/dbt/ - Daily Bike Thread FAQ

Subjective FAQ, from NJ NC700X Anon, last updated 29th of October, 2019:

First, some /dbt/ terminology:
>What is a liter peter?
A bike with a displacement of greater than 1000CC
>What is SEM?
Southern Euro Meetup, or maybe super european meetup, or something along those lines.
I wouldn't really know, I'm a straight American, but if you're a Euro ask about their gay discord in the thread.
>What is SAM?
Never gonna happen.
>What is a leather daddy?
It's how you call cruiser riders faggots. A similar term for sport bike riders is boy racer.
>What is gutless?
Gutless means the bike is slow. Really, even 250cc bikes are fast compared to most cars, but gutless bikes just don't have that oomph of acceleration. A similar concept is pigfat, used particularly when the bike is physically heavy and hard to maneuver.
>What about "other word"
This is a work in progress, I'm keeping my eyes open in the thread for frequently asked questions. Crazy how that works.

>I want *extremely fast bike* as my first. Will I die?
Sitting on the bike won't kill you, but your first major mistake might. There are plenty of bikes that can send down the road at 100mph with just a little whisky throttle, and that's a great way to hurt yourself. Not only that, but it's sort of a self fulfilling prophecy. If you start big and don't get hurt right away, you get cocky, and getting cocky on a big bike leads to you high siding off a cliff. And if you do get hurt right away, and don't die, a lot of people will put the bike away for good.
Remember, if you're coming from the world of stock shitboxes, every bike is quick. My NC700X has a well known reputation for being slow and smooth to the point of boredom, but it will still do 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, according to Cycleworld.
See below for recommendations of starter bikes.

>Should I buy *extremely old project* as my first bike?
Only if you wanna learn to wrench, not learn to ride. It's hard enough getting down throttle control, clutch control, countersteering, and the major points of motorcycle riding without needing to diagnose problems you've never had to deal with before. Doing this is another thing that stops people from falling in love with riding, because it spends more days on a stand than on the road. Aim for a bike from this millennia, preferably one ten years or younger, although good fifteen year old examples abound. I highly, highly recommend buying a bike with EFI if you're buying used. Pulling a carb out of a bike could be a really son of a bitch, especially if it's Japanese, and syncing carbs if you have a multiple cylinder bike isn't easy. See below for recommendations of starter bikes.

>Can I start on bigger bikes, or is a beginner bike needed?
Know yourself. If you're risk averse and responsible, you can probably handle starting on a big bike, though there are more dangers, listed above. But if you know you're responsible enough to start on a 750cc motorcycle instead of a 300cc motorcycle, you'll probably be smart enough to realize you should still start on the 300cc motorcycle. Personally, I recommend starting under 50hp, and you should be okay. The difference isn't only in speed, but also in weight. It's easier to ride a lighter motorcycle, and displacement and weight go hand in hand - as do displacement and power, unless you're buying a Harley, hence the 50hp recommendation. See below for recommendations of starter bikes.

>What gear do I need?
A helmet always, preferably full face. Otherwise you lose your nose and break your chin in a crash. Almost everywhere in the first world helmets are mandated by law, even in much of the United States. Good ideas include gloves, riding pants, riding boots, and a jacket. Leather is usually best, for everything, but modern textiles offer perfectly adequate protection on the street. However, if you're going to take your bike to the track, get a full leather suit, gauntlet style gloves, and leather boots. If you're somewhere extremely hot, there are also good mesh options that, while not quite as protective, provide great airflow. Remember program compliance is important. Sure, the sexy jacket might not be safer, but you'll be more inclined to wear it.
Personally, I've become a big proponent of airbag vests, which are expensive, but provide great protection for your organs and, importantly, support your neck in the event of a crash.

>What brands of helmet should I buy?
For helmets, the big names include Shoei, Arai, AGV, Shuberth, and Bell. Always check the sharp rating, if it's Snell and ECE rated (DOT rating is a joke), and the reviews. Safety is more important than comfort, and there are budget lids from the likes of HJC and Icon etc that are safe as rated by Sharp, and have Snell and ECE certifications.
There are other brands, but I would stay away from no names like Biltwell, Speed and Strength, and their ilk.

