# Puritan Biker?



## ReformedWretch (May 24, 2008)

With driving to work 30 miles each way, gas is killing me. 

Even though I've always liked cycles, I've never driven a Street bike in my life and as such need to start out with a "starter bike". As such, I've chosen either the Kawasaki Vulcan or, more likely the Honda Shadow. The Shadow is what I just applied for financing for. It's a Pearl White 750 (the Vulcan is only a 500).

Here it is-







I am fairly confident that I will be driving this thing around very soon getting 60-70 miles per gallon!


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## etexas (May 24, 2008)

Sweet! Easy Rider Adam!


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## Herald (May 24, 2008)

A rice grinder? Dude, why not a Harley?


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## ReformedWretch (May 24, 2008)

I LOVE Harley's, I've always wanted one, but they cost *DOUBLE* what the Vulcan and Shadow cost. I simply can't pay that much at this time. Maybe in a few years.


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## Herald (May 24, 2008)

Adam,

Have you considered...


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## etexas (May 24, 2008)

North Jersey Baptist said:


> Adam,
> 
> Have you considered...


I dig it!


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## staythecourse (May 24, 2008)

I know you don't want to hear this but my brother specifically said stay away from Shadows. He did like the Vulcan. (I've been thinking about bikes myself)


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## staythecourse (May 24, 2008)

Cycle sales are rising for obvious reasons


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## ReformedWretch (May 24, 2008)

staythecourse said:


> I know you don't want to hear this but my brother specifically said stay away from Shadows. He did like the Vulcan. (I've been thinking about bikes myself)



What are his reasons? My brother is a major motorcycle enthusiast and he says the Shadow is much, much better than the Vulcan.


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## staythecourse (May 24, 2008)

These folks had nothing but good to say about it


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## staythecourse (May 24, 2008)

I knew you'd ask...It was too long ago for me to remember. He may have had old info based on when it was replacing the Rebel.


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## ReformedWretch (May 24, 2008)

Yea, apparently it has a good rep now. I'll be replacing the pipes on it. I would love to have it customized to look like this-


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## Presbyterian Deacon (May 24, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> I LOVE Harley's, I've always wanted one, but they cost *DOUBLE* what the Vulcan and Shadow cost. I simply can't pay that much at this time. Maybe in a few years.





If money's the issue, just remember....










"Everything is in walking distance, if you have the time." -- Steven Wright


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## staythecourse (May 24, 2008)

Hey Adam,

FYI. I did the math for a bike.

Let's say $4000 for a bike

That's a 1000 gallons of gas or (25 mpg average) 25,000 miles in your car roughly.

That's a lotta biking to break even (not including gear, insurance, and hospital bills)


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## Ivan (May 24, 2008)

staythecourse said:


> Hey Adam,
> 
> FYI. I did the math for a bike.
> 
> ...



That's right.


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## etexas (May 24, 2008)

Adam, any chance you might regrow your "famous" Mullet now? Think about that "flowing" behind you as you cruise around on your "Bike"!


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## Galatians220 (May 24, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> Here it is-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
That is *one breathtakingly beautiful* piece of machinery. I am not just saying that; I mean it in the purely aesthetic sense.

Hope your plans for getting it go smoothly, and you're sitting atop it soon!

Margaret


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## ReformedWretch (May 25, 2008)

70 miles to work daily= 350 miles per week

25 miles per gallon in a car I can only use Super unleaded in (Chrysler Crossfire) at 4.25/gallon (and still rising) = $55.25/week (13 gallons per week) or $221/month (25 MPG)

70 miles per gallon on a bike I can use regular unleaded in a 3.90/gallon (and still rising) =19.50/week (5 gallons per week) or 97.50/month

I save 123/month, which pays off a 5 thousand dollar bike in a little over three years. However, I am putting 2 thousand down which means the remaining balance of 3 thousand will be paid off in gas savings in a little less than two years. Insurance for me on this bile is less than $50 a month, and I am not going to speed like an idiot on it as I know and understand how dangerous it is for cycles on the road these days.


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## DMcFadden (May 25, 2008)

North Jersey Baptist said:


> Adam,
> 
> Have you considered...



