Motorcycles

[Laner]

My best mate out here has a tenere. It's ugly as sin and I can't bear to look at it but it's an amazing machine and capable of so much. I went out recently and bought a 1993 super tenere. Whilst not as modern, it keeps up nicely with the new tenere and looks way cooler.

Completely agree with you about riding off road. Once you know that even if the front wheel is locked and sliding that you can still stay up, the road doesn't phase you at all. My favourite bike for off road is a gas gas 280 2 stoke trials bike. That thing goes anywhere.

Yeah the new Tenere is certainly hard on the eyes. My brother got the rally edition and did some other little aesthetic mods and it makes a huge difference. It looks more like your classic super tenere, which were beautiful.

You must be in Europe. Our access to cool enduro bikes are pretty limited in Canada.

 

[Cooper]

Yeah the new Tenere is certainly hard on the eyes. My brother got the rally edition and did some other little aesthetic mods and it makes a huge difference. It looks more like your classic super tenere, which were beautiful.

You must be in Europe. Our access to cool enduro bikes are pretty limited in Canada.

Kind of shocking considering how much more open land we have over here. There is a big demand for older pre-eco regulation trail bikes. I bought a used clean 1986 XL500R with low mileage for $2k back in the early 2000s. Something like this today would cost many times over more.

https://bikeshedtimes.com/1982-honda-xl500r-6990/

 

[SkiPro]

Yes, but here in Switz the access to off road is really limited. There is some good riding to to be had in Italy and Spain. I bought the Tenere because I previous had a 1992 africa twin which I sold and regretted it then the prices of those doubled in the last 5 years or so. The old Tenere is the more capable but lesser known version of the africa twin

Kind of shocking considering how much more open land we have over here. There is a big demand for older pre-eco regulation trail bikes. I bought a used clean 1986 XL500R with low mileage for $2k back in the early 2000s. Something like this today would cost many times over more.

https://bikeshedtimes.com/1982-honda-xl500r-6990/

Spain and Italy.

 

[Cooper]

Nice restoration project on a similar bike:

 

[RedLagoon]

Enduro bikes are the best, I used to own lots of superbikes in my 20s and 30s but when you grow up you know the guys above me are right .

I owned a DR650 for a while and it was great, 32l tank got me 700ks through the bush and open road, unfortunately I don't have the time now (small kids) but I would definitely get something like that again instead of a superbike (if you want one for the experience do it btw, it's an itch most bikers have).

 

[EuropeanCanon]

Super interesting to read this thread and especially so as I have been thinking lately of renewing my association with motorcycles. To that end I have been reading and finding out about bikes but I was thinking you guys might have some advice for me.

I am an older guy (53) and haven't ridden since my 20s. So basically I am thinking of myself as an absolute beginner. I have to admit I am
much more safety concious than I was as a young man so I am planning to do a refresher course on riding and how to be as safe as possible on the road as well as getting all the right kind of gear in terms of clothing and footwear etc.

So I have a couple of questions that I would welcome your guys input on

Firstly, should I even be thinking of doing this? I must admit my wife and kids are not keen on the idea. I have heard of guys who go back to riding and buy a machine too powerful for them and end up wiping themselves out. I think that I am a lot more sensible and also humble about my abilities than I was back when I was riding in the 80s and 90s. But even so what do you guys think?

Secondly, what kind of bike would you recommend, I know I want a sport bike of some kind. I don't want to get anything too powerful for my level of experience but also don't want to get something that I "out grow" quickly. Different people tell me different things but I am mostly interested in what experienced riders would say.

Back in the day from when I was around 12 until I stopped riding in my early 20s (basically when I got married and had kids) I rode trail bikes, as I grew up in a rural area and there were lots of places to ride off road. But I always remember I had a friend back in the 80s that I used to ride with and he had a Honda CBX250RS and he used to let me ride it and I remember that thing was a lot of fun to ride, so I guess that is the experience I have been remembering. To that end I have been looking at a few videos on youtube about bikes for beginners. A lot suggestions of Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja and so on. These are the kinds of bike I would be looking at, it will defintely be japanese as here in NZ anything else is prohibitively expensive to buy and maintain

Anyway, as I mentioned any feedback would be greatly received, no matter what the nature of it, thanks in advance.

 

[ed plrbs unm]

Super interesting to read this thread and especially so as I have been thinking lately of renewing my association with motorcycles. To that end I have been reading and finding out about bikes but I was thinking you guys might have some advice for me.

