I got mine from an older guy ( guessing late 30's) I guess thats why it was so well taken care of. I can see what you mean by young people having ****ty bikes. But like others said, thats not always the case

 

Yes, motorcycle can be dangerous at any speed. Nothing will ever keep you completely safe. But using a little common sense goes a long way.

Take for example, passing a car around the outside of a blind corner. There's just no reason for doing that. Nothing to gain, everything to lose. And I see it all the time. I've also seen someone embed themselves into the front of a pickup coming the other way. I've spend 45 minutes watching him slowly die from internal bleeding until the lifeflight got there. It's almost always younger inexperienced riders that do this.

Not saying all younger riders are stupid or anything like that. But on the whole, they do tend to have an 'I'm invincible, nothing bad will ever happen to me'. That fades with age & experience.

 

Well... Darwin was right.... over time the stupid ones die off. I just wish they took better care of their bikes so that the survivors would have something nicer to sell.

 

thats so wrong but so funny. But heres the thing the young people getting up in arms about this thread are the ones we are referring to. I myself like i said fall into the young category pretty well but i am not upset about whats being said. I will say this though, i think that a big difference in the young and old mentalilty are most people that are young live with their buddies, dont have kids, and are just all around having a good time. while most older people have a wife and kids waiting at home. Now i understand this is all pretty generalized but in my own case, i rode a little stupid on my first bike, but now that i am married and have obligations i slowed down and just enjoy the ride. If i crash because i am being stupid i have alot to lose, if i crash because of some other reason i have insurance. If i slide across the pavement doing 35 im gonna feel it but i will probably only have to take a day or two off of work. if i crash going 130 my wife will have to call me in dead. So long story short save the racing for the track, and wear your gear. the gear looks cool, and it will save you skin...literally

 

Sounds like you have good grip on the important things in life.

I live by the slogan... ATGATT... All The Gear All The Time.

I was young and foolish once. Somehow I survived and got past that phase and now I'm old enough to start over... just kidding.

Ride well, ride safe... enjoy it for a long time.

 

good ol' natural selection eh? my point is over confidence comes in many forms just because ive made it this long doesnt mean iam gonna pat myself on the back and disrespect other riders or worst of all my bikes. gear is a must,dont ride stupid but dont be such a stiff either fun is what its all about but within reason.

 

i can agree with that

 

I agree with you cowboy... and for sure, I work hard to never disrespect my bikes.

 

Well My $0.02 CAN. is that i think a poorly maintained bike is an opportunity, just gotta find the right one. I've seen quite a few nice F2's but the reality is that for what they're worth, they're not worth selling. My F2 is worth more to me as a spare for a buddy to insure and ride on trips or a spouse to learn to ride on, that I can get for it on the market. As far as a bike goes I don't think it's about speed at all; I think the thing is versitile and can do everything well. They are a great value for $ spent. The technology is still more or less current. (not like it has drum brakes or anything). For me part of the fun is the working on it and learning about it; I think if working on your bike is a **** off every time you touch it you are missing the point! So go buy one and fix it up! Scratch that...buy two!!

 

This just reminded me that I need to clean my chain and lube it.

I ride moderately rough, nothing extreme, but I like to twist the throttle a bit, HOWEVER, there is a rare time where you will see my bike covered in dust/dirt, and caked with bugs. When stuff gets taken apart (say to change the oil, etc...) it is completely cleaned before I put it back on the bike. I like my stuff clean, and in great condition, but that's just me.

BTW, i'm 19.

Also, I would classify my bike in "OK" shape. It's a 94, by no means new, but still pretty clean. The only broken plastics are the front fender and left rear fairing, but bother are moderate breaks. It's an old bike, and I figured that was to be expected. Only one great thing (I think) totally offset the cracked plastics. 12k original miles when I bought it. 8)