>What brands of gear are good?
Gear queering isn't that important in motorcycling, in my opinion. Look for good, thick leather, and read crash reviews. There's a good presentation from FortNine on choosing good gear that I can't be assed to link, but you can look it up yourself.

>How do I learn to ride?
Go to your country's equivalent of the MSF, and take the course. As long as you can ride a bicycle, you'll come out of the course knowing how to ride a motorcycle. "How to ride a motorcycle" here is a relative term. In the USA, the MSF says that at the end of the class "you have the ability to safely learn how to operate a motorcycle." In this anon's opinion, it takes many years to learn how to ride properly, though like anything else you'll be better than 90% of shitters with only a year or so of dedicated practice. I recommend doing MSF as early in the year as it's offered, so you have an entire first season to hone your skills before the bike inevitably goes away for the winter. Usually you'll take the course on some kind of small cruiser or standard motorcycle, both of which are excellent beginner's choices.
I also recommend watching or reading "Twist of the Wrist Vol II", which is linked in the OP, usually.

>Why does /DBT/ always make fun of Suzuki/Harley/KTM/...
It comes in cycles. As of writing, Suzuki is the flavor of the month to hate, and Indian is the darling child of /dbt/. Come back next year and we'll hate Indian and sing the praises of BMW. It's just the way it is.

>Who are the good YouTubers to watch for motorcycle content?
Most of them are pretty bad, imo, but there are a few redeemable ones. I'll try to stick with what seems to be /dbt/ consensus here instead of my opinion. In no particular order, 44 teeth, FortNine, RevZilla TV, CycleWorld, Motorcylist Magazine, Motorcycle.com, and MotoJitsu get talked about somewhat.
As for the editorializing, I like watching the Bike Show, MotoTrek, HeroRR, CycleCruza, the Missenden Flyer, and Chase on Two Wheels. I have friends who like Jake the Garden Snake, MotoBob, and Bikes and Beards.
Please don't give Yammie Noob views, he disgraces our community.

Now for the first bike recommendations:
Try to keep it to a bike made in the last ten years, with EFI, if at all possible. If you have someone who knows their shit and can come with you, or you can bring it to a mechanic pre sale, going as old as 15 years can be perfectly fine, but personally I don't recommend it. Try not to spend too much money either, you'll probably drop it, and many people trade away their first bikes within a year. If you're wondering about a particular bike and it's not listed, I didn't think of it, sue me. Ask people in the thread.
I'm from the states so it's missing bikes that are only available if you give up your gun rights.

>What are bikes from *brand* like?
Just don't buy literal chineseium and you'll be okay if you stick to the parameters above. Brand whoring isn't cool unless it's for Honda.

>I'm 6'6"/3'5" and 100/600lbs will XYZ bike fit me??
Please shut the fuck up about this, almost every bike fits almost everyone unless you're a midget who wants to ride a GS, or an NBA player on a grom. Sometimes you can only put one foot down, and that's okay, don't get obsessed with flat footing. Check out cycle-ergo, which is usually linked in the OP, for comparative purposes only. Maybe you'll be slightly more, or slightly less comfortable, but it really is not a huge difference.

>I want to ride a cruiser
HD Iron 883 or 1200, Indian Scout 60, Yamaha Bolt, Honda Shadow or Rebel 500, Kawasaki Vulcan.

>I want to ride a naked bike
For me, I think most of these are a little quick for beginners, but people recommend them all the time so, whatever.
Suzuki SV650, Yamaha MT07 (in the states, formerly FZ07), Kawasaki Z650, Honda CB500R, KTM Duke 390

>I want to ride a sport bike
KTM RC390, Honda CBR500R, Kawasaki Ninja 400, Yamaha R3, don't bother with Suzuki in this class.

>I want to ride an ADV bike/big touring bike
I advise against it as your first bike. Learn to ride first, and then do personalized research.
If I had to recommend something, for the former it would be Kawasaki KLR650 and Suzuki DR650.
For the latter, I don't know. Those two with a windshield maybe. They're not really beginner categories.

>I want to ride a scooter
If there was a vote, /dbt/ would say scooters aren't bikes, so I abstain. Ask for scootyboi in the thread if you really want a recommendation.

>I just need to commute in an urban environment
Honda supercub/grom, Kawasaki Z125, Suzuki TU250X. New Yamaha MT03 will go here as well.
I might be so bold as to recommend the Royal Enfield Himalayan here as well.