Best beginners Bike???

[RONJON]

I am taking a motorcycle safety class coming up and im looking into getting a bike. I am a total newbie and need something that I can enjoy but will also be a good starter bike as much on the safer side as possible and of course..cool as hell lol ...oh and for a good reasonalble price cuz money is a little tough ya know

Any suggestions???

 

[bigprimp]

I would start on a dirt bike. Like a 250 four stroke. Before you start on the street. There are way to many idiots on the street. If not. Suzuki builds a pretty good cruiser for cheap. If your looking for a croch rocket I would go with a Honda of Yamaha.

 

[blackpossom]

A 500cc bike is a good beginner bike. Fast enough to be fun but not fast enough to get you into trouble. I felt that a 250 was just too small and not enough power. Just my opinion

 

[Stewie Griffon]

small engine size doesnt necessarily mean safe. don't forget in a dangerous situation extra engine power may save your life: more power = more ability to maneuver and control the bike - to make it do what you want it do when you need it to. of course with more power = more temptation to fuck around, but thats all on the rider.

for safety i definately do not recommend a crotch rocket style bike. if you are a new rider, the seating position does not feel 'right'. wehn you become experienced it will be the perfect position for performance. that being said get a standard sit up style bike. one important thing - ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES GET FOWARD CONTROLS. yeah they may look cool, but people dont look cool splattered on the pavement cause of the incredibly awkward position forward controls places your feet. your feet should be under you! don't get ape hangers with your hands way up in the air. buckhorns or flat TT bars are perfect for control and comfortable.

another thing: stay away from shaft drive, except for BMW models. shaft drive always causes reverse torque to be applied to the rear tire perpendicular to the movement of the bike - BAD. only BMW has developed a counterbalance to this to eliminate virtually all of the sideways torque. go for chain or belt drive only

stay away from harleys. i dont give a shit what anyone says they are fucking garbage. i have owned 3 and they all are pieces of shit. everything vibrates off, they are overpriced junk. poor mechanical design using OLD technology. resale is shit now. and that american made notion is pure shit. i had to disassemble all 3 of those bikes to fix everything that broke. MOST of the mechanical parts and EVERY electrical part were made in japan or china. if anyone asks why i owned 3 of them - i was stupid i thought they were cool and for whatever reason they USED TO have a high resale. thats what youth does - makes you make dumb choices

tiumph makes good bikes, look into a

Triumph Bonneville 790/America

not too expensive, looks nice, rides great. then maybe

 

[whiteknucks]

crotch rockets handle 10 times better than cruisers. they stop quick, accelerate quick, and can turn on a dime. cruisers are heavy, take longer to slow down, and dont handle as agile. learn to not panic with your right wrist. and NEVER use the rear brake until you are good at riding. front brake is 70% of stopping power. the rear brakes lock up easy, and when ur new u dont need to be sliding the rear end around.

cant go wrong with suzuki bikes no matter what kind you want.

good luck, you will be hooked for life after that first set of keys!

 

[littlejames]

i just got my first bike. i bought from a freind who is in the middle of a divorce . its a 2000 harley davidson 1200 sporster. and i love it

 

[MegatronsMuscle]

tiumph makes good bikes, look into a

Triumph Bonneville 790/America

not too expensive, looks nice, rides great. then maybe

You are darn right Triumph makes a good bike - I ride a Thruxton and the wife rides a Bonnie standard.

The current issue of Motorcyclist (or Sport Rider, can't recall) lists the Bonneville as one of the "smart buys" when it comes to an all around bike. My wife is 120 pounds and handles the Bonnie like a champ. Good even power band and super easy to work on - very simple mechanical/engine set-up.

