Love your paint. Then again... I guess that's what 17 years does to my coat.Quote:
Originally Posted by perkyskirt
I'm 95% sure I'll get a NC Miata when my current one dies. It's just so darn fun. (I also came from a Corolla :o)
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Love your paint. Then again... I guess that's what 17 years does to my coat.Quote:
Originally Posted by perkyskirt
I'm 95% sure I'll get a NC Miata when my current one dies. It's just so darn fun. (I also came from a Corolla :o)
did any of you see this?
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/13/m...n-begins-anew/
More Miata coupe rumors. Kind of useless now that there is the hard top convertible version, but cool none the less.
Should still be lighter than the convertibles with more rigidity, maybe even cheaper (?), but I'd still go for the hard top convertible. I'd actually love to have a hard top convert. if I could somehow afford a second car.Quote:
Originally Posted by stormy
Regarding motorcycles...
They're dangerous, of course. You will crash, guaranteed. My dad's coworker, who he has known for years, was in a crash last week. The details are unknown, but he was riding at night with his wife on the back on the highway. Both of them were in serious condition, and they were both wearing jackets, helmets, and gloves. If another driver was involved, he or she fled the scene. I believe he had a Yamaha FJR1300 (super-sport touring).
That being said, I have a motorcycle that I'm putting together, a 1975 rd350, and I have ridden my dad's and a friend's a few times. Whenever I ride, I suit up as best as I can (Vanson leather jacket, good helmet, gloves, and boots... I need pants too), ride as safely as possible, and cross my fingers a bit. Despite the dangers, the sensation you get while riding a motorcycle is sublime. The acceleration/dollar ratio is unheard of in a car, and the feeling of air rushing all around you is great.
With the Ninja 250, I would only recommend it around town. at 75 mph on the freeway, it's going to feel awfully light and gutless. My dad has the 500, and I wouldn't want to be on a smaller bike on the highway for long. My RD350 will travel in-town and on backroads. Some suggest getting a 600 as a first bike. They are good because they feel a lot more "planted" from what I know, but they are also much, much faster, and it only takes one mistake to really fuck up on a motorcycle.
Before getting on a motorcycle, find a local MSF course and take it. It's $250 or so, but it will really help you find if riding a motorcycle is what you want to do, and in the meantime, it will give you some really important lessons.
One final suggestion, if you get a motorcycle with a fairing, make sure it's already nice and scratched up. They aren't cheap, and you will drop it doing something stupid.
Edit: And here's a picture of my incomplete motorcycle.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...cle/noname.jpg
Thanks for the tips. I do indeed plan on taking a course before I buy a bike--a coworker tells me there's one very close me. As for getting a bigger bike, I'm really quite set on the Ninja 250. It's only $3,500 brand new and from what I've read accelerates quite well, even at freeway speeds--quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 88 miles per hour. It will definitely be used mostly for city driving, though, and I don't plan the drive it in the dark for a very, very long time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tones
About how much should I expect to spend on jacket/helmet/other gear? I'm sort of guessing around $500-700.
That's a nice bike. If I were ever to get a motorcycle for just riding/cruising, I'd probably go with a Harley or something along those lines. Maybe call those boys at OCC.Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkRyan
You can't tell in that picture, but I've got a little bit of faded paint myself. That coupe looks pretty sweet, but I just don't know if I would want to totally cut out the option of putting down the top on a nice day. The nice swoopy top on the coupe makes the front fenders look a bit weird too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tsubaki
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkRyan
Nah dude. Craigslist that shit. People sell almost brand new jackets and helmets for under $100
The jacket I could probably handle used, but a helmet? That's a little too grimy for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hubbitron
I wouldn't recommend getting a used helmet... the crash padding inside are only meant for one impact (that includes a drop from the shelf in the garage). However, you don't necessarily have to break the bank. I bought all of my stuff from newenough.com. They have great clearances; my helmet, which was about $150 new, was on sale for $60.
$500-700 total sounds pretty good. I think I have about $500 in my gear. $60 for my helmet, $225 for my jacket, $110 for my boots, and $40 for my gloves.
Most guys around here ride with just a helmet (or without a helmet); I'm too paranoid for that.
The nice thing about the Ninja 250 is that the resale is really good, so if you feel like moving up it's easy to sell it for a good price.