Im new...

[Just a New rider]

Okay so I'm 16 and am going to start learning how to ride a street bike. My friend has a 200cc for me to learn on and i will use that for about 2 years due to i have yo move out before i can buy one(parents). and i was wondering if the Triumph 675R is a good bike to own? Now i know you are all thinking to advanced bike, well yes i agree but i dont want to buy a used one and I want to keep it for a long time. and another thing you are thinking hes young dumb and irresponsible well ill have you know Im 5th in my class a decorated eagle scout dont drink smoke or do drugs so i think im entitled to some trustworthiness here. So what im asking is for opinions on the bike i guess! Thanks

[Dodsfall]

The 675R is a great motorcycle.

Check into taking the MSF course as soon as you can. You might be able to find a spot this year, or get into a class as a stand-by.

[Just a New rider]

Well like I said my parents wont let me get one and HIGHLY disapprove of me ever getting one soo i can keep this on the down low lol

[jrw69]

Hope your making good money at 18yrs old because insurance for that bike at 18 is going to kill you if the bike doesn't.

[Just a New rider]

i work as a grafic designer at a computer place making 300+ a week and the insurance in iowa isnt bad i have a 2006 mustang GT and its only 125 a month for full coverage. but where can i take the course to get my licence

[ithelper]

In Idaho they have the STAR program, and I think if you are under 21 you have to pass the training before you can get your endorsement. http://idahostar.org/

From the Idaho DMV site: http://www.dmv.org/id-idaho/motorcycle-license.php

The basic course is aimed primarily at young, first-time riders and at those who have little to no experience on a motorcycle, as the highest number of motorcycle crashes involve riders under the age of 24 and older than 40.

Because of that if you are younger than 21, the state requires you to complete and pass a motorcycle rider trainer course (Note: If you are younger than 17, you must have completed an approved driver-training course prior to enrolling for one on motorcycles). Still, it's a good idea, though not a requirement for those older than 21, to sign up for one regardless of your age.

Besides the obvious, there are additional benefits to completing an approved training course successfully. For starters, it could get you out of the riding skills portion of the exam if you "graduate" within one year of applying for a motorcycle license. Secondly, it could get you a lower insurance rate.

Good luck, and be safe!

[Dodsfall]

Originally Posted by Just a New rider

i work as a grafic designer at a computer place making 300+ a week and the insurance in iowa isnt bad i have a 2006 mustang GT and its only 125 a month for full coverage. but where can i take the course to get my licence

Check for one close to you:

http://nm.msf-usa.org/msf/ridercourses.aspx?state=IA

[ithelper]

LOL

My reading comprehension stinks today.

Iowa, Idaho - same place, right?

I guess it was because I was in Idaho last weekend.

[ronnie_10]

Originally Posted by jrw69

Hope your making good money at 18yrs old because insurance for that bike at 18 is going to kill you if the bike doesn't.

Truer words haven't been spoken..

[bajakirch]

Im 5th in my class a decorated eagle scout dont drink smoke or do drugs so i think im entitled to some trustworthiness here

Well I'm a Scoutmaster here so I think I'm entitled to some respect for my opinion, m'kay?

You're 16. You're an inexperienced driver. You need to chill. Get some wheel time and learn the ins and outs of driving safely for a while before you 'graduate' to 2 wheels. And, if you're as responsible as you claim, you know that doing this behind your parents back isn't the right way to go about it, is it?

If you got the fever bad, get yourself a 125cc dirt bike and do some trail riding for a while. Then take and pass the MSF BRC course. Since you're earning such big coin, you can afford it; it's probably less than the first month's payment on that 675R. And buy yourself a full set of riding gear.

Then, once you've got a couple of years of safe automobile driving under your belt AND you've shown that you can be responsible about it, see if you M&D will go for it. If not...well, you'll be 18 by that point so you can do what you want anyways.

As for the 675R -- horrible choice for a beginning rider. If you gotta have a sport bike, get yourself a Kawasaki Ninja 250 and ride that for a couple of years. If you treat it right, you'll be able to sell it for about what you bought it for and be able to move up with some experience under your belt.

