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Getting my motorcycle license, need bike suggestions.

GhettoPeanut

GhettoPeanut

Senior member
Getting my license in September (couldn’t sign up sooner)
I need bike suggestions, not worried about price right now, just want some ideas.

One of my friends who’s been biking for a while has made the suggestion of starting with a 450 to 600cc bike, get used to it, then upgrade from there.

Thoughts? I'm not really a crotch rocket kinda guy, but i'm willing to float the idea if its a good route to go.

I really like this one, but having talked to people already, its a far cry from a good starting bike for me personally. However, I love the look of it.
http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/1888814087.html


UPDATE:
Looks like this is the basic list so far. Seems like everyone is leaning towards Honda's as a starter bike, haven't looked them all up yet, but i like that sportster style.

Sportster
V-Rod - People seem divided on this as a starter
Honda Rebel - crap for reliability?
Honda Shadows
Honda Nighthawk 450 - suggested a few times
Suzuki GS400/GS500E

UPDATE :

Zargon said:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2095234
Click to expand...
Thanks for the thread post.
From reading most of it (and trying to shift through some sort of apparent bikers flame war), i think I absolutely have to stay below the 600cc mark, and less then 70hp for maybe a year or two then go from there. I've very new to this, so I'm trying not to kill myself. Given, it seems that thread is geared towards crotch rockets.
 
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An FLT is not a great first bike. Big and heavy and you'll hate trying to wrestle it around in parking lots or at low speed.

IMO the best bikes to start out on are mid-1980s UJMs. Something like a Honda Nighthawk 450 or a Suzuki GS400/GS500E (pre-1989 model)/GS550. These were good motorcycles with 40-50 hp at the crank. Enough to cruise comfortably on the freeway but not nearly touchy enough to get a novice in immediate trouble. They've already bottomed out in terms of value, so if you buy one and sell it, you shouldn't lose much if anything.

ZV
 
If you like the cruiser style look at the Honda Rebel(234cc) or the older Honda Shadows(I think some were sub 650cc). They don't have a ton of power so they'd be ok to start with.
 
Was at a local harley shop the other day and the 883s looked pretty decent, and the price was pretty low on them.
 
Get one of these. Nothing says cool like wearing a bandana and short sleeves going down the freeway while you run straight pipes.
fb656159.jpg
 
Cruiser's and standards are great bikes, fun to ride and pretty tame. A Harley might be a bit heavy for a new rider, 700lbs is a lot of steel to hold up if it gets away from you in a tight low speed turn. Though I know several people that got a V-Rod for a first bike and had no trouble.

Btw, Ignore oilfieldtrash, he's a squid and completely locked into the squid mentality.
 
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Harley's are good bikes despite what anyone tells you.

I ride a V-Rod, it's great, I highly recommend one, even as a starter bike, very easy to ride/control.
 
SithSolo1 said:
If you like the cruiser style look at the Honda Rebel(234cc) or the older Honda Shadows(I think some were sub 650cc). They don't have a ton of power so they'd be ok to start with.
Click to expand...

I wouldnt go with a rebel

ive worked on tons of them. they are reliable as crap, but they are tiny and so godawful slow

a nighthawk or cb would be a way better choice and cost the same or less usually
 
Zenmervolt said:
An FLT is not a great first bike. Big and heavy and you'll hate trying to wrestle it around in parking lots or at low speed.

IMO the best bikes to start out on are mid-1980s UJMs. Something like a Honda Nighthawk 450 or a Suzuki GS400/GS500E (pre-1989 model)/GS550. These were good motorcycles with 40-50 hp at the crank. Enough to cruise comfortably on the freeway but not nearly touchy enough to get a novice in immediate trouble. They've already bottomed out in terms of value, so if you buy one and sell it, you shouldn't lose much if anything.

ZV
Click to expand...

hell, i find my FZ6R heavy (467lbs wet)
 
Zargon said:
why stop there. ZX-14 or turbo busa!
Click to expand...

Actually, the V-Rod is fine first bike, for a grown man. Power delivery is smooth and very predictable, it handles very well within it's limitations, it has a low center of gravity, and stops as well as any SS. It's actually very easy to ride, and surprisingly nimble for bike that's as long as a battleship.
 
