Motorcycle Leathers Blog

Hi I’m 18 years old and living in California, and I’m planning to purchase a motorcycle soon. I’m going to be taking the basic riders course (for my certificate) next month, and planning to get my permit immediately after. At the moment there is a deal for motorcycles, and I was wondering if I can pay for a brand new motorcycle month by month without having my license or insurance yet?

You can buy it, but you can’t register it in your name without insurance. And you will need a motorcycle license in order to get insurance. The bank doesn’t care if you have a license or not, but they will require insurance to protect their investment (they own the bike, you don’t). So the bottom line is, indirectly, no.

Another point: Most new riders drop their first bike once or twice, so it makes NO sense to start off with a brand-new bike. The first scratch, dent, etc. will cost you a ridiculous amount in depreciation, or a lot of money to fix.

Finally: Don’t buy ANY bike without finding out first what your insurance cost will be.

I am turning 18 in february and I am planning on getting a motorcycle. I have taken the MSF course and ridden friends motorcycles before, I do have my license

I want a cruiser type motorcycle and I want a 650 or 600, what are some good starter motorcycles that are cruisers?

Do you want to get a new one or a used one? For a new one the options are relatively limited anyway since bikes get bigger and bigger each year because of the engine displacement craze. Because of that, there are only very few new cruisers that have 600-650cc.

If you want to get a new one, pretty much the only options are:

- Hyosung Aquila V80 / GV650 (647cc, 72hp)
- Hyosung ST7 (678cc, 62hp)
- Suzuki Boulevard S40 (652cc, 31hp)

As far as I’m aware these three models are the only brand-name 600-650cc cruisers that are available new. Strictly speaking the Hyosung Aquila V80 / GV650 is the only one since the other two have slightly more than 650cc

As you can see the Hyosungs (made in South Korea) are unusual among cruiser motorcycles since they have much more power (and are much higher revving) than cruisers by the more traditional manufacturers. I really like the Hyosung Aquila V80 / GV650 – it has a great price tag and very sporty looks for a cruiser. Nice curves. They also have very good reviews and are very reliable (there will always be one or two clueless fools who think that they are Chinese and hence poor quality). It is true, however, that parts availability is worse than for the more traditional manufacturers, since Hyosung has a much smaller dealer network.

If you want to get a cruiser with a slightly bigger engine, say 700-950cc, you’d have more options, such as the following:

- Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883 (883cc)
- Harley-Davidson Sportster Superlow (883cc)
- Honda Shadow RS (745cc)
- Honda VT750C(A) ("Shadow") (745cc)
- Kawasaki Vulcan 900 (903cc)
- Moto Guzzi Bellagio (936cc)
- Moto Guzzi California Vintage (757cc)
- Moto Guzzi Nevada (744cc)
- Suzuki Boulevard C/S50 (805cc)
- Triumph America (865cc)
- Triumph Speedmaster (865cc)
- Yamaha V-Star 950 (942cc)

If you want to get a used one you have more options. There are two bikes in the 650cc class that often appear on the used bike market. The first one is the Suzuki LS650 Savage, which is the predecessor of the Suzuki Boulevard S40. A nice one usually costs $2500-4000 depending on age, mileage, and extras. The second one is the Yamaha V-Star 650 (a nice one will usually cost $2500-7000 depending on age, mileage, and extras).

I used to watch this cartoon/anime during my summer vacation from school, it was either 1997,1998,1999. But I’m pretty sure its 1998, don’t know the name but it was a "coca cola summer premiere" i believe it showed on a Wednesday at a late showing maybe 8p.m. cant rem if it was a 1/2 or hour long. It was a non cable channel at the time. It follows a male young adult who i think got mixed into trouble with an agency and was on the run a lot. might have had aliens or something supernatural, he rode a motorcycle i believe. I HOPE someone can help me i cant rem enough to find it on my own and its making me crazy for about 2 years now.

This may sound a bit odd but if the young guy was part alien and wears a weird glove and rides a motorcycle and knows about gymnastics it might be called.Invasion America below is a wiki page with information about the movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_America

I am 17 years old. And i have had my normal drivers license for a year now. And i am wanting to get a motorcycle. I have heard that if you have your normal license and if you get insurance on the motorcycle that makes it so there is no need to get a separate motorcycle license. I need to know if that i true or not. Also if not what is everything that i need to make it legal to drive my motorcycle? Please help!

Not true at all.
You need a motorcycle license, or a learner’s permit at a minimum.
Exactly what you need depends on where you are. (This IS the World Wide Web….and every State sets it’s own laws in the U.S.)
Most states require a training course, some don’t.
ALL require a test – both written and practical. Some states waive the practical test as it’s the same as that given during the course.

Riding without the proper class of license can be expensive.
Ticket, tow fee, impound fee, storage….

Questions like this bring up one of my own: Why would any company insure a person to operate any vehicle if they can’t operate legally?
Any illegal act can void insurance – including not being licensed.

If you were to say where you live, I’ll show you where to look for what you need.

I’ve been having crazy dreams since I could remember. They included being married, sex, tornadoes, floods, vacations and even being famous. It bothers me so much because I am only thirteen. The latest one I had last night was rather awkward.

