[oicdn]

If you don't already have a motorcycle license, scooter for sure. Also, if you're staying relatively close...just get the scooter, much better gas mileage, cheaper or no insurance, and you only need a regular drivers license in most cases...

 

[ronin74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmdevils /img/forum/go_quote.gif ronin, What do you think those beasts get mpg wise? A guy at a cycle shop told me to avoid dirtbikes cause they are geared for performance, so they wear out fast, and burn lots of gas. They look pretty hot though, i agree!

The XR250 will get 50 mpg. Wear? It's a Honda, it'll last forever. Gearing? Hayes hill in traffic you'll need plenty of grunt. BTW the SF Park police use these bikes so they are not necessarily the highest performing dirt bikes. Be warned, these are not highway machines, to be used only for trips to Zeitgeist or espresso in North Beach, or beating the lights on Howard.

Vespas are expensive because they're Italian....and cool, can't be seen in SOMA without one.

 

[grawk]

I'm 6'1 and rode a rebel 250 for a while. They're small, but you're not gonna ride it 500 miles

. Same deal with handling, you're not buying a sportbike. I wouldn't stress any of that, you're just looking for a knock around city bike.

I do like the dirt/street bikes too, but I wouldn't get one for SF. It'll get stolen.

 

[ken36]

I've ridden both. For the city, get a Vespa. So cool.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Bah! Get a Ural! crappy mileage, horrible reliability, and a sidecar.

 

[VicAjax]

i picked up my Vespa obsession about 12 years ago in SF, so i'll say get a vintage Vespa. my street rider was a chromed-out 1976 Rally 200 with an aftermarket exhaust and michelin racing wheels that could hit 75mph pretty easily... i took it for short spins on the freeway occasionally. it looked something like this, but with chrome around the skirts:

the most stylin' Vespa is probably the old GS150. here's a beaut with a sidecar:

i had a t-shirt that read: "If Harley-Davidson had a little brother, this is the kid that would kick his a*s."


Quote:

Originally Posted by ueyteuor /img/forum/go_quote.gif well, since you're living in san fran..... i wouldn't recommend a scooter... you would be mistaken for a homo.... so i'd go with a motorcycle instead!

and you're an asswipe.

 

[grawk]

I'm sorry, the stylish and trendy scooter isn't the equivalent of the kid that would kick harley's kid's ass...

vespas are the motorcycle equivalent of a metrosexual.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sorry, the stylish and trendy scooter isn't the equivalent of the kid that would kick harley's kid's ass... vespas are the motorcycle equivalent of a metrosexual.

i don't think you'd be saying that to the face of the guys i used to ride with. me, maybe... but not them.

and you obviously haven't ridden a tricked out 250cc lambretta racer.

 

[ronin74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif i don't think you'd be saying that to the face of the guys i used to ride with. me, maybe... but not them. and you obviously haven't ridden a tricked out 250cc lambretta racer.

Oh please stop with this crazy-talk!

Photos courtesy of The Home Of UK Scooter Racing
scooterracing.org.uk

I think I like scooters!

 

[rhythmdevils]

ha ha. those photos are funny.

But like I said, Im really not getting this for looks. But I do think that a motorcycle feels more badass, regardless of how it looks. Cause you're riding a cycle. its so classic. Nothin wrong with a scooter, i just think it is sort of a sacrifice, at least for me, if i went that route. sacrificing the pleasure of riding for simplicity, gas efficiency, etc. Which might be the right thing to do. Im not sure yet though. About every hour, I decide one way or the other, and then the next hour im reconsidering

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin74 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh please stop with this crazy-talk! Photos courtesy of The Home Of UK Scooter Racing scooterracing.org.uk I think I like scooters!

ouch, that stung!

the last one staunches the bleeding a bit, though.

 

[Comfy]

Scooters are to motorcycles like motorcycles are to cars.
The smaller turning radius of the scooter makes it much more agile than a motorbike.
You should be crazy to invest in a +20 year old motorbike that you'll be constantly fixing instead of riding, as opposed to buying a scooter and being done with it.
I've been riding an Aprilia Habana Custom through the streets of my city for 5 years now, and it's faster and cooler than any bigger bike in these conditions.
Obviously, it won't take me out of town, but that's what I've got a car for anyway.
And as far as brakes go, mine has two disk brakes. I don't think most 80's motorbikes do.
As for the sexual self-image, riding a motorbike in San Francisco, with that moustache and leather vest with no shirt... I don't know.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comfy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Scooters are to motorcycles like motorcycles are to cars. The smaller turning radius of the scooter makes it much more agile than a motorbike. You should be crazy to invest in a +20 year old motorbike that you'll be constantly fixing instead of riding, as opposed to buying a scooter and being done with it. I've been riding an Aprilia Habana Custom through the streets of my city for 5 years now, and it's faster and cooler than any bigger bike in these conditions. Obviously, it won't take me out of town, but that's what I've got a car for anyway. And as far as brakes go, mine has two disk brakes. I don't think most 80's motorbikes do. As for the sexual self-image, riding a motorbike in San Francisco, with that moustache and leather vest with no shirt... I don't know.

Well I do have a beard, I could shave it and leave the mustache, and grow it out so it would blow behind me in the wind.

So you think any bike from the 80's is going to need a lot of work to keep going? The engine only has a couple thousand miles on it. But I guess all the wiring, etc is still 25 years old.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmdevils /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I do have a beard, I could shave it and leave the mustache, and grow it out so it would blow behind me in the wind. So you think any bike from the 80's is going to need a lot of work to keep going? The engine only has a couple thousand miles on it. But I guess all the wiring, etc is still 25 years old.

i think it's a cool bike, lots more style than today's crotch-rockets.

and if you're handy at all, you should be able to pick up a manual and do little maintenance jobs on your own to keep it running smoothly.

 

[grawk]

I've owned several 25ish year old japanese motorcycles. They're not hard to maintain, and parts are readily available. There are litterally millions of the things around.