A 1982 Harley for $5000 is not really a deal. The customisation that was done to it may not really reflect $5k in value considering that things like that are all about personal taste. That harley is just too freaking heavy, especially if you need to use it for the road test.

I second Zenmervolt's advice. There are plenty of 450 - 600 cc bikes out there that are not crotch rockets but make great starter bikes. They also won't break the bank on cost and will get you through a riding season or two if need be as you save for the next bike and build some riding skills.

My first bike was a 1982 Suzuki GS 450 TL. felt plenty quick at the time and I kept it for two seasons before moving up to a 700cc. I wiped out on it once. One of my first rides in spring and I caught some sand left over from the winter that was in my turning radius... I had a pretty big bump on my leg for weeks after that...I ended up bending some of the parts on the bike back into shape and only had to buy one part new.... and that is why they are called starter bikes.

My buddy bought a brand new suzuki cruiser... Against my best advice to him. He laid it down and screwed up the paint and chrome good. He told me after that he should have listened to me. 🙂

But hey... if you have money to burn... you are going to do what you want so....
 
Greenman said:
Actually, the V-Rod is fine first bike, for a grown man. Power delivery is smooth and very predictable, it handles very well within it's limitations, it has a low center of gravity, and stops as well as any SS. It's actually very easy to ride, and surprisingly nimble for bike that's as long as a battleship.
Click to expand...

wtf does that have to do with anything? I know plenty of 'grown men' in their 50's that are less responsible than 20-30 year olds?

a 'basic' sportster would be a better option if hes looking to go cruiser
 
Zargon said:
wtf does that have to do with anything? I know plenty of 'grown men' in their 50's that are less responsible than 20-30 year olds?

a 'basic' sportster would be a better option if hes looking to go cruiser
Click to expand...

It's because grown men tend to be larger than boy's and girls. Small people have trouble with big bikes.
Perhaps a basic sporster would be a better choice, though I have no idea why that would be the case.
 
uh most people are pretty well done growing by drinking age, if not age 18.

why would it be a better choice? its smaller, handles better, is less powerful, and easier to pick up when dropped and harder to make a right wrist mistake that could kill you.

it also costs significantly less, which means when he drops it hard, as most first bikes do, it will lose less value as well.

skoorb is right, I am going to link that thread so we can stop rehashing the same discussion.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2095234
 
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Zargon said:
uh most people are pretty well done growing by drinking age, if not age 18.

why would it be a better choice? its smaller, handles better, is less powerful, and easier to pick up when dropped and harder to make a right wrist mistake that could kill you.

it also costs significantly less, which means when he drops it hard, as most first bikes do, it will lose less value as well.

skoorb is right, I am going to link that thread so we can stop rehashing the same discussion.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2095234
Click to expand...

The sporty is about 100lbs lighter that the V-Rod, I guess that would make a difference. Not a bad looking bike either.
 
yeah I dropped 35 lbs on my last bike change, and it was a HUGE difference.

I sat on a buddys 500 lb early 90's literbike and holy crap......so heavy feeling after being on a 420lb bike 🙂
 
Zargon said:
yeah I dropped 35 lbs on my last bike change, and it was a HUGE difference.

I sat on a buddys 500 lb early 90's literbike and holy crap......so heavy feeling after being on a 420lb bike 🙂
Click to expand...

I couldn't imagine. My D is just under 700lbs, a lot of bike at very low speeds.
 
Depends on what you want and how much you wanna spend. With a cruiser I would vote to get a 600-800 cc as your first bike. I personally like Honda and Suzuki, with Suzuki you can get FI and shaft driven from their beginner bikes 2005 and newer. It's nice to not have to oil the chain every 500 miles 🙂

You say you think you need to stay under 600 as a first bike? You should go ride a Rebel around and see how that feels for you, haha, you will realize that a 6 year olds dirt bike has more power. I hear the Suzuki gz250 has decent power, but I've never ridden one.

Best idea is to evaluate what you need or want it for, either way as your first bike you will want something cheap and used so it doesn't kill your resale if/when you do drop it and not big enough that it will kill you. As I suggested above, I would never go OVER 800/883 (if you really wanted a Harley, that is), but if you are really unsure of yourself to begin with I think finding a 500-600 is a safe bet...
 
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