joining bikers...

[CaptainHenreh]

All I'm saying is that 2k isn't what I'd call "cheap",

For a road worthy form of transportation? Maybe my perception is skewed but that's pretty cheap.

I dunno. I didn't say it was terrible, but I wouldn't call it cheap. It's a 20 year old aircooled ptwin. I mean, sure it's retained half of it's value over new, that's really cool. A good buy? Maybe. But I wouldn't call it cheap. If our Mid-Engined friend is stressing over a $600 shortblock for his MR2, I'm guessing he's probably gonna sweat 2 large for a bike as old as he is.

[Sijray21]

I guess it's all relative, but to get one "right away" that isn't broken will cost you ~2000 bucks

And you can sell it for $2000 when you're done with it. I've seen quite a few go for $1200-1500 as well.

This time of year inflates prices too.

getting a GS500e can be a little difficult, but it does depend on where you look, how quickly you can get it after it's posted, and the time of the year

i picked mine up (decent condition) for $1400 and i sold it 3 months later for $1750. I picked mine up 20 minutes after the guy posted it on CL and the buyer from me paid me 2 days after i posted mine on CL.

[balactm]

I'm gonna disagree here. ........ I could get a pail from Lowes and it would probably be worth of a DOT certification.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html">http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearb ... index.html</a><!-- m -->

DOT isn't quite as worthless as you might expect. For quite a while the DOT standard was more progressive than the SNELL standard (who, until very recently, wouldn't even admit that their research was more than 10 years behind the curve).

first of all...that was funny as shit.

so, is there anything wrong with getting a 90 dollar helmet at first? also, is a regular leather jacket enough protection at first or should i get like a freakin michelin man type jacket that's gonna cost me an arm and a leg? also, shoes? gloves? jeans ok? what's the norm for safety equipment? I'm cheap, so I want to spend as little as possible, but be safe at the same time...

[Ginger]

I think you're going to get different answers from different folks on that one. My primary textile, and my primary leather both ring up at $500+. But you don't need to spend that much. I spend a lot of time in my gear, so I'm paying for a certain level of comfort across conditions.

This may work out better if you pick out gear you like, and post it here for opinions. Start with gloves, a jacket, helmet, and wear what boots you have (tuck the laces in). If your helmet bears a certification, really, it should be fine (just make sure it fits, and buy it new). Jeans are not really "ok" or crash worthy - but I personally don't like to take the time to put on overpants, and I find them uncomfortable... so I only wear them on long, or fast paced rides, and in bad weather. Rest of the time I'm in jeans (heck, I rode in Dickies this morning).

[Sijray21]

so, is there anything wrong with getting a 90 dollar helmet at first? also, is a regular leather jacket enough protection at first or should i get like a freakin michelin man type jacket that's gonna cost me an arm and a leg? also, shoes? gloves? jeans ok? what's the norm for safety equipment? I'm cheap, so I want to spend as little as possible, but be safe at the same time...

you can spend as much as you want on a helmet - typically the DOT or Snell sticker signifies it's crash worthy and the rest of the money goes into lighter material, more comfort, better ventilation, and other 'nice-to-have' amnenities. I personally think it's worth it, but as a first helmet you may want to stick to budget - that's what i did anyway and now my first helmet is a spare helmet.

wear what you can afford and try to wear the basics that the MSF would typically recommend (long sleeves, jeans, gloves, and ankle-high boots/shoes). Just remember that if you crash, will what you're wearing hold up? If you go down on the highway at 65mph do you think that jeans and a long-sleeve shirt will be enough? probably not, but it's better than wearing shorts and a t-shirt - may save you 1/2 out of 4 skin grafts.

an example of what i wore before: jeans, work boots, leather jacket and cheap joe rocket gloves. my helmet was the Scorpion EXO-1000 or 600? the higher model at the time.

here's an example of what i typically wear now: jeans with hard-shelled knee guards underneath (kinda like catcher's shin guards), a leather or heavily padded mesh jacket, leather gaunlet gloves (past the wrist), and motorcycle boots. my helmet is the Arai RX-7 Corsair - i love it.

some cheap good gear:

if you want cheap and protective i recommend the a* knee guards ($20-$25) and well worth it IMO - you wear this under lose-fitting pants:


gloves, jackets, and other gear you can try on at Colemans and then order it online. i've had great experiences with <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.newenough.com">www.newenough.com</a><!-- w --> and they are great about returns or exchanges.

it may not be worth it to you to buy good gear first, but i recommend it. otherwise you'll be spending it later anyway. good gear will take more abuse (if you go down you can probably wear it again - except for the helmet) and you'll end up spending less in the long-run. i bought cheap gear first because it was all i could afford, but i rode more cautiously (not recommending this, however).

