March 7th, 2012, 11:59 AM | #1 |
Perpetual Newb
Name: Jason
Location: Imperial, MO
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782
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Last minute tips for riding a cruiser?
Ok, so my dad apparently was trying to ride wheelies on his Honda Shadow up the highway to impress a van of baby boomers or something and wrecked his bike this morning and messed up his ankle. That's all the details I have for now but bottom line he's okay other than his ankle. I'm very glad I pressed my mom to get him armored overpants for Christmas, and of course the weakest link in his gear... his boots. Just some "motorcycle" boots that really just looked like work boots to me.
Anyway, the bike should be ride-able from what I was told so they're asking me to drive it home at some point from where ever it's been towed. It's an '05 Honda Aero Shadow 750. Thing's a beast compared to my Ninja (about 100lbs heavier) and the only other bike I've ridden was the cruiser 250's at MSF so I'm a bit nervous about riding this thing. Are there any tips or traits I should be weary of before riding it? Slow and easy obviously, but at some point I'll have to take it on the highway. Please help a newb out, my more experienced riders. |
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March 7th, 2012, 12:21 PM | #2 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
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You'll need this:
But other than that, you'll be fine. The clutch will not be too heavy, the shifter will be exactly as you'd expect, and it will be relatively easy steering. Just take it slow and easy, and there will be no surprises. Be gentle on the brakes, and the bias from front/rear might be different than you expect on the ninjette.
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March 7th, 2012, 02:47 PM | #3 |
Perpetual Newb
Name: Jason
Location: Imperial, MO
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782
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Thanks Alex. |
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March 7th, 2012, 02:59 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: David
Location: Loves Park, IL
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): Time will tell Posts: 969
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You have to go slow in turns. Your pegs will scrape at the slightest angle. The steering is slow, and you have to consider that when making any lane changes or turns. Setting up for your turns is a little different too. And you don't have to worry about wheelies but don't forget clutch control for burnouts that turn into high sides. Oh and lastly, wear earplugs. Srsly.
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March 7th, 2012, 03:00 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Murphey
Location: Eastern Washington
Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2002 Honda 919, 2004 Ninja 500R NAKED Posts: A lot.
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Only cruiser I've ridden was an HD fatboy lo. It has floorboards so I had to move my foot to reach the brake pedal and the shifter, dunno what the shadow would be like there, and it scraped like crazy going around corners when I wasn't even trying to. Shadow will probably be more nimble and less hefty than a 1600cc harley, but just take it nice and slow and you'll understand that cruisers are easily tamed beasts. Torque is a good thing too, but it wont be a whole lot if any quicker than your ninjette.
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March 7th, 2012, 03:53 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: L
Location: WI
Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): '09 250R, '13 CBR500R Posts: 709
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I rode a shadow before. Just have to het used to the body position and control locations. Other than that pretty fun. Lots of torque, so take it easy.
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March 8th, 2012, 05:43 AM | #7 |
Perpetual Newb
Name: Jason
Location: Imperial, MO
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782
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Thanks for the extra tips, guys.
Spent last night visiting with my dad and helping my mom get him set up in their house. He's going back in for surgery in a week or so to get 2 plates and some pins inserted into his foot/ankle. He also got a couple of spots of road rash on his knee and elbow so his armor shifted during the wreck apparently. Come to find out, he doesn't have motorcycle boots, just some taller dress shoes, and he wasn't wearing his overpants. I jumped on my "proper gear" soapbox for a minute (how often does a child get to lecture their parent ) but he's doing fine. Basically an old fogy didn't see my dad and made a left turn in front of him right as my dad approached the intersection. Dad got on the brakes too hard and locked up the rear. He doesn't remember everything simply b/c of how fast it happened but basically it sounds like he high sided; back end was swerving a bit and he ended up tumbling while his bike slid into the rear fender of the old guy's car. Dad said he may have the bike towed home, he doesn't want to worry about me riding an unsafe bike and they have AAA anyway so it'll be free. I offered to go check it out with him if he wanted and determine if it's safe to ride or not at that point so we might do that. |
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March 8th, 2012, 07:24 AM | #8 |
Newb..... on a steeek! :D
Name: Mike
Location: Windermere, FL
Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Harley Davidson XL883L Sportster Superlow Posts: A lot.
