Finally did it... bought a bike

[spazegun2213]

Bought a 2002 sv650 from a good friend of mine last night. He dropped off the bike at 11:30, and I promptly put 20 miles on her. Rode her to work this morning and will be looking for fun roads in the ashburn area. Really the only thing strange I've found is the amount of wind noise inside the helmet. Besides that, I killed it twice last night, but I'm still getting used to it.

Over all thoughts

[Cereb Daithi]

i gotta say it

[Mr Kleen]

the SV650 is a great bike, I hear nothing but good stuff about it. if I were in the market for a bike it would be on my short list.

ride safe and take the motorcycle safety course ASAP.

[spazegun2213]

the SV650 is a great bike, I hear nothing but good stuff about it. if I were in the market for a bike it would be on my short list.

ride safe and take the motorcycle safety course ASAP.

Took the MSF last month I'm thinking about signing up for their advanced class, or dawning a suit and taking her to the track (which is something I said I'd never do). Although with the skills I've learned on track, I feel that its a great place to learn bike control.... we'll see

No pictures just yet, I've not even owned her 12 hours!

is it sad I'm already looking at parts for it?

[Mr Kleen]

then take that advanced course. you can never have too much training, especially motorcycle training.

I met a guy who would ONLY do track days on his motorcycle. he had ridden for years but was hit by an SUV an almost killed. after months of rehab he promised his family and fiance that he would never ride on the street again.

[Cereb Daithi]

Man the mod bug really has it's teeth into you doesn't it?

Haha but I don't know. I can't think of a single bike owner I know who has left it stock. From everything Harley to a sport bike they cannot leave it alone. It's like it's part of owning a bike.

[WRXWagon2112]

Congrats, Ross! I just finished the MSF safety course myself - in the market for a bike now, too. This'll push the SV650 a little higher on my list now.

--Alan

[spazegun2213]

gabe,
Its funny, I'd rather drive/ride on track then on the street, because i think its safer! I'll look into the more advanced stuff asap, but i just want to get comfortable riding first.

The mod bug? oh man, I AM the mod bug, its ridiculous!! If anyone remembers my sti, i was always working on that thing

Congrats, Ross! I just finished the MSF safety course myself - in the market for a bike now, too. This'll push the SV650 a little higher on my list now.

--Alan

If you ever want to ride it come on over. I never had the chance before I bought it, but I'm glad i ended up with this. They are cheap, easy to insure, and work on! ~200 miles to a tank and are nice bikes. I didn't even get the S, although i have a feeling I'll be turning it into a street fighter quickly

[complacent]

Congrats, keep the shiny side up.

[Mr Kleen]

motorcycles are "generally" related to motorsports so I'm going to move this.

[spazegun2213]

motorcycles are "generally" related to motorsports so I'm going to move this.

fine with me!

Thanks everyone! i intend to keep it shiny side up at ALL times...

[sirwilliam]

Congrats! Definitely be safe!

[bludragontrboawd]

maaaaaan.. would i LOVE to get a bike... but as cool as they are.. i kinda get freaked out about accidents and stuff i hear from others that got hit, or a car swerved at them that didnt see them ect..

[spazegun2213]

yup, I'm worried about cars and all. I try not to drive beside them, and give them a ton of space. I try to ride like I'm invisible and ride the speed limit as well (for the first time riding the speed limit is not hard!).

[avriette]

I try to ride like I'm invisible and ride the speed limit as well (for the first time riding the speed limit is not hard!).

hint: trying to be invisible on a bike is a bad idea.

[Mr Kleen]

I think he meant that he assumes that no other drivers can see him. damned if they don't act that way when I'm in a CAR much less a bike...

[Libra Monkee]

Me? I ride like everyone else is out to kill me and it's my job to make sure they don't get the chance to.

[spazegun2213]

So far besides a few weird looks everything has been fine on the roads I'm thinking about taking a trip down to fredericksburg to see the girlfriend next week. we'll see how that goes.

[snaab]

ooh, congratulations. I've been riding a friend's 08 SV for a couple months now. Definitely a fun bike!

[avriette]

Really the only thing strange I've found is the amount of wind noise inside the helmet.

Sorry for the late reply, Ben just reminded me what an absolute retard I am, and I decided to prove it. Colin wears earplugs when he rides his Ninja, although he as an undertail Yoshi (or something). Mine's stock, but still loud as hell past 8k. Thing is, yeah, there's a lot of wind noise in the helmet, even with the chin vent closed and the roof vents closed. It's loud enough that sometimes (depending on crosswinds or whatever) it sounds like sirens, and I get all spooked. So I think I may start wearing the earplugs, too. The bike I don't mind, but I got some low-attenuation foam plugs (28db, my shooting plugs are 33db) to cut down on wind noise and road noise. It's not like you can really hear cars or anything anyways.

[snaab]

Some helmets provide noticably more sound deadening then others, I've found.

Also, I wear earplugs while commuting in the Miata even. It blocks out some frequencies better than others, so you end up being able to hear things like speech better.

[avriette]

Some helmets provide noticably more sound deadening then others, I've found.

I have also found that when my head is tucked down under the windscreen and my chest is on the tank, my head is canted back at an angle, and thus my chin forward. Whereas in an upright position, this is not a problem, tucked into the ZX7, it's uncomfortable, and I need a more "oval" helmet (longer, front to back). I understand Arais are pretty good that way (and super expensive, of course). But, given a choice between being upright on a supersport with a comfortable helmet and $500 or being tucked down under the bubble on a supersport with an appropriate helmet, I don't think there's any competition. It's time to fit helmets and mebbe get an Arai.

Unfortunately, it's tough to tell what the thing is going to sound like on the road, huh.

[complacent]

FWIW, Coleman's has a 24 hour return policy with helmets. Possible solution. Or just ask if they have a demo you can take around the block. Not an unreasonable request.

[sirwilliam]

maybe they are being blocked, but did you ever post those pics, Ross?

[snaab]

I'm a fan of Scorpion helmets. Check out their Exo-1000, with a kick-ASS inner sun shield (flips down from ninja hiding position). I have a more lowly model myself, but I've ridden with the 1000.

A side note: the more you hyperextend your neck, i.e. by tucking in against the tank and raising your head up, the more likely you are to do damage. That position can lead to tinnitus, among other things.