Should you buy a Subaru?

[P T]

One thing I really need is more info on
motorcycles in general...

What is there to know?
There are sort of bicycles with engines. Inhabit a nether world between
autos and bicycles. Come in at least as great a variety of styles as
autos. They have controls that you have to learn to use, just like a
car. If you know how to ride a bicycle, or once did, learning will be
easier. Given a large empty parking lot, I can teach you to operate one
in 20 minutes. Learning to proficiently operate the controls takes about
10-40 hours. Learning to operate a motorcycle safely in traffic is
something that you never stop learning.
Motorcycles are relatively dangerous machines. Protective clothing can
help a lot. Riding style is a big factor too. You can buy insanely
powerful motorcycles for less than the cost of an average motorcycle.
You can buy a motorcycle quite similar to professional racing bikes for
10 grand, give or take. (You can't touch a Nascar or Indy car for
anything close to the price of an typical car.) Motorcycles can be fun
to drive. Ones with small engines can get 2 or 3 or 4 times the miles
per gallon of a car. Big ones can drop to around 30 mpg. Bikes cost from
$2,500 to $25,000. Learning to ride on a small bike is easier, and
safer. There are 4 kinds of bikes, although the lines blur: crotch
rockets, cruisers, off road bikes, and standards (which is what all
bikes were before ~1975.) Motorcycles can have 1, 2, 3, or 4 cylinders.
Air cooled or water cooled. Most Jap bikes are pretty reliable. The
dependability of American bikes (primarily Harley) is debated, but the
modern ones are pretty reliable. European bikes are like European cars.
Go to a dealer, sit on some bikes, go to he library and read Cycle World
or a similar mag.

What else is there to know?

 

[Bruce Hoult]

Nope, sorry... but I AM expecting this thread to turn into EJ22 engine
conversions for use in motorcyles...

Well ... after trying my BMW motorcycle my brother (experienced on
motorcycles, but primarily offroad ones) said "How many cylinders does
this have?" "Two" "Interesting. Why would you ever need more?"

I know of VW Kombi's driving around with Subaru engines and happy
owners. I know of homebuilt planes with Subaru engines. I haven't yet
heard of a motorcycle with one.

-- Bruce

 

[Bruce Hoult]

Motorcycles can be fun
to drive. Ones with small engines can get 2 or 3 or 4 times the miles
per gallon of a car. Big ones can drop to around 30 mpg.

My 1100cc BMW gets 60 mpg with two people and luggage if I stick to the
speed limit.

Bikes cost from $2,500 to $25,000. Learning to ride on a small bike is easier, and
safer.

I highly advise learning offroad, in the dirt and mud, until you know
instinctively what to do in a skid.

There are 4 kinds of bikes, although the lines blur: crotch
rockets, cruisers, off road bikes, and standards (which is what all
bikes were before ~1975.)

Until the BMW R90S, you mean. Which, like its sucessors, fits none of
your categories. It's a "sport tourer", which means it's not built for
absolute speed, or absolute comfort, but rather for high speeds and high
comfort, all day, on back roads.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~r90s/

What I've been riding since 1995:

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcbmw/tharp/trip.html

Someone else's website (in Finland!) with peeks of my bike in late '97:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/maajussi/nz_97/nz97_7e.htm

Motorcycles can have 1, 2, 3, or 4 cylinders.

Or six. See the Honda CBX and the more recent Gold Wings.


-- Bruce

 

[BlueSTi]

Until the BMW R90S, you mean. Which, like its sucessors, fits none of
your categories. It's a "sport tourer", which means it's not built for
absolute speed, or absolute comfort, but rather for high speeds and high
comfort, all day, on back roads.

My wife rides a Honda ST1300 and I ride a ST1100. The ST stands for
Sport Touring. They are very comfortable bikes and are ledgendary for
their reliabiltiy an range. I usually average about 340 miles a tank
of gas. That's over 5 hours riding without putting a foot down.
Anyone who owns one falls in love with the bike. I've never heard one
bad thing said about a Honda ST. IMO, it is the finest bike ever
made.

