Bike or Car?

[2007ShelbyCobra]

Im seriously thinking about getting a bike. My car is fun and I love it, but its growing old and I dont have the money to make it nearly as fast as id like. So ive been looking into getting a sport bike, most likely a smaller Ninja, GSXR, or Yamaha.

The point of this thread is how many have sold their car and bought a bike? Do they lose their fun? Are they reliable, easy/cheap to repair? How long do they last? I dont want to put the car for sale and regret buying a bike after owning one for a year or two. Hoefully some people have experience with making the trade off. I really dont know too much about bikes.

Also I already have a winter car taken car of, I understand I should start with a small bike, I know experience takes time and patience, I know I need all the gear, and I know everyone thinks im going to kill myself.

[AntiRice427]

Get both. You can sell your car and get a nice used sport bike for 4-7k and use the rest of the money on another stang. One does not replace the other for me.

[mustangkuhn90lx]

i have both that is the only way to go don't go with a smaller bike or you will get bored with it quick go 750 or bigger

[sean]

dude. Keep the car and get a CHEEP bike. If/ when you lay it over or drop it you wont be out much. Spend no more than 1500 and get something to learn on. I doubt your going to listen but thats what I did and thats the best way to go. Get a cheep bike and learn on it then sell it for what you paid for it and move up. Bikes are dangerous and if you ride stupid you will hurt your self. The only thing you will need to do to a bike if its been taken care of is change the oil and keep a good chain on it and good tires. They are hard to break and it will last as long as you take care of it. I dont know you but from reading your stupid street racing you and your dad do I think you either need to change your entire way of thinking and give it a few years before you get a bike. According to your posts you are not ready. Besides that how much are you selling that car for?

[347sc]

I went to bike and have not grown tired of it. Even after my wreck and plate in my arm. The bike is is a great stress reliever and is just a great way to get away and enjoy a ride. Of course even if you respect it and dont act stupid it can still put you on your head. So I would suggest you get one that you dont care to drop and learn to ride but even a newer 600cc sport bike will run 10s with the right rider so just because its smaller doesnt mean its safer. And do your self a favor and buy good gear. I can not stress that enough. Mine saved me a lot of pain and and probably a bad head injury. My head hit the ground so hard it broke my Oakleys inside my helmet.

I have changed plugs and the oil on a regular basis but really I just gas it up and go so reliablity will depend on how its been treated but tires and brakes are very important to keep an eye on
The only reason Im considering selling mine is due to medical bills from my wreck but I know I will regret it the minute it sells. Im feeling a lot better since I know I can ride again after my fear that the arm wouldnt heal right but I have been riding at work so alls good and looking to spring. I really dont miss my Mustang. I changed combos so much and just basically got tired of working on it. I guess I just ran my course with them.
Be safe and dont ride like you drive and you should be fine

[lxenvy]

Ive owned all kinds of bikes from cruisers to drag bikes. Mustangs also, And as u can see i have come back. Bikes are fun and are expensive as shit. Put it this way, If u wanted to have a fast bike with a built motr blah blah the money it will cost to make it fast u could put into ur car. Plus the expense of a bike. Pistons 5 or 600, Crank 1k+ for a good one. Bikes are only so fast. Once they hit the point of having every bolt on out it will not get no faster. And it will cost alot to make it fast. Depends on which bike u buy as far as working on them. Yamaha's are junk. Not IMO it is a fact unless u want to drag knees in corners. And are easy to work on as far as maintenance things go. If it was me id keep the car buy a nice bike and keep it at that. Dont plan on goin fast unless u want to shell out just as much doe in it as u would ur car. Lol sorry so long i just went through this. Good luck with whatever u decide!

[2007ShelbyCobra]

ahh, I guess ill add, i will keep my taurus dd, but i cant have a mustang and a bike, even if its a cheap stang :( I wish I could get away with both :D And i dont have any real riding experience, i have also read on forums where they say to get a small bike first, but ive had more than one say start with something as big as a 750 to keep your interest, just respect it

thanks for the early replies

[sean]

You can get anything you want but respect and experience are very different. I wouldnt get a 250 but for a newb a 600 would be good. I wouldnt and didnt start with a sport bike because its hard to get your money back out of a sport bike with busted up plastics. My first bike was a kawasaki 550ltd and it felt like a rocket. I would learn the fundamentals and gain experience in traffic on an older 700 to 1500 dollar maxim, ltd, raiden, katana, gs500, and bikes like that. You can drop an old cruiser or sport cruiser and not really loose much if any money on resale.

