| Author |
Message |
    
Elsinore74
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 03:33 pm: | 
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Kathleen, you're absolutely right about the TU's throttle; it rewards smoothness. Compounding the issue are a first and second gear as low as many dirt bikes. After the well-worn range bike (Kawi 125) my wife rode in training, she was just happy to consistently find neutral on the TU. Range bikes have a different sort of breaking-in, compared to privately owned bikes, I'm sure.
The Blast's lower end is stout enough to handle at least 3X the HP/torque it produces stock, so durability shouldn't be an issue.
What happens to range bikes when it's time for replacement? |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 03:41 pm: |
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I'd say you are on to two very important things for getting her started:
- The Blast - really good starter bike.
- Advise from Kathy - one of the top instuctors
Make sure you've got her the proper gear, get her a decent bike, some good instuction and tell her to take her time.
Very cool !
Court |
Hex
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 03:45 pm: |
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I'd suggest learning to ride dirt first, shifting, breaking on slippery surfaces, and learning how to "lay 'er down". 2c |
12x9sl
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 04:01 pm: |
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Another vote for the Blast. Tip-overs are no big deal, I think the blinkers covers are like $2. Shanda put over 12,000 miles on her's in just over a year, pleasure riding and commuting into Milwaukee-best defensive driving school available. It is heavy for what it is, but, still very comfortable and not too intimidating for a first bike. |
Elsinore74
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 04:15 pm: |
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+1 Hex. I'd say the best of all worlds would be to learn to ride in the dirt (even better if you do it as a kid), then take the basic rider course when it's time to start riding on the street. The first street bike could then be much larger and not as likely to be grown out of.
Worked for me.
Unfortunately, for a lot of good reasons, most street riders today probably haven't had the pleasure of riding in the dirt. 
A fun way to add some dirt to the diet: http://www.cornerspin.com/main.html |
Babired
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 04:21 pm: |
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Elsinore74 the HD dealers usually put new plastics on the blasts and sell them with a full warranty, when they are training bikes they come to the dealers as un-titled bikes. I would think twice about getting a blast that was a training bike when I was teaching for Annapolis HD the mechanic used to come in and tell us to look for the students applying pressure to the gear shift peg with their foot, this wears the gears down and creates shifting problems. The symptom is you shift to first and start to move out then the bike seems to jerk again I think its the gear catching once you are moving. The shift peg itself is designed to adjust with a hex wrench but they came come loose also.The area the hex nut tightens against gets striped. If you are looking a a Blast training bike ride it first
The other training bikes usually go to a used bike dealer.
Thanks Court for the compliment I missed you all out there at Home coming one of these years..... K |
Rainman
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 04:25 pm: |
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One good thing about the Blast is that the friction zone grows to a normal level as the mileage increases. Big difference between my 11,000 Blast and the range bikes we teach on at RE (where I bought my Blast when it was cycled out)
As for life expectancy of a range bike, in Virginia we're still using bikes from 1995. They never sell them. Now that the Blast isn't being made anymore, it's unlikely that the RE programs will rotate them out. They'll just keep fixing and running them. |
Guell
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 04:56 pm: |
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I'd suggest learning to ride dirt first, shifting, breaking on slippery surfaces, and learning how to "lay 'er down". 2c
for once i agree with hex. Thats how i learned to ride, in the dirt. Then i jumped on my cyclone which felt big when i first rode it, but i was fine. |
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