Motorcycles

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Anyone here have any experience owning / driving a motorcycle in Boston?

Uh oh...

 

[BiellaBound]



RC390 will be tons of fun. SV is a fantastic all-around bike, but you seem to be looking for more of a certain je ne sais quoi....


I just came across these, btw. Grenson x Edwin moto boots. http://shop.edwin-europe.com/collections/collaborations/products/edwin-blitz-boot-by-grenson-brown

Pretty slick eh?

C'mon @TRINI .. Take a peek

Great Boot, hopefully I will get my Triumph Scrambler this summer and order a pair.

.....need this in my life


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BostonHedonist]

Anyone here have any experience owning / driving a motorcycle in Boston?

Yeah, I live in Boston and ride most of the year (excluding salty road season). Mostly, I ride North or West until I'm no longer in Boston, or else I'm just in town on an errand or showing off a new wax job at the Starbucks on lower Newbury St. for a few minutes before heading somewhere I can actually get a decent ride in.

From a practicality standpoint, I love my little Street Triple during rush hour. At first I would never ride during rush hour. Now it's a matter of necessity if I want to get anywhere on time because it's so easy to dart around the traffic.

Watch out for potholes in the early spring. I can't stress that enough.

Were you wondering about anything in particular?

 

[GreenFrog]



Yeah, I live in Boston and ride most of the year (excluding salty road season). Mostly, I ride North or West until I'm no longer in Boston, or else I'm just in town on an errand or showing off a new wax job at the Starbucks on lower Newbury St. for a few minutes before heading somewhere I can actually get a decent ride in.

From a practicality standpoint, I love my little Street Triple during rush hour. At first I would never ride during rush hour. Now it's a matter of necessity if I want to get anywhere on time because it's so easy to dart around the traffic.

Watch out for potholes in the early spring. I can't stress that enough.

Were you wondering about anything in particular?

Thanks for the info. I'm most curious about parking in the city (Cambridge / Boston, mostly) and about riding around in traffic. It sounds like lane splitting is legal here? Do you ride when it's cold out before it starts snowing?

It hasn't snowed here yet, but I'm anticipating it will in the next 2-3 months. Wondering if it's even worth it to get a bike now or if I should wait till March / April.

 

[BostonHedonist]

Thanks for the info. I'm most curious about parking in the city (Cambridge / Boston, mostly) and about riding around in traffic. It sounds like lane splitting is legal here? Do you ride when it's cold out before it starts snowing?

It hasn't snowed here yet, but I'm anticipating it will in the next 2-3 months. Wondering if it's even worth it to get a bike now or if I should wait till March / April.

Parking is a snap. Years ago somebody won a court case exempting motorcycles from requiring permits to park in a permit only area. If you park in a metered zone, you've gotta pay up. There are some motorcycle meters now that are a quarter an hour. I like to park around bike racks meant for bicycles like so:



I imagine catching a parking enforcer considering ticketing me and saying, "What. It's bike parking."

Not really into riding when it's bitter cold. Upper 40s is pretty much my limit. Realistically, mid 50s is where my willpower starts dropping. My bike goes into winter storage in November and comes out around late March.

It's snowing right now.

Lane splitting is illegal. But it doesn't matter if there's traffic and your bike's fast. Cops around here are rarely anywhere to be found when there's heavy traffic anyway. If you lane split just for fun or when it's not necessary, you're asking for it.

I like to buy vehicles in January, when nobody is buying vehicles. You get great deals that way. And you can bargain even more heavily for new unsold stock from previous model year.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Hey Froggy

If you are going to get a bike for city riding might as well get a pretty one with minimal body work

 

[otc]

Some of those don't look like they have room for an HBS student on the back

 

[akatsuki]

I'd go with the Hypermotard, that thing is just made for commuting in cities - narrow, good suspension travel, etc.

