learning to handle the beast? What other things should I know about? ... > (2) Get a used bike. It's cheaper than new, and already broken-in. > And it will have a few dings and dents, so when you have that > inevitable first fall (your baptism into riding), you won't > feel so bad about it. And you won't be so paranoid about it > happening before hand. But have any used bike checked out > by a good mechanic. Comment: Yes and no...I spent nearly as much getting my first bike running right as I paid for it, and I had taken a mechanic with me when I went shopping. There are a lot of things you can't detect in a five-minute examination. Further, small bikes tend to use flimsier components (for that all-important low sticker price) and tend to be pre-owned by other novices who don't maintain them right. My advice is get a new bike and a warranty. > > My recommendation--the bike I ride (mostly around town, but on > occasional 150 mi. trips) is the 200cc Honda twinstar. Maintenance > is very easy, with valves you can get to without pulling the gas > tank off, and a single set of points (the only other 2-cyl bike > I'm aware of that has only 1 set of points on the crankshaft, so > that the plugs also fire on the exhaust stroke, is the BMW). It's > very smooth running, quiet, and has the most comfortable seat of > any small bike I've been on. But get a 1981 or earlier--with a > kick-starter. The electric starter is fine for occasional stalls, > but it's attached to a pathetically weak 6-volt system. My 1980 > starts on the 1st kick at -15F. Comment: Huh? The TWINSTAR?? Is this the same bike that made Cycle magazine's "Ten worst of the decade" list? That has been described in the press as a "bottom feeder" and "a toy not to be taken seriously"? The bke that requires a special steering technique if the rider's taller than 5'2" (swing your knees way out, so the handlebars don't run into them on turns...)? I have to wonder if Mr. Perlow is recommending this little pile in the hopes of inflicting upon others the same pain the bike has inflicted upon him (those of you who were tuned in last year may recall that he was complaining that the vibration through the handlebars had caused an apparently permanent numbness in his hands...). I rode one of the things a few years back when I took an MSF riding course, and count it among the five worst experiences I've ever had on two wheels. Fortunately, the Twinstar is out of production...sort of. Rather like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, it's evolved into the 250cc Honda Rebel, which was (sound the trumpets) THE LARGEST SELLING MOTORCYCLE IN THE U. S. IN 1985! The improvements consisted of stretching the whole bike out, so that it accomodates fully-grown human beings, punching the motor out to 250cc, going to a 12-volt electrical system (maintenance-free electronic ignition, too, I think) and fitting a new front disk brake that (according to cycle world) gives it the shortest stopping distance of anything they've ever tested (including Ninjas, Interceptors, etc.). As if that ain't enough, they even made it look good; what more could you ask? It also comes with that all-important one-full-year warranty, so that it will be covered during that first winter season when everything seems to go wrong. (ASIDE: you might also be interested to know that Honda's publicly-stated objective in reworking the Twinstar into the Rebel was to create the ideal "first bike." That meant, to them, the optimum combination of low price, ease of riding and maintenance, reliability, and just a dash of style. Judging by the bike and its reception by the press and buying public, they did a good job.) (SECOND ASIDE: but if you really want to have fun, especially for short trips in a hilly area (in a college town, to boot), check out the '86 Honda Reflex. This is described as a 200cc, "soft-core trials bike", the kind that's maneuverable enough to do figure eights in a garage, light enough to pick up and carry upstairs with you, and nimble enough to simply ride up and over those stopped cars at the red light...) Dan Starr "...although tire-biting is seldom harmful unless the motorcycle is in motion." --quote from a Honda factory service manual (HONEST!)
gadfly@ihuxn.UUCP (Gadfly) (11/01/85)
-- [Dan Starr] > Comment: Huh? The TWINSTAR?? Is this the same bike that made Cycle > magazine's "Ten worst of the decade" list? That has been described in > the press as a "bottom feeder" and "a toy not to be taken seriously"? > The bke that requires a special steering technique if the rider's taller > than 5'2" (swing your knees way out, so the handlebars don't run into them > on turns...)? I have to wonder if Mr. Perlow is recommending this little > pile in the hopes of inflicting upon others the same pain the bike has > inflicted upon him (those of you who were tuned in last year may recall > that he was complaining that the vibration through the handlebars had > caused an apparently permanent numbness in his hands...)... I wasn't aware that the Twinstar's rep was so bad--I haven't had any problems with mine, though I am always careful to keep it well tuned. (Which is an absolute snap with only one carburetor.) My motivation was entirely altruistic, Dan. If people *don't* buy 'em, I'll be able to get another one even cheaper (for parts--it is flimsily made, and I don't expect it'll last more than a few years without some internal attention.) He may also be right about the fit if you're tall. I'm 5'7", and it fits me perfectly--I'm comfy for an entire three hour ride. As for the vibration problem, Dan did not mention that I had removed the stock bars and put on shorter scrambling ones. What I finally did was to fill said new bars with lead shot. Problem solved. I have no illusions about the Twinstar being a good bike. It's not. If I have any serious failure on the highway, I'll just pull off the plate, push it off to the side, wave goodbye to it and hitch the rest of the way. It was that cheap. But that's why I consider it OK as a first bike. It's very rare that you luck out the first time and get what you really want or need. That's just a personal philosophy--start out with something you'll be able to throw away when you finally figure out what you should have gotten. And your first bike will take a *LOT* of punishment. That's also why I suggested buying a used bike, even though the previous user(s) may have tortured it unmercifully. (Chances are, if it's still running OK, it's got a few more good seasons left.) Dan makes a good counter-argument for buying new, though. The idea is to ride and enjoy the machine, not walk while you fret over the next repair bill. If you're not inclined to do your own maintenance, by all means, buy a new bike--and one with a good reputation for staying out of the shop. If you see doing your own maintenance as part of the whole MC gestalt, you'll want one of the older bikes-- something you can actually tear apart without "special tool ACD-354J" and with individual parts (the new ones have a lot of unalterable factory-assembled modules) and with a tunable ignition system. I won't argue with Dan, even though he rides a Harley. (H-D seems to be cleaning up their act--they used to wind up at the bottom of all the heavy cruiser ratings, but not recently). Dan's been touring for a long time and knows his stuff. I, on the other hand, am one of those nuts who rides around all winter (but never too far--on the other hand, at -10F everywhere is too far), even here in Chicago. As I did in Wisconsin, on my 1966 Honda S90. Now *there* was a bike. -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 01 Nov 85 [11 Brumaire An CXCIV] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7753 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***