New Motorcycle, and wife's a keeper (still)

By Routerbad
in The Neobahn

 Share

Recommended Posts

Experienced

Routerbad

Posted
Posted

So since moving to California I've been thinking about getting a motorcycle. I live in Oceanside and commute ~50mi every day to San Diego. Because the weather here is practically always perfect and California law allows lane filtering a bike sounded like a good idea. I just had to get my wife on board.

I told her I was going to go to sign up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic RiderCourse and once she figured I was interested she suggested going to a local motorcycle dealership to take a look and see what type of bike I would be interested in.

We went to the dealership (North County House of Motorcycles) and looked around for a while. I was interested in the Ninja250 and the Ninja650. We talked with a salesman (told him we were just putting out feelers) and he showed me some of the 250s he thought I'd be interested in. I sat on a few, and my wife sat behind me on a few, and she liked the Ninja 650 and the CBR600F4i.

We went home and I did some research and came to the conclusion that I would like either one of those bikes, so we went back two days later and talked with a salesman about the 650. They wanted 10,500 out the door, a little out of our price range (we both would need gear, too) so I started taking a closer look at the F4i. I loved the ergonomics, the throttle was smooth and not as jumpy as the more powerful superbikes, and my wife thought it had the most comfortable seat (passenger) out of all the bikes we looked at, save the Ninja 650.

I decided I'd see what I could get it at and started dealing, this is where my wife took over. She went insane, and she negotiation for five hours before we all decided on a deal. Now, my wife and I had talked previously about how we would pay for this and what the budget would be, etc. We decided that I would sell my car and use the money from that, and cover the rest from my savings account. I was starting to talk to the dealer about payment, and she dropped her debit card and payed in full. She covered the bike, TTL, and gear for both of us. A year ago she made it clear she never wanted me to own a motorcycle.

I think this is one of those times you have to remind yourself that you've found a keeper.

TL;DR:

Wanted a motorcycle, started looking, wife suprised me and decided to pay for it, and gear, in full. Reaffirm my belief that she's a keeper.

post-163851-0-58393700-1348245374.jpg

Experienced

Routerbad

Posted
  • Author
Posted

my girlfriend just gets angry when i talk about getting a bike... she doesn't want me hurting myself :(

My wife used to be like that. To the point where I had given up on even thinking about it. She was actually the first person to mention it when she got stationed in Cali.

The most important thing to her was to know that I was willing to take any precaution, including wearing ATGATT (all the gear, all the time) and getting formal training (Basic RiderCourse is just the first step) to make me a better rider and to prepare myself for what could happen. She was relieved when I came back from the course and hadn't injured myself. I am still learning, and taking progressively longer rides so I can learn proper throttle control and balance, and commit them to muscle memory. You won't be able to convince anyone that it's safe, so don't try, but if it's something you really want hopefully your girlfriend comes around. Plus, she doesn't realize it but once you're ready for it, she'll enjoy being on it just as much as you.

totally a keeper.

ride safe - the F4i is a very capable bike - not something you'd tire of. (I ride a ZZR-600, the Kawasaki equivalent of the in-line 4)

I'm enjoying it so far. I know it's usually a no no to get a 600 as a first bike, but I didn't want to trade it in 6 months from now, and I understood (I have a tuner car that I drag race a lot) that that throttle control would be even more important. Though it doesn't have the bite that the RR's do.

Mentor

Colin McGregor

Posted
Posted

This probably sounds like a stupid question but are those comfortable? Im just starting and got my M1 (beginners) 2 weeks ago. Im riding a honda shadow 750cc and its a full situp bike. The lean forward "Crotch rocket" type seem like they would be awkward. Maybe im wrong, thats why im asking.

Grand Master

mattmatik

Posted
Posted

Congrats! My wife has said from day 1 since we dated that if I ever got a bike she would be gone. Now that I have a kid with another in the plans, I've relaxed on the idea. Still, wish I would have got one when I was younger. Enjoy riding that thing around Diego, too. Beautiful place for a bike ;)

Experienced

Routerbad

Posted
  • Author
Posted

This probably sounds like a stupid question but are those comfortable? Im just starting and got my M1 (beginners) 2 weeks ago. Im riding a honda shadow 750cc and its a full situp bike. The lean forward "Crotch rocket" type seem like they would be awkward. Maybe im wrong, thats why im asking.

It is actually quite comfortable. The F4i doesn't lean as far forward as the CBRXXX-RR superbikes. It's more of an upright riding position, and it's quite natural. Banana seats are more comfortable as well.

Congrats on a bike! Drive safe with it!

If you are married, why dont you have common "fund" for family needs? :D

We decided long ago that we would keep our finances separate. We do have a central fund for bills but we have separate savings accounts that allow us to save at our own pace (she is a more agressive saver than I), it gives us the opportunity to do special things for each other or ourselves. Think of it as a way to be separate individuals even though most of our life is combined.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By Steven P. · Posted

    • Celebrating Windows XP's 25th anniversary this year

      By carols23 · Posted

      If I could, I would commemorate it the best way possible: Replacing old machines that are still running Windows XP with something more modern, stable and better.     Noone and nothing should be running Windows XP in 2026.
    • Google's new hand-wave reCAPTCHA can be bypassed with a stock photo

      By Ivan Jenic · Posted

      Google's new hand-wave reCAPTCHA can be bypassed with a stock photo by Ivan Jenic Image: Screenshot Google is testing a new reCAPTCHA method that asks you to wave at your camera to prove you're human. So, besides solving puzzles and reading distorted text, you can now use your computer’s camera to pass the verification test. When the hand gesture verification is triggered, your browser asks for camera access and prompts you to perform a simple gesture, like a wave or an open palm. Google says it records a short video of the movement and uses AI to extract 21 hand-knuckle coordinates to complete the verification process. The video is then immediately deleted, and Google swears it doesn't keep it. The process alone can be uncomfortable for people who wouldn’t want their biometric data, which hand scans technically qualify as, recorded. But it gets even more nuanced, as early testers discovered that the new hand-waving reCAPTCHA can be passed with a simple stock image. A user on X tested the new challenge using a stock image of a hand fed through OBS Virtual Camera, and it passed. I wanted to verify it, so I tried the same thing. It took me a few tries and a few stock images, but in the end, I was also able to pass the test. I simply had to readjust the stock image of a generic person waving inside OBS, and Google’s mechanism registered it as a legitimate hand gesture. Once again, it didn’t even have to be a video or an AI-generated hand animation. Given the simplicity of the process, the entire action can be automated in minutes. All it takes is a simple Python script to render the new reCAPTCHA method obsolete. And it doesn’t even have to be an AI bot, which is usually used for solving puzzles and other verification methods. The new reCAPTCHA method is still in its early phase, and Google will, hopefully, update its AI to at least reject still images. However, this incident, combined with users’ initial skepticism about Google’s practices regarding user data, likely won’t make too many people wave at the camera anytime soon.
    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By monterxz · Posted

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 "to fund healthcare and tuition" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Who do you think you are talking about, some COMMUNIST? We are better than them, doG bless Murica!!! p.s. I'm from a country where government does exactly that, i.e. not form US.
    • Microsoft Edge gets tons of security features, including AI model that can see your screen

      By ad47uk · Posted

      Apparently not. I know it is on Edge for business at the moment, but how long will it be before it become on the home version of Edge?

  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      carols23 earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      Tom Willson earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Apprentice
      Asgardi went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • One Month Later
      sunrisea2milk earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      sunrisea2milk earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      497
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      256
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      155
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      89
    5. 5
      macoman
      66
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!