Joined the Club

[dustin]

I know the feeling. Dustin tried to teach me how to ride his dirtbike last year around this time. Of course I crashed, in the gravel, no less. I fell on my leg, scraped my knee, and horribly bruised my thigh...the bruise was there for months. It was horrible. I've had no interest ever since.

Maybe next spring if I still have the dirt bike we can try it again.

This time I'll wrap you completely in bubblewrap and make you wear fatboy sweats.

 

[aps45819]

I just over-do the throttle and go too fast.

There's something you don't often hear when talking about a Honda Rebel

 

[dustin]

There's something you don't often hear when talking about a Honda Rebel

I shudder at the thought of squids buying their first bike ever... (which happens to be a GSXR whatever)

 

[aps45819]

I shudder at the thought of squids buying their first bike ever... (which happens to be a GSXR whatever)

A few years ago one of the youg SM Deputies got himself a Ninja 1100 for his first bike and totaled it (and himself) on Hermanville Rd shortly after he got it.

 

[dustin]

A few years ago one of the youg SM Deputies got himself a Ninja 1100 for his first bike and totaled it (and himself) on Hermanville Rd shortly after he got it.

:sad: He probably had a family too...

 

[itsbob]

A few years ago one of the youg SM Deputies got himself a Ninja 1100 for his first bike and totaled it (and himself) on Hermanville Rd shortly after he got it.

Just read within the last week or two that a female trooper just did the same thing.. I'll have to see if I can find the article, though I don't think it mentions the type of bike.. First bike, group ride, failed to negotiate a turn that everyone else had no problem with.. thinking nobody explained the art of counter steering to her.. cost her her life..

Somebody here told me the Hermanville Rd story.. think he scraped a foot peg, scared the bejeezus out of himself, straightened it up and went head on into a truck??

 

[dustin]

Just read within the last week or two that a female trooper just did the same thing.. I'll have to see if I can find the article, though I don't think it mentions the type of bike.. First bike, group ride, failed to negotiate a turn that everyone else had no problem with.. thinking nobody explained the art of counter steering to her.. cost her her life..

Somebody here told me the Hermanville Rd story.. think he scraped a foot peg, scared the bejeezus out of himself, straightened it up and went head on into a truck??

There was also a LaPlata Sherriff's guy that died in a bike crash a few months ago in Waldorf on that backroad that parallels 301 which goes by Walmart and the car dealerships.

 

[aps45819]

Gotta think there's a lot of merit to the Euro method of graduated liscensing. Start of small and work your way up. My first bike was a 305cc Kawi, then a 440cc, couple of 750's and now have the 1100.

 

[Oz]

There was also a LaPlata Sherriff's guy that died in a bike crash a few months ago in Waldorf on that backroad that parallels 301 which goes by Walmart and the car dealerships.

And a SMC deputy who crashed his police bike just outside the aforementioned funeral when a Charles Co Deputy directed a car out in front of him... Had to be airlifted out for injuries. Talk about bad karma...

(Thankfully, his injuries were serious, but not life threatening.)

 

[tirdun]

This is why the UK has a graduated license program You can't walk out of the DMV and hop on a gixxer liter bike. If you're under 21, you can't ride a bike with greater than 1/10 hp/lb ratio or 35 hp. If you're over 21, you have to do 2 years on the learner license.

On the flip side, you can ride a 125cc w/ just a car license. That's essentially scooters and some oddball 50cc sport bikes.

Personally, I'd like to see a graduated license for bikes here. Make the safety courses an option to "skip ahead" to the later license brackets if you want, otherwise you have to do time on a smaller bike before you buy your 1300cc 'Busa and wrap it around a phone pole.

 

[aps45819]

This is why the UK has a graduated license program You can't walk out of the DMV and hop on a gixxer liter bike.

You don't need any license to by a bike here, just the funds.

 

[itsbob]

And a SMC deputy who crashed his police bike just outside the aforementioned funeral when a Charles Co Deputy directed a car out in front of him... Had to be airlifted out for injuries. Talk about bad karma...

(Thankfully, his injuries were serious, but not life threatening.)

Saw a Statey Beemer R1150RT-P up at Bob's that was pretty beat up.. if it wasn't for the engine guards cop's leg would have been screwed.. hit with enough force to break off the shifter and the foot peg.. Had to look at it long and hard to figure out HOW he could do that damage with everything in place.. Still not sure.

