Online Scrambler Bargain

 

A coworker of mine told me today that his brother found a great deal on a Ducati Scrambler online and traveled all the way to Houston, Texas to pick it up. While I think this bike is a great buy, I tend to be leery about purchasing motorcycles without seeing them in person, even new motorcycles.

 

Many times, a picture will not make an accurate representation. That's why going to motorcycle shows like the one I attended earlier this month can be extremely beneficial. A case in point was the Moto Guzzi MGX-21  that was at the show this year. My dad read an article about this bike in Motorcyclist magazine and was strongly considering one of these for his next motorcycle. After seeing it in person and sitting on it, he quickly realized that it didn't look as good as the photos and was quite uncomfortable.

 

 

You also never really know how comfortable a motorcycle is until you ride it. I used to dislike Harley Davidson Heritage Softails. However, after I rode one, I quickly discovered that it was the most comfortable motorcycle I had ever been on (I'm still not sold on the looks of that one, though). I recommend traveling to dealerships that allow you to demo new motorcycles. I discovered that my current bike was the one for me during a demo ride.

 

If you find a steal online and are 90% sure it's the right bike for you, I'd say buy it. If nothing else, you should be able to keep or make money on a resale. But, if the deal isn't that great, pass on it until you see the motorcycle in person.

 

"Necessity never made a good bargain." - Benjamin Franklin



2017 Chicago Motorcycle Show

 

I had the pleasure of traveling to the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Here are some photos from the show.

A 2017 Ural

 

 

A 2017 Indian Darkhorse

 

 

 

A 2017 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer

 

 

A 2017 Ducati Monster 797

 

 

 

A 2017 Ducati Scrambler

 

 

 

A 2017 Moto Guzzi MGX-21

 

 

A 2017 Kawasaki H2

 

 

A 2017 Kawasaki H2R (This one claims 326 HP! It's only available for track use.)

 

A Custom BMW by Roland Sands

 

 

Buy Used

 

This is a great article that recommends motorcycles for beginners to purchase. I like the way it begins with asking the question of what type of riding a person would enjoy the most (cruising, sport, dirt, adventure etc.). Then it gives some pretty good advice on deciding how much to spend, including insurance payments. Also, the motorcycles detailed are pretty good, nothing overly big or overly powered. However, one gripe I have is that this article only specifies new bikes and only has a short paragraph at the end about possibly choosing a used one.

I would never recommend a motorcycle straight from the showroom for beginners. Even if someone can swing it financially, it just ends up being a waste 9 times out of 10. My reasoning is partially due to the fact that a new rider has huge chance of crashing their first bike (which is mentioned in the article). My main argument is that I truly feel that if a rider enjoys riding a motorcycle that no one thinks is cool, they will be a motorcyclist for life.

I know this goes completely against any dealership's stance and the Harley Davidson commercials we see on television. The lifestyle is what's being sold here. But, when the novelty fades and friends aren't checking out the bike anymore, chances are that it'll be rotting in storage instead of being ridden. The first question we should ask people interested in buying their first motorcycle is if they'd be open to riding a ten year old bike for a year before buying a new one. If the answer is no, then they probably shouldn't buy a motorcycle.

"One kid's old, used up equipment is another kid's brand-new, awesome, awesome equipment." - Bode Miller

Getting Old and Drinking Beer

 

This weekend I got together with some of my closest friends. We've been close for nearly twenty years and have known each other for basically all of our lives. Of course, we discussed motorcycles, buying new ones, building them, fixing them, and how we miss riding them in the winter. However, after drinking a few Busch Lights, our conversation took an interesting turn.

We started discussing what the best time to visit the grocery store would be to avoid the large crowds. A couple of us had been shopping that day and it was nightmarishly hectic. As we went about arguing whether it was better to shop early Sunday mornings or to wait until after work on a week day, one of my friends yelled, "Stop!" He continued, "Are we really arguing what the best time to shop for groceries is? Christ, we are getting old!"

All of us were speechless for a moment and then we burst out in laughter. Ten years ago we'd never have that conversation...We are getting old! Then, we started talking about the good old days and ,of course, motorcycles. Next time we meet up, we'll have to make a rule to not talk about grocery shopping!

