trenac

Just wondering how many members here ride, especially you ladies!

I'm excited, I just got my motorcycle license this past Wednesday. I first took a 3 day course offered by our local community college that teaches motorcycle safety. They learn you the basics of riding on a little 250cc motorcycle, plus classroom studies. If you pass the riding & written test's (which I did) then you all you have to do is the written test at the DMV. Plus you get a discount on your bike insurance.

So now I'm getting use to riding my hubby's bike which is a Yamaha V-Star 650. Next year (March) when I get my Jeep paid off I will be getting my own bike

Minsc

I bought my bike in '01. Rode it about 4 times then dropped it. Then the wife dropped it.

I decided to knock out the dents and give a paint job. And rebuild the engine.

Seven years later, I have about two more hours of work left. The bike looks like crap, the paint job is awful, but I WILL RIDE THIS YEAR!

trenac

I'll cross my fingers for you! ... I first thought about getting a scooter, just because they are automatic. But when I found out I had to learn on a clutch/gear shift bike then I decided to go with a motorcycle... What type of scooter is that?

Brilliant

With the price of gas I was considering a dual sport.

Minsc

There are plenty of automatic transmission scooters out there, they for the most part just don't have the classic stylings.

This is a '79 Vespa p200. It has a 200cc 2-stroke motor, gets up to around 75 mph. Some nutcases have modded them to go 110+

That Yamaha looks really nice. What bikes are you looking at for yourself?

BryceM

Biker chicks rock! Lets see some pics!

Just be careful. People who don't see you can put you into your own private version of "Life in the ER" real quick. With gas prices going like they are, we're going to be seeing more and more interest in bikes.

trenac

Minsc... You have you a classic there. I couldn't imagine going 110 on a scooter or even a motorcycle. I'm not sure what bike I'll be getting myself. I've looked at Honda's, Harley's, Buell's & some others.

Guiac boy... Gas prices is one of the reasons my hubby got a bike. It was costing us $300 a month to put gas in the Jeep. I'll see what I can do about getting some pics up.

Brillant... Dual's are nice if you plan on doing off-road riding.

Jareardy

Stay away from buells and harleys. Both are way too overpriced for what they offer. Unless you just want to have the name. I myself have an 05 kawasaki ex500.

Also if you want to get a bike for half off its regular retail look at used ones. You get people that get caught up in the mystery of riding motorcycles and when they actually get one realize its not for them and try to get rid of it as soon as possible. You just have to check the bike out for signs of misuse when you go to check it out.

Good luck!

@Brilliant, dual sports are great if you live in the country where you can actually use it. If you're in a city or suburban area, or don't travel that much it can kind of be a waste. Unless of course you're able to find a diesel klr-650 that can get 100+ mpg. I'm dead serious, theres a company that makes them in California for the army.

MatPat

Hey Trena, congrats on your endorsement and I have to agree with your Bryce, biker chics rock

And what's wrong with Harleys? I wanted a Harley for over 20 years and finally managed to get one last year. I wouldn't have been happy with anything else. Yes they are overpriced but man, I've always wanted one so I spent the extra for one and I'm glad I did. Nothing beats the feel and the sound if you are into those two things.

Definitely check out your local paper for a gently used Harley (or any other bike for that matter) if you decide you want one. Prices will be steeper for a used "bike" in the spring so wait until summer/fall if you can.

Here's a pic of my bike and the original my "avatar" was taken from:

Jareardy

I've had too many friends tell me about the costs of parts, quality of parts, and initial costs of the bike to consider them.