[Guest]

Hi Everyone:

I've been thinking about getting a bike. I went to a Honda dealer last weekend and saw a Rune on the showroom floor. What can I say, I fell in love.

My question is, would the Rune be too much bike for me to handle? I'm 44 years old, 6' 1" and weigh 205, and was a halfway decent athlete in my day.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Jerry

 

[Diehardeddie]

Jerry, I may be the first to respond and you may get opinions that don't agree with mine but, the Rune should be perfect for you. It has a low center of gravity and handles like a dream. If you are like most of us, even if you bought a smaller bike at first, you will, after a short period of time, trade up. Take the motorcycle safety course and jump on board. Get one now while you still can. Stay Cool, Ed

 

[hannibal]

Hi Jrh,

j am 56 y old, 200 pounds x 72 inches . j left italy in october 2003 for purchasing the rune in Ohio, j carried in italy and j enjoy riding.
j was not riding a bike for the last 15 years.
get it and became member of very esclusive owners.
ciao
Hannibal

 

[1COOLMC]

Hi Jerry,
I turn 62 this Friday. Weigh 225 lbs. First bike was a 89 Goldwing. Have a 96 wing now. purchased Rune last June. I find it much easier handling the Rune because of lower seating of the bike. Only have 5 k on it but miles in the Serria mountains. No problems at all.

Bill

 

[normcarp]

Jerry I'm 43 & 6'2" and have been riding my Rune since october and the bike is awesome it's low center of g makes it a dream to handle as for it's power that bike has more than you need but that is controled by your input. so if you feel that the motor might be imtimidating just take it easy on the throttle . you didn't say if you have owned a bike before and even if you have and it's been awhile since TAKE A SAFE RIDER COURSE. I rode dirt and street for the age of 14 till 26 and didn't rided a thing again till 1999 and I can't tell you how much there was to learn again and the classes will pay off by saving you much potential grief on the road. Buy A bike it a great feelling and if the 8) Rune 8) is the one you buy, you will never stop smiling :lol:

 

[HogSlayer]

When is the last time you rode? What's the heaviest bike that you've owned and rode? If it's been awhile, more than a couple years like the rest of these guys are saying Take a Safety Course!
Most of us that own these bikes are in that age group 40-60, The accident rate for our age range has tripled over the last 10 years! Don't be a stat! I'm not trying to scare you, this is reality! This is a 800 pound piece of ass-kickin motorcycle art!
If you decide to buy one, two areas of riding that you need to take it easy and really get the feel of this beauty is slow speed/parking lot manuvering and the twisties. Dropping this bike in a parking lot at under 5mph could cost a person a couple of thousand dollars, the headlight replacement cost is 1K!

 

[Guest]

This last time I rode a motorcyle was when I was about 15 years old. I rode a small 125 for a summer.

I'm definitely planning on taking the Safety Classes. I just don't want to buy something that is going to be too hard to handle for a virtual beginner.

 

[Rich Oas]

Too much bike

Hi Jerry.. I am 53.... Had not ridden a bike between ages of 24 and 51. Purchased a 1300VTX Honda in June of 2003 and thought it was way too much bike for an "inexperienced" rider... but I did buy it. I knew for sure that the Rune was too much for me.... I rode the VTX for one summer and in June of 2004 I couln't stand it anymore and traded up for the Rune. This bike is very easy to handle as soon as you get it rolling...it does seem very top heavy while stationary because of its massive weight...but as the others say..take a safety course and that will allow you to do some challenging riding before getting on the Rune. I have had my bike down on the engine guard twice....both times I turned the wheel at very slow speed - nearly a stop- once in my drive and once in unexpected soft sand....in a parking lot... Once very early on, I squeezed the throttle down and slipped back a bit on the seat...having short arms it took me a bit to let back off the throttle... it can sneak up on a person who is/was inexperienced... like me. It is scary fast early on... after being on a lesser bike. It did cause me to always be very careful that I don't let this bike catch me by surprise... because it can. It took me a month to really feel comfortable on it. Just as I do with Lake Superior..I absolutely respect the power that lies beneath me when I mount this bike... Now as far as buying this... If you love this bike you WILL buy it... I looked at it for a year at my dealer hoping someone would buy it and get it out of my sight... I knew the first time I saw it I would eventually have one... Life is too short to not have the lady of your desire!!!!!! she is a beautiful and alluring sirene... once she smites you...you will never be right until she is yours...... ( Yeah ..I know RuneSki... I'll close the gas cap when I'm done ) Hope this influences you to become one of us... but again...respect this bike...

 

[RedValk]

to add to what HS said. When i bought Sherry her bike...she had been riding a 1600 cc Road Star for a couple of years...and a 650 Vstar before that. she dropped her bike the second day she owned it.....in a parking lot. it had a bit of a hill/angle on it....and the throttle was SO MUCH more sensitive (and the bike had so much power than her old 'dog' Vtwin)...that she lurched forward...lost control...then dropped the bike while barely moving forward.

The damage....$3105 !!!!! So just like HS said....and i had warned her, it's places like the parking lot that can bite you! and she found out...real quick. man, it was a sad day. and she's always been a pretty good rider. But all that HP...and weight....just got her. when your feet are flat on the ground....and you keep things level, you can hold up and ride a freakin' battle ship. but let her get 'past the point of no return' and you will pay the price!