I am an older guy (53) and haven't ridden since my 20s. So basically I am thinking of myself as an absolute beginner. I have to admit I am
much more safety concious than I was as a young man so I am planning to do a refresher course on riding and how to be as safe as possible on the road as well as getting all the right kind of gear in terms of clothing and footwear etc.

So I have a couple of questions that I would welcome your guys input on

Firstly, should I even be thinking of doing this? I must admit my wife and kids are not keen on the idea. I have heard of guys who go back to riding and buy a machine too powerful for them and end up wiping themselves out. I think that I am a lot more sensible and also humble about my abilities than I was back when I was riding in the 80s and 90s. But even so what do you guys think?

Secondly, what kind of bike would you recommend, I know I want a sport bike of some kind. I don't want to get anything too powerful for my level of experience but also don't want to get something that I "out grow" quickly. Different people tell me different things but I am mostly interested in what experienced riders would say.

Back in the day from when I was around 12 until I stopped riding in my early 20s (basically when I got married and had kids) I rode trail bikes, as I grew up in a rural area and there were lots of places to ride off road. But I always remember I had a friend back in the 80s that I used to ride with and he had a Honda CBX250RS and he used to let me ride it and I remember that thing was a lot of fun to ride, so I guess that is the experience I have been remembering. To that end I have been looking at a few videos on youtube about bikes for beginners. A lot suggestions of Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja and so on. These are the kinds of bike I would be looking at, it will defintely be japanese as here in NZ anything else is prohibitively expensive to buy and maintain

Anyway, as I mentioned any feedback would be greatly received, no matter what the nature of it, thanks in advance.

I have recently had some saddle time in a Kawa Ninja 400 and found it very enjoyable. My regular ride is a big heavy 1100 sport-touring bike that is hugely powerful and fast. By contrast the 400 was a lot of fun; light, flickable, and not intimidating at all. I would love to take it to a track, because it inspires the feeling I could push it to its limit; I don't get that feeling from my litre+ bike.

I believe you could have a lot of riding enjoyment from such a bike, without constantly feeling you have to be cautious.

 

[fortyfive]

Super interesting to read this thread and especially so as I have been thinking lately of renewing my association with motorcycles. To that end I have been reading and finding out about bikes but I was thinking you guys might have some advice for me.

I am an older guy (53) and haven't ridden since my 20s. So basically I am thinking of myself as an absolute beginner. I have to admit I am
much more safety concious than I was as a young man so I am planning to do a refresher course on riding and how to be as safe as possible on the road as well as getting all the right kind of gear in terms of clothing and footwear etc.

So I have a couple of questions that I would welcome your guys input on

Firstly, should I even be thinking of doing this? I must admit my wife and kids are not keen on the idea. I have heard of guys who go back to riding and buy a machine too powerful for them and end up wiping themselves out. I think that I am a lot more sensible and also humble about my abilities than I was back when I was riding in the 80s and 90s. But even so what do you guys think?

Secondly, what kind of bike would you recommend, I know I want a sport bike of some kind. I don't want to get anything too powerful for my level of experience but also don't want to get something that I "out grow" quickly. Different people tell me different things but I am mostly interested in what experienced riders would say.

Back in the day from when I was around 12 until I stopped riding in my early 20s (basically when I got married and had kids) I rode trail bikes, as I grew up in a rural area and there were lots of places to ride off road. But I always remember I had a friend back in the 80s that I used to ride with and he had a Honda CBX250RS and he used to let me ride it and I remember that thing was a lot of fun to ride, so I guess that is the experience I have been remembering. To that end I have been looking at a few videos on youtube about bikes for beginners. A lot suggestions of Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja and so on. These are the kinds of bike I would be looking at, it will defintely be japanese as here in NZ anything else is prohibitively expensive to buy and maintain

Anyway, as I mentioned any feedback would be greatly received, no matter what the nature of it, thanks in advance.

The biggest dangers on the public road when riding a motorcycle are cars. The motorcycle is a small, fast-moving object that many drivers don't see, or too late. I witnessed a couple of fatal bike accidents, and the car was always involved. Better to fall a hundred times on a muddy road somewhere in the forest, than once on the asphalt into a car.

New Zealand must be a fantastic place for off-road riding. If possible, this is a way to go.

 

[SkiPro]

The good thing about dipping your toes in the water, is that you can go test whatever bikes you like and see what works for you.

As regards to your family not being keen, do what you want, set your own frame.

