Motorcycle Mayhem: A Quarter Life Crisis in Memorandum of a Dear Friend

[savanny]

Motorcycles have been on the brain lately for me. Yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of the day a dear friend of mine was killed in a motorcycle crash. I firmly believe he did what he could to stay safe and ultimately the crash that took his life was not his fault. That being said I know he died doing something that he loved. It was a love

Comments

[sable_twilight]

First, you take a Motorcycle Safety Course. ABATE of Colorado has lists of their classes and locations. Be prepared for a grueling two day session which is well worth it.

Second, realize a motorcycle with a sidecar operates a little differently than one without. You do not lean into them like other bikes. It's more like steering them. But take the ABATE class anyway.

As for which version, I cannot say. Io might have a better idea of which bike is more reliable. You might be able to find the Chinese one for less, but it might need extra work. The BMWs are defiantly going to collectors pieces and thus very expensive to acquire.

[savanny]

Thank you for the info! In regards to the sidecar, I was under the impression that those are usually detachable. Either way, I should learn how to ride with both. Once I get my motorcycle we should start our own little (steampunk) biker group. :)

Yeah, I was thinking that I would have to go with the Ural or the Chinese knock-off for financial reasons. I don't mind the prospect of extra work, I would love to learn more about the mechanics and get my hands dirty.

[io_spellweaver]

Ah something I so desperately want too! Some advice though from what my researching has turned up. All of those bikes were built with the idea that someone with basic mechanical skills would be handling or at least maintaining them. It's not that big of a deal, but every time I've seen one mentioned it's usually with "tinkerers only" kind of statements. Just so ya know