A New Guy

[AL]

Hi all,

I have always wanted a bike but never got around to it, till now! I am taking the safty course and getting my MC License in the next few weeks! Not sure what I am going to get for a bike, so I figured I would come and post here to see what kind of answers I will get! I am a short guy at only 5' 6" so I am looking at crusiers which seem to have a low seat height, and felt comfey when I sat on some, shadows & V-Star! As for ridding it will be around town and some travel when I go places with the RV! Always wanted a HD but even used they seam like a lot of money! I am also looking in the 650-1100 CC range. Oh also for the past two years I have been ridding a Honda elite 50 scooter around the campgrounds & lake community I am at in the summer. After the second time I took it out for a ride I new I was going to want to go bigger,LOL!! So please let me know what you all think pro or cons, Thanks!

[EricnLisaTX]

I've been riding all kinds of bikes for the past 40+ years. About 2 years ago I bought my first Harley. A year later I sold it. It just couldn't compare to my Roadstar. So, that was that...

A cruiser is definitely a good bike to start with. You certainly can't go wrong with Yamaha's bikes. Also, I would recommend at least a 900cc bike. Makes it much easier to keep up with traffic.

Be safe!

Eric

[Wayne M]

Don't overlook the Kawasaki line. I loved my Nomads. Unfortunately I got broadsided doing 50 mph down the highway. Family joined in and forbid more riding.

[AL]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info, will be looking forward to getting more as well!! Sorry to hear that you can't ride anymore Wayne M, as well as thanks for your service!

[EricnLisaTX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M Don't overlook the Kawasaki line. I loved my Nomads.

I have always heard good things about Kawasaki's cruiser line-up.

The only Kawasaki I've ever owned was a 2004 ZX12 sportbike. It was a lot of fun to ride. But, it was also hard to stay out of trouble.

Eric

[bmrzmrs]

Take a hard look at the v-star 1300. Low center of gravity, very smooth. My wife is 5' 4" with 30" inseam and flat foots with the bike lowered 1". 55,000 miles in 3-1/2 years.

See http://theboomerzoomers.net for the trips and rides we've done.

[BarbRN]

I'm 5'2" and had a HD Heritage Softail (more money than I wish I had spent and not much fun with the weight).

I have a Yamaha FZ1 now, easy to lower with a dog bone you can get. It's 1,000 CC, you can buy one in great condition right now for about $4K. What a zippy bike but I turned it into a touring sport bike with hard bags for long trips.

The shadows would work too.

Another one I fit on was the Ninja but it was too light and was all over the road and I don't like being bent over like that to ride.

Good luck. Good job on taking the course. I still remember some of those tips.

[beachboy27]

Started on a 650 VStar about 7 years ago. rode it for one year and then got a Roadstar and rode it until this year. Both bikes were excellent for maintenance and riding. The 650 was just too small for me. Got a HD Ultra Classic this year and couldn't be happier. It will probably be the last big two wheeler I will get. Who knows what next - maybe a trike?

[frankdamp]

If you REALLY want something unusual, go look for a used Norton Commando, preferably one of the late-production electric start 850s. If you can get one where the wimpy Lucas "assisted kick-start" system has been replaced by a modern Honda starter, that would be a plus.

Beware, though, that they need a lot of fettling. I worked for Norton as a development engineer in the late 1960's, so I'm a bit biased!

Wouldn't touch a Hog with a 10' pole. If I were buying a run-about (rather than a serious tourer) The Honda CX500 is a very good all-round bike. Fairly light (about 300 pounds, I think), water-cooled, shaft drive and a fairly low seat. Honda's 500 puts out a fair level of power if you're not going to be doing long distances with baggage and two-up.

[AL]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the tips and info. I am just finishing my coffee and then going out for day-2 of the course, I am hopeing the rain lets up at least some, it's pouring right now and class is at 7AM! However it is good pratice! I guess anyone can take the course in warm sunny weather,LOL!! Thanks again!!