 

[pole85]

Secondly, what kind of bike would you recommend, I know I want a sport bike of some kind. I don't want to get anything too powerful for my level of experience but also don't want to get something that I "out grow" quickly. Different people tell me different things but I am mostly interested in what experienced riders would say.

My biggest gripe about the smaller learning bikes is that their components aren't that great.

To use my sports car analogy from earlier, I recommend a Miata instead of a Ferrari to learn car control. But a lot of smaller bikes sold in the US are more like a Kia Santa Fe or Nissan Sentra (the newer bloated one).

For that reason, I either recommend dual sports (if you're legs are long and you can reach well) for slower street riding and getting into the dirt when you can, OR the lower cc KTMs.

I think you can get a KTM 400 with great brakes, great suspension, and pretty advanced abs that even factors in braking while cornering. (Hey, even the best of us gets startled by something mid corner sometimes)

The Kawasaki 300-400 has abs usually, but it's a more crude one. And the suspension is adequate at best.

 

[fortyfive]

For that reason, I either recommend dual sports (if you're legs are long and you can reach well) for slower street riding and getting into the dirt when you can, OR the lower cc KTMs.

KTM's slogan is "ready to race" which is true, but the maintenance would be also similar to race bikes, which means, "often and expensive"

One of the most versatile and reliable motorcycles is Suzuki DRZ 400 S.

Little heavier and less potent, than race KTM, but it will run forever without the need to touch anything.


I would go with a Japanese brand, ideally still made in Japan. There should be the letter J in VIN number

 

[chance vought]

Super interesting to read this thread and especially so as I have been thinking lately of renewing my association with motorcycles. To that end I have been reading and finding out about bikes but I was thinking you guys might have some advice for me.

I am an older guy (53) and haven't ridden since my 20s. So basically I am thinking of myself as an absolute beginner. I have to admit I am
much more safety concious than I was as a young man so I am planning to do a refresher course on riding and how to be as safe as possible on the road as well as getting all the right kind of gear in terms of clothing and footwear etc.

If you are like sport bikes, I think the Ninja 400 is a great choice. Doesn't look like a typical "little bike", great for lane splitting and in town, and has plenty of performance for highway cruising.

I really like the new Royal Enfield Hunter 350. Its a naked, classic styled bike, about $3300 out the door, the thing is a steal for what you get. I have a 750 and 1000cc bike, but If I were to get a 3rd bike, this one is on the short list.

I would not worry about "outgrowing" a small displacement bike.
#1 Riding a small bike will teach you more about riding, especially if you are rusty, with low risk to the motorcycle and yourself.
#2 Resale on most of these small bikes is usually nearly what you paid for it, in some cases, more than you bought it for if you buy used. You can always sell it for no loss (and probably regret selling it later!)

Safety: yes, it is more dangerous than driving, no getting around it. Much of that can be mitigated by not doing stupid things, (speeding, drinking, etc.) knowing what drivers will do before they do it, and not being positioned where the danger is high or you don't have an out. Watch some motorcycle crash youtube videos, 50% are the rider crashing themselves (cornering, mishandling the bike), and the other 50% are with cars. Watch enough of them and you see familiar patterns: for example, cagers will suddenly change lanes when traffic in their lane slows, and there is an opening in your lane - slamming into you if you happen to be beside them. With enough experience riding, you see these patterns play out over and over, spidee sense takes over, and you just use the force to see things before they happen.

If you take a riding safety course before you buy a bike, maybe your family will be more onboard as well?

 

[Cooper]

^The DRZ400 has a pre-environmental regulation engine and exhaust that has been grandfathered, so it's a relatively cheap bike (design hasn't changed much) and fairly powerful for its class compared to newer competitors that have to abide by new regulations.

 

[ed plrbs unm]

KTM's slogan is "ready to race" which is true, but the maintenance would be also similar to race bikes, which means, "often and expensive"

One of the most versatile and reliable motorcycles is Suzuki DRZ 400 S.

Little heavier and less potent, than race KTM, but it will run forever without the need to touch anything.


I would go with a Japanese brand, ideally still made in Japan. There should be the letter J in VIN number

I have a friend just got the DRZ400SM, and another friend got the DRZ400. It's a bike that has been around for a long time, so lots of accessories/parts available. I tried it briefly, I think it could be a lot of fun.