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Things to remember. First off the bit about lane change being slower is false. Cruisers have such a low center of gravity that transitioning comes rather quick and they can lane change rapidly. Now going into heavy turns is a different story all together. Less clearance, less lean angle, combined with more weight (which you won't feel till these types of turns) will make you take the hard turns slower.
They also are built to be torque machines, so they get quite a bit more torque at low rpm's. With that in mind just go easy on the throttle at first to feel where the torque really hits home and go from there. Also all cruisers have less suspension travel in the rear than sport bikes. So big bumps will cause you to bottom out more often than the ninjette and can disrupt you if you're not careful or paying attention.
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March 8th, 2012, 08:57 AM | #9 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: T
Location: U.S.
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): Current: '11 ZX-6R; Previous: '09 Ninjette; '08 ZX-6R (Ex-Wife '09 TU250X) Posts: 981
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If the towing is free, I think you're both better off having the bike towed. He doesn't have to worry about you riding a potentially unsafe bike; and you don't have to worry about being on a bike that is unsafe if you miss something in looking it over.
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R.I.P EthioKnight (Alex) |
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March 10th, 2012, 09:04 PM | #10 |
Perpetual Newb
Name: Jason
Location: Imperial, MO
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782
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My dad ended up getting the bike towed to the shop where it'll be repaired. Talked to the other guy's insurance and b/c it was the other guy's fault his company is paying for towing. So far the rough estimate is about 2300$ in damage and that's without a full inspection of the mechanical side of things. My dad paid a little over $3K for it but they valued it at about $5200 b/c of all the extras that came with it - wind screen, saddle bags, etc, etc. I thought it was going to be totaled for sure until he told me the value; guess he got a pretty good deal on it after all.
Only good thing coming out of this is that he's letting me use his Shoei Qwest until he can ride again. I'll probably use it from time to time. I'm hoping to get an RF-1100 for my b-day this fall so using his Qwest I think may give me a bit of a test on how well Shoei helmets fit me. |
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March 11th, 2012, 01:15 PM | #11 | |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Steve
Location: Valdosta GA, US
Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250, 2006 Ninja ZX6R-636 Posts: 661
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Quote:
Glad to hear your dad is doing ok after the crash. |
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March 12th, 2012, 03:46 PM | #12 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: john
Location: Palm Beach County, Fl Sligo County, Eire
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ninja 250 street fighter, 2008 street fighter ninja 500, 2001 nsr 125 Posts: 812
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That WAS good! Personally if the bikes insured I'd see if I could have it totalled and use the replacement value money towards a newer (better) cruiser. Check with Pa.
Didn't read other posts, but the add-on reasoning isn't valid from where I stand. It's replacement value of course, if the mechanics of the bike are shot. (make sure they're shot) |
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March 12th, 2012, 03:59 PM | #13 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: john
Location: Palm Beach County, Fl Sligo County, Eire
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ninja 250 street fighter, 2008 street fighter ninja 500, 2001 nsr 125 Posts: 812
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$2900-$3900 is top retail for that bike as of 2012. Get with insurer and "Let's make a deal" Take $4450 and save agent $750. Great start for a new ride or dads pocket if he's done with it. Just thinking out loud dude, no offense. First off I'm glad your father is O.K.
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March 13th, 2012, 02:47 PM | #14 |
Perpetual Newb
Name: Jason
Location: Imperial, MO
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 MIB Ninja 250R [sold]; 2006 CBR600RR [sold]; 2013 Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 782
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No offense taken. It's my dad's bike and he's fairly confident it's mostly cosmetic damage but he's been busy with other things the past couple of days to check and see if they've inspected the functional bits. He's in no hurry, he'll probably be out of commission for at least a couple of months.
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