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first motorcycle
- Thread starter jooman360
- Start date
Eliot Watts
New Member
While you don't want a rocket you do want enough power to slip out of traffic. Drivers will fail to see you. Drivers will cut you off. Drivers will try to kill you 
Three things I recommend in a first bike: light, cheap, new as possible (while still staying cheap).
If you go bigger or heavier, you will fight the bike more and are more likely to exceed your limitations as a rider. True, you can "grow into" a bike, but you'll be a better rider if you start small and get a solid experience base.
Now, that little bike will be great to learn on, but you'll eventually want bigger. So, don't spend a lot on that first one: you're likely to drop it at some point and you're even more likely to want to sell it in a year or so.
I would go with the Virago because other than just plain being solid bikes with a good following, it's the newer of your choices. As a newbie, I'm willing to bet you'll want to spend more time riding than wrenching. A 28 year old bike even if it was only driven by a little old lady every Sunday is far more likely to need mechanical input on a more frequent basis than is a newer bike.
So, of your choices, I'd go with the Virago.
Other options to consider: small Ninja (500 or below), Suzi GS 500 (if you want a bit more bike), and the baby Buell. All can be had used at resonable prices, and in a year's time you should be able to sell it for near what you paid for it.
If you go bigger or heavier, you will fight the bike more and are more likely to exceed your limitations as a rider. True, you can "grow into" a bike, but you'll be a better rider if you start small and get a solid experience base.
Now, that little bike will be great to learn on, but you'll eventually want bigger. So, don't spend a lot on that first one: you're likely to drop it at some point and you're even more likely to want to sell it in a year or so.
I would go with the Virago because other than just plain being solid bikes with a good following, it's the newer of your choices. As a newbie, I'm willing to bet you'll want to spend more time riding than wrenching. A 28 year old bike even if it was only driven by a little old lady every Sunday is far more likely to need mechanical input on a more frequent basis than is a newer bike.
So, of your choices, I'd go with the Virago.
Other options to consider: small Ninja (500 or below), Suzi GS 500 (if you want a bit more bike), and the baby Buell. All can be had used at resonable prices, and in a year's time you should be able to sell it for near what you paid for it.
Stay away from something with gobs of bottom end torque. You're a newbie, your throttle control is going to suck, and there are going to be times when you accidentally snap that throttle open, say going over some bumps. On an older inline-4 or smaller v-twin, you won't really notice it. On a modern sportbike or one of the new "cruiser with tractor motor" type bikes, this will quickly get you into trouble.
My advice? Go out and get an 80s era 750cc inline-4. Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki all made good bikes like that. Learn on it, have fun, get comfortable, even ding it up a little (it happens), then resell it for the same or more than you paid for it, and get something nice. They're reliable, easy to wrench on, and they DO have good power but it's up high in the powerband---this translates to fewer "oops, too much throttle" incidents.
Before I got into ROTC, I worked as a motorcycle technician at a Honda dealership. I'd see so many brand new first bikes go out all pristine, just to end up on my lift a week or two later. For 95% of newbies it isn't a real crash that gets you, it's something dumb like dropping it while stalling, or coming to a stop, or stopping on sloping pavement---the infamous 0mph crash. No big deal on that old '83 Honda Magna, but it really hurts when it's your brand new Suzuki M109R...
My advice? Go out and get an 80s era 750cc inline-4. Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki all made good bikes like that. Learn on it, have fun, get comfortable, even ding it up a little (it happens), then resell it for the same or more than you paid for it, and get something nice. They're reliable, easy to wrench on, and they DO have good power but it's up high in the powerband---this translates to fewer "oops, too much throttle" incidents.
Before I got into ROTC, I worked as a motorcycle technician at a Honda dealership. I'd see so many brand new first bikes go out all pristine, just to end up on my lift a week or two later. For 95% of newbies it isn't a real crash that gets you, it's something dumb like dropping it while stalling, or coming to a stop, or stopping on sloping pavement---the infamous 0mph crash. No big deal on that old '83 Honda Magna, but it really hurts when it's your brand new Suzuki M109R...
Yeah, 250cc is pretty small. Yamaha makes a 650 cruiser and I've heard that's pretty underpowered yet. I have a Sportster and it had an 883 when I first bought it, but it was also considerably heavier. Grab something that you feel comfortable on and practice on backroads and parking lots to get going. The MSF course does a lot to get you going with low speed maneuvering. Once I got my bike, that's pretty much all I did until I felt comfortable to start hitting bigger streets with traffic, and then finally the death race called SPID.
Nafod
Change I can belive in
no kidding. thats like playing high stakes frogger.
jooman, dont get a cruiser if you dont want one. get the kind of bike you want and know that you will drop it at some point. a cruiser might be easier on the msf course but its not imposible on a sport bike.
