Question here...

WishIHadACamaro · #1 (**permalink**) 02-08-2006, 06:55 PM

Hypothetically speaking...if one were to get into the sportbike scene;

What is involved with the motorcycle license, as far as road test, written test, cost?

Motorcycle insurance, what is a good company, do automotive insurers do bike insurance, does it work the same way as far as coverage options as auto insurance?

Equipment? Jackets, helmets, pants, boots? What would you do if you started out with nothing and were a complete newby, what are the absolute essentials that you should have and the brands (helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, boots, etc etc etc)?

Whats a good starter bike, make/model/year?

Thanks guys, i was just curious, i figured since we got a bike section i might as well learn something about the whole thing.

naz · #2 (**permalink**) 02-08-2006, 09:42 PM

i took the ridin weekend class at macomb for like 30 bux, and u take the sec of state riding test their.

gear wize,, new rider......get urself a leather ,oviously a helmet, some gloves(if ur goin down, most likely ur reaction is to put ur hands out)

some other shit that cant come to mind

78KingCobra · #3 (**permalink**) 02-08-2006, 09:59 PM

insurnce for a sportbike is usually high, unless your not young and have a good driving record. alot of insuracne places do mc insurance, seach around.

you want/need a helmet. a leather jacket is also highly recommended, as well as gloves. from there, pick what you want as far as safety issues go with you. as for brands, there are many, but joe rocket is pretty good, so is icon, and alpinestars. jsut remember, make sure things fit, go to dealers and get fit for a specific jacket etc. etc. then order it online, where its usually cheaper. or buy at the dealer.

many people would suggest a ninja 250 or a 500 as a starter bike, but jsut get a 600cc i would suggest a used one, casuse your going to go down, and you dont want to mess up a brand new bike. honda's are pretty good. i prefer suzukis. personal preference there as well.

thats jsut about all i can tell you, considering i dont even own a mc, nor have i ever. thats jsut information people told me/i heard(read)

Ta Jay · #4 (**permalink**) 02-08-2006, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WishIHadACamaro

Hypothetically speaking...if one were to get into the sportbike scene;

What is involved with the motorcycle license, as far as road test, written test, cost?

Motorcycle insurance, what is a good company, do automotive insurers do bike insurance, does it work the same way as far as coverage options as auto insurance?

Equipment? Jackets, helmets, pants, boots? What would you do if you started out with nothing and were a complete newby, what are the absolute essentials that you should have and the brands (helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, boots, etc etc etc)?

Whats a good starter bike, make/model/year?

Thanks guys, i was just curious, i figured since we got a bike section i might as well learn something about the whole thing.

taking the MSF course at MCC is a great idea. pretty much assist you on getting your endorsement. go over some really important things and teach you how to ride to some extent. riding their bikes and riding a sport bike is two different things. they are setup to ride totally diff. the MSF can cost around 100-250 if its an actual MSF course. i am not sure if MCC's is sponsored by MSF (motorcycle saftey first)

if you want to go my route. first before you do anything you haveta ge a T.I.P.. temporary instructor permit obtained thru a written test. i think its 7$. that allows you to ride with an endorsed rider during the day, but you cant ride at night PERIOD. i rode all the dam time for experience. many riders ride on justa permit FOREVER. so i took my TIP to the road course testing facility and paid 25$. the tested me ON the bike. this was hard as fuk. you really wanna find a place where you can take the test on a moped. this place did not have the option to rent.

as for insurance i went with prgressive. they can be hit or miss. i will be shopping for new insurance this season though. for PLPD + theft/fire its 600ish for a year. if i wanted full coverage it would be around 1800$.

when it comes to gear...i cant stress this enough. this is the motto for gear. "dress for the fall, not the ride!" drop major coin on gear. my helmet isnt the best its an IIcon, and fit perfectly and cost around 250$. my jacket is hein gericke yamaha edition 425$. gloves are joe rocket 80$. IIcon riding boots 100$. back protector is gonna run me around 150$ once i find the one i want. i will either purchase a one piece suit for the track or get the matching pants to my jacket. full one piece 500+ for a niiiice one.

as for starter bike your gona get a ton of reviews. 250cc, 600cc......etc i went to a brand new bike, never rode a dam day in my life. naz and our boy dave pretty much showed me wtf to do and then let me go. so i dunno, i cant play devils advocate here. get the bike you want. how bout that.....

White Phoenix · #5 (**permalink**) 02-09-2006, 01:30 AM

take a look at my post about my buddy.... that was after he had full gear on... now imagine how bad it would hurt to be picking stones out of your skin from all the road rash he would have got...

WEAR YOUR GEAR!!! i can not stress it enough. He was riding one mile to my place and got hit.

Im going to post pics of his helmet for all you to see why he would be dead right now if it wasnt for his helmet!...

Take the actually MSF course as you will get something like a 10% insurance break...this is what i am doing in 2 weeks. But you must sign up now as they are probably already full... you will learn shifting braking, counter steering, turning and all... please take this as we dont need a dead member to to cycle rider error...

As for the bike i suggest an older 600... like a 97-01 bike... they all for the most part are the same minus small changes.. ride height... handle bar height and such...

greasemonkey · #6 (**permalink**) 02-09-2006, 04:12 AM

i'm a beginner, i finally got a bike cause a bunch of my friends have been riding for years. i got good gear before i even rode that thing on my driveway(1/4 mile asphault). it may be a good idea to buy all or most of your gear before you even get a bike.

definitely go to the safety course, ours is put on by the CHP(highway patrol) and they take about a day and a half and actually teach you what to do and what not to do; whereas the DMV will just see if you can make it around a parking lot full of cones that's about impossible because you're going so slow, doesn't teach you a dang thing. i'll be going soon, i'm just on my learners permit right now.

another thing that's important is watch who you start riding with. i'm very fortunate to have some very safety oriented friends and as much as we like to laugh at the silly rookie things i do, they don't push me to ride too far past where i'm comfortable learning and they give me pointers and talk me through stuff.
if the guys you ride with just want to make fun of you cause you won't push it too far out of your comfort zone, find someone else to ride with, your ego is not worth losing your life for or becoming a vegetable.

and be cautious but not paranoid, there's a significant difference.

Ta Jay · #7 (**permalink**) 02-09-2006, 09:37 AM

solid advice guys!

naz · #8 (**permalink**) 02-09-2006, 09:57 AM

:smt023

#9 (**permalink**) 02-09-2006, 12:08 PM

i was always told to start off riding a dirtbike to get the feel of being on abike...... u can borrow a friends or somfin for that....

then to step it up n get a used bike........ just to learn on and drop, bang up,... w/e

gear is a BIGGG BIGGG BIGG BIGGG THING...... my dad got hit on his harley by a drunk a while ago.... he wasnt wearing gloves... and EVERY single finger had to be sown back on.......so wear gloves ....n u saw the pics of jerry's buddy... so wear ur helmet n leathers

biggest thing: don't be stupid.....

WishIHadACamaro · #10 (**permalink**) 02-09-2006, 12:53 PM

thats what i was thinking, start off with an Enduro and ride that for a year or so until comfortable enough to move on up.

Buying all the gear before the bike was also something that i thought would be a good idea.

Thanks guys.

Now can someone elaborate on what exactly goes down and the MSF course at MCC.

You actually ride their bikes under semi-controlled classroom circumstances while going over all the of the bits on motorcycle safety and operation, such as the steering braking shifting?

Can someone explain the motorcycle endorsement to me in detail, i really have no idea.