Anyone got a motorcycle ?

[NuKS]

I used to have a motorcycle. It was a 1994 Yamaha YZF600 Vance & Hines Edition, so it was pretty fast, and pretty colorful, since it was a mustardy-yellow and purple. I had a lot of fun with it, and do miss having a motorcycle. It wasn't my first motorcycle, but it was my first street bike. My first one was a 50cc little bike with 2 gears that I got when I was 8.
My advice to SnowFox-
If you have never ridden a motorcycle before, and if your parents will let you, considering insurance for a 16 year old with a motorcycle will be pretty high, is to get something really cheap. A lot of insurance companies now go by engine size to determine price. A good thing about going with a cheap bike is, for one, if you dump the bike it won't hurt you as much, since the bike won't be worth much. To help this, you can get some frame sliders. If you want to go with a sportbike, the Ninja 250 is a good way to go. They are cheap, easy to ride, and you can find used ones for around a grand. If you want to go with a cruiser, Yamaha Virago or anything from other manufacturers that is around the 250 cc range will be a good bargain. I know in Ohio when you get your motorcycle endorsement, you get a rookie licence, which I believe you can't ride at night or on the highway for about a year. Don't quote me on that, though.
What I'm trying to say is to stay safe out there if you get one. It sounds bad, but when you go ride, it's good to have the mindset that NOBODY sees you, so you have to see them and try to anticipate what they are going to do. Remember to leave yourself an out in any situation. People change lanes in front of you and pull out in front of you, because you are harder to see and they are busy talking on their cellphones, keeping their kids happy, or thinking about how late they are.
OK enough of the yapping.....here's what I went to look at the other day, and still working on the boss (wife) on letting me get this new toy.

[Durrthock]

My Dad got some 80s Honda for free today. My mom is pissed lol

[Aero]

My Dad got some 80s Honda for free today. My mom is pissed lol

damn you:p *waves fist*

Thats exactly the kind of deal I'm looking for as my project bike.

[chaksq]

I have a minibike that I need to rebuild, does that count?

[Airbozo]

Crotch Rockets are not the best at mileage either. It also depends on how you ride. I have been trying to find more specs, but last I remember my friends yamaha gets about 30-35mpg depending on how hard he is twisting the throttle.

My 1200 Sportster gets 40-45, again, depending on how I ride. If I am out with my friends on the weekend, I get around 38 and most of them get around 30 (on a crotch rocket). Anyone got any data on their rides?

As to insurance and young riders; Take the Motor Cycle Safety Foundation's classes. In California, riders under 18 are required to take this class before the state will give them an "M" class license. No exceptions. A couple of benefits to this are; First, once you complete the course, you do NOT have to take the riding portion of the state test. Second, if you take this course your insurance rates will be cheaper. The wife and I took this course many years ago and it was quite fun and the cost of the course was more than recovered in insurance costs. I was the most experienced rider in the class and the wife was the least experienced. She got the best grade, I got the worst (due to my bad habits I had picked up over the years, plus the fact I kept bunny hopping the bike they gave me and pulling wheelies... They were NOT amused, although when I did a front wheel wheelie to a complete stop from 35mph they were impressed.)

MY first bike; Bultaco Pursang MK4 1968

[Bucko]

My '04 Yamaha R1 can get 300km to it's 17L tank.
Mind you it can also be run dry by 120km...

[FrooP]

mine

[NuKS]

Typically you can get around 40mpg on a 600cc sportbike. Less if you are driving aggressively. On one tank of gas, it's less than 200 miles. My roundtrip to work is around 100 miles, so I basically fill up every 3 days in my car. When I get my motorcycle, I'll be filling up about the same, just that it will be like $15 to fill instead of $30.

[Airbozo]

40mpg on a 600cc? None of my friends seem to get that much, ever. I do know they have the lead wrist though... They also seem to go through tires twice as fast as me too...

On my sporty, I have a 3.5 gal tank. If I push it I can get 150 miles off that tank. I usually fill up by 100-120 miles though, or when I engage the reserve tank. Yes I also fill up the same amount of times whether I use the car or bike. It's just about 1/3 the cost on the bike though. 70 miles round trip to work through the most beautiful scenery around.

[NuKS]

Yeah 40 is stretching it. That's pretty close to what I used to get though. I didn't really dip into the throttle too much, since my bike was painted bright colors, and the vance & hines exhaust really attracted a lot of attention. It is a really conservative estimate on gas, though. Really it all depends on how you ride.