I told the wife that I would never get a motorcycle...

Bill Jennings said:
I second the wrap idea, easy to to, easy to remove at a later date. That said, I've owned white bikes, I didn't mind the color and they're more visible.

That reminds me, white helmets are pretty visible compared to most colors, and if it's hot and sunny where you ride, they ride cooler as well.
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And in many jurisdictions, white tanks and helmets look like cops. Car drivers are more likely to notice cops and not cut them off.
 
Bill Jennings said:
That reminds me, white helmets are pretty visible compared to most colors, and if it's hot and sunny where you ride, they ride cooler as well
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I had a chrome helmet that liked. I don't know if it was more visible from all angles, but if the angle to the sun was just right you couldn't miss it.
 
Seanaldinho said:
"The parts falling off are of the finest British engineering and manufacture."
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Very close to the words on a bumper sticker being sold by a shop in Silicon Valley that rebuilt old MGs back around 1983. "I'll have you know that the parts falling off this car are of the highest British quality!"
 
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Just not sure about the white...looks so utilitarian. Like an appliance. Did I mention that it is on sale and the last one that I can find in the state.
 
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Morgan3820 said:
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Just not sure about the white...looks so utilitarian. Like an appliance. Did I mention that it is on sale and the last one that I can find in the state.
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Nice bike. BTW - if you'll eventually ride dual with your wife, have her sit on it with you. Make sure the seat will be comfortable for her, too.
 
I would buy it. There are enough ways you can hide the white that it won’t be a big deal to fix.
 
When I ride my example of this, I think I do get mistaken for highway Patrol 1CBC8B30-38CE-4BB3-B49A-22F66CD9E3A0.jpeg
 
That tank is begging for some tank pads. You'll enjoy riding it more with them anyway, especially if you do some cowtrailing or fireroading. When things get bumpy or twisty, you'll squeeze the bike with your legs to make a better connection to it.

That link that @Half Fast posted had some nicee looking pads that are specific to the SV650. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/techspec-snake-skin-tank-pads-suzuki-vstrom-650-2017-2019

Has your wife come to terms with the new arrival?

Edit: VStrom, not SV.
 
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Good luck picking up the Vstrom, @Morgan3820! Handsome bike! Don't worry about the white paint - it's easy to take care of and you can cover it with ADV rider stickers to your heart's content! :p

And darn you all! I'm now mulling another bike, and leaning toward a Ninja 400. Wife caught me looking. This is not going to end well...
 
rtk11 said:
Good luck picking up the Vstrom, @Morgan3820! Handsome bike! Don't worry about the white paint - it's easy to take care of and you can cover it with ADV rider stickers to your heart's content! :p

And darn you all! I'm now mulling another bike, and leaning toward a Ninja 400. Wife caught me looking. This is not going to end well...
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Honey, its only a 400. They are sharp looking bikes and a pretty good value. I think you can get the z400 even a couple hundred cheaper for more upright seating and less plastic while keeping the same drivetrain and suspension.
 
FormerHangie said:
That tank is begging for some tank pads. You'll enjoy riding it more with them anyway, especially if you do some cowtrailing or fireroading. When things get bumpy or twisty, you'll squeeze the bike with your legs to make a better connection to it.

That link that @Half Fast posted had some nicee looking pads that are specific to the SV650. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/techspec-snake-skin-tank-pads-suzuki-vstrom-650-2017-2019

Has your wife come to terms with the new arrival?
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Meh....she knows that I am active on safety.
 
rtk11 said:
Good luck picking up the Vstrom, @Morgan3820! Handsome bike! Don't worry about the white paint - it's easy to take care of and you can cover it with ADV rider stickers to your heart's content! :p

And darn you all! I'm now mulling another bike, and leaning toward a Ninja 400. Wife caught me looking. This is not going to end well...
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Just remember that bikes cost less than wives and you’re allowed to have more than one bike.
 
This thread was a poor influence.

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2012 HD Sportster 883

Got it for a good price, will be changing the oil and battery this week. Tires will be due come springtime, but otherwise already has the screaming eagle intake and V&H pipes (almost obnoxiously loud) installed.

I figure everyone needs to own a harley at one point and so far I have enjoyed riding this thing. Its light, low CG, fairly quick, 50mpg (although the 2 gallon tank is a nightmare), and the aftermarket parts are nice. If it stays in the stable for a year I will likely upgrade the headlight, seat, and rear suspension.
 
I think it was 1986 where Harley had a deal: $3,995 for an 883, and all your money back within a year if used towards a bigger Harley. I bought one.

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Fun bike, but kind of small for me and pretty impractical with that tiny tank. Did not take them up on the upgrade deal.
 
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Half Fast said:
FIFY

:devil:

Congrats on the bike! Hope you'll enjoy it!
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I do agree! Also had a Bonneville on the watchlist, but it was a little overpriced in my opinion for the condition.

The Bonneville and the Street Triple are bikes that I will at some point own - although the new Vulcan is very, very enticing.
 
Seanaldinho said:
I do agree! Also had a Bonneville on the watchlist, but it was a little overpriced in my opinion for the condition.

