At what point --buy motorcycle ?

robin · Jul 22, 2010

For $130 a month for a KLR Kawasaki 650 i can get a motorcycle - no constant tinkering or experimentation -seem to spend lots on bicycles with limited speed - safety and range. Could keep up with traffic and really go off road -am i tempted ! ( but alas no exercise- or shall i say exorcism?)

happyvalley · Jul 22, 2010

robin said:
For $130 a month for a KLR Kawasaki 650 i can get a motorcycle - no constant tinkering or experimentation -seem to spend lots on bicycles with limited speed - safety and range. Could keep up with traffic and really go off road -am i tempted ! ( but alas no exercise- or shall i say exorcism?)

It's a decision everyone has to make for themselves. I have a good friend who always says:

Everything in life is a trade off, the trick is getting what's right for you at any particular time and place.

If it suits your needs and budget, then go for it. Not the case for myself but many into MBs do so for entry into two-wheeled motor sports for short money and/or because they lost their license.

Personally, and for a number of reasons, I really don't want a motorcycle. I've had them and pretty much done with that.

I am into bicycles, ride and own a dozen or so from road bikes to downhill Mtn bikes so motorizing them as I get older with quiet, efficient little motors just seems for me to be a good fit.

TerrontheSnake · Jul 22, 2010

It all depends on your end goal
My end goal is to make something entirely my own that can transport me at relatively high speeds.....Thats it, it's not a replacement for other transport, I don't need it to get me somewhere everyday. It's just fun for me!

Elmo · Jul 22, 2010

If you gotta ask buy the motorcycle. the motor bike will never suit you.

CoastalCruiser · Jul 22, 2010

To me the motor bike is a hobby akin to building a model. I can go out in the garage and futz around some. I'm really in no hurry to finish it. If you need reliable transportation and have a licence, then maybe a motorcycle is the answer for you. I like the romance of the motorized bicycle more than the long term transportation aspect.

TerrontheSnake · Jul 22, 2010

I just want something thats sips gas for after 12/12/12 lolz

Tim_B_172 · Jul 22, 2010

I wouldn't buy a motorcycle. But that's because I don't want a motorcycle, I want a motorized bicycle. And hey look! I have one!

Joking aside though, if you don't like tinkering with things, then maybe the motorcycle would suit you better.

killercanuck · Jul 22, 2010

The thing with a Motor(ized) Bike is you don't need a license or insurance. For some people(like me), a 'real' bike isn't an option. We're just glad to be putting around on something with an engine. If you have the option and can afford it, go for it, get a real bike. At least you'll be able to go on the highway and/or Girls won't laugh at you for being on a 'cycle.

Kevlarr · Jul 22, 2010

Actually the tinkering and "unreliability" is 80% of the fun for me. I already have reliable transpofrtation and if my bike were as reliable as my truck it'd probably be sitting in the corner collecting dust.

ferball · Jul 22, 2010

I have to agree the tinkering is half the fun, I could not spend twenty bucks and a month of tinkering to upgrade a motorcycle. If I had the budget and the facilities to do to cars and motorcycles what I can do to my bike, I might give up the bike, but then the twelve year old kid in me might be disappointed...

wheelbender6 · Jul 22, 2010

I just want to run errands, so the motorbike works for me. That KLR can take you across town on the freeway and take the trail to your favorite fishin spot.
I am a former dual purpose motorcycle rider and I fully understand your dilemna. I also have teenage kids and I don't want them to buy a Ninja and join a stunt riding club! Otherwise, I would have probably bought myself a Buell Blast by now.

taddthewadd · Jul 22, 2010

Tinkering on them is 80% of the fun for me too. I make my builds complicated intentionally so the building process takes a long time. My first bike took 8 months. Now it is done and I ride it here and there but it mostly sits and I start building another one.

I have had my share of motorcycles and they are the opposite for me. Way more fun to ride and less fun to tinker on. I would consider them two totally different hobbies.

robin · Jul 22, 2010

Thanks guys --every once in a while i think ive had it with the MB then tonight i saw a Honda goldwing and no i would not trade and realistically financing is not as attractive as debt free-- licence free-- even tho the 650 would be great. Also a trip to Prince George on a MB is an odessy but on a motorcycle its all been done before --i do like to be different.

Whizzerd · Jul 23, 2010

I never looked at owning my MC's as a hobby. These motorbikes replace the Lincoln Logs, tinker toys and erector sets from childhood. Build something then go play with it!

scotto- · Jul 23, 2010

I've owned plenty of motorcycles in my life so far....raced them for years infact. These little MB's are not a stepping stone or a vehicle because of a lost or suspended license, infact I've always held a class1 motorcycle license since I was 16yrs. old. A motorcycle is just another addition to my always expanding two-wheeled collection of toys. I ride them all and love them all for what they are...they're simple! And FUN!

And as a side note, I still have stand-up BladeZ scooters with 46cc 2-stroke that will blow the doors off of any of my motorized bikes...52mph on flat ground!!! Smokin'

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At what point --buy motorcycle ?

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