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[thesoapster]

I usually hear, "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow." I think there is some truth there. I do have to hold back a lot on the R1, but there are still plenty of times when I'm thankful for its grunt/power. It's easier to be aggressive on a smaller bike, that's for sure...especially with the throttle. As you go up in power, throttle control matters more and more (though it matters for all sizes). The Street Triple R is one of the most-praised motorcycles out there. Period. Forget nakeds, standards, cruisers, sportbikes, tourers. It's just an amazing motorcycle. If I were you, I'd pull the trigger.

 

[Fallout-NL]

The Street Triple is also gorgeous to look at and fun to ride, while the FZ6 doesn't have the most inspired design, cheap on/off injection and has a very linear, boring and deceased feel to it.

I wouldn't recommend an FZ6. Apologies to any owners here, I'm simply not a fan.

 

[maxheadwound]

The Street Triple is also gorgeous to look at and fun to ride, while the FZ6 doesn't have the most inspired design, cheap on/off injection and has a very linear, boring and deceased feel to it.

I wouldn't recommend an FZ6. Apologies to any owners here, I'm simply not a fan.

Agree that street triple is a very nice looking bike. Not done a test ride yet.

 

[RapidCancel]

^ I keep drooling over the Street Triple R... I just wish it had about 40-50 less hp! lol

My friend is thinking of going to a 650R or maybe a 636, the latter is a pretty big jump from a 250.

Go for it, HP don't matter when you stylin'. You'll get used to it in no time, just take your time with it. One of my friend picked one up last year, it's pretty awesome.

2013 636, 03/04 or 05/06?

Thank god filtering/lane splitting is legal here, I just squeezed my bike through some of the worst traffic I've ever had in London. Made me so glad to be on 2 wheels!

Wasn't all bad, I had a surprisingly nice number of drivers go out of their way to let me through (and only one person intentionally block me).

Wish I had the luxury here...someone would open their door on me so fast.

 

[monchi-kun]

MSF fail... At least it's free to retake. Didn't drop the bike but just an accumulation of technical errors.

Stupid test anxiety.

 

[RapidCancel]

^ What happened? If it makes you feel better, the younger brother of one of my friends had to retake it twice. They asked him to leave after the first few exercises because he kept trying to stop the bike with his feet.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

I barely passed mine because I was so nervous. Very little sleep and Red Bull didn't help either.

As long as you take in the lessons, you should be fine.

 

[opticalmace]

2013 636, 03/04 or 05/06?

2013 636, not sure she is gonna get it though. She said she's felt like she's been riding her 250 a bit recklessly lately... wonder if she's just bored? This is season #5 on it for her.

MSF fail... At least it's free to retake. Didn't drop the bike but just an accumulation of technical errors.

Stupid test anxiety.

I was nervous when I did my test. It's normal. Don't worry, you'll pass next time.

 

[Duderz]

Yep, I also failed the MSF the first time (course, the pouring rain didn't help either...what a terrible weekend to be on a bike for your first time).

Chin up! You'll be having fun in no time.

 

[thesoapster]

Had to re-take mine as the bike they gave me had horrible brakes (and they didn't really comment on my stopping during practice). Never mind it kept dying on me...it was gone when I returned haha.

 

[monchi-kun]

I can't wait to retake but i'm going ahead with my learners permit at the DMV. Sucks to have to do it again but the course is worth it. Never rode a motorcycle before so being able to do the things I did these past two days was encouraging.

The two sections that tripped me up was the double U turn and the 135 degree cornering. I'm like fucking Zoolander and simply have trouble turning right confidently. I find this strange since I'm right handed... it's this just trusting this whole counter steering thing? I lean more confidently to the left for some reason during slow maneuvers.

I did two days on a cruiser style bike. I'm considering switching it up on my second go at this. Good idea or bad idea?

 

[Dougald]

I failed both tests that I needed to pass for my full motorcycle license the first time... so don't feel too bad!

 

[monchi-kun]

Already shook off the fail blues. I figure that I should pass because I was competent instead of lucky. What i'm trying to figure out now is how to get some practice on a real bike before I have my second go at MSF. I should be able to secure a learners permit next week but bike rental shops require an actual license.

 

[richardhawk]

How do you guys feel about wearing ear buds for long road trips? I'm going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas / SLC and I was thinking of taking some music with me. Not sure if I could hang with 4 hours of engine despite how much I love my bike.

 

[RapidCancel]

2013 636, not sure she is gonna get it though. She said she's felt like she's been riding her 250 a bit recklessly lately... wonder if she's just bored? This is season #5 on it for her.

Time to move on up...250 feels a bit boring after awhile imo. Plus, it's stupid slow on the freeways and feels like I'm being blown around everywhere by the wind.

Already shook off the fail blues. I figure that I should pass because I was competent instead of lucky. What i'm trying to figure out now is how to get some practice on a real bike before I have my second go at MSF. I should be able to secure a learners permit next week but bike rental shops require an actual license.

Any friends with bikes? If you're retaking the class, won't you have time to practice all the exercises again?

How do you guys feel about wearing ear buds for long road trips? I'm going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas / SLC and I was thinking of taking some music with me. Not sure if I could hang with 4 hours of engine despite how much I love my bike.

I usually wear them when going to work and back home. Find something that'll fit comfortably inside your ear with your helmet on. I have the volume loud enough to hear, but not too loud where I can't hear what else is going on around me.

 

[Watevaman]

It's illegal in my state to wear earbuds but I don't think I'd do it anyway. I have nothing against other people doing it as long as they can hear, but I personally wear ear plugs and like those a bit more than canceling noise with noise.

 

[Dougald]

Illegal? That's crazy! I thought most states didn't even require helmets..

I used to use my Autocom for music back when I had the ST1100 - I've used earbuds before but I find actually installing some speakers in the helmet to be the way to go for comfort. The other advantage of the autocom is that I had one of the Police controls wired up to turn it on/off, so I could switch off the music when I came off the motorway etc. I don't think I'd just stick my ipod in my pocked and use that as there's no way to lower the volume when riding.

Have you should consider one of those Bluetooth helmet systems with a control unit? They're not cheap but probably a safer option (plus you can pair a lot of them together if you have a riding buddy you want to chat with on long rideouts). Just pair it with your phone or bluetooth mp3 player and you're good to go. Plus it's cheaper than the silly-money Autocom.

 

[opticalmace]

Time to move on up...250 feels a bit boring after awhile imo. Plus, it's stupid slow on the freeways and feels like I'm being blown around everywhere by the wind.



Any friends with bikes? If you're retaking the class, won't you have time to practice all the exercises again?



I usually wear them when going to work and back home. Find something that'll fit comfortably inside your ear with your helmet on. I have the volume loud enough to hear, but not too loud where I can't hear what else is going on around me.

I actually find my 250 to be not bad on freeways around here. Maybe the speeds are a litle lower here (Canada), but as long as I plan ahead for passing it works out okay lol.

Most of the time I just need to roll on a bit to join the fast lane, not many instances of needing acceleration immediately so far. I always gun it when joining the freeway anyway.

 

[Gritesh]

I actually find my 250 to be not bad on freeways around here. Maybe the speeds are a litle lower here (Canada), but as long as I plan ahead for passing it works out okay lol.

Most of the time I just need to roll on a bit to join the fast lane, not many instances of needing acceleration immediately so far. I always gun it when joining the freeway anyway.

Where are you riding in Canada?

 

[opticalmace]

Where are you riding in Canada?

London, Ontario.

 

[GONZO]

Already shook off the fail blues. I figure that I should pass because I was competent instead of lucky. What i'm trying to figure out now is how to get some practice on a real bike before I have my second go at MSF. I should be able to secure a learners permit next week but bike rental shops require an actual license.

Right hand turns will always give new riders more issues since that,s your throttle hand. Takes a while to get over that. But its totally normal

 

[Dougald]

Right hand turns will always give new riders more issues since that,s your throttle hand. Takes a while to get over that. But its totally normal

Even harder when you drive on the left and have to cross into traffic on a right hander! When I was learning I certainly "didn't" cock up a right-hand turn and end up in the grass on the side of the road. Because that would be stupid....

 

[thesoapster]

How do you guys feel about wearing ear buds for long road trips? I'm going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas / SLC and I was thinking of taking some music with me. Not sure if I could hang with 4 hours of engine despite how much I love my bike.

I wouldn't do it myself because I feel like I'd be distracted (that or I'd allow the music to influence my riding). Two earbuds are illegal in my state (MD), but I believe you can wear one (this allows for people using communication headsets to do so legally I believe). Earplugs are technically illegal, except for "specialty" ones. The ones I wear have a bullet shape to them and are the expanding foam type...maybe that counts? When I was pulled over a while ago the trooper had nothing to say when I removed my ear plugs in front of him. Because so much wind noise is cut out I hear a lot of things better.

Even harder when you drive on the left and have to cross into traffic on a right hander! When I was learning I certainly "didn't" cock up a right-hand turn and end up in the grass on the side of the road. Because that would be stupid....

Haha of course! Everyone turns left better it seems. Downhill turns always scared me (some still do a bit). There was one downhill right turn that is about 90 degrees that I would coast through at maybe 10 mph when I was learning. It's also blind due to some protruding rock off of a bank. Yikes.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

How do you guys feel about wearing ear buds for long road trips? I'm going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas / SLC and I was thinking of taking some music with me. Not sure if I could hang with 4 hours of engine despite how much I love my bike.

Get some in ear monitors. It'll save your hearing. I wear earplugs when I don't have them on.

Illegal to have both earpieces in California so use caution.

 

[Damaged]

If I'm wearing a motocross helmet I usually wear a set of these www.proplugs.com I got them when I was playing allot in bands and the cut off the harmful high frequency and still let you hear. Not expensive but last for years

 

[opticalmace]

I was thinking of maybe getting some custom earplugs... I use the cheap disposable ones right now. They are okay, but kind of a PITA to get set up right.
Hoping custom ones would be more convenient, though I haven't really researched it at all yet. I get worse gas mileage when I use earplugs, can't hear it rev as much :lol.

Edit:
Is it normal for the chain to be quite sticky? I cleaned and lubed it yesterday and I noticed it was really sticky today when I poked it.

 

[Gritesh]

Your using a chain wax correct?

 

[opticalmace]

Your using a chain wax correct?

Yeah, Motul chain lube I think.

 

[thesoapster]

Standard Motul lube is wet lube, not wax. Honestly for most people I recommend wet lube instead of wax. ANYWAY, it's normal for it to get sticky. That's why road dust and shit makes it look bad after a few rides and then it's time to clean/lube all over again. Something I started doing that has been good has been wiping it down. After cleaning the chain, lube it as normal and then let it sit 10 minutes or so...then wipe the chain down a bit with some paper towels. The parts that need the lube will not be affected, and you'll get a lot of the lube that wouldn't help anyway and would fling off off the chain.

 

[maxheadwound]

That cleaning it with a paper towel after letting it sit for a few minutes is the way forward. Before I had the shaft-drive I would pop the bike on the paddock stand and spray it with lube. Let it stand for the length of a cuppa coffee and then wipe it dry with a cloth.

 

[Fallout-NL]

That sounds like a pretty good idea.

 

[Fixed1979]

Alright GAF I'm in. Wrote my knowledge test on Thursday, did my safety course Saturday and Sunday, followed immediately by my driving test. It's been a long and occasional stressful few days. But now I'm licensed and ready to ride...except for the lack of bike. I'm thinking about just waiting until the spring before I buy something as summer will be quickly vanishing (northern Canada). Either way I'm pretty pumped as it's something I've been wanting to do for a few years now. Originally I was going to go right to the Bonny, but then the Thruxton caught my eye, but then I saw and sat on a Street Triple a month or so ago and it really grabbed my attention, either way I'll take my time to decide. The Triumph dealer is about 400km away from me, but none of the local dealerships really have anything that has caught my eye.

 

[opticalmace]

Alright GAF I'm in. Wrote my knowledge test on Thursday, did my safety course Saturday and Sunday, followed immediately by my driving test. It's been a long and occasional stressful few days. But now I'm licensed and ready to ride...except for the lack of bike. I'm thinking about just waiting until the spring before I buy something as summer will be quickly vanishing (northern Canada). Either way I'm pretty pumped as it's something I've been wanting to do for a few years now. Originally I was going to go right to the Bonny, but then the Thruxton caught my eye, but then I saw and sat on a Street Triple a month or so ago and it really grabbed my attention, either way I'll take my time to decide. The Triumph dealer is about 400km away from me, but none of the local dealerships really have anything that has caught my eye.

Congrats! What bike were you doing your training on?

Keep in mind the Street Triple has a lot of power. It's 0-60 mph time is somewhere around 3 seconds. A beginner mistake on a bike like that could be quite dangerous. I would stick with something more forgiving.

 

[thesoapster]

Yep, yep. Between 250 and 500cc, two cylinders...good to go.

