Is this how you feel about motorcycling?

m4ximusprim3 said:
I love my fz1 but I ride my nighthawk 250, which has 2/3 the squirrels and 1/8 the looks of the CBR250R almost every day to work. When you really get down to splitting lanes in city situations it's finesse that's needed, not power.

When I take my nighthawk, weaving in traffic feels like I'm riding a horse. Riding the FZ1 on the same commute feels like riding a rhinoceros. I love the FZ1 in the canyons and on the freeway, but you couldn't make me commute on it every day. 35mpg vs 70 on the cbr/nighthawk doesn't hurt either.

PS: Glad to see my hometown in the video. I have a buddy who lives like 3 blocks from where the "windy" part was filmed in balboa park, so I ride through there all the time.
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Lane splitting here is both illegal and DANGEROUS!! Cagers here see you lane splitting and they'll purposely try to squash you while making it look like an accident. It's all about the power to get away from them. I commute on mine, but I don't have very far to go. I have given though to taking, of all things, a 49cc scooter because it gets about 100 miles to the gallon. I just can't give up my squirrels. :rofl:
 
MrsFZ1inNH said:
Lane splitting here is both illegal and DANGEROUS!! Cagers here see you lane splitting and they'll purposely try to squash you while making it look like an accident. It's all about the power to get away from them. I commute on mine, but I don't have very far to go. I have given though to taking, of all things, a 49cc scooter because it gets about 100 miles to the gallon. I just can't give up my squirrels. :rofl:
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1) In california, it's perfectly legal for a motorcycle to occupy the same lane as a car. It's quite common to see CHP officers splitting lanes on backed up freeways- I actually followed one today.

2) It's a skill, just like anything else. Regulating your speed, watching ahead for cars who may be changing lanes, and just kind of getting a 6th sense about what idiot cagers are going to do is something you learn over time. Like any other motorcycle skill, it can be done recklessly and dangerously, or it can be done responsibly while removing most (but not all!) of the risk. I am not a reckless rider, but I feel comfortable splitting lanes at a reasonable speed. I would not, however, recommend it to a new rider.

3) If you try to use power to get out of a sticky lane splitting situation, you're probably already hosed. proper emergency braking and swerving skills are much more valuable, at least in my experience.
 
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m4ximusprim3 said:
1) In california, it's perfectly legal for a motorcycle to occupy the same lane as a car. It's quite common to see CHP officers splitting lanes on backed up freeways- I actually followed one today.

2) It's a skill, just like anything else. Regulating your speed, watching ahead for cars who may be changing lanes, and just kind of getting a 6th sense about what idiot cagers are going to do is something you learn over time. Like any other motorcycle skill, it can be done recklessly and dangerously, or it can be done responsibly while removing most (but not all!) of the risk. I am not a reckless rider, but I feel comfortable splitting lanes at a reasonable speed.

3) If you try to use power to get out of a sticky lane splitting situation, you're probably already hosed. proper emergency braking and swerving skills are much more valuable, at least in my experience.
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Here in NH the cagers are generally very aggressive. If they see a motorcycle lane splitting they'll wait until you get up to them and then switch lanes and say "they didn't see you".....or if in stopped traffic they'll open their car door and say they were just "stepping out to see what's going on", but without proof (other than when people lie they usually look down and to the left), the motorcyclist is most often found at fault.

Hubby has had one person (he wasn't even lane splitting) on a two lane highway bridge here, where there is no passing, change lanes anyway just about squashing him between her vehicle and the guardrail. People here don't pay nearly enough attention to others around them. Here they have to be reminded "Drive with courtesy. It's the New Hampshire way." I'm not worried about my skills on a motorcycle. I'm worried about the driver behind the wheel. I don't ride recklessly either. I value my life more than that.
 
What you stated was not an opinion, it was a neg. remark towards me..and not the first one from you.....be positive man, its not my fault you Canadians get to ride three months out of the year while we ride all year long.....lol......that was just a joke....lighten up a little ....any 250 you buy is a beginner bike period or a nice cheap commuter....you go and ask a salesman at the Honda Dealership and he is probably going to tell you the same thing i just said....great starter bike to learn on.....and a real gas saver....
 
So much hostility lol.

I would defiantly tear it up on the cbr. When I ride I like to get on my bike and not think just ride. There is something about it that's calming.
 
mgosset1 said:
What you stated was not an opinion, it was a neg. remark towards me..and not the first one from you.....be positive man, its not my fault you Canadians get to ride three months out of the year while we ride all year long.....lol......that was just a joke....lighten up a little ....any 250 you buy is a beginner bike period or a nice cheap commuter....you go and ask a salesman at the Honda Dealership and he is probably going to tell you the same thing i just said....great starter bike to learn on.....and a real gas saver....
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Fair enough. Sorry :)
 
Ethan i get the same calming effect on one myself....thou driving in the city is dangerous in Dallas, I am always looking for the what if when riding....the 250 is just too small for a larger frame guy....I would feel like a gorilla riding a basketball...Have never felt comfortable on any bike less than a 750cc.....and I have been riding them since 1968...
 
mgosset1 said:
What you stated was not an opinion, it was a neg. remark towards me..and not the first one from you.....be positive man, its not my fault you Canadians get to ride three months out of the year while we ride all year long.....lol......that was just a joke....lighten up a little ....any 250 you buy is a beginner bike period or a nice cheap commuter....you go and ask a salesman at the Honda Dealership and he is probably going to tell you the same thing i just said....great starter bike to learn on.....and a real gas saver....
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Dustin = Negative 95% of the time. I guess everyone just ignores it or does not care. You shall get used to it ;)


As far as this video and whatnot. I live to ride. My girlfriend is scared of how "addicted" I am to the sport. If I am not working and it is not total crap weather I am out on it. Did 550 miles last weekend and planning for another 500 this weekend! Unfortunately all of the weekdays have been crap.