Finally, remember what they say: There are a lot of old riders, and there are a lot of bold riders, but there aren't many old, bold riders.

[goalie]

Originally Posted by bajakirch

Finally, remember what they say: There are a lot of old riders, and there are a lot of bold riders, but there aren't many old, bold riders.

I like that quote, baja! Mind if I steal it?

[Just a New rider]

okay I dont want to hide it from my parents but they are old and set in their ways(when i say old i mean the are 62 and 55) i like having fun and im going to pharmacy school in St. Louis and cant have a car so yeah and im learning on a old 250cc bike that is used from training people Ill have a good 2 years of practice before i can get a bike and iv never got into an accident and i live in a small town so its highly likely i wont ever get in one. I dont want to hide it from my parents but i have no choice if i want to ride

[bajakirch]

I like that quote, baja! Mind if I steal it?

Go ahead; I'm sure I stole it from someone else. I'm not nearly that creative or witty to make it up on my own.

Originally Posted by Just a New rider

okay I dont want to hide it from my parents but they are old and set in their ways(when i say old i mean the are 62 and 55) i like having fun and im going to pharmacy school in St. Louis and cant have a car so yeah and im learning on a old 250cc bike that is used from training people Ill have a good 2 years of practice before i can get a bike and iv never got into an accident and i live in a small town so its highly likely i wont ever get in one. I dont want to hide it from my parents but i have no choice if i want to ride

Careful who you're calling old, you young whippersnapper . Another saying I like: Aging is inevitable; maturity is not.

You're going to do what you're going to do. Just remember why you came here and posted your question -- for advice. I, and others, are giving you the best advice we can based on not only life experience, but years of riding motorcycles. Many of us have made dumb mistakes that we don't want to see others repeat. If you want a group of people to tell you that everything's cool, do what you want, they can't tell you what to do...go to your high school buddies; that's what they're for.

As for your comment about living and riding in a small town -- your mistaken assumption about the safety of small town living/riding reinforces my belief that you're not ready for a motorcycle. Let me tell you from my experience serving as an EMT in a small town (1200 people) -- I scraped plenty of people and body parts up off the ground despite our town's size. Your safety on a motorcycle has NOTHING to do with the size of the community you ride in, or how close to home you are. It has EVERYTHING to do with how you safely operate your bike. And that's the kind of thing you would learn in the MSF BRC.

[Just a New rider]

haha thank you thats what i wanted to hear i just didnt want someone to tell me know its bad dangerous your crazy i wanted to hear actual real life experiences. So I will take the test when im 18 and continue saving my money.


Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

Thats us right lol

[ralphlong]

Originally Posted by Just a New rider

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
:

Its been almost 40 years since I have been a Scout and those words are still words I remember, try to live by, and bring goosebumps when I hear them recited.

Whoever came up the scouts law was inspired.

[bajakirch]

Originally Posted by Just a New rider

haha thank you thats what i wanted to hear i just didnt want someone to tell me know its bad dangerous your crazy i wanted to hear actual real life experiences. So I will take the test when im 18 and continue saving my money.


Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

Thats us right lol

What? A teen-ager that actually listens to and heeds the advice of an older, experienced person? My whole world view just shifted.

I've had very similar conversations with other young guys that want to get a MC just as soon as they get their license. I always urge caution, and give pretty much the same advice I gave you. Trust me, there will still be motorcycles around when you're ready.

One of my scouts was bound and determined to get himself a Hayabusa; he even had some Craig's List ads he asked me to take a look at to get my opinion on them. His dad pulled me aside and asked me to pound some sense into him. I did tell him in no uncertain terms that the 'busa was about the worst choice he could make for a starter bike. No sense telling someone that age it could kill him, cuz you're all invincible, right? Rather, I hold him how heavy the bike was and how likely it was that he'd drop and damage it in the first month of ownership. Then I counseled him on some good choices for off-road bikes. Dad wasn't totally happy with me, but if a kid's dead-set on getting a MC, I'd rather he/she go down at 15 mph in soft dirt rather than at 70 mph on hard asphalt.

