Posts Tagged motorcycle

So I went to drop off some cds and tapes for a client on my motorcycle today.  I’m usually very good about taking my key out of the motorcycle but when the client pulled up I just got off the bike and gave him the materials.  After about 15 minutes I hopped back on the bike and realized that I left the key…and the bike ON.  Not running, just ON.  Problem is that if the key is on, the headlight is on.  The little battery will drain so fast and mines old enough that it dies in about 5 minutes if left on but not running.  To make things worse, it started raining.  So here I am in the parking lot trying to figure out how to get it started as its pouring down rain.  I push it over to the bank in the parking lot and sit there for 30 minutes trying to track down someone to jump me.  After a while, the lady in the bank that I asked for jumper cables from finally said there’s a tire change place on the other end of the parking lot.  Couldn’t have told me that 30 minutes ago?  Nope.  So I push it over there while its raining and get it jumped.  I’m thinking about getting a new battery.

Btw.  Riding in the rain stings.

As most of you know, the rising cost of fuel has affected most parts of your daily life. You see the cost of food rising, household goods, etc., rising higher and higher. Coupled with the extravagant lifestyles and the American’s love for the gas guzzling SUV’s, the rise doesn’t seem to end.

One of the things that you will start to see more and more of on the road are smaller more fuel efficient vehicles and motorcycles. I started looking into motorcycles for two reasons: 1) My truck broke down and is way too expensive to fix, 2) at the time I was driving 60 miles round trip to work each day. Motorcycles can get around 50-60 mpg if you get the right ones, and still have the power to move at interstate speeds.

The difference between a Sport Bike and a Cruiser as far as gas mileage goes is nominal, so the deciding factor then became safety and comfort. After seeing what happened to Jeremy’s leg after laying his bike down at 35mph and the many stories you hear of people being killed after crashing their bikes at 100+ mph on the interstate, I decided that I’m going to get a cruiser. Far fewer accidents occur on a cruiser than do on a ‘crotch rocket’. Enter the Yahama V-Star 650cc.

Yes it’s purple, but it’s a sweet bike.  It has after market Cobra pipes on them, so it’s nice and loud and you can hear me coming.  Being heard and being seen is a key element to safety.  I’m becoming quite comfortable on the bike and when I feel comfortable enough, I’ll put Michelle on the back.  Many people are understandably worried about us owning a bike and riding it together.  I wouldn’t put Michelle on it until we both felt I was comfortable enough to handle a second rider.

I hope that this was a wise financial decision on our part and that over the near future we’ll see less money being shelled out for gasoline and more money paying off debt.

A little tip for choosing a bike, it doesn’t have to be the newest one.  I have a 2002, 6 years old now, and it has low mileage and still in great shape.