"Getting old is a fascinating thing. The older you get, the older you want to get." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Freeway Danger

This article recently came across my newsfeed. The topic is the danger of riding on multi-lane highways (freeways) and how to avoid them. Statistically, these roads are much safer than others, but there is no doubt that the higher speeds traveled on freeways definitely make for a more nerve-racking ride.

I absolutely have felt some anxiety when first entering an on ramp leading onto a freeway. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty comfortable with riding a motorcycle at high speeds (probably a little too comfortable). It's the other vehicles weighing well over a ton traveling at eighty miles per hour that get my attention. Any wrong move from a car will obliterate a motorcycle.

I like all of the advice this article lists. The main takeaways are to avoid drivers' blind spots and to keep as much distance between you and other vehicles as possible. A method of limiting the amount of time in blind spots that I like to practice is to accelerate hard through them. When passing, do so as fast as possible. Will you break speed limits? Probably, but I'd rather have a speeding ticket that a catastrophic accident.

Another thing that I notice on freeway travel is that I always begin my ride on high alert, but I grow more comfortable as the ride goes on. I tend to let my guard down. If you're anything like me in this instance, then you have to remind yourself to remain mindful of the other vehicles. This will minimize the chance of anything bad happening.

"Be careful going in search of adventure - it's ridiculously easy to find." - William Least Heat-Moon

Fighting Fear

Lately, I've been trying to figure out when I discovered my affection for motorcycles. I think it really began when I was eight years old. That year my dad bought a late seventies Kawasaki KZ 1000. He hadn't had a motorcycle for four or five years because he was focusing on raising me and my sister, but couldn't handle life without riding any longer.

My sister actually went for a ride with my dad before I did. While they were out touring the country roads, I sat on the living room floor dreading their return. I was terrified to ride on a motorcycle. The fact that you're in the open with little protection must have been the reason

My dad walked in the front door and instantly asked if I was ready to go for a ride. I flat out refused. I can't remember how long it took for my mom and dad to convince me to give it a try, but I guarantee it wasn't just a couple of minutes. I finally grabbed a helmet, strapped it on and put on my jean jacket (I didn't own a leather jacket yet). I climbed in the back of the bike and clung to my dad with all of my strength. My dad proceeded slowly down a back road.

As we continued our ride, I felt my grip lightening and my body relaxing. I actually began to giggle with enjoyment. We rode through a corner and I made the common beginner mistake of fighting against the lean of the bike. My dad corrected me and the next corner was much smoother.

When we returned home, my first comment was, "When can we go again?" I guess you can say that I was hooked from that moment on. I also learned the valuable lesson that trying an activity in spite of your fear can lead to great things.

"Limits, like fear, is often an illusion." - Michael Jordan

Balancing Act

Photo Source: http://world.honda.com/news/2017/c170109eng.html

Just when I thought I was done writing about new motorcycle technology for a while, this article comes across my newsfeed! Honda has developed a motorcycle that can balance itself at speeds under 3 mph. Is this technology that I think will benefit me currently? No. However, I can definitely see some real world benefits that it may have.

My first thoughts after learning about Honda's concept were about my father-in-law. Last year he sold his Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic because his surgically repaired knee was no longer stable enough to support the weight of the motorcycle. Large touring motorcycles are the ones that I can see gaining the most benefit from this technology.

The first comments that I read below the articles were a bunch of whiners who believed that this technology would only attract unwanted people to motorcycling. The comments read something like this, "A bike that can't fall over? Now everyone will be able to ride. This is bullshit!" Of course these people have the wrong outlook on this. I think of older riders having an alternative to a trike when they aren't strong enough to support a motorcycle.

Another concern that was voiced was the worry of people trusting this technology too much. What if this system fails while you are expecting it to keep the motorcycle upright? Being a guy who has some experience in engineering, I can guarantee that there will be multiple failsafes to eliminate any reasonable probability of this type of failure causing an injury. This would definitely be a non-issue by the time this concept reached production.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker