Motorcycles
Since I was about 17, I wanted a motorcycle. The thing is, I had enough sense to realize that I'd probably kill myself If I had one. Now that I'm a little more mature, I think I could live with myself even if I didn't get a liter-bike. Does anyone have a motorcycle? They say japanese bikes are the most reliable, but I like the way Italian bikes look and sound. Plus I'm not a poor kid anymore. 
Right now, I'm kind of teetering over whether to actually take the plunge or not.
Right now, I'm kind of teetering over whether to actually take the plunge or not.
Comments
If you have the itch, take the plunge. I would not get a bike to replace the use of a car though. Weekend rides are great especially with the scenery you have access to in NoCal.
I am thinking primarily for usage in weekend travel, but potentially also for the commute (occasionally). At the moment, I live close to where I work, and am even considering a bicycle to use for that.
I think you're in a good situation if you live close to work. I would NOT recommend a street bike for commuting long distances daily but that's just me. Probably just my fear of street bikes in heavy traffic areas.
Does anyone have a motorcycle?
Yes I have a motorcycle. I have always had one since I was able to drive.
My list goes as follows:
Honda Nighthawk 450cc
Suzuki Intruder 800cc
Honda CBR 900RR
Kawasaki ZZR 1100cc
Kawasaki ZZR 1200cc
Suzuki GSX-R 1000cc
Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide 1450cc
Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra 1450cc - Currently own
Now that I am a little bit older (30) I enjoy touring bikes the best. I have owned liter bikes and while they are fun, I much prefer my tourer. I have 3 large storage bags, surround sound, AM/FM, CD player, CB, Intercom to talk w/ my wife, and she has lots of room to relax.
In my opinion its the only way to ride if your going to do a lot of touring or cruising.
As far as Jap/American/Italian...everyone has an opinion. I prefer my harley over any bike I have ever owned and can't see owning any other from here on out.....except maybe (big maybe) a BMW.
P.S. I rode with some guys that owned the Italian brands.....not know for being reliable.
Since you are in cali-
Take an MSF course. Sometimes there's a waiting list- so get on it ASAP.
Buy a good helmet that fits snugly around your head, and is comfortable. Make sure it has a DOT cert on it- and/or SNELL. I prefer the SHOEI brand cuz it fits my head well...
Buy some motorcycle gloves. Don't skimp- get leather gear.. or kangaroo leather. It's good to have a suede palm so you can use it to wipe the fog off your helmet visor. Especially if you hit the SF bay area.
And make sure you have ankle high boots- but splurging on riding/racing boots is not necessary yet.
Then take the class- it will be a day classroom (if I remember right) and two days riding.
They will teach you the basics.
Then you'll be able to decide if you like it, get your M1 from the DMV- btw, you'll only have to take the written motorcycle test as the MSF will give you a voucher to waive the riding test upon a pass grade.
I just traded in my 04 Yammy R6 for an 07 Honda CBR600RR.
A 600 is very very fast, and takes some skill to make sure you don't kill yourself. We are talking 0-60 in seconds- and even faster once you get into the upper range of the RPM scale. You mentioned hitting 15k... I ride like a freak sometimes- and it is very hard to hit 15k on a bike without going way over a hundred mph. And monsters don't hit 15k- they are much lower in their redline. like most liter bike have a 12k redline and have more torque. Mostly jap 600bikes hit the 15-17k range as a redline with less torque, but your power will kick in much lower. like the honda I have rips away around 5 1/2k onwards- seriously- very very fast. And the HP peaks out at 13.5. There is no way you should try to hit that before you are ready. If you fuck up at that RPM range- expect to lose body parts when you crash.
It's all about seat time- you really just have to keep riding to get better at it. However, be prepared to crash. Get the best gear you can get, full insurance (very exp!), full medical, etc etc.
I've been riding for about five years- and started on an 01 R6.... prolly not the best choice, but i made it. I am telling you- on a race bike it is very easy to write a check you can't cash- especially with beginner's skills.
And you live in a state with some of the best tacks to learn on- Laguna Seca, Thunder hill, etc.
Most people say start on a ninja 250. I am not sure about that- but there seems to be some wisdom to it. It;s not too powerful, has sort of a racing feel and they are cheap- both initially, and to fix.
You drop a race bike from a standstill and you are looking at prolly $2k to make it new again. Drop it at speed and it goes way up.
Japanese bikes are very reliable, can take a beating, and you can be lax about the maintenance.
From what I hear- not so much with Italian bikes, and they are more expensive to fix/upkeep.
There is a shit ton of tips I can give you, but it won't make sense until you are riding and can see what I mean. So once you get there- resurrect the post!
Just know that most people have a significant crash after their 6 month mark because that's when you get comfortable. Just learn at your own pace and enjoy YOUR ride. Don't let other riders on the street get you going outside your comfort zone trying to keep up. You'll get there soon enough.
Let me know if you have any questions about protective gear.
The safety / training course is a given.
And the other matter: how much is it to insure a bike? I've heard both "lots" and "very little."
For every point on your license- expect a pretty big increase.
Any race ready models have a huge premium.
The best thing to do is call your insurance company with a list of the makes/models you are interested in , and have them quote it for you so you know what to expect.
Crazy sport bikes are fun- the agility is outstanding
But- the problem I found when starting out- is you really don't get many opportunities to test ride a bike to figure out what you like. You might be able to find a bike rental place- but that might be hard to accomplish with no experience.
If you can decide on a genre- like racing, touring, enduro, etc- then find a used shit bike to ride around, and if you don't like it- you gained some riding wisdom and it's relatively painless to move on to the next used bike. they are all over craiglist. just be careful- lot sof stolen bikes/crashed ones to weed out.
I am excited for you- it's a very fun learning experience. Nothing beats a ride to clear your head. Just wait until you discover counter-steering
I've heard the "start with a ninja 250" spiel before, but I'm not looking to ever ride a crazy sport bike. I'm NOT interested in shifting at 15,000 rpm. I value my life, which is why I kind of like the Monster: it has some modicum of limit. I haven't really found any Japanese or American bikes that fit my style, although Buell makes some bike that I like. Thing is, the Italian market id good in the bay area, new and used, because they're a lot of people with a lot of money, and there are great roads.
The safety / training course is a given.
And the other matter: how much is it to insure a bike? I've heard both "lots" and "very little."