[Ginger]

NewEnough for the win. Seriously.

And +1 on the knee guards. I have knee problems now because I wasn't wearing overpants with armor, or knee guards last time I crashed. 5 months after the fact I still can't use it. Don't be like me.

[Apoc]

NewEnough for the win. Seriously.

+1

kneedraggers.com is good if newenough doesn't stock it

[Maengelito]

I think what people here are trying to say is that its pretty much a fact that you will crash at some point when you start riding wether its 3 weeks or 15 months, whatever. Its probably going to hurt if you're going faster than you can run, so how severely are you be willing to injured? A bump on the knee, a broken wrist, skinned up leg or cracked skull?

</debbie> sorry guys

[G.Irish]

NewEnough for the win. Seriously.

+1

kneedraggers.com is good if newenough doesn't stock it

Call ahead to see if kneedraggers has something in stock. They will take your order and your money even if they don't have something in stock.

On equipment get a jacket that has some CE armor in it. If you hit the pavement it will protect your joints. You can find some for fairly cheap on ebay. If heat is a concern for you there are mesh jackets with armor in them, although naturally some are better than others.

Get decent gloves that have good knuckle protection. Mangled fingers are very difficult to fix.

[.RJ]

Don't be like me.

Next weeks sig material....

[TheDudeAbides]

I spent $90 on my first jacket. Its leather, no armor, kinda plain jane style, but it was on sale. My first pair of gloves i paid $30 for. Both of these items held up very well when i went down at about 40 mph, i still wear the jacket because no seams opened up.
I do suggest getting a quality helmit that fits you. i dont nessisaraly mean spending $600, but my second helmit(scorpion exo-700) is MUCH MUCH better than my first(KBC piece of shit) in every mesurable way.

As far as protecting your legs: DRAGGIN jeans FTW.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dragginjeans.com/">http://www.dragginjeans.com/</a><!-- m -->

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUKzAORD35I">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUKzAORD35I</a><!-- m -->

They are expencive ($130). but they look and feel like normal jeans, but will protect you in a crash.

As far as the first bike goes: Cheap, slow, lack of bodywork, and a similar design to what you want to ride in the future.

GS500F is what i ride and i think its the perfect newb bike.

[balactm]

thanks guys!!

I'm probably going to sign up for the class in the next couple weeks. so i can start riding by fall semester.

[.RJ]

I'm probably going to sign up for the class in the next couple weeks. so i can start riding by fall semester.

Try signing up somewhere other than Nova - so you can get in before fall semester

Or take the apex class in nova and get riding sooner....

[Mike]

highly recommend the apex class.

[bluhayz]

To go along kind of with the conversation here.

I actually just signed up for the MSF course (I'm taking it this coming Mon, Tues, and Wed here at the alexandria NVCC).

I'm going to be looking into getting some gear and the newenough.com place is perfect for what I'm looking for (great prices it seams too). I was wondering for the climate that we see here in nova (pretty wicked hot summer days) what the best bet would be.

I stumbled upon the mesh jacket section and these look amazing for the summer here however I'm hesitant because I'm wondering how good the protection is that they provide. My brother had a straight up regular full Leather jacket that I figured was the standard. Looking at this site has opened up my eyes to the options available.

But with these options, how does one weight it? If the mesh jacket provides comparable protection is it good? I have plenty of my own insulation for the winter months - it's the summer that I'm really worried about.

[.RJ]

Mesh is disposable as soon as it hits the ground and will protect you from a 30-35 mph lowside - any more and you're going to get rashed up, and even a slow low speed crash is going to to tear it up.

That said, I wear mesh when the temps go up - its great for in town riding and very comfortable but if I'm going to head further out for a long ride I put on a perforated leather 1pc.

For starting out in the summer its probably just fine - but you'll want either a textile or leather jacket to go with it.

[Kaan]

highly recommend the apex class.

I agree with Mikey... hell might freeze over!

[balactm]

what's the advantage of apex over NOVA other than being able to take the class quicker. cuz apex is 200 bucks more than nova...

[Mike]

better student to teacher ratio, better equipment.

[Apoc]

better student to teacher ratio, better equipment.

...neither of which really impact what you learn. The class isn't so intense that you need personal instruction, unless you REALLY suck at riding a motorcycle.

~start argument~