Final Shoulder Update

I've already posted about getting the Ninja back into road worthy shape, so I'll post about getting myself road worthy again.

I went to my orthopedic surgeon yesterday afternoon for another check-up on my shoulder and heard one of my favorite lines of the year: "Your shoulder is doing better now than if I had given you a new one." So, almost four months after the crash and following just over two months of physical therapy, I have a clean bill of health and nearly 100% range of motion back. I say almost because it still hurts at the extremes of the range of motion, but I can't see any need to flex that far. I also need to keep up the strengthening exercises for a while to make sure my shoulder remains stable.

I've been back on the bike once on a nice Saturday afternoon and hit the parking lot to run through some of the MSF exercises and I'm looking forward to getting back on more regularly as the weather gets nicer. (With the encouragement of both my doc and my physical therapist, who also rides.) The only caveat I was given about riding was being told to carry their cards with me in case it happens again.

Ride safe.

Visibility and Commuting

One thing we have talked about here and gets discussed on several of the forums out there is visibility. One of the common comments from people who have hit a motorcyclist is "I just didn't see them." Fortunately, gear manufacturers have listened and the selection of jackets and helmets in bright colors is massive. In addition to that, the US military has mandated the use of reflective gear for the people in the service who ride. Gear manufacturers have also picked up on this and the recent proliferation of brightly colored vests with swaths of retro-reflective material shows it.

I wear Icon's Mil-Spec vest whenever I ride, especially since I commute at times when the lighting is bad. I know that wearing it has made people more aware of my presence and suspect it may have saved me from having to execute quick stops on many occasions. One way to know that people notice is to see all the stares I get when I ride to the mall. ;)

Why do I bring this up now? Only because I've recently been made aware of another Icon product that addresses some of the issues I've had with my vest. Wearing the vest makes me not want to use a back-pack, if only because it blocks a huge section of the vest from view. So unless I want to have my saddle bags on all the time, I have to use my tank bag for carrying my things while commuting. Not the best way to carry a first aid kit, rain gear, and lunch. SO, to alleviate this issue, they have developed a mil-spec compliant back pack. I can't give it a review yet, but I figure anything that can carry a lap-top computer, first aid kit, tool kit, spare face shield, and still have room for my rain suit and lunch will be worth a look. Now to scrape together the cash to get one. I'll let everyone know what I think whenever I can find one to at least take a look at.

Full disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with Icon Motorsports or any motorcycle gear distributor or retailer.

The New Year's Offerings

With the advent of 2009, I think we should look at this year's offerings from the major manufacturers in motorcycles that I would recommend to someone who made a resolution to learn to ride this year. Well, actually I would tell them to look for something used, but if they insist on a new bike, these are what I would want them to take a look at.

From Yamaha:
If you're looking into the cruiser segment, Yamaha's V Star line has several from which the beginner may choose.

First off is the V Star 250, formerly named the Virago 250, this has been one of the recommended bikes for years running. With a low weight of 324 pounds and only 250cc in the engine it fits the bill quite nicely. It even looks good.

If you don't feel that it fits you, check into the slightly larger V Star 650. It comes in three styles; the Silverado, a fully loaded touring machine, the Classic, a flowing cruiser, or the Custom, a factory bobber.

Unfortunately, if you're looking for a sport bike, I can't tell you to look at the Yamaha line. But any of the dual-sports offered would work well. Especially the distinctive TW200.

Next manufacturer up is Honda:
Big Red has one bike for the beginner's cruiser. The Rebel. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Rebel is one of the most recommended bikes for several reasons, not the least of which are the 234cc engine or the wet weight of 331 pounds.

Disappointingly, Honda has discontinued the next motorcycle I would have recommended, the Nighthawk. However, they have added a few that I would jump at the chance to try out, the CRF230M and the CRF230L. With both of them having sub-300 pound curb weights and massive give in the suspensions, they would be great fun to throw around in city traffic.

With a few more styles comes Suzuki:
The first of the manufacturers to have a sport bike that I would recommend, the GS500F. The heaviest of the bikes I've mentioned so far, it tips the scales a little north of 400 pounds. It also is the bike the Matt has been using for the duration of this blog, so any review of it will be his.

Suzuki also has the requisite dual-sports in the DR-Z400S and SM version. However, I would only recommend these to those very long of leg and able to get their feet down from these towering seats. Or those with more normal sized legs, the DR200SE has a seat four inches lower.

Finally, Suzuki offers several in the standard/cruiser segment. From the GZ250 (a prime competitor to the Rebel) to the Boulevard S40 (single cylinder) or the S50 (for those more into the v-twin market.)