BlueSTi
"Scary-Fast"

 

[Bruce Hoult]

Until the BMW R90S, you mean. Which, like its sucessors, fits none of
your categories. It's a "sport tourer", which means it's not built for
absolute speed, or absolute comfort, but rather for high speeds and high
comfort, all day, on back roads.

My wife rides a Honda ST1300 and I ride a ST1100. The ST stands for
Sport Touring. They are very comfortable bikes and are ledgendary for
their reliabiltiy an range. I usually average about 340 miles a tank
of gas. That's over 5 hours riding without putting a foot down.
Anyone who owns one falls in love with the bike. I've never heard one
bad thing said about a Honda ST. IMO, it is the finest bike ever
made.[/QUOTE]

It's a good bike, for sure. And when I was selling my K100 I took an
ST1100 for a test ride and gave it very serious consideration vs the
R1100RT. The price difference was something like $200, which was pretty
much irrelevent.

The day was overcast and slightly drizzly and the road was therefore
wet. Ideal conditions for testing a bike that you plan to ride every
day.

The ST1100 pumped water from the road directly onto my feet, soaking
them within 10 km.

I have never, ever, had a BMW do that to me. I bought the BMW. My feet
stay bone dry even in heavy rain.

-- Bruce

 

[Ignignokt]

Or six. See the Honda CBX and the more recent Gold Wings.

Or, of course, the Valkyrie...

And there have been exotic bikes with 8's and I think even a 12. And then
there's that outrageous Dodge V-10 engine strapped to a seat and two
closely-spaced pairs of wheels that some say passes for a motorcycle.

- Greg Reed

 

[Jim Stewart]

Or, of course, the Valkyrie...

And there have been exotic bikes with 8's and I think even a 12. And then
there's that outrageous Dodge V-10 engine strapped to a seat and two
closely-spaced pairs of wheels that some say passes for a motorcycle.

No mention of sick bikes can be complete without my
personal favorite, the Roadog...
<http://images.google.com/imgres?img...es?q=roadog&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&sa=G>

 

[Ignignokt]

No mention of sick bikes can be complete without my
personal favorite, the Roadog...

This bike was discussed on a History Channel show about motorcycles.
(Probably Modern Marvels -- I watch a lot of that.) IIRC, nobody since the
builder has been brave enough to actually ride it more than a couple of
feet -- sorta like that Dodge Vipercycle abomination I mentioned.

- Greg Reed

 

[BlueSTi]

It's a good bike, for sure. And when I was selling my K100 I took an
ST1100 for a test ride and gave it very serious consideration vs the
R1100RT. The price difference was something like $200, which was pretty
much irrelevent.

The day was overcast and slightly drizzly and the road was therefore
wet. Ideal conditions for testing a bike that you plan to ride every
day.

The ST1100 pumped water from the road directly onto my feet, soaking
them within 10 km.

I have never, ever, had a BMW do that to me. I bought the BMW. My feet
stay bone dry even in heavy rain.

-- Bruce

I can't argue with you there. The ST1100 will get your feet wet in a
down pour. But, the ST1300 will not. They make little food shields
for ST1100. But I wear riding boots and they shed water for a long
time. Here in Idaho it doesn't rain but about once a month. So, I
enjoy the cool air across my hot feet.

So how did you find an RT that was within $200 of an ST??? I looked
at an RT and it was at least $2000 more.

BlueSTi
"Scary-Fast"

 

[Bruce Hoult]

I can't argue with you there. The ST1100 will get your feet wet in a
down pour. But, the ST1300 will not.

Interesting to know, next time I'm in the market for a new bike,
probably sometime after 2010.

They make little food shields
for ST1100. But I wear riding boots and they shed water for a long
time. Here in Idaho it doesn't rain but about once a month. So, I
enjoy the cool air across my hot feet.

Here in NZ it rains a lot, winter and summer.

So how did you find an RT that was within $200 of an ST??? I looked
at an RT and it was at least $2000 more.

I don't know the current price difference. But that was the price
difference in NZ in spring 1995 when the first batch of R1100RTs arrived
from Germany.

-- Bruce