Thoughts of motorcycle riding in New York.

[xXPHILXx54]

Im thinking about buying a motorcycle and Im curious on your thoughts about my riding area. I live on Long Island, NY . Not to much traffic. I heard up state NY and New Jersey have great rides. Not to sure about the riding on Long Island though.... Your thoughts?

[Knock Sensor]

Any riding experience? What kind of bike are you thinking?


You know your area better than I do, but you say Long Island and I think traffic, lots of it. Not to mention one of the biggest metropolises is right next door.

Upstate NY is beautiful.

[VDubGolf9486]

Upstate is awesome - plenty of twisties and nice country roads.
NYC however, and LI, can be a pain to ride in. I rode through Manhattan for fun a few weeks ago.

Needless to say, you'll get somewhere quicker by bike in NYC than any other way of transportation.

[xXPHILXx54]

Probably going to look into a Standard/Naked bike. No riding experience so far but i plan on taking the MSF course so they will teach me the ropes. I also plan on spending big bucks on safety gear. (Helmet, Jacket, Armor, etc.)

The traffic on LI is mostly in Nassau County because once you start heading into Suffolk things start to lighten up. Surprisingly I see a good amount of motorcycles here. Anything from cruisers to sports bikes. I even saw a BMW dual sport yesterday.

I think it would be an interesting experience to ride on Long Island. Not the best spot but its better than nothing. I can even ride along a ocean if i want to, and from what i see the motorcycle community here is decently large. Can't really go out on a warm day without seeing at least one motorcycle.

[DougG60]

would spend a while riding out on the island heading east till you get some miles and experience. something to be said for having a lot of miles on 2 wheels. you get a sense of when cagers are going to do something stupid and where to to be riding in the lanes to keep out of blind spots.

[xXPHILXx54]

Yea that is probably what I'll end up doing.

[PlatinumGLS]

I have nothing to add other than there was a recent episode of Louie where he decides to buy a bike (a "modern classic" Triumph) and ride it in NYC. Hilarity ensues.

[rambag3]

So, I'm here on LI, SW Nassau to be a little more specific. The city is a bish to ride in, not impossible but I would circumnavigate it if at all possible until you are completely comfortable with emergency braking and quick lane changes as well as always having a few ways out of the lane you're in before you attempt the city. Also if you use a gps in the city, wait until you are comfortable using it sparingly. Also something I learned, not all parking garages take motorcycles and I haven't a clue what the parking policy is on the streets as I have basically seen it all.
Last, watch out for potholes especially after winter is over, I have hit some in my car that if I hit with my bike would be the end of my bike, and maybe my ability to ride ever again
Other than all that, enjoy and let us know how the bike getting goes.

[torxim]

Sounds like you have the right approach getting into motorcycling. Take MSF course, spend time really learning how to ride.

NYC is no place for beginners, all movements/actions with your bike should be second nature under stress before you head in there on a bike.

That being said, LI has a lot of road to offer you to learn on. As it was said earlier, head east, get away from traffic and get some miles under your belt. You can also head over the Throgs Neck, hop on the Hutch and get upstate on some pretty nice roads- the Taconic is one of my favorites heading upstate.

Enjoy!

[xXPHILXx54]

i never really even planned on riding in the city to much. Mostly i want to ride on the island and upstate. Maybe explore Jersey a little. The city is a cool place but when i go their i rather either drive their or take a train.

[SlowMotion]

Stay away from the city until you have fully mastered your brakes and awareness of your surroundings. I do mostly city riding and it's nuts ! not recommended for novice riders. There's plenty of good places to ride in LI, just be careful there's a lot of fatalities on the island during the spring.

[xXPHILXx54]

Stay away from the city until you have fully mastered your brakes and awareness of your surroundings. I do mostly city riding and it's nuts ! not recommended for novice riders. There's plenty of good places to ride in LI, just be careful there's a lot of fatalities on the island during the spring.

It's because their are tons of squids racing on the highways. I always here them racing down the Meadowbrook State Parkway around anywhere from 12 pm to 4 am. Crazy stuff man, i have no intent on doing stupid **** like that. Don't get me wrong once i get a good amount of experience i'll go fast when i see it's safe to do so, but not going 125 mph down a freaking highway!

[rambag3]

The Hutch and the Garden state parkway, great roads, I road up to Woodstock once too. Ride your bike to Boston and enjoy a day out there, also GET AN EZPASS for your bike, you ever try to pay tolls with cash on a bike, lord help you. Also bikes get discounts on many tolls. I mounted it to the right of my instrument cluster, YMMV. PS I did 125ish on the eastern part of the Southern State, should you do it, no but I did once because: I know my bike, I know my skill level or lack thereof and I know that road, their were no other vehicles and no shoulder for a cop or parked/disabled car, it lasted less than 10 seconds. Its totally illegal but as you will soon find out, their are no tracks on LI. Also maybe Top Gun was in my head at the time a little too as I was riding to flight school.

[The J]

Long Island is congested, and it's dangerous out there. In general, cars don't watch out for bikes.

The sportbikes that race the Southern State on their midnight runs give all sportbike riders a bad rep IMO.

You have the right approach... MSF, gear, want to enjoy riding. There are great roads out East and you'll see lots of bikes on weekends, especially early in the day. Not a day goes by that I wouldn't rather commute to work on a bike. But it's congested and nobody's looking out for you before they've had their morning coffee.

Do it because you want to. Take the course, get a bike, and get some miles under your belt.

[xXPHILXx54]

thanks. All great advise.

[Triumph]

when i saw the thread title, this is what i thought of riding in new york

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwZHG7TEfDc&

[Frosty_spl]

I'm planning on moving to NYC soon, but I'm gonna sell my bike because I don't know where to park it.

But I will pick another one up in the spring.

[torxim]

I'm planning on moving to NYC soon, but I'm gonna sell my bike because I don't know where to park it.

But I will pick another one up in the spring.

Buy a nice big lock before you pick another one up if you plan on parking it on the street in NYC!

[rambag3]

Buy a nice big lock before you pick another one up if you plan on parking it on the street in NYC!

A great idea but you need a LoJack if you're going to park something nice on the street

[Frosty_spl]

I didn't want to park anything on the street.

Do you guys know about the indoor motorcycle shops you can rent work/parking space from? I heard it was $200/mo.