Howdy yall! I'm from Texas, that must make me a cowboy. Not really though.

Apparently I'm supposed to post here. How's the mingle life? I'm just getting into dating and checking out these sites. I've been in a way too long relationship that I decided to end a couple months ago. I'll spare ya any further details.

So anyways, tell me there are some people out there waiting for the hockey season to get going like me!

Oh, and if you got advice on a guy lookin at buyin his first motorcyle, feel free to fill me in. I'm really having a hard time making my mind up on that. ;)

Hello and welcome, I hope that you have a good time here.

welcome I am new here myself and just moved back to Indy from Texas in March lots of people to chat with and lots of threads to post on have fun and enjoy yourself

Welcome aboard, neighbor!!! Have fun!!

Welcome! Yay hockey!!! Go Avs!

cool Frisco has that big swimming hole doesnt it?

and wasnt the White Elephant in Frisco?

welcome cowboy

Booo Avs! I'm planning to fly out to Colorado for the Feb. 5th game just to watch them get stomped on in their own arena. Hah!

Well aren't you just adorable!

Welcome to the Mingler

I wish I could say I know but I don't. I guess I'll have to ask some locals or something. I'm new to this city.

well!!

Well hi to ya in Texas from Michigan! I am new here as of today! And hockey season OMG... you bet I am excited. Preseason starts next week here for Detroit Red Wings! But where the motorcycle is concerned I can't really help you I don't know much about em except how to get on it and ride it! lol!

Howdy Drew! Welcome to Mingle2, from a fellow Texan

With regard to your motorcycle question: How experienced of a rider are you? (I'm assuming you are talking about street riding and not trail riding.)

If you have put in at least 1,000 miles on a street bike then you can probably buy whatever appeals to you, but if you have not been on the road that long, I suggest that you take a motorcycle safety class and learn how to ride safely FIRST before you buy a new bike. I wish I would have done that! I had been riding scooters and then motorcycles for years and years when I bought my first bike, but I decided to take a safety course. I had to unlearn a lot of stuff with that, and it made me a MUCH better rider and much more able to deal with all the stuff that can happen out on the highway. (You may meet some cool people in the safety classes as well.)

Once you complete the course (it only takes a few hours; the one I took cost about $150) then you'll have a lot better idea of your capabilities as far as street bike riding.

One thing I have seen a lot of guys do who are not experienced riders is that they start off with a fast, pricey, heavy, high-maintenance bike--and then promptly either wreck it or drop it (which can be catastrophic in the first case and at the very least totally embarrassing in the second). Even just dropping a bike once can put like $500 worth of damage on it.

Even if you are a big strong guy, if you are not an experienced rider you should get a bike that is low to the ground, runs well, and is not really large and/or heavy. Once you have put in a couple of seasons on that bike then you can consider something fancier (if you can afford it, of course).

I'm not being patronizing here--you DID ask! And I hope this information is helpful to you.

I'm a big hockey fan, too.

And: Welcome! :)

HI Drew welcome to mingle. Hope you have fun.

Hello and welcome to Mingle2, I hope you have a great time here...
It's soooo much fun!!!! Enjoy the forums...
I hope you find what your searching for…

Thanks for the advice, Scarlett. I have actually already taken the riding course and can say it was definitely worth the $190. So now I just have this license and a lot of indecision.

I used to ride 125cc dirt bikes as a teenager, but that was rarely on the road. That and the course is the total of my riding experience.

I've thought about just going with one of the 250's to start off with, but some people are telling me that's just too small. I figured they'd be cheaper and good enough to get started on, but then some are saying the wind will blow ya around and you'll just want to upgrade too soon.

If you have any particular stories or bike recommendations I'm all ears. It seems like all the options look like fun so I'm having to take my time trying to decide which to go for.

A 250 is gonna be too small for you at 6'5"--I mean you could ride one around town (if you could deal with the looks you would get), but you would have some serious problems on the highway.

If you have been riding trail bikes AND took the course then you could probably deal with a bigger bike. I don't know what your budgetary constraints are, but I suggest a used bike that has not been ridden too hard. As far as brands--go shopping at various dealerships, or look online, and just LOOK at all the different kinds of street bikes without making up your mind until you have seen them all, then look in the classifieds to see if any of the bikes you liked are for sale and how much they are.

Harley Davidson is of course the status machine but those things are expensive--even one that is in poor condition, if it just barely runs, is going to be in the several thousands at least, and you better be on good terms with your mechanic too.

I had a BMW R series that had a 900 cc engine for a REALLY long time. That was a great bike and I probably put 100,000 miles on it (at least) in the 13 years that I owned it. I had bought it used and yeah, it was expensive to get parts, but on the other hand it almost never broke down. It just ran and ran, and it was pretty comfortable too. With just me on it and not a lot of gear it was like a freakin rocket, lol!

The bike I have now is an old 750 Honda and though it runs well (I keep it tuned up and good tires) and is actually very fast (will do 140 easily on a straightaway, but I would not trust it for racing at all because it corners poorly), I think it would be much too small and uncomfortable for someone of your size. I have ridden this bike for great distances--longest trip on it was over 3,000 miles but CHR!ST ON A CRUTCH was I sore when I got to the end of that! Just a couple of months ago I went on that same bike to Albuquerque and back (about 1,100 miles) and when I got back home I knew that the next time I went on a long trip like that, it was going to have to be on a better bike.

If you are getting a used bike and you're not a mechanic yourself, there's nothing wrong with taking the bike you're looking at to a shop and letting them give it the once-over. If the seller is honest he'll be ok with you doing that.

Anyway, that's about enough for now! I'm supposed to be working! Good luck and have fun! Motorcycling is awesome fun. xoxoxo

Welcome & have fun!Hocky season Rocks!!Red Wings fan here!

welcome to the corral club


tuck your trousers in the boot tops, 'cause it can get sorta deep

luck to you