 

[monchi-kun]

Alright GAF I'm in. Wrote my knowledge test on Thursday, did my safety course Saturday and Sunday, followed immediately by my driving test. It's been a long and occasional stressful few days. But now I'm licensed and ready to ride...except for the lack of bike.

Congrats! I've got my eye on a Ninja 300 for my stater bike. I figure it will give me a couple of years of fun until I can save up for a Ducati Monster 696 or a Moto Guzzi V7 Racer.

I'm going to relish shopping for my first bike

 

[Fixed1979]

Congrats! What bike were you doing your training on?

Keep in mind the Street Triple has a lot of power. It's 0-60 mph time is somewhere around 3 seconds. A beginner mistake on a bike like that could be quite dangerous. I would stick with something more forgiving.

They were all 250/300...Ninjas, Vstars, CBR's etc, I think I drove 6 different bikes.

And I'm with you on the Street, my brain is telling me to just stop by our Kawi dealership and grab a Ninja 300 or something and drive it until I can't take it anymore. It's probably the smart decision, but it's hard to accept buying a bike I don't care for...I have to buy gear as well, and I don't want to do that twice.

Congrats! I've got my eye on a Ninja 300 for my stater bike. I figure it will give me a couple of years of fun until I can save up for a Ducati Monster 696 or a Moto Guzzi V7 Racer.

I'm going to relish shopping for my first bike

Thanks! I sat on a couple 696 in the showroom, it's been one of my favorite looking bikes for awhile. Totally dig the V7 as well, watched quite a few videos on it when I was checking out the Thruxtons.

 

[Drinky Crow]

They were all 250/300...Ninjas, Vstars, CBR's etc, I think I drove 6 different bikes.

And I'm with you on the Street, my brain is telling me to just stop by our Kawi dealership and grab a Ninja 300 or something and drive it until I can't take it anymore. It's probably the smart decision, but it's hard to accept buying a bike I don't care for...I have to buy gear as well, and I don't want to do that twice.



Thanks! I sat on a couple 696 in the showroom, it's been one of my favorite looking bikes for awhile. Totally dig the V7 as well, watched quite a few videos on it when I was checking out the Thruxtons.

why would you need to buy gear twice? get a cbr500r -- that won't punish your n00b throttle and shift skillz but will give you some good torque to play with. it'll take you years to wring the most out of it, and like the ninja 300, it's a good bike to track.

 

[Fixed1979]

why would you need to buy gear twice? get a cbr500r -- that won't punish your n00b throttle and shift skillz but will give you some good torque to play with. it'll take you years to wring the most out of it, and like the ninja 300, it's a good bike to track.

I figured I would need to rebuy a couple things depending on what my next bike would be, I wouldn't wear the same thing on a "sports" bike that I would on one of Triumphs classics...maybe I'm just being silly though. Unfortunately there's no Honda bike dealers in my town, I'm pretty sure it's Suzuki, Kawi, HD, and Yamaha, only. The used market is also a little stagnant, if I want to buy a $20k used HD I could have my pick of the litter, but you need to be lucky to find cheaper bikes that aren't super sports.

 

[Drinky Crow]

i wear the same thing on my hooligan bike (suzuki sfv 650) as i do on my stuffy commuter/touring ride (honda ctx 700): black alpinestars armored jacket, white shoei qwest helmet, alpinestars black gloves and boots. only time i wear anything different is when i get on my wife's scooter -- i only wear the helmet! ;-)

 

[Drinky Crow]

moto guzzi v7 stone is a decent starter, too, and will always be a classic.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I figured I would need to rebuy a couple things depending on what my next bike would be, I wouldn't wear the same thing on a "sports" bike that I would on one of Triumphs classics...maybe I'm just being silly though. Unfortunately there's no Honda bike dealers in my town, I'm pretty sure it's Suzuki, Kawi, HD, and Yamaha, only. The used market is also a little stagnant, if I want to buy a $20k used HD I could have my pick of the litter, but you need to be lucky to find cheaper bikes that aren't super sports.

Go for good quality gear 1st, worry about fashion later.

 

[TCRS]

i wear the same thing on my hooligan bike (suzuki sfv 650) as i do on my stuffy commuter/touring ride (honda ctx 700): black alpinestars armored jacket, white shoei qwest helmet, alpinestars black gloves and boots. only time i wear anything different is when i get on my wife's scooter -- i only wear the helmet! ;-)

so you actually bought it? loool. pics pls.

and +1 on the guzzi. the stone in white... unf.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Congrats! What bike were you doing your training on?

