My friend Ali just got his motorcycle license and bought his first bike, this 1985 Suzuki Intruder. This morning, he showed me the throttle, how to operate the front and rear brakes, the clutch, and the gear shifter. Apparently, the rear wheel on this bike is shaft driven, as opposed to chain driven. He's dropped it a couple of times at stops/low speeds but is quickly building confidence. I told him to have fun and be safe.
I have to admit I'm not that into that style of motorcycles. I guess the word I'm looking for is "cruiser". Over here we call them, rather confusingly, custom bikes or just customs even though they're completely standard. As I understand they're the norm over there and are just simply motorcycles. I'm more of an all-road/dual-sport guy.
ReplyDeleteShaft (and belt drive) is mostly used by cruisers (like this) and touring bikes. BMW likes to put shaft drive on most of it's bikes, it's kind of "their thing" (as well as boxer engines). It requires less maintenance than chain drive, but it's not as efficient (increased drivetrain power loss and added weight), which is why sportier bikes usually use chain drive. Chain drive requires constant maintenance like lubrication and adjustment, and eventually replacement of chain and sprockets.
Anyway, that seems like a good choice for a first bike. Not too powerful for a beginner and not too expensive. Dropping/crashing is pretty much inevitable, so it's better to start with something inexpensive. He may want to trade up once he feels he's mastered it. The bike looks really tidy for an 85, at least in that picture. Congrats!
Oh and one more thing. I know it's hot over there and some people don't use any but I strongly recommend getting some decent riding gear. At the very least a helmet (I don't know if the California law requires one) . Preferably gloves, jacket, pants and shoes too. Road rash is a nasty thing...
ReplyDelete@Edvin. Great insight. I think I'm gonna learn vicariously through Ali. He's very careful. He normally wears a leather jacket and he just got a new jacket made of a hard mesh material that's supposed to be even more protective. And he always wears a helmet.
DeleteMy buddy who rides bikes add - a SNELL-approved helmet and not a DOT-approved one, apparently our standards are much more lax and a DOT minimum standard helmet is essentially worthless.
ReplyDeleteBikes are ridiculous fun, I had several unregistered (and likely stolen) ones that were given to me by a crackhead kid named Tim Burton (I swear) who lived down the street. I kept them in a shed my mom never used and would ditch school or quietly roll them out to te street at night for rides. I nearly killed myself a dozen times. Be careful!
Alan: Good point. It's crazy some helmets like this one: http://s1.aecdn.com/images/news/most-common-motorcycle-myths-debunked-part-4-47496_5.jpg are DOT-approved. I wouldn't dare ride with one.
ReplyDeleteYeah, what Edvin and Alan said about helmets and safety, etc. That's the main thing when you're learning, is to stay safe.
ReplyDeleteMost people choose too big a bike when starting out (and the cruiser is too big for a learner), and this often stops them gaining confidence quickly enough. A smaller, lighter bike is a much better choice for a learner, but as bikes are so much about image you can't really tell people that anymore.
The cruiser has limited ground clearance and will be poor at cornering, so take it very very easy indeed on winding roads. That's where he might come unstuck, if not careful. Otherwise, it should be a good, reliable cruiser.