quote:

I got rid of the bike a few months ago, made the wife too nervous with me riding in Houston traffic.
Now I have a replica Lotus 7 project in the garage , about as close to a motorcycle on 4 wheels as you can get.

Until you take her for a ride in it and she sees how low and exposed it is to all those giant 4x4 lifted pickups in Houston LOL

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

I got rid of the bike a few months ago, made the wife too nervous with me riding in Houston traffic.
Now I have a replica Lotus 7 project in the garage , about as close to a motorcycle on 4 wheels as you can get.

Until you take her for a ride in it and she sees how low and exposed it is to all those giant 4x4 lifted pickups in Houston LOL

She's just as stoked to drive the thing as I am.
It'll just brap it's way through traffic, just about low enough to just drive under the brodozers.

Bikes have changed a lot in 25 years. Yamaha makes great bikes. I have an R1, with all the bells and whistles. Liter bikes have much more torque now. As someone suggested- the mt7 be the bike to reenter the asphalt jungle.

I bought my first bike in 2019 after taking the MSF course.

Another option I didn't know about at the time is the person to person motorcycle rental sites Twisted Road and Riders Share. After the MSF class, good chance the OP could rent a MT-07 for a weekend, a MT-09 for another weekend, and maybe a competitor (e.g. Ducati Monster) before buying.

I got back riding about 10 years ago after not riding for a little over 10 years. A lot changed since you stopped riding, keep your head on a swivel as too many people drive buried in their phones. When I came back to rigding I came back into a Ducati Monster after last riding an Yamaha R6. I too had a lot of growing up between these two bikes. Enjoy the new ride and stay safe.

If i were in the market for a naked bike, the Monster would be on the list, just budget for the $$$ (so I've heard/read) desmo service.

Aprilia RS660/Tuono 660 & Triumph Trident would be contenders too, but both are brand new, with I'm sure some kinks to work out.

Life is short. Get the bike. I'm a returning rider myself.

Fun bike. Rode it at the Demo Days recently.

I say, go for it. I rode a scooter my grandfather cobbled together from an old Cushman frame at the age of 12 or so. Moved to a small Honda around 15.

Moved on to cars and stopped riding until my early 40s. Then rode continuously until about 3 years ago and stopped at about 69 as my balance was getting a little iffy.

I also took the MSF course when I started riding as an adult and learned a lot of helpful hints.

Have fun, be careful!

I too hadn't ridden in awhile. A few years ago we got a Kawasaki 230 and been riding it on and off road a good bit. My birth day earlier this month I bought a 2015 FJ09 with 1800 miles on it. We had it totally gone through on fluids and equipment It is awesome! I love to just enjoy riding the back roads around 50-60 mph on it. But boy with a twist this baby takes off! The inline 3 is a beautiful sounding motor.

My second bike was a Yamaha 650cc twin. Like a Triumph but with better electrics (in 1981). I traded it in on a 1000cc Harley Sportster in 1984.

flashguy