The Bonneville and the Street Triple are bikes that I will at some point own - although the new Vulcan is very, very enticing.
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I had a Street Triple R, a very nice little bike. I would have kept it, but the stock seat, and every aftermarket seat I tried put waaay to much pressure on the perineum. Too bad, other than the fit it was an awesome bike that looked SHARP!

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Nice looking Harley! My wife's Sportster 1200 she had when we met had straight pipes. Yes, loud, but in a good way.
 
Bill said:
I had a Street Triple R, a very nice little bike. I would have kept it, but the stock seat, and every aftermarket seat I tried put waaay to much pressure on the perineum. Too bad, other than the fit it was an awesome bike that looked SHARP!
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Agree - gorgeous bikes and the triple is just a magnificent sound.

Ted said:
Nice looking Harley! My wife's Sportster 1200 she had when we met had straight pipes. Yes, loud, but in a good way.
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Thanks! Loud but with all the HD sounds you want.

Biggest change for me was mid controls after being so used to more sport oriented bikes with the pegs back or straight down.
 
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Seanaldinho said:
Thanks! Loud but with all the HD sounds you want.

Biggest change for me was mid controls after being so used to more sport oriented bikes with the pegs back or straight down.
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Yeah, the ergos are a thing for sure. Handle controls being different is another thing that people tend to mention. Harleys are heavy bikes, and the Sportster is surprisingly heavy for what it is. My Ultra Classic at 850 lbs is very portly. Still easier to ride than the VTX 1800 I used to have (that was heavy and top heavy). I even find my Ultra to be a bit "too" heavy at times. I won't get rid of it, of course, but it would be nice if it was lighter.
 
Ted said:
Yeah, the ergos are a thing for sure. Handle controls being different is another thing that people tend to mention. Harleys are heavy bikes, and the Sportster is surprisingly heavy for what it is. My Ultra Classic at 850 lbs is very portly. Still easier to ride than the VTX 1800 I used to have (that was heavy and top heavy). I even find my Ultra to be a bit "too" heavy at times. I won't get rid of it, of course, but it would be nice if it was lighter.
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No kidding on the weight - Sportster clocks in at 550+. It is deceptively heavy since the weight is kept low.

The turn signals for each side is something I got used to quickly - a little bit torn on it. Self cancelling signals are nice though...
 
Seanaldinho said:
No kidding on the weight - Sportster clocks in at 550+. It is deceptively heavy since the weight is kept low.

The turn signals for each side is something I got used to quickly - a little bit torn on it. Self cancelling signals are nice though...
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I find that the Harley ergos are really good on the whole. I need a better seat on mine, and have to figure that out eventually. Maybe that'll be a Christmas present to myself.

The Guzzi ergos are also nice, sort of a standard bike - sportier but not quite to race bike levels.

Really, we need a couple of sport bikes in the stable once we have the expanded stables.
 
Half Fast said:
Someday we need to organize a POA ride. There are probably enough of us to form a gang, complete with leathers and a POA patch.
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Speaking of organizing a POA ride, I have booked a rather nice cabin for May 19 through the 24th in Robbinsville North Carolina. It’s large enough to host a get together as I would hope we can organize this. But at the same time in the same town Is the annual Eastern V Strom rally. The rally is HQ’d at the Iron Horse Motorcycle lodge. All bikes are welcome so I would like to start thinking about this as a group.
 
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Morgan3820 said:
Speaking of organizing a POA ride, I have booked a rather nice cabin for May 19 through the 24th in Robbinsville North Carolina. It’s large enough to host a get together as I would hope we can organize this. But at the same time in the same town Is the annual Eastern V Strom rally. The rally is HQ’d at the Iron Horse Motorcycle lodge. All bikes are welcome so I would like to start thinking about this as a group.
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I think this qualifies for a new thread in the “Cool Places to Fly” forum.

I’d be interested. One of my goals with the RV is to trailer the bikes to fun places to ride.
 
I would love meet y’all. Start planning soon. Half fast, are you interested?
 
My wife went from never going on the cycle to wanting to be a ‘biker chick’. You really can’t set the schedule on their desires, sorry. She previously told me she didn’t like the house, now it’s great, with riots & such.

Like the one guy, moved back to Pensacola to keep the wife happy(from MN), got divorced anyway. May as well do what makes sense, that’s my plan anyway.
 
Told my wife I'd get the safest motorcycle ever made. An old British one I'll never be able to make run.

She still said "no" but allows me to do other stupid stuff so keeping her is a good idea.
 
You are too big for that bike - at least a 750, and you won't last too long on that.

The Motorcycle course is a must - you'll probably ride a 250 or so to train.

I sold mine last year. I thought I would use it more to go to the airport, but a couple of snags:
  • I like to debrief while driving home. Can't do that on the bike - you really need to concentrate. Crazy 4 wheelers might run you off the road.
  • I couldn't get out of the airport sometimes. The electronic gate didn't recognize my bike due to size. I had to cross some runways and exit through the maintenance exit. I did finally get the procedure to manually open the gate, however.
  • As I get older, that first ride in the spring was brutal on my hips and ass.
 
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