| Author | Message | ||
     Zane |
My son bought (with dad's help) a 2018 used Honda CBR 500. It has 814 miles on it and is basically a new bike. I figured a 500 would be enough to keep him interested without too much power to get him in trouble He hasn't been on a bike in almost a year so we're going slow. Up and down the street practicing with the clutch and then a little faster to re-learn shifting and braking. He's doing fine and hasn't stopped smiling since he bought it. | ||
| Zane |
Having trouble uploading a photo. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Congrats!  | ||
| Pwnzor |
CBR500 - is that the parallel twin? That's plenty of bike for a good long while... hell, I'd be happy with it. | ||
| Zac4mac |
That's a fast looking little bike. My first was a '71 CB350. First and last Honda. Z | ||
| Zane |
Yes, it's a parallel twin. For a 500 it's pretty zippy too.  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Is that a shyte-eating grin I see on his face? Throw a slip-on pipe on there and call it a day! Many thousands of fun, trouble-free miles lay ahead. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Just noticed a Kawasaki tail light in the background...  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Get thee to an MSF course, stat! | ||
| Rparnel1 |
My son, now 26, bought his first motorcycle when he was a junior in high school. It was a 2006 ninja 650. Sold it the next year and bought a 2007 Ninja ZX6R. Added to his stable a few years later when he bought a 2013 KLX250. Sold everything last year and bought a 2010 vulcan 900 ,which he never rides. Said he at least had to have a bike in the garage or he felt empty. I feel the same way The apple did not fall far from the tree!! | ||
| Zane |
We've had two evenings after work were we've been out riding together. Then t he weather stopped cooperating. He has put maybe 50 miles on it so far and we haven't been more than 3 miles from the house. He's doing really well and that smile just keeps getting bigger and bigger. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
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| Mnscrounger |
My son is going on 25, and he's toyed with the idea of getting a bike. He's not quite done with college yet, and says he doesn't need the extra expense of a bike right now. I did suggest the idea of him getting the endorsement, and the shopping for the bike later in life. He's mulling it over. I don't get it, he's way more responsible than I ever was. | ||
| Zane |
I worked from home yesterday and finished up at 4:00pm He was home from work about 5:30 so we went for a ride. He's still having some trouble starting from a stop. He skill with the clutch still needs some practice but that will come with experience. He's doing really well in every other area. I took him out on some back roads and into an agricultural area. Little to no traffic, decent roads and very nice scenery. Great sunset behind the mountains. It was the perfect time for a ride. We covered about 50 miles and the first words out of his mouth when we got back to the house was "Can we go again tomorrow night?". I think the boy has caught the fever. | ||
| Shoggin |
So you introduced him to a dangerous, expensive, life long addiction? Way to go. We need more dads like you  | ||
| Ourdee |
He's still having some trouble starting from a stop. He skill with the clutch still needs some practice but that will come with experience. Take him to a parking lot and work on him walking the bike in 1st gear while slipping the clutch. | ||
| Ourdee |
The friction zone. | ||
| Zane |
"The friction zone" Exactly. We worked on that up and down the street the night we brought it home. He can do it if he doesn't think about it. He just overthinks it and his brain get in the way. The more he rides, the easier it will get. | ||
| Ducxl |
Congratulations.So much to be proud of in your Son. My Dad bought me a GT80 as a 12YO but when I hit 23 I bought my own new KX250! Stunning performance.Help ur Son learn | ||
| Fresnobuell |
IDK, this sounds like the best way to drop a new bike, esp. for someone not familiar with the clutch. Rev, pop, drop. He can do the same thing mounted on the bike. | ||
| Etennuly |
My 28 year old son has been looking to buy a V Rod. Any of you have experience with owning one? I love the look of them. I looked at one several years back that had forward controls. I did not like that feel after a few years on the Uly. | ||
| Guell |
My buddy has a v rod muscle Vern, he loves it but I know maintenance is more of a pain on that thing since you have to check valves | ||
| Ourdee |
IDK, this sounds like the best way to drop a new bike, esp. for someone not familiar with the clutch. Rev, pop, drop. He can do the same thing mounted on the bike. No wonder you said that. He is supposed to be straddling the bike. It is what they do in the beginners courses. Zane knew what I was talking about. Learning the friction zone helps with slow maneuvering. I went back through the MSF beginner course again a few years ago to see what I had forgot. It was fun and eye opening to a couple of bad habits I had picked up along the way. I managed to ace the classroom and riding tests. Instructor pulled me over to let me know some of the others were having trouble in the slow down section. I sped up for them. | ||
| 86129squids |
Vern- there's a guy named Vince Mehaffey I know that has one, or did. He's the guy who used to organize the Buells on the Dragon rallies, he's also got a Uly and an Ultra Classic. I haven't seen him post here for years, but you might track him down... Didn't George or Mark here locally have one? | ||
| Britchri10 |
Zane: I own a CB500X. Same engine as your sons bike. The CB line of bikes are good for beginners and experienced riders. I commute c80 miles/day on my X. I got off a Ulysses onto the CB. They are really good good bikes. Good choice! Chris C | ||
| Pwnzor |
What Chris said. | ||
| Oldog |
Vern check in with 1313 he owns one.. | ||
| Zane |
We looked at a lot of different bikes and several would have been good choices for a beginner but the CBR500 just seemed like the best overall choice. It's light and nimble yet fairly forgiving. At 500 CC, it has enough power to keep him interested but not so much that it will get him into trouble. Plus Honda has a well deserved reputation for reliability. He really loves the styling of it too. I've ridden it a couple of times and I really like this bike. It'll never replace my Goldwing but it's a bike no one with any m/c knowledge can turn their nose up at. Chris, how many miles to you have on your 500X? Any trouble or quirks we should know about? | ||
| Britchri10 |
Zane: C15k so far. (I swap between it an an "03 Triumph Thunderbird.) Quirks: When you change the oil do it on the side stand. Expect a deluge when you uncork it. Valve checks are every 8K. Not too difficult to do yourself but the tabs on the plastic panels are not too robust. I've had zero issues with it so far. I like the convenience of a Honda engine and running gear after my experience with the Uly. | ||
| Ourdee |
Zane, I had my share of step fathers. So, I don't know how much a real dad passes on. Make sure he develops an oil checking habit. I lost a few motors learning the hard way. |