Keep in mind the Street Triple has a lot of power. It's 0-60 mph time is somewhere around 3 seconds. A beginner mistake on a bike like that could be quite dangerous. I would stick with something more forgiving.

Yep, yep. Between 250 and 500cc, two cylinders...good to go.

Handling literally couldn't be easier though. And the brakes are some of the best I've ever felt.


If you can restrain yourself when it comes to the throttle, you can't be on a safer bike. I'd say it falls in the category 'bikes a newbie can ride'.

Thanks! I sat on a couple 696 in the showroom, it's been one of my favorite looking bikes for awhile. Totally dig the V7 as well, watched quite a few videos on it when I was checking out the Thruxtons.

The 696 would be the perfect alternative. Just as easy to handle as the Triple and less powerful.

 

[Fixed1979]

Handling literally couldn't be easier though. And the brakes are some of the best I've ever felt.

If you can restrain yourself when it comes to the throttle, you can't be on a safer bike. I'd say it falls in the category 'bikes a newbie can ride'.


The 696 would be the perfect alternative. Just as easy to handle as the Triple and less powerful.

I can certainly restrain myself when it comes to the throttle, I know a bike is a different beast but my last car had 200hp and my current is just over 300hp (not extremely fast cars by any stretch, but they can get you into trouble if you're being an asshole or not paying attention), I haven't received a speeding ticket in 4+ years. I've read and watched quite a few reviews on the Triple and my impression that it was right on the cusp of being manageable and being too much bike.

I won't lie though, I'm still not 100% confident in my throttle control. I was fine on the road during the training and test, but earlier in the training, during some of the parking lot exercises I did blip the throttle once or twice while applying the front brake (clutch was pulled in both times). This is definitely the one big thing that's making me think if the bike I want is the bike I should actually get. Any other mistakes I made were minor and it wouldn't really make a difference what size bike I was on.

I know there'll always be arguments over which bike is right for a beginner, I guess in the end it's up the the rider to make the decision that they think is best. Hopefully they're mature enough to properly weigh the risk/reward.

 

[Watevaman]

The deal with beginners and throttle response has never been about being good with the throttle in normal riding, but in emergency situations. Accidentally pin it with a slip of the wrist on a 250 and you get a little speed, pin it on a supersport and land on your back.

 

[Fixed1979]

I talked to our local Kawi dealer, he can have a 2014 300 SE ready to go by the end of next week...thinking about just doing it. Worst case scenario I ride it for less than a year and loose 2k when I re-sell it.

 

[opticalmace]

I talked to our local Kawi dealer, he can have a 2014 300 SE ready to go by the end of next week...thinking about just doing it. Worst case scenario I ride it for less than a year and loose 2k when I re-sell it.

Thought about used bikes?

 

[Dougald]

Why on earth would you buy brand new for your first bike, ESPECIALLY when you don't want to keep it that long?

You'll almost certainly drop it (yes, we had this conversation a few pages back but worth repeating), and you'll lose a load on the resale value. Just get a cheap used bike, ride that for a year or two and then you can think about splurging on the bike you *really* want

 

[Fixed1979]

I have been keeping an eye on the used bikes for quite awhile (off and on for a few years), my town doesn't seem to have a lot of options there unless I'm looking at a Harley, dirtbike, or supersport. Every blue moon something might pop up, (and not trying to sound like an ass here) but in the end I just don't care enough to bother just to try to save a couple thousand bucks for the hassle of pursuing a private sale and buying a used bike that may or may not have issues.

I'm not going into it with the intent on selling it next year, it's just that it's a possibility (a worst case scenario) and loosing 2k on it would suck but it wouldn't be the end of the world, I've certainly wasted more money that that on stupider things. I was talking to a buddy of mine, and we pretty much came to the conclusion that if you end up getting tired of it then sell it and take your hit then move on, otherwise it would be a good bike to hold onto and have some fun on, even when I get something different a bit further down the line.

I do appreciate all the input though guys!

 

[monchi-kun]

The used Ninja 250s in my area come and go so fast. That new Ninja 300 isn't looking so bad and from the many reviews i've read it looks like a bike that folks actually want to hang onto longer. I'd probably buy one as my first bike if dealers were able to keep stock long enough for me to do a test ride ....