[2007ShelbyCobra]

You can get anything you want but respect and experience are very different. I wouldnt get a 250 but for a newb a 600 would be good. I wouldnt and didnt start with a sport bike because its hard to get your money back out of a sport bike with busted up plastics. My first bike was a kawasaki 550ltd and it felt like a rocket. I would learn the fundamentals and gain experience in traffic on an older 700 to 1500 dollar maxim, ltd, raiden, katana, gs500, and bikes like that. You can drop an old cruiser or sport cruiser and not really loose much if any money on resale.

thats what im worried about, dropping it... :( im not going to be "that guy" that thinks he can start out riding w/e he wants, however i have a nack for things and learn easily if i try. Balance and the inicial learning doesnt worry me, but the chance of dropping the bike does. Also as I said, i dont want to go kill my self and take off everyytime i get the chance, i know i will die. Im sure the feeling of a 750 bike would be nuts, considering how hard cars can put you back in the seat, holding onto bars is a different story. Ive also been stressed on how sensative some of the controls are.

[sean]

I am not going to be a post whore on this. If you have any questions or want some help finding a bike or learning how to ride on YOUR bike pm me. I have been riding accident free for @ 20 years. I will help you with anything I can.

[347sc]

I would suggest taking a safety course. I have wrecked and crashed alot of different bikes for different reason and really nothing can prepare you for it. I have been riding basically since I could walk and found that when you comfortable and think you have it all under control that is the moment you get bit.
The controls and basics are easy, learning to corner and taking off just takes seat time. Learning where to put your weight when braking and cornering will come with time also. Lose your ego and use your brain.

[evil8]

Stick with the Mach.

[lxenvy]

Stick with the Mach.

+1 if it was me:D

But i have a nice little 600 Ninja, "96" New tires (shinkos) Not the nicest but a lil paint and some TLC she would be a great starter bike. PM if interested ill let it go cheap and maybe on payments:bigthumb

[Timido]

I bought a sv650 when they were new Great bike for anyone new rider old rider. I sold that sv and picked up a CBR1100 Big bad litter bike it was fast and road nice on the highways but it was nothing like the litle SV on tight roads. I could ride the SV faster better than the heavy fast bike anywhere that wasnt on a wide open straight. I would stick with the smaller 600s You really dont have a need to go triple digits anywhere.

[97dustang]

i was in the same situation as you are, mustangs or bikes this past summer. i ended up finding a way to keep my mustangs and get a bike so i didnt have to sacrifice much. however i would go with the bike. yea mustangs can be fun but imo they are way more expensive than bikes. i bought my 03 r6 and it is pretty fast. i was very impressed with it. imo you dont NEED anything bigger than a 600. i cant imagine a 1000 or busa, that would be way too nuts. if you can ride a bike, and drive a 5 speed, you will have no problem riding a motorcycle. and if you arent stupid you probably wont drop it. just respect the bike and dont be an idiot. i know a guy selling an 08 cbr 600 with 400 miles on it. pm me if you want some more details

[firestang70]

Son after seeing some of your youtube videos I would stay far away from a bike. Keep what you have.

[sean]

Son after seeing some of your youtube videos I would stay far away from a bike. Keep what you have.

better yet sell the poor mustang and get a focus.

[mustang8998]

better yet sell the poor mustang and just drive your Taurus.

Fixed it for you! :bigthumb

[cstreu1026]

Son after seeing some of your youtube videos I would stay far away from a bike. Keep what you have.
That was my thoughts exactly. I'll also add that if you do get a bike make sure you register as a organ donor because I don't think you will make it an entire summer without severely injuring or killing yourself.

