Comments on: Motorcycle message boards?

Question: Motorcycle message boards?

The Dutchman — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:05:02 -0800

What are the best motorcycle forums? Too many hits from a Google search, so I'd love some specific recommendations. Looking for active members, friendly to relative newby questions. General is good, but some specifics about me: In the Northeast US, recreational rider (not racing), grown-up, older "standard" bike, very interested in riding safely with proper gear. Thanks!

By: wrok

wrok — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:08:29 -0800

Not a motorcycle person myself, but SomethingAwful often has surprisingly good communities for grown-up hobbies. Check out Cycle Asylum.

By: Forktine

Forktine — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:40:57 -0800

ADVrider.com is theoretically focused on "adventure" riding, but is really about pretty much anything with two wheels, or two wheels and a sidecar, or...

By: Superplin

Superplin — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:48:57 -0800

It has a slight California slant, but as a non-Californian, I've always really appreciated the Pashnit forum. Great photos and videos, and some excellent threads on riding tips and safety.

By: PhoBWanKenobi

PhoBWanKenobi — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:52:43 -0800

My husband, who rides a Suzuki TU250 and is all about ATGATT, likes /r/motorcycles on reddit best.

By: merocet

merocet — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:21:07 -0800

Another motorbiking travel forum/blog is horizonsunlimited.com

Here's a friend of mine's blog on there about cross continent trips he did in Africa and America.

By: scratch

scratch — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 16:03:57 -0800

Try Sport-touring.net. I would say the emphasis there is definitely toward touring rather than sport, and your standard bike (hey, whatcha got?) should fit in nicely. I personally find ADVrider too concerned with one-upmanship in terms of who's done the most strenuous/outrageous/technically demanding/expensive trip. YM (heh) MV.

By: MillMan

MillMan — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:28:37 -0800

I like advrider myself. Also google the model of your bike with the word "forum" and you'll probably find a site specific to your bike or at least family of bikes.

By: swngnmonk

swngnmonk — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:39:57 -0800

ADVrider.

By: ArgentCorvid

ArgentCorvid — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 07:10:38 -0800

ADVrider has so much crammed in one spot.

From pictorial ride reports across Siberia, to restoration of old bikes, to never-ending debates on what bike is better, to rundowns on what is happening in your local region, you'll definitely want to put it in your rotation.

By: The Dutchman

The Dutchman — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:13:19 -0800

All good answers - thanks a lot. Scratch: Nothing yet! I had a Honda Hawk years ago, but I'm looking to get back into riding. Focusing my search on Late 70's - early 80's Japanese bikes between 500-750 cc, and hoping to find something for less than $1500 that's still reasonably reliable. Still figuring out if that's realistic or not.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:20:37 -0800

I have a '78 Honda CB550 Four in pretty danged good shape that I'm looking to sell because it takes too much fiddling. The charging system sucks, which is typical for that model, so I have to kick start it or charge the battery every 8-15 starts. There is rust in the gas tank (which I could fix, but is also endemic in bikes of that era), so I have to clean 4 carbs every week or so. I love it, it is fun to ride, but I wouldn't call it reliable.

I love that era of bikes, but owning one turned out to not be as much fun as I'd hoped. Then again, my motorcycle is my only non-public form of transportation, so my definition of "reasonably reliable" may be stricter than yours.

By: The Dutchman

The Dutchman — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:32:18 -0800

Yeah, after much research I've changed my mind. Now looking for the newest cruiser I can afford - both for reliability and so I can get my feet flat on the ground. Still 500-750cc.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:48:49 -0800

My everyday bike these days is a Yamaha V Star, the 650 model. If they've been ridden and decently maintained (true of any used bike), they are pretty bullet proof. It is heavy, but several of my buddies started with them out of MSF school and were happy for a couple years (they've moved on to Harleys). In this area, at least, prices seem pretty good.

By: The Dutchman

The Dutchman — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:50:01 -0800

Thanks - I'll add that to my list. I've mainly been keeping my eye out for a Vulcan 500.