[Just a New rider]

Yeah I can understand that lol

[AikinutNY]

You will crash or dump your bike! The saving factor will be if you do it on your starter bike or once on the big bike. There is a learning curve, you make mistakes, we all have, though some of us will never admit to them. The MSF course taught me how to handle my 1100 at slow speeds in tight spaces that I had never learned in forty years of riding.

look at "Ride Like A Pro" on Youtube.com or Capt Crash is another good video mentor.

Just this past month or two I dropped my bike! Note: Never put tire black on your foot boards to make the rubber look better, your soles will be slippery and when you stop you won't stay up right.

You will be moving to St Louis for school and the driving will be a lot different from where you are now. St Louis get snow, I think you know about that white stuff in Iowa, so what are you going to use for transportation then? Dating in the late fall and winter is rather hard when you only have a motorcycle and it is cold, believe me I did it or didn't get to do it?

Enjoy a 250 Ninja or any bike till you get in to college and then you won't have a lot of time to enjoy it or place to keep or the weather to ride it.

[Just a New rider]

My friend has a 250 ninja that i will be learning on for 2 years and i have several
other cars 1972 super beetle 1970 Charger AAAND my mustang(my dad and me rebuild cars on the weekends[not rich by any means]) so others cars wont be a problem and i cant have car my first year at collage anyway so yeah cabs are always nice i guess

[Ramsfan87]

Ok, I'm going to pipe in since I actually own a Triumph Street Triple, same engine as the R version (i am assuming you aren't looking at the daytona...)

This was my second bike. I learned on a used VStar 650. After owning the triumph for 3 months now, I will say that a very disciplined beginner could in fact learn on a street triple. The torque curve is very flat, power is predictable, and somebody with discipline and lots of practice could easily learn on one. Am I going to recommend it? NO!! And here is why.

At 16, you are not experienced on the road. There are lots of things to learn about driving in our country, and its tough to learn all of that while learning to ride a motorcycle at the same time. Compound that with the constant worrying that you might mess up your brand new ride (I know I would be!!!)

I would definitely second many of the other recs from veteran riders. Wait a few more years to get some real road experience, then get a smaller bike to learn on, preferably used. Next you can get that bike you really want. My personal experience: I had my first car accident (totaled a toyota matrix) at 17, less than 1 year driving experience. The accident was caused by the fact that I froze up when a car in front of me with their lights off was stopped in the middle of the road at night. Had the same situation occurred today, I know I would have avoided the incident.

First bike: I dropped it during parking lot practice, and I also dropped it once on the road due to braking too hard on old tires. I didn't feel that bad about it, because I had not invested much money in my vstar. Once I had 2.5 years riding experience, then I upgraded to the bike I truly wanted, and I'm so happy I did that.

So wanted to say that a very careful beginner could do okay on a street triple. The character of the engine makes it less dangerous than most sport bikes for a newbie. But you may regret that decision and in your specific case, I'd highly recommend you get more road experience before taking the plunge into a more dangerous mode of transportation. While it's so much fun and so rewarding, the fact is that it is dangerous, and you want to give yourself the best chance to enjoy that experience for a long, long time.

[Kiwi Steve]

Originally Posted by bajakirch
Finally, remember what they say: There are a lot of old riders, and there are a lot of bold riders, but there aren't many old, bold riders.

Originally Posted by goalie

I like that quote, baja! Mind if I steal it?

Actually it's a quote from the RAF in the Second World War.

There's old pilots, there's bold pilots, but there aren't any old bold pilots.

Applies just as well to bike riders though.

[distantThunder]

parents have this really crazy desire - of valuing your life.
that's usually why they do stuff ... like saying NO!!!

when you are 18 you can have your own bike.
in the mean time, there is nothing to stop you from taking some classes in motorcycle maintenance. it's by far the best investment of your time that you could ever make. it will pay off when you get your own bike. be patient ... things will work out.

dT