Beginner motorcycle suggestions would be nice

[geek]

I'm looking at getting a motorcycle, good for a beginner around $3,0000, used, not new preferably . I know I can pick up a brand new CBR125 for $3k. I'm partial to the Buell Blast.

Suggestions would be appreciated. Odds are it will be dropped more than a few times. resale value isn't a big deal. Probably buy it in August/September.

 

[mercyshooter]

i would suggest 650cc!

 

[87112]

1st gen SV650, its reputation among all riders of any level great. That little 650 VTwin revs fast! I use to own one and never should have parted with it.

 

[johnniejetpack]

HI geek... it's awesome to see another biker on the roads!! Be careful out there, cars will not see you!!! Especially if you have a quiet bike like the CBR. The size of the bike is a very personal choice, based on your height, weight, comfort level etc. I suggest you go take a few for test rides and see what feels best. Just like a car, you would never buy one without driving it first. Same goes for bikes. Every manufacturer has an entry level street bike, get the one that feels best for you.
Peace out and be careful bro

 

[ripplechip]

If you take a beginner course (which you should if you haven't) they will probably sit you on a Suzuki GS500. Light, simple, basic, no fairing to ruin.

Also:

Ninja 500, has some plastics to smash up, riding position is a bit like a sport touring bike, not very roomy for taller people though.

KLR650, sort of a big dirt bike, comfy and does everything. Good for a bigger person, wouldn't recommend one if you can't touch your feet to the ground on it.

Don't get an old '81 Yamaha XS650 or something and expect to be able to jump on and ride it, older bikes though they may be cheap require serious upkeep and TLC on top of not being able to stop worth a damn. The Ninja 500 and GS500 are known as learners bikes, they get abused a lot and don't last long. Don't get one more than a decade old, it might try and kill you. Put new tires on whatever you buy.

Your first bike should be as generic as possible until you figure out what kind of riding you like, and cheap to fix/throw away because you will crash it. Stay away from anything with a fairing, they make maintenance a nightmare when you are starting out and smash up real nice when you forget to take your disc lock off before riding away...

Anything less than 250cc is a waste, get a scooter instead as they are far better for around town than any motocycle.

IIRC the bike you take your test on needs to be > 250cc or you end up with restrictions of some kind.

 

[gargoyle26]

Tons of people start out on a Ninja 250.

Lots available on Craigslist.

 

[iceboy]

Take a motorcycle course.Try a mid to late 90's honda cbr 600.Very forgiving bike to start off,not too powerful but enough.Once you've got more experience then you can upgrade to the 2000+ generation bikes.It doesn't matter how powerful the bike is,just along as you use your brain to control your wrist.Be safe and have fun.

 

[westcoastjoe]

GEEK, what your looking for is an older twin BMW......not speed , but reliability...and classic style.
take the goverment safety council course first....you`ll never look back

and re: your previous stress..... pick up a copy of " Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenence" ... a classic, and reading it may provide a few more answers for you.

ps. DO NOT buy a sport bike .... kawasaki ninga or suzuki type crap....if you can`t find a beemer ...then settle for a honda or yamaha.... do some research/reading and you`ll get the big picture....

 

[westcoastjoe]

re... dropping.... it happens ... but there`s no reason to if your careful and take a skills course.

there are countless IDIOTS that buy fancy sport bikes etc and fall off them for a whole bunch of reasons.....most of which lead back to STUPIDITY...watch some of these idiots at a traffic red light...they can`t even stop and balance the bike with one foot down.

last comment.... NEVER ride drunk....or even after a few....in a car you can nod off and hit the curb and bounce back into traffic...... on a bike... you hit a pole..... and best case senario....your paralyzed....worse case....your dead.

 

[treveller]

Take iceboy's post and pin it to your wall. Read regularly for the first few months you are riding.

Every spring, with the first few weeks of warm weather, most paramedics get to visit with a few new bike riders. Sometimes the bike is toast and sometimes the rider is toast.

Take a course and take it easy on those fine spring days.

 

[emilioa4]

i would suggest something in the smaller range as well, especially if you are not to comfy about your skills. my first bike was a ducatti 998, and thats a powerful bike, now im too big for it and ride a chopper now. however, more on your skills though, i wouldnt recommend riding on the streets period until you have taken several courses and feel VERY confidant in your skills. you have no real protection from any hits or slides should anything bad happen. you must be a good rider if you want to live, because no matter how good you are, it only takes a dummy in another car to ruin it for you. so take the mentality that you will be dropping your bike or breaking it out of your mind, cause thats a death mentality for bikers. anyhow, hope you enjoy whatever you choose!