 

[dustin]

And a SMC deputy who crashed his police bike just outside the aforementioned funeral when a Charles Co Deputy directed a car out in front of him... Had to be airlifted out for injuries. Talk about bad karma...

(Thankfully, his injuries were serious, but not life threatening.)

that is some bad karma....

 

[dustin]

This is why the UK has a graduated license program You can't walk out of the DMV and hop on a gixxer liter bike. If you're under 21, you can't ride a bike with greater than 1/10 hp/lb ratio or 35 hp. If you're over 21, you have to do 2 years on the learner license.

On the flip side, you can ride a 125cc w/ just a car license. That's essentially scooters and some oddball 50cc sport bikes.

Personally, I'd like to see a graduated license for bikes here. Make the safety courses an option to "skip ahead" to the later license brackets if you want, otherwise you have to do time on a smaller bike before you buy your 1300cc 'Busa and wrap it around a phone pole.

I second the motion!

My first street legal bike was a KLR250, after that was the SV650, now I'm looking to get something else a little more powerful next year...but still cheap.

 

[itsbob]

This is why the UK has a graduated license program You can't walk out of the DMV and hop on a gixxer liter bike. If you're under 21, you can't ride a bike with greater than 1/10 hp/lb ratio or 35 hp. If you're over 21, you have to do 2 years on the learner license.

On the flip side, you can ride a 125cc w/ just a car license. That's essentially scooters and some oddball 50cc sport bikes.

Personally, I'd like to see a graduated license for bikes here. Make the safety courses an option to "skip ahead" to the later license brackets if you want, otherwise you have to do time on a smaller bike before you buy your 1300cc 'Busa and wrap it around a phone pole.

Not meant to ding on Harley's, but this is one reason Harleys are big in Europe.. an 883, as heavy as it is, has less then 50 HP.. so new riders can still ride a "real bike".. Biggest CC bike you can get (I think) that comes in at less then 50 HP.. In Germany 50HP was the breaking point for insurance and licenses.. less then 50 you were still in the Mo-Ped/ Scooter arena.

 

[aps45819]

Not meant to ding on Harley's, but this is one reason Harleys are big in Europe.. an 883, as heavy as it is, has less then 50 HP.. so new riders can still ride a "real bike".. Biggest CC bike you can get (I think) that comes in at less then 50 HP.. In Germany 50HP was the breaking point for insurance and licenses.. less then 50 you were still in the Mo-Ped/ Scooter arena.

As amusing as I find that, I think it's 50cc displacement (same as here) that qualifies it as a moped

 

[dustin]

Not meant to ding on Harley's, but this is one reason Harleys are big in Europe.. an 883, as heavy as it is, has less then 50 HP.. so new riders can still ride a "real bike".. Biggest CC bike you can get (I think) that comes in at less then 50 HP.. In Germany 50HP was the breaking point for insurance and licenses.. less then 50 you were still in the Mo-Ped/ Scooter arena.

Oh I think you did mean to "ding" on them...

And if some of these H-D bikes are below 50HP, then the bikers over there know it too, and I would not doubt the majority of these bikers consider them an expensive azz moped...

 

[itsbob]

As amusing as I find that, I think it's 50cc displacement (same as here) that qualifies it as a moped

Mo-ped is true.. but the scooter is the difference.. HUGE insurance jump over there when you break 50 HP.. You go from Scooter to Motorcycle..

555 pounds at 48 HP meets the 1/10th HP per pound rule someone mentioned above too..

 

[aps45819]

Mo-ped is true.. but the scooter is the difference.. HUGE insurance jump over there when you break 50 HP.. You go from Scooter to Motorcycle..
555 pounds at 48 HP meets the 1/10th HP per pound rule someone mentioned above too..

OK, so it's classified the same as a Honda Silverwing or Suzuki Bergman. That makes more sense.

 

[dustin]

OK, so it's classified the same as a Honda Silverwing or Suzuki Bergman. That makes more sense.

So technically if you could make a 1000cc turbo diesel bike with an extremely low rpm range that makes 49hp, but 300lb of torque. you'd still be in scooter territory?