 

[BigCracker]

You're a bigger dude eh??? 500cc will be a lawnmower. Try a Bandit 1200-naked(no fairing). It's not really a cruiser, not really a sportbike either. Enough power to pull your ass around-but not more than you can handle(provided you respect it). The cool thing about naked bikes is that it's cheaper to fix when dropped because you don't need to replace the whole fairing. Riding position is more upright, but still sporty at the same time. You can get a decent one with aftermarket exhaust for around $4K, maybe an older one that doesn't have fI for even less. My old custom Bandit is 3rd one down. Kinda looks like a Buell.

http://geocities.com/gsx1300rhaybusa/pictures_of_my_old_bikes.htm

 

[Chrysler]

Any 600cc super sport is a good starter bike. You'll outgrow a 500 in a few weeks and want something bigger. Take it from someone who made the mistake of buying a Ninja 500R as their first bike, and if money is an issue you might be stuck with it for awhile and you will probably regret it. You can pick up a fairly new (2004 and up) 600 for under 5k if you do some searching and you can always haggle the price. Craigslist is the obvious resource for picking up a good used bike for a decent price.

 

[CYNDER_BLOCK]

Get what you want, make sure it fits you ergonomically, it looks good to you, and use common sense. It's that simple.


You can start big or small. Either way it doesn't matter.

 

[king1033]

well i tried to start off with a nice begginer bike aswell, but that thought lasted for 3 minutes when i saw the suzuki hayabusa copped the 2009 in orange and black...... looking back at it after riding a buddies 2010 yamaha r6 i kinda wish i had both bike the hayabusa will blow the doors off anything but the r6 with corner pushing your eyes to the back of your head. so you also gotta choose what kinda animal you want speed or handeling, although i cant lie my hayabusa has crazy handeling aswelll! goodluck bro the r6 is a sick bike also look into the honda cbr1000rr another "wooooAHHHHHH" bike

 

[longlac]

get a gsxr 600 great comfortable bike, not too small not too big, handles great! after you can really ride you can swap the motor n but a 1000 in it and hall ass. I own a 2003 gsxr 600 w a 1000 motor on it and insurance is dirt cheap.

 

[BigCracker]

well i tried to start off with a nice begginer bike aswell, but that thought lasted for 3 minutes when i saw the suzuki hayabusa copped the 2009 in orange and black...... looking back at it after riding a buddies 2010 yamaha r6 i kinda wish i had both bike the hayabusa will blow the doors off anything but the r6 with corner pushing your eyes to the back of your head. so you also gotta choose what kinda animal you want speed or handeling, although i cant lie my hayabusa has crazy handeling aswelll! goodluck bro the r6 is a sick bike also look into the honda cbr1000rr another "wooooAHHHHHH" bike

I'm a Busa guy too-unrestricted '99 black.grey.

 

[UglyDucklingSyndrome]

Get exactly what you want the first time around! Beginner bike is a bad way to state something IMO. I say get what you want because now-a-days the bikes are so restricted that until you spend a lot of money on the bikes (Crotch Rockets) they are very similar. I have a 2008 Yamaha R1 and my 2000 GSX-R750 would spank it flat out in all aspects! That is until I get my power commander and Y pipe and all that. So dont go waste money on a 600. Get a 750 or 1000 right from the beginning. You will grow very tired of a 600 by the time you break it in and when you go to trade it in or sell it youll lose your ass on it(unless youre a lucky one). This is just my opinion since I lived this nightmare and I dont personally know anyone who started on a 600 and didnt upgrade shortly after purchasing it.

Also, realize that the differences on most 600s and 1000s are mostly the engine. Some companies reinforce the swing arm due to the extra power but for the most part they have the same frames, just different size engines.

If insurance is a question for you like most, call everyone! I dont mean companies, I mean individual insurance agents whether they have the same company name or not. They will vary.

I pay $38 a month for full coverage on my bike and its 1000 CCs.

 

[steve30279]

If you have your heart set on a rice burner....best bang for your buck IMO is a carbed 1999-2002 SV650. They look good, can be had for around 3grand and hold their value right at the 3 grand mark, as loong as you take care of it.

I have had 3 of them and sold them all for what I paid for them. Quick, Handle great, look good, EXTREMELY reliable and much more comfortable than the SS bikes.

