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Entry Level Motorcycle Thread

L

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Let me try this: what motorcycle (sport bike) would you guys recommend as entry level for urban driving (75% urban local driving/25% urban highway driving)

Thinking along the lines of 500cc.

Troll posts and flame posts will be reported and ignored.
 
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To extrapolate the thread a bit (if the OP doesn't mind) what about entry per segment?

Sport
Sport Touring
Cruiser
Touring

I don't think Dirt Bikes and Dual-Use bikes are pertinent to this particular thread do to the OPs wish to refer bikes to urban use. But to accommodate all tastes I'd be curious to know of good starter bikes in the above segments. Me personally only rides Cruisers. I don't like the huge Touring bikes but there's no way I can spend all day hunched over on a little sport bike. Cruisers have always felt natural to me but I have no idea what a natural starter bike would be. I did my first ride on a friend's 1500cc Harley.
 
1980's UJM, 450-600cc. Preferably one of the 450cc twins.

Cheap to buy. Cheap to insure. Cheap to keep running.

ZV
 
Perhaps look at an SV650 or Ninja 500R? Nothing wrong with a Ninja 250 either. Since it's an entry bike, consider getting a naked one (no expensive plastic fairings to replace if you drop it). Get an older one used for cheap with cheap upkeep costs. Since, it's mostly for urban traveling, I would imagine it would be either sport or cruiser (which I'm personally not very familiar with).
 
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Zenmervolt said:
1980's UJM, 450-600cc. Preferably one of the 450cc twins.

Cheap to buy. Cheap to insure. Cheap to keep running.

ZV
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Suzuki GS450/550/650 FTMFW. incredibly stout. my only concern would be the fact that they're air cooled and you're in an urban environment. i'm overly protective of my baby when it comes to being cooled 😛
 
Fenixgoon said:
Suzuki GS450/550/650 FTMFW. incredibly stout. my only concern would be the fact that they're air cooled and you're in an urban environment. i'm overly protective of my baby when it comes to being cooled 😛
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I wouldn't worry about it. I had a '79 CB750 that was air cooled and never had any issues with it overheating and I rode it in some of the hottest weather around.
 
JulesMaximus said:
I wouldn't worry about it. I had a '79 CB750 that was air cooled and never had any issues with it overheating and I rode it in some of the hottest weather around.
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It would depend on how many stops he has to do with an extended time just sitting there. Continuous stop and go traffic with not much travel in between (20mph and under in traffic, let's say) and you'll start hearing it pinging before long.
But if there are some stretches where you could get moving, then yeah...shouldn't be an issue.
 
Zap said:
I was thinking about buying a motorcycle last year. I would have gotten a Buell Blast. Unfortunately they canned the model this year.
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They canned Buell (all of it) this year. Pity you weren't shopping, there were some insane deals to be had.
 
I've been riding , going on, 35 years. I learned on a Honda 200 and rode it daily to work. I'm greatly in favor of folks learning on under powered bikes that they can learn to totally master before moving up.

Over those 35 years I've help scrape way too many squids off the pavement who only rode in the summer and then on bikes that could put them vertical in any gear. Classes help and I greatly recommend them BUT, new riders can easily get in over their heads and dumb mistakes on the wrong bike can kill you and others.

It's easy to trade up and bikes hold their resale value much better than cars.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
I've been riding , going on, 35 years. I learned on a Honda 200 and rode it daily to work. I'm greatly in favor of folks learning on under powered bikes that they can learn to totally master before moving up.

Over those 35 years I've help scrape way too many squids off the pavement who only rode in the summer and then on bikes that could put them vertical in any gear. Classes help and I greatly recommend them BUT, new riders can easily get in over their heads and dumb mistakes on the wrong bike can kill you and others.

It's easy to trade up and bikes hold their resale value much better than cars.
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yep i got that point, there is a high demand for 250/500cc bikes, and a low supply of them. i can't go wrong buying a 250/500 new or used since both will resell really high.

just in my initial stages of deciding right now.
 