Last of the Big 4, Kawasaki:
Kawasaki is the only one to have two bikes in the sportbike category suitable for the first time rider. The smallest two editions of the Ninja line come in both a 250cc and a 500cc engine. For those of you who have followed our blog have seen my older 250 and know how much I love it need to hear no more about it, for those who haven't heard yet... Well, I like it a lot and you'll just have to read more of our posts to find out why. The Ninja 500 hasn't had the luxury of the update that it's smaller sibling received, but it's still a bullet-proof choice.

From the cruiser side of the street, Kawasaki offers both the Eliminator 125 (another favorite of the MSF classes and great for tooling around town) and the Vulcan 500 (sharing the same engine as the Ninja mentioned above.)

As far as dual-sports go, any one of the Kawasakis in this category are great to start on, even the KLR 650 if you can sit it.

The last of the major manufacturers who have a bike I would recommend for someone to start on has just one; Buell's big single, the 500cc Blast. If you missed my reaction to this wonderful addition to the playing field, go back and read it, Buell has decided not to mess with success on this one.

Ninja 250 Update

I finally got around to fixing up the damage I did to the 250 at the end of September. As you may recall, the left front turn signal punched through the fairing on its way to an untimely demise. I actually have some pictures to post of it and the restoration process.

Here it is after the fix. Hard to see the crack from the outside.

Next is the inside of the fairing where my friend Steve mended the plastic.

Here is what an OEM signal looks like.

This is what the turn signal looked like after the crash.

I put these flush-mount signals on as replacements. The pair of these (direct from Taiwan) cost less than one stock replacement would from Kawasaki.


Finally, I've gotten around to taking a picture of the bike with the repairs.

The Gift Season

Around this time every year I start seeing Internet list of gifts to give for any and all demographics. A quick Google search shows that other people have compiled lists for motorcyclist gifts before me. I'm going to give it my best shot anyway. ;)

One idea would be the Crampbuster. It's kind of like a poor man's cruise control and a great way to relax your hand on the long haul. I haven't used one, but I have talked with riders who will swear by them for touring with and keeping your wrist from cramping up on high-mileage touring.

Another useful thing to have on your motorcycle is a bungee net, like Bikemaster's stretch net. It comes in colors to match your bike, too. I have used this to carry things like an extra helmet or a two-gallon fuel tank.

The next item I have for touring is another Bikemaster product, a mini-foot pump. It's compact and light so it packs well for touring. You never know when your tire might lose air and need to be re-filled. Normally this happens when you are in the middle of nowhere and can't get to a gas station to use their air-pump. Mini pump to the rescue!

In the same vein, a tire repair kit would make a great gift.

For the rider who is often found out in the rain, try finger squeegees. I don't want to think about the times last summer when I got caught by that little bit of rain or, worse yet, the wet roads and the mist that gets kicked up by the traffic around you. Every time that happened I told myself I would order these as soon as I got home. Still hasn't happened. If your biker is like me, these are for you.

The last useful item I will add to the list is a chin skirt for the helmet. Some manufacturers have things like this already built in, but more often you get to add your own. I found this little item to be one of the best ways to help keep my face warmer on the colder commutes. It really cuts down on wind and debris getting into your helmet.

Finally, if none of these sound right, find out what brand of gear they wear. Most makers have a line of non-motorcycling apparel as a way of showing your brand loyalty.

Note: I have no affiliation with any of the sites linked above. This post should not be construed as an endorsement of any specific retailer or manufacturer.

Ninja 250

As Matt said, we will both give a review of our respective sportbikes. Though we ride different machines, they are both good beginner rides. Mine is a 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250, or EX250F19 (the EX designation for the non-race oriented sportbikes and the F19 for it being the 19th year of production.) The little Ninja is probably the most recommended beginner motorcycle in the sport classes. It gets these high praises by virtue of its low weight and low power. At around 350 pounds with roughly 25 horses it seems puny in comparison to its bigger brother the ZX-10, with four times the engine displacement, making 160 horses with a sub-400 pound weight.

The low power is part of the charm of the EX250 however. It has the power to comfortably cruise with highway traffic, and then some. At the same time, you have to learn proper shifting and transmission skill to keep it lively in traffic. It's not just a twist the wrist in any gear and go machine. The low weight is part of why it can get away with the small engine. The weight also is a plus when you accidentally horizontally park your bike.

Also, it has a less twitchy suspension than a full on race bike. While its handling is far more responsive than that of a cruiser like the Harley I had the opurtunity to ride a while back, it is not so responsive as to react to the minute inputs common to a rider still in the process of getting used to controlling a motorcycle. When a super-sport would swerve and turn, the little Ninja just gives a little lurch to remind you to keep your mind on the ride. This is not to say that it isn't a capable handler of the twists and turns or the times when a rider needs a quick response, but takes more awareness of what the rider is doing and, through that, is a wonderful way to learn how to ride and how to ride well.

