Should people be forced to drive a VW bus for life if they ask what a "good starter bike" is?

Question

Am I the only one sick of watching this question come up 20 times a day only to get answered with "take an MSF class and get a Ninja 250?"

I should have said "Ford Pinto."

Answer 1

they're too retarded to use the search feature, and it seems that 9 out of 10 of them are squids in the making and should actually be coffin shopping instead. everytime some1 suggests something other than a dam rice rocket, they get thumbs down....especially those that actually know what they're talking about. they dont wanna hear about cruisers, just 1300+cc rice rockets that no rookie can safely handle. so with that, no longer will i respond to them. i figure they're gonna go jump on a 'bussa anyway, and darwin will take care of the rest in about 2-3 weeks later. if they're in that much of a hurry to die, i'm no longer gonna stop em.

Answer 2

No, the VW Bus (aka Transporter, later Vanagon) was a very versatile and fun vehicle. Especially the'79 Champagne Edition (with the Porsche engine). It's what we replaced the Pinto wagon with. Now that I remember how sick that "new car smell" (lasted 'til the day we got rid of it) made me feel, even that might be too much.

There are a lot of answers I agree with here. It may be bothersome to see the same thing over and over, but have you tried searching this thing? Not easy. As far as getting the same answer all the time, I sometimes see something different. I don't answer these myself, for good reason. My knowledge of the bikes available today is very limited. The ones I do know of, and learned on, are now antiques. Nobody would listen to a recommendation of a 26 year old bike. The best point I see above is that un-knowing people need help if they are to join us. Knowledge is power, and when you don't know where to find it, ask.

When I got my license, the class was not required. (still isn't)
Nobody helped me pick a bike, I took a pristine 15 year old one to learn on. Then I taught myself. Things may have been different if all this was available back then.

Answer 3

Not a bus. The bus has too many good uses, and lots of room. They should be made to operate an old VW "thing", the little jeep looking item from about 25 years ago. It rusted like mad, and had no "coolness" factor. and you can't put a bed in it, like you can with a bus. When I see the question what is a good starter bike, I usually answer with Schwinn now. (Or whatever bicycle name brand pops into my head.)

And yeah, it does get old. But if the person puts more than just "good bike" info in the question, like if they have other related experience, height, weight, age, health, etc., then I try to answer based on what I've been riding the past twenty years or so.

Ya' gotta take the good with the bad. It's what Yahoo! is all about. Ciao! Ride safe.

Answer 4

It depends on a lot of things. The first is who is paying for the car? If a kid wants a car bad enough to spend money they earned on it, then let them! yeah it might be a P.O.S. but they will treat it far better than ANYTHING you could buy them. They might get dirty, skin their knucles spend all their money on the car, and still end up with no wheels, but at least they wont be another jerk who's mommy and daddy pay for every thing for them. I feel that teens are safer in cars they are invested in, even if the car is not the safest car on the road. Face it, a new driver can make any vehicle unsafe. A brand new Volvo will get up to at least 110 MPH. a VW bus (of any of the rear engine ones) can only get up to 80mph (with the clutch in, going down a steep hill, with a strong wind at your back) The second main thing is how far it will be driven every day/week. If the teen needs to drive it more than about 15 miles a day, there are more chances for the car to break down plus the cost of gas will catch up with you before too long. The third thing is that seat belts weren't commonly in cars until the mid-sixty's. you can install aftermarket ones, but it is a pain. also, Cars of that age rust viciously. A Rusty car is a no good car. The point is, if you are a kid, Stand strong, do your homework, be proud and dont let your parents or anyone else give you some "safe and reliable" bullshit. do what you want. It will be worth it. the other point is, if you are a parent, Don't waste your money buying your kid a new car, they are just going to drive it around for the next 10,000 miles with no oil, hit a lamppost with it, and then whine because you won't pay to fix it. If your kid is going to do stupid stuff there is nothing you can do about it now.

Answer 5

Just like you don't like to read the question 20 times a day some people don't like to go through 20 questions with 5-20 answers to try and make a decision on what type of bike to get. This is an important decision to make and needs answered by riders that can steer them from making the wrong decisions. As for the suggesting a motorcycle safety coarse, this is the best suggestion of all, I never had to take it because I was riding back when a car license was all you needed. When the states started requiring motorcycle endorsements, I was grandfathered in. I feel the coarse should be mandatory for all riders. I took it last year for the first time and found it enjoyable and informative.

Answer 6

Everyone is entitiled -even though they do not seem to be able to read what has already been written on this matter for someone else- to be given the correct info to stay safe & stay upright, whilst riding.
I mean I get annoyed & start muttering at the screen,
"You don't have to be Einstein to go to your local licensing office to find out, or go around the bike shops asking the attendants the same question, that way not only do they get the correct info they also get to try the bike to see what fits." then I might answer.
Yes, my hubby rides (and has been riding for over 25years) but he waited until I suggested to go & see what bike fitted me at all the shops (to give me an idea as to what I could & couldn't ride safely). He told me it was good that I thought of & acted upon it, because it showed I could think independantly because riders have to do that occasionally whilst riding (glad to be able to keep the old boy happy in this).
Personally though, it would be nice for a few more details to be added, like what part of the earth they are currently living in because questions like that cannot be answered with
"a Kawasaki E600f"
or such because Australia has limits to what a learner can ride (bikes are restricted to a bike with a power to weight ratio of 150 kilowatts per tonne for learners and all the bikes allowed are on the LAMS site-even to the point that if a bike is registered you can find out if as a learner you can ride it or if it is out of the 150kw/tonne range) as well as a few other things (ie all the right gear, no pillions for 12 months, speed limited on L's to 80km/h and you hold it for 6 months then start all over again with a pre-learner course then L written test, P's (provisional)to90km/h (If you're over 30 this doesn't apply to you) are just to name a few, but we are allowed to (and encouraged to do night riding & ride alone).
But in doing research on the different licensing sites around the world, I have to say the NSW/Australian site is the most informative and easiest to navigate (the rest.....interesting to say the least)

Answer 7

A vw bus is way too cool a vehicle for the folks who ask this question without providing any information about how they intend to ride what style do they like stuff like that . An 85 grand touring Yugo with rusty fenders and a kraco am fm radio would be too cool for these kids

Answer 8

why would someone want a Ninja 250? Maybe to start a fire at the latest Sturgis Rally? Seriously, everyone starts somewhere. There is no perfect starter bike. Pick one that fits and ride the hell out of it

Answer 9

Well now that we've determined that "master of all" is a jackass, on to the question at hand. I hear what you are saying, but it is the newbies who need the most help. I realize that question is done to death and that people do not use the search feature. We all have our pet peeves about questions, mine is "what is the top speed of...". All you can do is not acknowledge the questions that bother you as hard as that may be.

Answer 10

Great question, is that search bar invisible? I suggest the Chrysler K car for them all. Maybe a Yugo.