[black90lx]

i sold my foxbody for 7k and bought a bike with it. i get alot more use out of the bike and it gets around 50mpg's. i got 06 gsxr1000 and its the best bike i have rode even though it's stretched and lowered. if your going to get a bike get one that your not going to waste your money on and out grow. any bike can kill and there only as fast as let them be. just dont be stupid with your throttle hand and you will be fine

[Johnny O]

I started out on a 2007 gs 500 F. It was my wifes first bike and was rated #1 for newbs. I will say that once you can ride good you will want to jump to a 600 + real fast. You do need to grow eyes in the back of your head if you get a bike. I cant stress on how many idiot drivers out there that dont pay any mind to bikers. Dont start riding on streets with heavy traffic and try and find someone else that will ride with you.

[87stangbbb]

^^^^this video i really wish that kid would of cleared the bridge

[Aweasel]

That's easy, if you're just on the fence about it don't get a bike.
I wanted one like you wouldn't believe since I could drive. I dunno about picking it up quick...I'm not a bad rider but I know I have a lot to learn. I've put in a lot of seat time in a short amount of time. I never touched a bike before doing the MSF course in fall 2007...now I do about 7-8000 miles over about a 5 month period. There were weeks in the summer where I was filling my tank up on the bike every single day

I recommend a 600...I can back it in pretty good on dry and even better on wet pavement...the torque of a 1000 is so much less forgiving and I personally think it would have slowed my development of detecting a lot of the subtle things like gradually getting into slipping the rear wheel or powering out of turns without the front end coming way up at half lean and scaring the shit out of me to the point of taking it back 5 notches on the next ride.

try to learn and understand the physics of what the bike is doing and it'll make you a better rider. Absolutely blows my fuckin mind that people say they turn just by leaning.

if you want a sportbike so you can ride up to quaker steak on wednesday nights I got nothin.... they're uncomfortable for rider and passenger, loud, buzzy, and have pretty much no torque under 7000rpm. If I wasn't into doin the track thing I'd have a VFR or something else equally street friendly
I got one because this shit gives me chills
Isle of man TT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2IrPZBKquQ&feature=related)

best money I ever spent

[INSANEBA]

I WILL NOT go without a bike, I also cant go too long without a stang lol. Use your head while riding, have fun but dont try to race everyone out there. Your just gonna get hurt or hurt someone else doing that shit. If you need a reminder on that from time to time, gimme a call. I'll bring a 14 yr old boy down to give you a lesson on speed lol. Seriously, bikes are the shit. Go buy ANY gsxr 1000 and your on a 10 sec garunteed bike, potential 9 second bike. You wont do that with a stang period. But there are risks and cinsequences that come with being stupid on a bike that arent so harsh in that stang... Pm me if you have any q's, I've been riding since I was 8, and have built a shit ton of bikes. I'm sure I have some advice and pointers for ya. Maybe even a good trade or bike deal for ya too lol...

[Gene]

I WILL NOT go without a bike, I also cant go too long without a stang lol. Use your head while riding, have fun but dont try to race everyone out there. Your just gonna get hurt or hurt someone else doing that shit.

I'm in the same boat. I haven't ridden my bike as much in the last couple of years, but I won't sell it because I know that I'll get the bug again and regret it. There's a reason I have Ducati valves tattoo'd on my back...it's part of me.

If you have common sense, it doesn't matter what kind of bike you have, you'll be fine. If you're an idiot, it doesn't matter what kind of bike you have, you'll hurt yourself. :D

[2007ShelbyCobra]

If you have common sense, it doesn't matter what kind of bike you have, you'll be fine. If you're an idiot, it doesn't matter what kind of bike you have, you'll hurt yourself. :D

Yes, i think this sums it up well

[satan jamez]

I started out on a 2007 gs 500 F. It was my wifes first bike and was rated #1 for newbs. I will say that once you can ride good you will want to jump to a 600 + real fast. You do need to grow eyes in the back of your head if you get a bike. I cant stress on how many idiot drivers out there that dont pay any mind to bikers. Dont start riding on streets with heavy traffic and try and find someone else that will ride with you.

Jonny O, the GIF in your sig is amazing!

Anyway, start with something around 1K. At that price if you decide to upgrade to something nicer in the future, it shouldn't be to tuff to sell a thousand dollar bike.