Next up in the cross-hairs, the suspension and brakes. Both are less than stellar. The suspension is one of the things that long time owners often upgrade for heavier springs and more adjustability. The stock set-up has no adjustability and wonderfully soft front forks, lending the bike to extreme nose dives under heavy decelaration. This is not a totally bad thing though; it helps prevent the rear tire from coming up. However, the rear tire will still get light and lock up quickly without enough practice under extreme braking situations. (See my September 29th post.)

Last but not least, long term ownership: I know many people who consider the 250 to be a beginners bike that will go to the wayside as the rider's skill level progresses. I know more people who are highly experienced rider and looking for that used 250 to snap it up and use it as a commuter (65 miles to the gallon helps that midset) or to throw it around as a cheap track bike. I really enjoy being the owner of such a fine motorcycle and if I get told tomorrow that no one is allowed to buy or sell a motorcycle anymore than I will be pleased to be stuck with this one. In the picture below you can see that it even works well as a touring bike.

Motorcycle types: The Sportbike

In past posts, we've gone over standard motorcycles and cruisers. Now it's time to go over another common type, the sport bike. Sometimes you'll hear these called crotch rockets, but be careful what sort of riders you use that particular term around. Some sport bike riders will tell you that a crotch rocket is something you'd find at an adult bookstore instead of a Kawasaki dealership.

First, I'll need to define what separates a sport bike from a standard. The line isn't always obvious. Compare a Yamaha FZ6 to its close relative, the YZF-R6. The two look pretty similar, especially to a non-rider. So what's the difference?

The definition I'll use is that a sport bike is a performance oriented bike with a full fairing. That is, it has plastic or fiberglass bodywork to streamline it, and this bodywork extends from above the handlebars to below the engine. Standards like the FZ6 may have a bit of a fairing around the handlebars, but it doesn't cover the whole bike.

Now, you can divide sport bikes into two groups - race replica bikes and more street oriented ones that I'll call sport standards. A race replica bike is the roadgoing version of a bike built for track use, designed for setting the fastest lap times around a race track. The designer will sacrifice almost anything else - comfort, practicality, beginner friendliness - for a second off the lap times. Sport standards are more like a standard bike, just with extra streamlining.

Race replicas are not the easiest thing to learn on. They're usually the sort of bike that, to use a phrase I've heard often enough and long ago enough to forget who said it, will immediately do exactly what you accidentally tell it to. As a 600 cc race replica bike will often have more than 100 hp, you can accidentally tell it to do a lot. There are people who have learned to ride on these bikes, and there are also countless examples of race replica bikes sitting in used bike dealerships with less than 1,000 miles on the clock because the owner realized they had bought too much bike for them. These are the sort of bikes wise riders work their way up to by first learning on other bike.

Race replica bikes have a very leaned forward position. This makes it easy to tuck behind the windshield. Some riders put a bag on the tank and put something soft in it that they can lay flat on top of to make their race replica bikes more comfortabe. That would probably work well if you kept your rain gear in the tank bag. I would probably get in trouble if I tried that; I have a tank bag myself and find it just too handy a thing for hauling around a stash of banannas.

Sport standards are a good choice for that learning bike. They have their controls placed right where they'd naturally feel like they belong, they are meant to be ridden on the street, and the 500 cc and under class can make excellent first bikes. Like standards, a sport standard can do a surprising number of things well. They are at their best on twisty roads, but you can also take a sport standard on long trips, commute on one, or even ride one on gravel and graded dirt roads. The biggest disadvantage that a smaller sport bike will have over a similar standard or cruiser is that if you drop it, there's more bodywork to fix.

We've mentioned a couple of times that there are two typical red flags to warn a first time rider a bike is the wrong choice - a bike that is too powerful or too heavy. There's a couple different rules of thumb about too heavy for a first bike - some say 500 lbs, some say three times your body weight, or another rule of thumb is just don't pick one that will give you any trouble if it falls over. No matter which of these rules you pick, few sport bikes are too heavy. But they can easily be too powerful. Don't go over 50 hp if you're a beginning rider, at least not by more than a couple ponies. Learning to ride is a lot harder if you are also learning to control a machine that's twice as fast as anything you have ever driven.

Both Philip and I have sport bikes, so we will be posting reviews of them soon. And later, we're going to get into a couple other categories of bikes. Yes, there is more in the motorcycle world than cruisers and sport bikes.