Hey, you making fun of my older daughter's neigbors? Whenever we travel to Fort Wayne to visit her and her husband, we have to be careful not to hit the Amish buggies. The Amish even fabricated a small cart to be led by a miniature horse carrying the ring bearer and flower girl down the aisle at her wedding 18 months ago (true story!).

I think that Adam would look "quaint" driving his buggie to work. Instead of the mullet, he could grow an Amish beard. Isn't PA Amish country along with northern Indiana and parts of Ohio?


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## ReformedWretch (May 25, 2008)

PLENTY of Amish around here!


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## Herald (May 25, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> 70 miles to work daily= 350 miles per week
> 
> 25 miles per gallon in a car I can only use Super unleaded in (Chrysler Crossfire) at 4.25/gallon (and still rising) = $55.25/week (13 gallons per week) or $221/month (25 MPG)
> 
> ...



Remember that your bike driving will be seasonal. The novelty will wear off in the dead of winter.


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## ReformedWretch (May 25, 2008)

Ok, so that's what...November, December, January, and February? Maybe some of March....

By then I hope to have a new, fuel efficient car as well and to be making more at work.


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## ReformedWretch (Jun 2, 2008)

I stepped down a little as a first time biker and was just approved for the very highly reviewed Vulcan 500. I should have it within a few days.

BIG picture

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2008models/2008-Kawasaki-Vulcan500LTDc.jpg


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## MrMerlin777 (Jun 2, 2008)

North Jersey Baptist said:


> Adam,
> 
> Have you considered...



I wonder how many mpb (miles per bail) that thing gets?


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## LadyFlynt (Jun 3, 2008)

Alot more than a normal person would guess  but if you want to go to the shore, then hire a van


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## ReformedWretch (Jun 3, 2008)

Well, Harley Davidson just approved me so the Vulcan may go to my wife! I am on my way to the Harley Shop!


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jun 3, 2008)

Congrats!!!


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## Stephen (Jun 3, 2008)

MrMerlin777 said:


> North Jersey Baptist said:
> 
> 
> > Adam,
> ...




I think this is the best solution to the present crisis. I wonder if we could consider planting reformed churches within Amish like communities. It would certainly be less expensive


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## MOSES (Jun 3, 2008)

How do you post pics?


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## Mushroom (Jun 3, 2008)

North Jersey Baptist said:


> A rice grinder? Dude, why not a Harley?



Because he'd rather get to work rather than stand on the roadside trying to figure out why his bike won't run. And I ain't jokin'. Harley's are garbage wrapped in pretty paper marketed to wannabe baby boomers trying to recapture their childhood, definitely not made for serious two-wheeled commuting. Been that way since the AMF apostasy.


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## LadyFlynt (Jun 3, 2008)

Stephen said:


> MrMerlin777 said:
> 
> 
> > North Jersey Baptist said:
> ...



No it wouldn't. Buy the buggy, buy the horse, pay for food/medicine/care of horse or horses...about the same as a car. Also, where amish and mennonites live or move to, land prices shoot up...dramatically.


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## Mushroom (Jun 3, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> Well, Harley Davidson just approved me so the Vulcan may go to my wife! I am on my way to the Harley Shop!


Adam, I'm sorry, but that makes you sound like a bike salesman's dream. Instead of deciding based on who'll appove you for the "momfly", why not try to see what you can buy straight out? I bought a 1982 Suzuki GS550L with only 3400 miles on it, garage kept, for $800 last year. I would bet that it runs as well and is cheaper to maintain than anything you could buy new, and I ain't got no "momfly". Insurance is $75/year.

If you want to impress the friends and neighbors, get the Harley, but be prepared to endure endless breakdowns and expensive repairs. If you want to have a good, reliable commuter bike, get just about anything else. Harleys are garbage. You could possibly get a pre-AMF model, but it'll have been rode hard and cost a mint to repair. Get a rice-burner. The Japanese still care about quality, unlike us Americans. We're happy to just look good and get envious looks from the unsuspecting neighbors.


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## tcalbrecht (Jun 3, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> Well, Harley Davidson just approved me so the Vulcan may go to my wife! I am on my way to the Harley Shop!



If you're looking for gas mileage, stay away from Harley (unless it's the 883 Sportster).

I have a Shadow 750 that gets around 50-55 MPG. That's about average for a bike in the 600-800cc range. By comparison, by GL1800 gets between 38-40 MPG. Not bad for the added comfort.