[DGShaffer]

I have to say that the advise I'm reading here is absolutely shocking and totally contrary to common sense and safey. I can see it coming from new riders going through their fists midlife crisis but to hear veteran riders giving a new rider advice to get a heavy cruiser is both reckless and absurd.

To advise a new rider to put himself on a heavy, powerful, slow to respond cruiser as an initial learning bike is flat out dangerous and way off the mark in my opinion.

It seems that no one wants to be caught riding something as uncool as a 450cc, upright riding style type bike but rather a cool looking low to the ground, heavy, unresponsive cruiser. Good luck with that pig the first time someone runs a red light and you need to swerve to avoid them or apply the breaks on a bike without ABS. Your family will be the next by your bed side telling you that you are no longer allowed to ride. Or god forbid, consoling your family.

Here's some advise and what I've always told everyone that asked for it. start out small and light and on a bike with and upright riding style and a modern design with ABS. You need to work on skills rather than your image for at least your first year. If your older your ability to respond is diminished, couple that with bike that carries weight and a geometry that is also slow to respond and you're looking at a recipe for disaster.

I'm almost surprised someone hasn't told you that the first thing to do is to change out the pipes to louder drag pipes because "Loud Pipes Save Lives"! another myth. Developing proper riding skills, good peripheral attentiveness, coupled with a responsive bike is what "Saves Lives".

Assume that every intersection you approach that there is someone coming in the other direction that doesn't see the red light or stop sign and prepare yourself to avoid a collision. Watch the wheels of every car stopped at the intersection for movement, if they start to turn, prepare yourself for an avoidance maneuver because they haven't noticed you (try that on a "Hog").

So you asked for it, you got it, sound advise from a rider that's been riding since he was 12, a rider that lost a best friend while riding, a rider that's crashed more than once (as you most likely will), a rider that puts talent over image. Follow this advise and I guarantee you that you will spreads the word if in the future someone asks you what to get as a first bike!

Develop good riding skills first, then you can work on your image. Best of luck to you, but, please don't take this decision lightly, riding a motorcycle is the most fun you'll have but comes at a risk. Just concentrate on safety and gear up for the fall, not the ride!

[frankdamp]

Your last sentence is a gem, Don. When I was at Norton, I always wore full leathers, indepentent of ambient temp. The prototype Commandos had no failrings or windsheld. I never had to step off in close to 40,000 miles (we rode 500 a day on the street for 6 months) and we did a few weeks of continuous 100+ mph testing for 10 hours a day on a banked oval track.

I did come off my own bike when I took what I thought would be a long sweeping right hand turn after a hump-back bridge. I was two miles further south than I thought, and this bridge led to a T junction.

Stopping in 60 feet from 70 mph when the wheels are off the ground doesn't work too well! Fortunately there was no opposing traffic and the opposite side of the road was a hawthorn hedge bordering a field. I landed upright in the field and managed to stay on the bike and ride to the gate! My leathers were pretty well torn up by the thorns in the hedge, but I wasn't hurt (other than pride).

[DGShaffer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankdamp When I was at Norton, I always wore full leathers, indepentent of ambient temp. The prototype Commandos had no failrings or windsheld. I never had to step off in close to 40,000 miles (we rode 500 a day on the street for 6 months) and we did a few weeks of continuous 100+ mph testing for 10 hours a day on a banked oval track.

Wow, that sounds like a dream job to me!

You mention track time and that's another place to gain real knowledge of your abilities and the limits of your bike. I recommend at least one track day to all my friends as I've found that I have learned a lot about myself as well as gained a better understanding of my bike. But, once you've done one you are sure to go back. This may sound unorthodox but I strongly recommend taking at least one in the rain since it's inevitable that as motorcycle riders we are certain to get caught out in a storm.

[John H...]

I am a Harley guy, but I also think that Honda's are very good and less expensive than Harleys. I have had several Hondas in my past and were very good bikes.