As usual, I had to learn the hard way...
Sep 06 '00
Since I was fifteen I had dreams of owning a motorcycle. Finally, when I was 28, I bought my first motorcycle. It is now two and a half years later, and I am on my second motorcycle, and my total riding time has been about six weeks. Here I sit a beginner still, wanting to give a little beginner's advice, to prevent someone going through the heartache I have gone through.
I am a woman, not a tall one, and my first motorcycle was made in 1975. It was a Honda 550 twin. It was beautiful. It was a monster. Did I bother sitting on the bike to see if my feet could sit flat on the ground? Nooo! Here's one tip...it wasn't until the 80's that they started making motorcycles above 350 cc's that could be small enough for a small to medium sized woman. And although I'm short, about 5 ft. 4, I am a strong, athletic woman. But, without the height my arm and leg strength didn't matter. Some things can be adjusted, the bike can be lowered; either by suspension, or by cutting the seat (a little...but not enough for me). The front brake and clutch levers can be adjusted to fit small hands. If you don't fit it now, you won't fit it later.
The other mistake I made with my Honda is that I bought it from another person who knew nothing about bikes. The entire bike needed to be rebuilt. I spent much more than the bike was worth to fix it, only to discover that I was never going to "grow in" to that bike. You need to be tall enough to plant your feet flat on the ground. Period. I sold it, with a huge loss.
The next mistake was buying a 1985 Suzuki Savage that had 30,000 miles on it. That's not a lot for a car, but its comparable to 90,000 on a car. My motorcycle buddies (I wish they were with me when I bought the bike) told me that the Savage is a "throw away bike" - that after 30,000 miles it's really not worth it to put the money into repairs. This bike also had a broken head gasket when I bought it at $300 above blue book value.
Well, two weeks after I bought the bike, it stopped running while I was driving it. I brought it to a shop that was highly recommended. They specialized in BMW's, which are high-quality bikes, but not Suzuki's. So, to make a long story less long, repeatedly, this shop would say "Let's worry about the head gasket later, for some reason your starter keeps going out, and that's what we keep replacing". After the fourth time I paid and waited (eight months total) for a new starter, I said "Call me a hairdresser, but, why would it be the "starter" if my bike is all ready "started"?". They seemed surprised that it was stopping when it was running, which was information I repeatedly gave them when I brought in the bike.
So yada yada, another six months goes by, with me taking the bike in repeatedly, repeatedly asking about the headgasket, and BOOM! One day the head gasket blew. Finally, my motorcycle buddies rescued my bike, and said "yep, it was the head gasket, your carbs among other things were completely corroded, like this has been going on a long time, and that would cause your bike to die". I wish I believed in my instinct, I would have saved myself $1,800 in unnecessary repairs. I wish I would have gotten the clue when they asked me for a book on my bike because they couldn't figure out what was wrong, instead of buying one themselves - or when a friend of a friend said one of the mechanics came to his shop to look at his Savage to try to figure out the bike because he couldn't figure out mine. Again, I have spent way more money than the bike is worth.
My point in that story is not to not by a Savage. A fairly new one is a great first bike, or woman's bike. It is low, light, and powerful enough to get going when needed or to carry a passenger comfortably. The fact that it has one cylinder instead of two, which is unusual for a 650 cc motorcycle can make it a thumper (little loud, and things like mirrors need to be tightened every once in a while because they can rattle off), but in the city I think the noise helped other drivers know I was around.
Also, new drivers, I would strongly recommend going to a motorcycle safety course. I attended one (California offers a course called CCRider, many other states have similar programs) and learned a lot of things it would have taken me years to learn. I even learned how to continue driving with my rear brake locked. Attending one of these programs gives you not only more knowledge, but a break on motorcycle insurance. And, if you pass their driving test you don't need to take the DMV's driving test. This is much easier to do on the 150cc motorcycles they offer than some monster you may have just purchased. (They are working on getting the written test approved as well).
One more thing to keep in mind when purchasing a motorcycle, is have enough for safety gear. A DOT approved (and SNELL if you will be on the freeway) helmet is a must. You won't look real cool with a smashed skull if you get one of those non-approved half shell helmets. Buy boots...I see way too many people with sneakers, even sandals on just waiting to get a foot cooked or severed off...and that wouldn't take a major accident to accomplish. Buy protective clothing, either leather, or the nylon jackets with padding. And don't think that just because you have this clothing that it's going to make any difference than if you wore your summer outfit if you're going to drive your YZF 135mph on the freeway.
So, what I've learned from my motorcycle disaster, as my bike is sitting in my buddie's garage, a charity case is: 1) buy a bike with no more than 10,000 miles unless I plan on spending money 2) make sure I fit the bike, if it ends up feeling small, there is no rule that I can't turn around and sell it, and get a larger, more powerful bike 3) make sure there is a mechanic that specifically repairs your motorcycle - motorcycles can be quite different.
I hope this saves someone with motorcycle dreams a little heartache.
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Epinions.com ID:
Nicky1970
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Member: Nick Meinzer
Location: San Francisco CA, USA
Reviews written: 63
Trusted by: 16 members
About Me:
I've been a hairdresser since 1991, and am located in the Castro, San Francisco.
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