Fenixgoon said:
Suzuki GS450/550/650 FTMFW. incredibly stout. my only concern would be the fact that they're air cooled and you're in an urban environment. i'm overly protective of my baby when it comes to being cooled 😛
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Meh, even the liquid cooled bikes often lack radiator fans, so they'll overheat from sitting still too long as well.

I never had issues with my old CB450, but I was a bit more rural (OK, all rural). Still, I doubt it would be a real issue unless the fins were all clogged or something.
 
LOUISSSSS said:
Between the Kawasaki Ninja 500R or the Suzuki GS500F, which would be the better bike?
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I prefer the Kawasaki (water cooled), because I used to have one. 🙂

Both are EXTREMELY good bikes, and both have been around for decades. The GS (air cooled) was naked in the 80s-90s, then reborn in 2004 with a GSXR style full fairing.

The Kawasaki has a larger "track" following. A lot of guys turn them into track only bikes and the aftermarket is bigger for parts/accessories.
 
Zenmervolt said:
Meh, even the liquid cooled bikes often lack radiator fans, so they'll overheat from sitting still too long as well.

I never had issues with my old CB450, but I was a bit more rural (OK, all rural). Still, I doubt it would be a real issue unless the fins were all clogged or something.
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Even in NH, my SV650 will get hot sitting in traffic for a few minutes - it has a fan so it never overheats, but without a fan I imagine it will keep going up (fan kicks on around 210-212f).
 
I'm selling mine 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R with 1,000 miles.

$3150

Let me know.

331eewx.jpg
 
JulesMaximus said:
I wouldn't worry about it. I had a '79 CB750 that was air cooled and never had any issues with it overheating and I rode it in some of the hottest weather around.
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thats the bike i have as well, was my only transpo until i had kids. rode it year round in arizona heat, no probs for the most part. it did hate me those two days it got up to 123 tho. of course so did my skin.

as for entry level bikes, cruisers is all i really know much about... id hit up used shops and look at their vulcan/ shadow/ savage selection and go with the one that best suited your build. the shadow 600 was a great bike, but at 6'3" it was like riding a minibike to me. i started riding young, the first bike i rode was a triumph. boy was that overkill at the time hehe.
 
AMCRambler said:
Does Honda make anything but dirt bikes at 500cc's or less?
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They still make the Rebel 250, but it hasn't really been updated since the 1980s. It's basically the same Rebel 250 that was introduced in 1985 using essentially the same 250cc engine that was introduced in the 250cc Nighthawk in 1982.

It's not a bad little bike and I'm sure that after 28 years in production it should have all the kinks worked out.

ZV
 
You could get a 600cc sportbike used pretty cheap. Just take it easy for about 2-3 months then ride it like you stole it after that. You control the bike not the other way around. Get someone who knows bikes to teach you and you'll be fine.
I almost threw up at the cruiser suggestions. You're gonna get a 600cc or bigger bike soon after that 500cc so just skip that altogether.
 
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OILFIELDTRASH said:
You could get a 600cc sportbike used pretty cheap. Just take it easy for about 2-3 months then ride it like you stole it after that. You control the bike not the other way around. Get someone who knows bikes to teach you and you'll be fine.
I almost threw up at the cruiser suggestions. You're gonna get a 600cc or bigger bike soon after that 500cc so just skip that altogether.
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Why? Sports bikes aren't the only legitimate motorcycle type. I couldn't ever see myself owning a sport bike unless the rides were less than half an hour. I just find them to be incredibly uncomfortable compared to cruisers.
 
OILFIELDTRASH said:
You could get a 600cc sportbike used pretty cheap. Just take it easy for about 2-3 months then ride it like you stole it after that. You control the bike not the other way around. Get someone who knows bikes to teach you and you'll be fine.
I almost threw up at the cruiser suggestions. You're gonna get a 600cc or bigger bike soon after that 500cc so just skip that altogether.
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3 months under your belt is not going to make you nearly good enough to safely thrash a 600cc sport bike...IMHO anyway...
 
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