I made her practice in parking lots for WEEKS after that. Now, she respects it...but can handle it fine. she's 5'9".

 

[rune018]

Dude, I'm the same age as you,1 inch taller, and a few pounds more than you,dude buy the bike NOW!!!!!
Enjoy.
Brent

 

[SiteData]

Sloooow down.

If you’d like to try one for size, go to New Jersey and ask any vice cop where you can find RunSki, they all know him. Tell RunSki it is okay with Chuck for you to take his Rune for a spin. :biker: The icy roads will give you good practice.

The size of the motorcycle and the size of the rider are not interdependent.
Experience not the size of you or the Rune should be your concern. If you have never ridden before two days at the Safety Course, on a 250cc Honda is not going to prepare you for an 1832cc beast. It will give you basic fundamentals all of which are valuable but releasing the clutch on 800 plus pounds of powerful metal on your third day should give you cause to pause.

Buy the Rune, take the course on a 250cc, rent a 750cc, then an 1100cc, after that take the Rune out.

 

[Baton Rune]

Hey Chuck

Don't forget Rob, the doc from New Orleans. He bought a Rune as his first bike. The ballsy sob.

Dickson

 

[HogSlayer]

Nope!

Dude after reading your response to my questions, see below:

This last time I rode a motorcyle was when I was about 15 years old. I rode a small 125 for a summer.

I'm definitely planning on taking the Safety Classes. I just don't want to buy something that is going to be too hard to handle for a virtual beginner.
If you consider yourself a beginner I don't care how big you are, in my very experienced (29 straight years of riding) opinion this is not the bike to start on. Buy yourself a 700 to 1200cc used bike and get some experience under your belt.
This is NOT a beginners bike!

 

[hannibal]

:evil:

ride the Rune

:twisted:

ride the Rune

:attention:

if you really have no experience on bikes a safety course will not be enought.
If you get the Rune anyway ride slowly for at least 3000 miles and avoid the city traffic. ride in open roads. slowly enter into the city traffic.
The car is as an weapon it depends how you use it.
(Italian Government advise during this winter"
In Usa you have long and large roads and strict traffic regulations. follows them and you run no risk.

good luck

Hannibal

 

[hispy05]

For what it worth, I started to ride motocycle at 46 ! before I had been heavily cycling between 6 to 18 years old...maybe it did help.
My only bike experience was for few hours on 125cc...I was 35Yold

With some cash available ( THX to Microsoft Stock options) and my brand new unexpected motorcycle licence ( French to Swiss transfer !!) I wanted to own a bike.
I started to ride a 350cc for few hours and found it very easy, went to a 650cc for few days, then a 1100 Drag Star ( 2 days)and loved it!!

In Dec 98, I had the opportunity to buy a Walk drand new 1500cc, and managed it the safe way, avoiding city traffic and enjoying Swiss very COOL traffic. I was so proud of me, I decided to buy a second bike ( in Switzerland you just pay one single insurance for 2 bikes, or cars..) my kid's dream, a BMW (R1200c).
I had much more difficulites riding the BMW, not really sure why, apart from the fact that shifting gears was not as accurate as the Walk.
Bottom line since then I have only 25 000Km experience (not much) and never tried(yet) a Rune but working very hard to get one homologated in France ( very difficult)
I hope to finalize my "admin homologation" task very soon and buy my new dream...a RUNE.
Thanks to several RuneRiders members I am making progress.
Back to your question, I am not a creazyguy, but I believe if you start increasing the bike weight, you must be able to see if you feel or not confident, I mean, feeling confortable.
I hope soon to tell you my first Rune trial experience ...

BTW I am 1.75m and 80Kg

 

[Guest]

Thanks

Hi Everyone:

Thanks for all of the valuable insight and wisdom. I'll keep you posted, until then...... VaRune, VaRune...

Jerry

 

[h3marine]

I am 27 5'8" and the rune is the first bike I have ever owned or ridden. I had a little trouble w/ the throttle at first, there is a lot of torque there, but i was able to pu 300 miles on it in the 3 days I owned it before I came back to Iraq. I love it. I wouldnt trade it, unless i could talk my wife into a wing. But then Id just want to own them both. I say go for it

 

[RuneSki]

Jerry
Sift through the good advice, heed it and buy the Rune.
Good Luck and
Buy the Red one :!: :!: :!:
Rich K ( Rune Ski )

 

[KenCrawleySC]

Buy the Rune. Take it easy. If you can, come to my house and drop my Yamaha 1100 V-Star a couple of times to get the dropsies out of your system (I did it 10 times the first 3 months! Then I dropped the Rune at some RR tracks. So... 10:1 ratio so far)
Ken

 

[motorman857]

New rider-is the Rune to much bike

Jerry
The size and strength of a rider means very little when it comes to handling a motorcycle. What does matter, is the proper techniques. The proper techniques will not come to you from experience since the techniques are the opposite of your instincts. I see riders with 20 years of experience that still drag their feet at low speeds, and don't know that using the front brake at low speeds with the handle bars turned, will pull you right to the ground. I would not recommend the Rune as a first bike unless you have the discipline to learn the proper techniques and spend at least 8 hours in a parking lot practicing, after you take the beginners MSF course. Log on to www.ridelikeapro.com and click on motormans articles and read back to the basics. That should give you an idea of what you need to know to keep the shinny side up. Good luck.