Only downfall is they are popular track bikes, so make sure your buying one that hasnt been raced.


I dont know what your price range is, but if I was you I would buy a Dyna(wide glide, lowrider, ect) They can be had for 7-8 grand with really low miles and will hold their value. Your going to end up on a bike like that someday so you might as well skip the uncomfortable sport bike step

 

[RONJON]

Wow big bike crowd thanks guys...so most are saying to go ahead and get a bigger big because you will quickly progress past the little one..huh

thanks guys

 

[authundercat]

if you are looking for a sportbike, i would recommend buying used to save some money. the 250cc and 500cc are good but you will out grow them pretty quick. i would go with no more than a 600cc if its a sportbike. i ride a yzf 600r, not r6, this bike is a lot more comfortable, with a little less power. another good one to look into would be the cbr f4i, this is a similar bike by honda. these are some good ones, you can do some power upgrades and sprockets if you ever feel like you are out growing them. my first bike was a honda shadow ace 750, cruiser. if you go with a cruiser a yamaha 650cc or a honda 750cc. if you are planning some long distance trips you might look into an 1100 or bigger. just don't go crazy and any bike will be good to learn on.

 

[steve30279]

Wow big bike crowd thanks guys...so most are saying to go ahead and get a bigger big because you will quickly progress past the little one..huh

thanks guys

i wouldnt call a 600 little, I dont think anyone needs anymore than that. A skilled rider will ride circles with a little 600 around an average rider on his big 1000.

Work on your riding skills, bring it to the drag strip, and you local road track. Learn how to track it and you will be shocked at what that "little" 600 can do when you know how to ride it.

 

[Showy0023]

Here's one!

I heard the guy selling this one will make his fellow PM members a deal!!!!!!

**broken link removed**

 

[pesty4077]

small engine size doesnt necessarily mean safe. don't forget in a dangerous situation extra engine power may save your life: more power = more ability to maneuver and control the bike - to make it do what you want it do when you need it to. of course with more power = more temptation to fuck around, but thats all on the rider.

for safety i definately do not recommend a crotch rocket style bike. if you are a new rider, the seating position does not feel 'right'. wehn you become experienced it will be the perfect position for performance. that being said get a standard sit up style bike. one important thing - ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES GET FOWARD CONTROLS. yeah they may look cool, but people dont look cool splattered on the pavement cause of the incredibly awkward position forward controls places your feet. your feet should be under you! don't get ape hangers with your hands way up in the air. buckhorns or flat TT bars are perfect for control and comfortable.

another thing: stay away from shaft drive, except for BMW models. shaft drive always causes reverse torque to be applied to the rear tire perpendicular to the movement of the bike - BAD. only BMW has developed a counterbalance to this to eliminate virtually all of the sideways torque. go for chain or belt drive only

stay away from harleys. i dont give a shit what anyone says they are fucking garbage. i have owned 3 and they all are pieces of shit. everything vibrates off, they are overpriced junk. poor mechanical design using OLD technology. resale is shit now. and that american made notion is pure shit. i had to disassemble all 3 of those bikes to fix everything that broke. MOST of the mechanical parts and EVERY electrical part were made in japan or china. if anyone asks why i owned 3 of them - i was stupid i thought they were cool and for whatever reason they USED TO have a high resale. thats what youth does - makes you make dumb choices

tiumph makes good bikes, look into a

Triumph Bonneville 790/America

not too expensive, looks nice, rides great. then maybe

What Harleys did you have and what year? I have had harleys for years and never had any problems. I currently have a 2004 Road King Custom, which I take 1000-2000 mile trips. Evidentually you don't know about technology like you think. Did you ever see the testing that went into a V Rod? More than any Japanese bike. They are slow to, LOL, that is why V Rods are winning the drags. You do know who Hines is? The new Harleys are 96 cubic and with 6 speeds (old technology? LMAO) As far as value and appreciation, there is still no bike on the market that holds on to value like a Harley. By the way, I had my bike appraised at $32,000.