So, I was taking a vacation to Las Vegas and we were in a yellow Lexus convertabile. It was all going pretty well until we met a horrible dust storm. I checked my phone’s weather app and it told us LV was under a Severe Dust Storm Warning!!!!!!!. After getting all dirty and dusty, we found our hotel. The lobby was nice, kinda like a modern style and they had about twenty eleveators. I realized they were small and only held, like, six people. So, we got in one to ride to our top floor suite and people packed in. They would not stop. I’m clausterphobic, so it was a nightmare. Then Justin Bieber, the supreme HATE of my life, came in and told me to "get the hell out" for he was riding to the top. After that problem, we finally got to the suite. The rest of the day was okay, but I can’t remember the rest of it. The next day, though, we got robbed by these emo cowboys with bright pink hair. They didn’t have guns, though. We ended up being okay, because they got scared and all our luggage and stuff was left on the balcony. We then went to a mall in the city and I was in the book store. This girl I hate was there and treated me like a baby. I told her I needed a certain book, but when I grabbed it she said I could not take that copy and that she needed to get one from the back for me. She then asked me if I wanted TO COLOR while she was in the back. She handed me paper and crayons. I wandered away and found to of my crushes there and they said the same thing happened to them and that every kid and teen in the store was planning a strike against her. That was it. The end.

What does that mean? Am I going crazy? It was scary and weird. Also, during part of the dream, I heard this deafening loud rumbling noise. I woke up just to cover my ears before going back to sleep. When I got up, I asked Mom, who was up early, if there were any helicopters, planes, trucks or motorcycles going by. She said that it was a very quiet morning today. What happened to me? Why was this dream so real?

To have any dreams at all of insecurities represents a desire to have more control in your life. I would recommend maybe trying to make minor changes such as having your parents ask you what YOU want for dinner. It could also just be a nasty bit of dreams that you’ll grow out…. your call

My wife left over a week ago and its tearing me apart,she gave me back the door key so looks like she aint coming back any time soon.
I would take her on vacation/holiday 2 to 3 times a year,take her out for meals at restaurants 3 times a week would always give her money regular to buy new clothes her wardrobe is full.
I never went out being unfaithful and only went out with the guys 10 times a year at the most.
I would sit and ask what else can I do to be a good husband yet she said I am 98 % a good husband yet 2% bad for my temper ie when things don’t work computers or electrical stuff.
I never laid a finger on her yet come close to the fact she dont wanna do nothing, wouldn’t ride on back of my motorcycle, wouldn’t ride the Jet skis goes on vacation/holiday and takes part in No sporting or adventures stuff.
I asked her what her ambitions are being 32 years old,she said she has none.
she says she has not met anyone else yet Now I am thinking if she does come back will things still be the same.
All my married life of 10 years I always had her thoughts on trying to be a good husband,giving and taking talking and so forth.
I dont deny my temper is bad even when I am driving but does that qualify as a good reason to end a marrage?

IM VERY CONFUSED

i’m sorry…
yes she should have given you the respect you deserve by talking to you but on the same token we all wish to believe our temper is not as bad as we think it is,

When you say all the wonderful things you did for her money, clothes,dinner it makes her seem like a gold digging cold hearted witch but as a person coming from a home of domestic violence I know that there are two sides to every story.

Just like your wife i was treated like a princess 50% of the time but 50% of verbal,emotional,or physical abuse is enough to make you want to give everything up to get away.

now maybe you never laid a finger on her but something about living with you wasnt right, so unright that she was willing to give up the wonderful stuff you gave her.

I’m sorry your hurting but honestly would you want her back? would you be able to forgive her? would you be stay up at night scared she would leave you again? rush home from work everyday and sigh with relief when her car was in the drive way? wonder what she’s really doing if she " goes out with friends" ….well goodluck hope it all works out

My wife left me on Friday saying she wasn’t happy. I will be truthful as I may not get the correct answers if I lie.
As a husband she went on holidays/vacation 3 times a year eat the very best food was never without money was always buying clothes took her out for meals 3 times a week mortgage is paid off.I only went out with the guys once a month.In 10 years stayed faithful to her and would treat her 2 to 3 times a month with money for gifts,just before she left I asked what percentage would you give me as a good husband,she answered 98 % asking and 2 % for your temper……I never laid a finger on her or hit her although I have come close through frustration that she never wants to do anything.Never wanted to ride on the back of my motorcycle never wanted to ride the jet skis never wanted to go on Caribbean holiday vacations would never try paragliding or just the exciting thing you do on holiday vacations.
Need help as I am extremely confused.
I am confident she is not dating another guy.As for staying at home with me we did that every day as I only went out with the guys once a month.
I would talk to her weekly asking what else do you expect of me as a husband.
As for people thinking she was a gold digger is so far from it……oh well all the money she’s had still I have no regrets even if she don’t come back.
last edit.