Don't expect 70 MPG unless it a moped.


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## staythecourse (Jun 3, 2008)

STOPPPPPP! You got the bike bug! Whoa, Adam! Rational buying has gone out the window!!!! Your reasoning has gone from saving money on gas for communting to buying two bikes which will take you years to make up the cost!!!


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## matt01 (Jun 3, 2008)

> Well, Harley Davidson just approved me so the Vulcan may go to my wife! I am on my way to the Harley Shop!





staythecourse said:


> STOPPPPPP! You got the bike bug! Whoa, Adam! Rational buying has gone out the window!!!! Your reasoning has gone from saving money on gas for communting to buying two bikes which will take you years to make up the cost!!!



Wise words. Sounds like a total waste of money. Suck up the increase in gas costs, and avoid all of the purchases. You aren't going to end up on top of this deal.


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## Mushroom (Jun 3, 2008)

sans nom said:


> > Well, Harley Davidson just approved me so the Vulcan may go to my wife! I am on my way to the Harley Shop!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yep. Especially if you're buying from a dealership. Best way to do that is with cash in hand and a predetermined amount you're willing to pay, and even that scares me too much anymore. If you have to buy, buy used, and not from a dealer.

Another issue is that you should be pretty mechanical, because any bike is far more temperamental than a car.

And then of course is the danger. Car drivers are amazingly blind to bikes. You've heard that before, but until you start riding regularly, it seems like hyperbole. It is not. Ask Garry Knaebel, Teaching Elder at Grace Reformed Fellowship (PCA) in Hagerstown MD about how one idiot can mess up your whole day on a bike, especially if you're an older newbie. He was laid up for quite awhile.


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## LadyFlynt (Jun 3, 2008)

You know, Tom, when I first saw the title "Puritan Biker", I thought of you


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## tcalbrecht (Jun 3, 2008)

Brad said:


> And then of course is the danger. Car drivers are amazingly blind to bikes. You've heard that before, but until you start riding regularly, it seems like hyperbole. It is not. Ask *Garry Knaebel*, Teaching Elder at Grace Reformed Fellowship (PCA) in Hagerstown MD about how one idiot can mess up your whole day on a bike, especially if you're an older newbie. He was laid up for quite awhile.



Blast from the past. I know Garry from many years ago when he was at Westminster and a member of the former Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Malvern, PA. My family was also at Immanuel at the same time. If you see him tell him I said "hello". What happened to him on a motorcycle?

My wife and I were on a stretch of expressway heading into Philly this past weekend. We were stopped in traffic at an exit when suddenly I felt the bike being pushed forward. The driver in the car behind us had just drifted into our GoldWing. I managed to keep it upright. The driver backed up and I got off to check the damage. A piece of molding from the Wing was on the ground, and there were a few minor scratches here and there. No broken lens or anything. The car suffered the majority of the damage. There was a perfect imprint of my saddlebag in the right bumper cover the brand new Dodge. 

I usually keep a sharp eye on my rear view mirror, but my attention was directed ahead at the time. I knew the car was there, but last time I checked it was at a good distance. Things can change suddenly.


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## tcalbrecht (Jun 3, 2008)

LadyFlynt said:


> You know, Tom, when I first saw the title "Puritan Biker", I thought of you



I had thought about starting a fellowship of Reformed Bikers, but that sounds too much like you gave up on motorcycling.


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## ReformedWretch (Jun 3, 2008)

Got the Harley!


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## ReformedWretch (Jun 5, 2008)

Sorry, still excited!


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## Mushroom (Jun 5, 2008)

The bike bug hath bit! All reason hath flown out the window!

Enjoy, brother, but carry a good tool kit.... it's a Harley after all.


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## matt01 (Jun 5, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> Sorry, still excited!



Are you still thinking that you will save money?


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## ReformedWretch (Jun 5, 2008)

In gas I will save money, yes.


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## matt01 (Jun 5, 2008)

PuritanBouncer said:


> In gas I will save money, yes.




 In total you will be paying an arm and a leg. At least you got a couple of glamour shots. Try this one next time the gas price jumps, not only will you save money, but you will arrive in style.


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## ReformedWretch (Jun 6, 2008)

Yea, 35 miles one way to work!


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