Internet Is a Rich Resource for Motorcyclists

I ride my motorcycle to get away from my computer.

The telephone, TV and radio too, but especially that miracle of modern digital science that has ensured I feel guilty about slacking off from work, not only when at the office but also at home.

Nonetheless, the Internet can offer the motorcyclist rich sources of information to help in choosing a bike and finding necessary or just plain cool gear. It’s also a source of weather and road-condition updates, repair advice, club riding schedules and even the names of potential significant others.

Let’s go cyber-riding.

Buying a Bike: Perhaps the most valuable Internet site to anyone contemplating the purchase of a motorcycle--especially a used one--is the archive of reviews found at https://rmr.cecm.sfu.ca. Here you’ll find hundreds of critical evaluations of motorcycle models submitted by bike owners. This is priceless information from those who have actually lived with the bikes, for better or worse.

To search through classified ads, you can turn to the Recycler’s site at https://www.recycler.com, which puts out a new batch of ads every Saturday; they appear in print on Thursday for those who buy the print publication. (The Web service and the Recycler’s Southern California print editions were recently acquired by Times Mirror, which publishes The Times.)

Also there is Trader Online, https://www.traderonline.com, which at last glance had more than 27,000 ads for cycles nationwide.

On both sites, you can narrow your search to your locality.

Safety: The location of classes given by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation can be found at https://www.msf-usa.org. Its four-session beginner’s course is not only informative and enjoyable, but it also allows you to skip the driving part of the motorcycle license test at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

In winter, it’s especially prudent to check weather and road conditions before going on a mountain ride. National Weather Service forecasts for Southern California can be found at https://www.nwsla.noaa.gov/forecast.html. At the California Department of Transportation site, https://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo, you can enter the number of any state highway to learn of possible closures.

E-Zines: Several online magazines cater to the variety of riders, from Harley devotees to twisty-loving sport-bikers.

A good general e-zine is Motorcycle Online at https://www.motorcycle.com, where you’ll find balanced reviews of new bikes.

The more folksy Cybercy-cle Magazine at https://www.cybercyclemag.com has cool tips and breezy essays targeted toward those who enjoy commuting and touring.

Motorcycle City, https://www.geocities.com/MotorCity,Track/3538/#gen. is more for the hard-core cruiser crowd, especially as reflected in its personal ads. For example, Fred in Colorado is looking for a “babe” who “must be able to wash a truck as well as a bike, and play hard after.” I guess there wasn’t room for the part about reading Proust.

Manuals and Accessories: Because the used bike I bought last year is a 1982 model, it was no surprise that the owner’s manual had been lost somewhere along the way. But I found one, at a reasonable price, at Motorcycle Memories, https://www.motorcyclememories.com. The site also lists back issues of magazines for sale.

Leather protects but is also expensive. Used jackets, pants and suits can be found on the Motorcycle Leather Exchange, https://members.aol.com/motorle/index.html.

Advice: The best spot for general guidance is the rec.motorcycle newsgroup, where you can post questions. Also available there are long texts on buying used bikes and other matters.

Clubs: Both cyber and real-life groups can be additional sources of advice, and they offer the chance to meet like-minded riders.

An example of a cyber group is one devoted exclusively to the XJ Yamaha models from the early and mid-1980s, one of which I happen to own. Here, I can find maintenance tips specific to my bike. Tellingly, there is an entire section set aside for electrical problems.

Many of the country’s major riding clubs now have sites, as do groups bound together by ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Key resources in finding these groups, as well as a huge number of other private and commercial sites, are motorcycle indexes and their extensive links. One of the most complete and best organized is MotoDirectory at https://www.sepnet.com/cycle.

A good guide to motorcycle businesses worldwide is the Motorcycle Yellow Pages at https://www.micapeak.com/mc/addrs.

Times staff writer David Colker rides a 1982 Yamaha 550 Maxim. He can be reached via e-mail at david.colker@latimes.com.