So... motorcycles...

[rightisright]

I have a KLR650. Stuck in traffic? Hop a curb. Go offroad, it'll handle it. Granted, I haven't ridden it in 2 years because the Corps makes it as difficult as possible to ride, plus, I FEEL/it SEEMS like everyone is actively trying to kill me here. Of course, it's the same in the truck, but I stand a (much) better chance of surviving. I do believe that because it sits very high, it catches an extraordinary amount of wind.

Go take the MSF Basic Rider's Course. Then decide if you want one.

Not just you. Since the advent of cell phones and especially texting, the roads have gotten much hairier for two wheelers.

I'm not usually one to recommend more police action, but the po po could easily curtail texting by using undercover SUV's or trucks with window mounted cameras. I see at 6-10 assholes weaving on NJ interstates during a 30 minute trip. The same amount doing 10 MPH under the limit in the fast lane (if you drive in NJ, you know the de facto limit is 15). Invariably when I pass them, they have their nose in their fucking iPhone. No need for new laws. Write the fuckers for Reckless Driving.

[rightisright]

For a couple Gs you could get a nice used 4 stroke MXer. MUCH lighter than a KLR or any other dual-purpose. Of course you can't ride it on the road... but it would be great around the farm and much easier on you when you wipe out. You WILL wipe out.

Stay away from older, worked 2 strokes like this bad boy: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-CR ... 35c7e0a914

That's the model of my last 2 stroke MXer (mine was a '94, IIRC). Good Lord, talk about a raped ape... absolute blast in the open, a handful on the track and unrideable in the woods due to the power and abrupt powerband. The newer 4 strokes have a much tamer powerband.

[TheIrishman]

[strike]Cage[/strike] Other drivers actively want to kill you.

Anyone with less than 10 wheels on the ground has no idea how to drive. That's my golden rule(Greg and a few others who live around here know what I'm talking about). I've been on 2 wheels since the age of 6 or 7 and driven trucks for the last 18 years(15 legally). Soccer moms are the scourge of the fucking earth. Business men yapping on their cell phones while trying to shave and read yesterdays reports are even worse.
WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU PEOPLE DO 15 YEARS AGO BEFORE CELL PHONES?
OH YEAH, YOU FUCKING DROVE!

The next CSMFing soccer mom who jumps in front of my tri-axle coming down a hill with its signal on and jake brake blaring is going to find out just how much 40 tons of steel and earth can throw their Explorer into the next millennium.

Should I really worry about the horsepower limits, if I'm used to racing cars?

4 wheels and surrounded by steel is completely different than possibly getting knocked on your ass by a pigeon at 70mph when you're not expecting it. Don't think it can happen? I'm about 20bs lighter than you and have been on 2 wheels for a long time. Complacency hurts and it doesn't take much to knock you off of a bike. Chris' bike has 30 less HP than my current daily driver and at best 1/3 the rear tire, but it's still not hard to drive my car beyond the limits of its tires. Bikes are dangerous, I'll make no qualms about it. BUT, if respected there are few joys comparable to riding one, let alone near its limits.

[tcourtplayer]

Piggy backing on what others have said...

Actively plan on what to do if the drivers do the worst possible thing for you at any given moment...because more often then not, they will. It is for this reason driving a motorcycle is much more mentally taxing than cars.

As to what to buy first, well my first and only bike is a V-Rod so I'm probably not the norm. It was a lot of bike at first, but i took it slow. I did the whole "crawl, walk, run" in getting use to it (started on neighborhood streets, then county highways and finally the interstate).

[Termite]

Ag,

I don't know if the dimensions are good for you, but if they are, the new Honda CB500X adventure-tourer looks like it would make a great first bike.
http://powersports.honda.com/2013/cb500x.aspx

[blackeagle603]

bears repeating... dirt bike, pasture.

[Aglifter]

Are you implying this isn't a good beginner bike?

[Aglifter]

Yoga 3xs a week has done wonders for my flexibility (I hope to, within a few years, finally be able to fit inside a Lotus...) (Actually, I might fit inside an Evora S now... But, I have been purposely avoiding looking at them, because I know no sane man ever wants a Lotus...)

[Highspeed]

LOTUS =

Lots
Of
Trouble
Usually
Serious

[Aglifter]

And yet, that Evora S is behind only an 07-08 Viper on my eventual toy list... (I saw one in gunmetal and red at a gas station - so dang cool...)

Of course, I used to have a 10M race boat, so I'm comfortable with trading sexiness for sanity...