 

[GreenFrog]



Parking is a snap. Years ago somebody won a court case exempting motorcycles from requiring permits to park in a permit only area. If you park in a metered zone, you've gotta pay up. There are some motorcycle meters now that are a quarter an hour. I like to park around bike racks meant for bicycles like so: I imagine catching a parking enforcer considering ticketing me and saying, "What. It's bike parking." Not really into riding when it's bitter cold. Upper 40s is pretty much my limit. Realistically, mid 50s is where my willpower starts dropping. My bike goes into winter storage in November and comes out around late March. It's snowing right now. Lane splitting is illegal. But it doesn't matter if there's traffic and your bike's fast. Cops around here are rarely anywhere to be found when there's heavy traffic anyway. If you lane split just for fun or when it's not necessary, you're asking for it. I like to buy vehicles in January, when nobody is buying vehicles. You get great deals that way. And you can bargain even more heavily for new unsold stock from previous model year.

Thanks, that alleviates a lot of my concerns. You sure you can park your motorcycle on the bike racks? I've never seen that before here and can see that drawing a lot of ire from other bicyclers. Have you had any issues with theft / vandalism? What do you do with your helmet after you've parked? And finally, where would you suggest I look for a used, small-engined bike for a beginner around here? Probably craigslist? Oh, and how about accidents / injuries? I think I'd be scared to take a motorcycle on the highway TBH. I'd probably stick to city driving to be "safe," but who knows.. i don't even know how to ride yet! Thanks again for your help!

 

[GreenFrog]



Hey Froggy

If you are going to get a bike for city riding might as well get a pretty one with minimal body work

Those all look like they'd be really fast and really expensive , not to mention, prime theft targets.. I think I'd be constantly worried about someone stealing a nice bike. Part of the reason why I'd want to get a shittier, cheaper bike first, aside from the practicality / I'm-a-noob aspect.

Thanks for the suggestions -- the beamer looks sharp! Though, I have a soft spot for cafe racers, aesthetics-wise.

 

[TRINI]

If I had to get a second bike strictly for city riding, I'd consider a cheap dual-sport like the Yamaha TW250.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Those all look like they'd be really fast and really expensive

, not to mention, prime theft targets.. I think I'd be constantly worried about someone stealing a nice bike. Part of the reason why I'd want to get a shittier, cheaper bike first, aside from the practicality / I'm-a-noob aspect.

Thanks for the suggestions -- the beamer looks sharp! Though, I have a soft spot for cafe racers, aesthetics-wise.

I forgot you are new to bikes

 

[brokencycle]



Thanks, that alleviates a lot of my concerns. You sure you can park your motorcycle on the bike racks? I've never seen that before here and can see that drawing a lot of ire from other bicyclers.

Have you had any issues with theft / vandalism? What do you do with your helmet after you've parked? And finally, where would you suggest I look for a used, small-engined bike for a beginner around here? Probably craigslist?

Oh, and how about accidents / injuries? I think I'd be scared to take a motorcycle on the highway TBH. I'd probably stick to city driving to be "safe," but who knows.. i don't even know how to ride yet!

Thanks again for your help!

I can't speak for Boston, but there is nowhere where I feel more unsafe riding my motorcycle than in/around the city.

 

[Cool The Kid]

I rode bicycles and motorcycles in NYC. I kind of feel safer there. Traffic all going one way and speeds are slower. Im down in NC now and the two lanes worry me. I'm scared of someone turning out in front of me. That's way worse than anything barring someone running a red light in the city.

Plus city riding teaches you how to be aware, scan traffic and balance at low speeds. I think it's a good training ground.

As for bike recommendations I second something like a Hypermotard. The engines on those fit other Ducatis though so they are theft magnets. Best bet is a bike with high up bars, minimal bodywork and zero parts transfer. Cant do better in that regard than a Kawi Versys IMO.

 

[TRINI]

Any of you guys have experience with city bicycles?

I'm swapping out the scooter next spring for a bicycle for my everyday commute (<5 km) and I'm starting to shop around.