 

[Laner]

KTM's slogan is "ready to race" which is true, but the maintenance would be also similar to race bikes, which means, "often and expensive"

One of the most versatile and reliable motorcycles is Suzuki DRZ 400 S.

Little heavier and less potent, than race KTM, but it will run forever without the need to touch anything.


I would go with a Japanese brand, ideally still made in Japan. There should be the letter J in VIN number

I have a DRZ400 and it is a blast. There are some mods you can do in a couple hours that make a huge difference. Then there are a whole heap of mods that can make it into a beast of a bike. Like others mentioned, its been around for ages so guys have done pretty much all the experiments humanly possible on it.

Its one of the funner enduro bikes out there if you have access to single track alpine passes. If you mostly do pavement, then its a bit small. If you are in the city, the SM version is nearly untouchable. In my younger days we had those bikes flying up and down stairs, dropping off loading docks and jumping meridians. Nothing can touch them (or any SM) in the city, especially not cops who, at the time, still used Harley.

 

[SkiPro]

If you are like sport bikes, I think the Ninja 400 is a great choice. Doesn't look like a typical "little bike", great for lane splitting and in town, and has plenty of performance for highway cruising.

I really like the new Royal Enfield Hunter 350. Its a naked, classic styled bike, about $3300 out the door, the thing is a steal for what you get. I have a 750 and 1000cc bike, but If I were to get a 3rd bike, this one is on the short list.

I would not worry about "outgrowing" a small displacement bike.
#1 Riding a small bike will teach you more about riding, especially if you are rusty, with low risk to the motorcycle and yourself.
#2 Resale on most of these small bikes is usually nearly what you paid for it, in some cases, more than you bought it for if you buy used. You can always sell it for no loss (and probably regret selling it later!)

Safety: yes, it is more dangerous than driving, no getting around it. Much of that can be mitigated by not doing stupid things, (speeding, drinking, etc.) knowing what drivers will do before they do it, and not being positioned where the danger is high or you don't have an out. Watch some motorcycle crash youtube videos, 50% are the rider crashing themselves (cornering, mishandling the bike), and the other 50% are with cars. Watch enough of them and you see familiar patterns: for example, cagers will suddenly change lanes when traffic in their lane slows, and there is an opening in your lane - slamming into you if you happen to be beside them. With enough experience riding, you see these patterns play out over and over, spidee sense takes over, and you just use the force to see things before they happen.

If you take a riding safety course before you buy a bike, maybe your family will be more onboard as well?

One of the most fun bikes I own is the 125cc Honda grom.

I consistently have more fun riding that flat out everywhere than watching the speedo on my larger, more powerful bikes.

 

[Laner]

One of the most fun bikes I own is the 125cc Honda grom.

I consistently have more fun riding that flat out everywhere than watching the speedo on my larger, more powerful bikes.

There is a grom club here in Vancouver and seeing them out for a ride gives me great joy

Honda has always had a knack for playfulness. It's part of their design culture and I hope it never changes.

 

[fortyfive]

^The DRZ400 has a pre-environmental regulation engine and exhaust that has been grandfathered, so it's a relatively cheap bike (design hasn't changed much) and fairly powerful for its class compared to newer competitors that have to abide by new regulations.

Right, that's the reason you won't see many of them in Europe

 

[fortyfive]

I have a DRZ400 and it is a blast. There are some mods you can do in a couple hours that make a huge difference. Then there are a whole heap of mods that can make it into a beast of a bike. Like others mentioned, its been around for ages so guys have done pretty much all the experiments humanly possible on it.

Its one of the funner enduro bikes out there if you have access to single track alpine passes. If you mostly do pavement, then its a bit small. If you are in the city, the SM version is nearly untouchable. In my younger days we had those bikes flying up and down stairs, dropping off loading docks and jumping meridians. Nothing can touch them (or any SM) in the city, especially not cops who, at the time, still used Harley.

After many bikes, I bought cheaply one DRZ400 as a Sunday motorcycle to have at least something to sit on in the garage, because travel was not an option anymore due to family life.

I expected a boring, dull bike that I would sell after one season.

Well, she ended up as my favorite bike ever. I had it for seven years, put on her expensive Japanese raised handlebars and other accessories, and had plans to never sell it. Only then was I forced with great sorrow to let it go to another happy guy because we were moving, and I couldn't keep her anymore. It was a lovely bike, and I still miss her.

 

[Cooper]

The thing about those bikes as well, is that if you shop carefully for a used one, you will be able to resell it at the same price down the road, so it's practically a no-brainer.