As for money for 5 years we was both broke many times invading the penny Jar just to buy a loaf of bread,we brought a business and built it together.
And we do visit church often,my wife will recite the lords prayer morning and night 365 days a year without fail.

hun from the sound of it you did nothing wrong. you’re the ideal husband that any woman would want. i’m not just saying that. you’re the type of guy we all dream of marrying and then we end up with the one that falls short. most of the time at least. maybe she didn’t want a life that ideal. maybe she thought it was too easy. or you could go to the extreme thing think she found another guy while she was on one of her vacations. i say sit down and have an adult conversation with her. get her to fess up and see if you guys could meet in the middle. i’m so sorry that this is happening to you. i have no doubt you are a wonderful person. hope everything works out!!

I have a 4 year old daugther and her father and I have joint custody. The part that gets on my nerves is that he hands her off to his mom or girlfriend and goes off to do his own thing. He says he wants to have the even amount of time with her that I have, but I think it’s only to make him look better to other people and not like a dead beat dad. For example, he hasn’t been to any of her school fieldtrips, vacations with his family (she goes with her grandparents), every other weekend when it’s his weekend he will go to the gym, go on a motorcycle ride for the entire weekend with his friends and recently he is going to California for a week. What bothers me about him going to California for a week is that he can take the time to go to California, but can’t take a week to go on vacation with his daugther? Also…..he doens’t have a job and dropped out of college. He was recently laid off from his job, but claims he has side jobs that he gets paid cash.

The only reason why all of this is just now bothering me after 4 years is because my daugther is starting to catch on that he is not around. She crys that she misses him and he always has someone watch her. It breaks my heart to see her get upset like that over something I can not control.

With that being said….Can I take him to court and re-do the custody agreement to reduce the amount of days he has her even if he doesn’t agree with it? Do you think the court would go in my favor?

P.s. This would be under Delaware State Laws.

Any opinions or advice is helpful. Thank You!

Well those answers sucked. You don’t need to know the useless parts of the law, you don’t want to wait until your kid is 14 and can decide not to see him, and the other person had a great idea but didn’t know the name of the clause.

Okay, the clause is "right of first refusal", in short you have your custody agreement amended to say that if for some reason the other parent must be away from their child for 24 hours, during their parenting time, the other parent will be notified and given the right of first refusal for babysitting the child.

Now the down side is it works both ways, if you go away for business you have to call him too! The courts are going to say two things, one is that how he wants to spend his time with his daughter is his business not yours….but #2 is that the parenting time is suppose to be with the parent, not without the parent.

You can file for joint custody but you having primary custody, you can use the excuse that school will be starting but also that he isn’t around the child much during his parenting time. Don’t bring up vacations, my kid went on vacation with my parents and they all loved it! doesn’t make me less of a parent.

My husband isnt working thus week. I stay home working all day at my home daycare. We have a 5 week old baby and he is great with her. My husband goes out in the morning all day on his motorcycle riding, doing errands, swimming at his fathers,and to bars around town until dinner time andthe kids go home and Im done working. Why do I get upset? Should I expect him to take care of the baby so I get a break while I work? Is he being selfish? On the other hand he is on vacation and our baby is home with me so why not let him enjoy? He is a great Dad. Thoughts?

I can understand where you are coming from. However, if I were in your shoes I would probably cut my husband some slack seeing that being on vacation from work is not something that happens all of the time for him. Maybe you should ask him if maybe he could take the baby for a day to give you a break. But, in a way it is his time and he has earned it. Maybe next time he is on vacation time you should see about taking that as a vaction week too so that you and him and your daughter can do stuff together.

My boyfriend and I were driving home from our summer vacation and witnessed a car hit a motorcycle while crossing the highway to get on one of the side streets. We stopped and as I dialed 911 my boyfriend ran to the scene and first checked on the young boys in the car, as there was already someone at the cyclists side. I was transferred to the ambulance dispatch and they needed someone to talk to who wasn’t as inconsolable as I was so I transferred the phone to my boyfriend. He then proceeded to do a c-spine and check for a pulse on the rider and had to flip the body. There was no pulse and the blood was everywhere and on my boyfriend and his shirt.

Once the police and ambulances got there I didn’t want to stay any longer and look at the body, and we had done all that we could to save the man, but I am having a hard time getting over this. My boyfriend rides a motorcycle and I can’t help but think if that had been him. I couldn’t listen to him leave for work this morning without breaking into tears… and neither of us could sleep last night.

I don’t know if what I am feeling is normal. How do I get past this? I don’t know how I am ever going to ride again, or be okay with him riding again..

Any words of insight are appreciated.

Being a motorbike rider myself, I have this motto that motor bike riding is only as safe as I make it for myself. If I’m wearing proper gear, driving a save speed, and following the rules of the road, then I’m pretty safe. However life is unpredictable and accidents do happen.

I’ve fallen a few times (nothing major – just a slip) and also witnessed a accident near my school back in 2005. I went for trauma Counseling after the accident for about 6months just to get over the fear I had for getting back on my bike. so that would be my best advice. You might think its really silly, but seeing another person die in such dreadful way is no joke, it stays with you for life, but Counseling helps you to deal with it & go on living your life no matter what risks it holds.

I’d also suggest as part of you counseling that you try to make contact with the riders family, and pay your condolences. This will mean allot to them, and also will help you to finalize what has happens and put it behind you.

Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.