I really liked that video though. I only work 5 miles from my house and even in the hot summer I still feel its worth it to gear up just for that 7 minute ride. It is just lame when I have the drive the truck. I love my truck but I try to keep it parked as much as possible! I have been obsessing lately about the new 2012 ZX14R and I was literally dreaming about it the other night. The fact that I am dreaming about something I do all day long when I am not working I find funny.

:sport12:
 
PapaGeno21 said:
Dustin = Negative 95% of the time. I guess everyone just ignores it or does not care. You shall get used to it ;)
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I think it's only with the chest beater/male ego types that I come off negative. It's not my intention but I guess a clash of personalities. It's just another fault of mine and shows my immaturity

I'll try to not be such a wanker :(
 
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The Video was decent and does convey the sort of serene, spiritual mindset that most people say they get while riding. There's one thing that bothered me though, one line said: "I ride to "think" bla bla bla". (paraphrased)

When I ride, my escape is that I'm SO focused on my bike and my surroundings, (IE, the car behind me, that guy on his cell eating a big mac, the girl texting while putting on lipstick, that pot hole ahead, the new vibe I'm feeling in my bars, the guy 3 cars up swerving and riding his brakes etc. etc. etc.). "Thinking" about anything other then your bike, your surroundings and the ride, is a recipe for disaster, just MHO. Now, I'm not sayin you should ride scared or worried all the time about all of the what-ifs, that's not safe either. I'm just saying that thinking (or day dreaming) about what happened at work today, the fight with the boy friend, what you're going to do on vacation, thinking about general stuff etc. etc. isn't what should be going through your mind. I enjoy leaving all of the day to day crap behind me, the escape and discipline of keeping my mind focused on the road brings me to that serene level.

BTW: It really doesn't matter to me if its a Rebel 250, Kymco People, FZ1, R1 or a Cruiser. They all have thier attributes.
 
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mgosset1 said:
I just saw the same commercial on this baby motorcycle on the History Channel....just like the video....someone's buying them....
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wow - 'baby' motorcycle.... it's kinda funny to hear language like that. 1969 Isle of Man TT saw 2 250cc and a 125cc class in that race. I wonder if those guys would be called 'babies'?

on DUCATI's and such!

the liter bike is MUCH heavier, MUCH bigger, and MUCH LESS agile for lots of circumstances, and for many people, way too much engine. It is simply a different and sometimes more appropriate tool.

Don't get me wrong - I happen to think bigger is better, in all kinds of vehicles - It's just who I am. But that doesn't mean I would condescend to a smaller more agile machine when it would be advantageous. I had one hell of a fun time on my first street-legal Honda Express scooter when I was a kid relative to what I needed it for (tooling around the neighborhood) - I could outrun it on my me-powered racing bicycle, but it didn't matter.

The sentiment that it's a 'baby' bike being 250cc is just too childish and testosterone-driven for me. Not everyone wants to be a speed demon, or manage a heavy bike, or spend the extra dough on gas.

The guy in the video will not tire of his bike, unless he comes up with other riding demands like cross-country touring or racing or whatever.
 
Phil_RC_1 said:
When I ride, my escape is that I'm SO focused on my bike and my surroundings, (IE, the car behind me, that guy on his cell eating a big mac, the girl texting while putting on lipstick, that pot hole ahead, the new vibe I'm feeling in my bars, the guy 3 cars up swerving and riding his brakes etc. etc. etc.).
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Amen - especially for us ADD folk - the focus it demands is calming, no matter the potential energy inside the motor.
 
The guy in the video don't own the Bike, its a COMMERCIAL !!!...dang man...Why is everyone so dang serious ....You can't say anything without being ridiculed later on this site...I don't know about Houston, but in Dallas you will get your butt run over on one of them smaller cc bikes....This commercial is Honda's way of trying to sell a beginner or starter bike to the public....Pyro sell your liter bike and go get you one for the Loop....and let us know how you like it....
 
And no offense or anything but I would rather have a 300 pound bike pinned to me than a 500 pound bike when someone takes you out of your lane. I would feel much more agile and somewhat safer on a 250. If a car was coming at me I could flick it around and respond easier with it. I know from experience my 250 supermoto was extremely maneuverable.
 
I agree 100% that you have to focus on riding and not daydreaming about other things, but I'll bet there are a fair number of riders here who hook up and listen to an iPod while riding. If you are zoned out listening to Led Zeppelin in your ears you are being distracted just as bad as the chick putting on her makeup or guy in the next lane fiddling with his stereo. When I'm out riding I don't need music, that is why I have two audiophile setups at home.
 
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