 

[FunSugarDaddy]

You really shouldn't be dropping a bike once you learn the basics. I've had bikes on and off for about 10 years and I only dropped mine once, when I was on a gravel road making a turn..lucky I was going slow enough that it was basically at walking speed. It's actually pretty hard to drop a bike and not get hurt, cause chances are you're dropping too.

I use to have a Honda Shadow..great bike but it depends whether or not you like a racing bike or more of a touring bike. A 500 or a 750 would be a nice size bike..not too big, but enough power to pass easily and get you in and out of traffic quickly. As a tip when you're traveling with cars beside you always be as far away from them as you can. Meaning if there's a car on your right side going the same direction you are, be as far to the left in the lane beside him as you can be, that way if they don't see you and drift into your lane you have time to react. Also make sure you're not in anyone's blind spot. Basically assume no one sees you and drive accordingly.

Don't know how hard it is to get a license anymore but it was basically a joke when I got mine. Driving in a parking lot through cones.

 

[sr8razr]

Get one now, not at the end of summer.

 

[87112]

GSXR1000 or bust!!

 

[geek]

Thanks for the advice everyone

The things I'm taking away is

-take a course

-take an advanced course

-take an even more advanced course

-get a motorcycle with more than 250 cc for a beginner bike

-try out any motorcycle before buying

-don't drink and ride

-don't hit a deer

 

[87112]

Try out a motorcycle before you buy? Sure why dont I stop by my local store and say I like to test out the 0 to 60 in 2.5 second CBR1000 and I'll be back in half an hour. I say you have a better chance of winning the lottery

 

[PuntMeister]

Thanks for the advice everyone

The things I'm taking away is

-take a course

-take an advanced course

-take an even more advanced course

-get a motorcycle with more than 250 cc for a beginner bike

-try out any motorcycle before buying

-don't drink and ride

-don't hit a deer

Generally good advice, except for size. I have ridden for 29 yrs. Damned near killed myself three times. Six to go.

#1 Never ever ever peg the throttle, tempting as it might be. Start with less power (400cc or fewer) so you live through the first 3 years, then work up as skill and comfort allow. Always keep the bars straight when you take off. Point and shoot, but leave a little more power to get out of a jam or a parked bus on the inside lane. Stay off your buddies 1100 with tricked out exhaust. Just 'cuz! (first wheelie can be a bitch).

#2 Don't distract yourself from what is around you. You have no steel to protect you. Best thing about biking was it made me a waaaaaay better driver. I see ahead 3-6 blocks and anticipate idiots well in advance. Sorry, but best advice is to ride a few years, then give it up, but keep the survival skills it teaches you.

#3 Take it off the road at the first sign of frost. Watch for sand, gravel, and wet white lines. Learn to hit the front brake 80% before you have to do it to save your life. Wear a full face helmet, if you like your face. Leave the Bravado at home. Like yourself for who you are, not how cool you look or how fast your buddies go.

Enjoy sex more than biking. Close second is OK

 

[geek]

Ive had my Class 6 for 20 years, and rode dirt bikes since age 4... just to get my qualifications out there on this topic.

I scraped my best friend off the road last summer. He was 35, and riding his first bike, an XRL650 (Honda dual sport). His femur was sticking through his jeans. He had zero preparation (or respect) for the amount of power he was sitting on.

If you are a beginner, and unless you are a large man (200 lbs +), you have NO BUSINESS being on anything bigger than a 400cc. I cant stress enough that people just dont appreciate the power to weight ratio modern bikes have.

Besides, ICBC rates almost double after 400cc... Stay below it, for your own good.

check this one (upon a ten second CL search). Looks mint! (note all the classics in the bacground) Stylish, vintage Honda. Its called a 400 but technically is 399cc, so you make it under the insurance premium tier. k's a little high but these old Honda's go forever and are too easy to work on.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/mcy/2296577200.html

"Depending on use could qualify for collector's insurance, in which case premiums would total less than $300 per year."

Good advice and I will try and follow it and get less than a 400 cc but.... cc doesn't always correlate to hp. A buell blast is 599 cc but has 35 hp while the motorcycle you listed has 43 hp and a CBR600 has 105 hp.

 

[Camslover]

The advice from perfectgent is good...start off road. It is one of the findings in the "Hurt" report that people who ride off-road are less likely to have accidents (see #25 in the link below). The Hurt report is a actuarial study of a large number of motorcycle accidents, and gives some statistics about what is likely to kill you on a motorcycle and how. It is a bit out of date now, but still very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_findings_in_the_Hurt_Report

Other than that, I think people have touched on it a bit, but enjoy it. Yes, there is no doubt that it is more dangerous than being in a car. Then again walking and riding a bicycle is also more dangerous than a modern airbag equipped steel cage. It is that safety that lures you into a (false) sense of security. A motorcycle puts you back in touch with what it really means to be doing 60kph...it is the driving equivalent of taking the red pill