250 is kind of small. youll want more power than that because youll get bored with it and you want to be able to get out of situations, just like people have said.
but cc isnt always the best representative of power. a 600cc sport bike generally has way more power than a 600 cc standard or cruiser.
You can learn on any bike- I had a friend who bought a minty 1000cc and hasn't dropped it yet-(That I know of it). I learned on a 500 Ninja and moved up to a CBR600RR once I was comfy with it. A 250 might not be enuf- but going with a brand new bike 600 prolly isn't a great idea either
Anyone can twist the wrist and go fast- Just like flying- Being good at what you are doing and it will go as well as it can. People will pull out in front of you and things will happen. Take the MSF course- get any extra training you can- read websites and forums about riding...and enjoy thte ride!!
I got a Suzuki GS 500 as my first bike and love it. I had never ridden a dirt bike or motorcycle, I just went out and bought it. It has 487cc and is very forgiving on the clutch. It is very maneuverable and you are not hunched over like a crotch rocket. In my opinion it is the perfect bike to learn on. I still have it almost two years later. I haven't gotten a new bike yet because it is such a great bike, and I am waiting for the 09 GSXR to come out.
atrickpay
BDCP SNA
I started on a 250 and I don't know why people think it's slow. Those who say this probably didn't own one. While it obviously isn't going to have the same acceleration and top speed as a larger bore bike, it can handle itself well in traffic. I could easily place myself where I wanted to with a little downshift and throttle. While I did own a Ninja 250 rather than a cruiser type, I imagine they have similar characteristics.
I also don't recommend something new for a first bike, maybe something 4-6 years old on craigslist. 250-class bikes of that age have great resale, as long as its taken care of. You can buy it, learn for a year, and as people have mentioned you can sell it for the same price (or in some cases more) that you paid for it. Either that or you can use my method and let your girlfriend ride it around the neighborhood, let her park it right behind her mom's car, and have her back right over it when she was leaving. Insurance gave me 500 more than I paid for it so I used that money to upgrade to a Ninja 500.
If you're looking for a bike that is a good learning experience and more long term then a 500 is probably a good size. I don't know about the availability of 500cc's in cruisers though. Another thing that might be of interest is the price of insurance. If you're young (not over 25) still, insurance prices make a steep climb with 600cc+ bikes. I was quoted 200-300/month for an SV650, which was incredibly rediculous. My 250 ended up being only $20/month, and my 500 is only $25.
I did highway riding on my 250 as well, and I never had any problems. I got it up to 100mph just to see how much it could take, so it's not going to be a racing bike, but it has the speed there if you need it. So as a little summary, I wouldn't get anything more than 10 years old unless you're pretty good with fixing stuff. You can find a 250/500 for around $1500-2000 and resell it for the same price. The smaller bikes are much more forgiving on beginners, and the insurance is forgiving on the wallet.
Also, always wear a helmet if you value your life.
I also don't recommend something new for a first bike, maybe something 4-6 years old on craigslist. 250-class bikes of that age have great resale, as long as its taken care of. You can buy it, learn for a year, and as people have mentioned you can sell it for the same price (or in some cases more) that you paid for it. Either that or you can use my method and let your girlfriend ride it around the neighborhood, let her park it right behind her mom's car, and have her back right over it when she was leaving. Insurance gave me 500 more than I paid for it so I used that money to upgrade to a Ninja 500.
If you're looking for a bike that is a good learning experience and more long term then a 500 is probably a good size. I don't know about the availability of 500cc's in cruisers though. Another thing that might be of interest is the price of insurance. If you're young (not over 25) still, insurance prices make a steep climb with 600cc+ bikes. I was quoted 200-300/month for an SV650, which was incredibly rediculous. My 250 ended up being only $20/month, and my 500 is only $25.
I did highway riding on my 250 as well, and I never had any problems. I got it up to 100mph just to see how much it could take, so it's not going to be a racing bike, but it has the speed there if you need it. So as a little summary, I wouldn't get anything more than 10 years old unless you're pretty good with fixing stuff. You can find a 250/500 for around $1500-2000 and resell it for the same price. The smaller bikes are much more forgiving on beginners, and the insurance is forgiving on the wallet.
Also, always wear a helmet if you value your life.
Is that coming down from Palomar Mountain? That is a helluva ride.
Shop around, too. I got quoted 2-3k/year from a few places for my SV650 (granted, I have a shoddy driving record - 1yr driving experience, 2 speeding tix, 1 at fault accident). For whatever reason Progressive covered me for $700 a year for the same bike.
I've got to admit the 650 has a handful of torque at low speeds, but I definitely felt more comfortable on SPID with that handful.