Any of the smaller v-twins or 500cc bikes will probably be a good choice for you. GS500 comes in a naked version and has a an upright sitting position. There's also lots of people selling these bikes used. You should be able get a good bike for around $2000. This will leave you with $1500 for gear. Check out <a class="postlink" href="http://www.newenough.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.newenough.com</a> they have lots of deals. Definitely get gloves being as your hands are the first thing to hit the ground when you go down. You can also find a lot of gear that doesn't look like motorcycle gear, there's lots of options out there. I would recommend staying away from the 650's like the Ninja 650R or SV650. I would consider these grey area starter bikes and only if you have had some riding experience in dirt/etc. Don't worry about out growing the bike. You have lots to learn about how to ride and how the motorcycle will react to your inputs.
I have to disagree with this, but it really depends on the type of rider you are. I started on a 600, and so did a lot of people I know. If you're riding a bike for the adrenaline rush, you will get bored of a 500. If you're more of a laid-back rider, then yeah a 600 might not be the right choice. Don't listen to all this bullshit about a 600 is too much power for a beginner though, as long as you're not a complete idiot and twist the throttle every chance you get then you should be fine. Just be careful, think about every move you make, easy on the throttle while you're learning, and practice during off-peak hours. And as for the guy who's hesitant about getting a bike because he's scared of accidents, you really have to let that shit go if you want to get one. If you can't shake that fear, then don't get a bike. A scared motorcyclist is a danger to both himself and others. A friend of mine said something once that really stuck with me: "You have to be a Zen-Master when you're on the bike, because sudden, panicked movements are what will get you hurt."
After reading this, I thought I'd give an update on my situation: I was ready to buy that Ninja 500 on a Saturday morning. On Friday, I went to the store with my dad to find a jacket because even though my friend had loaned me a helmet, I didn't have a jacket. I had gloves from the MSF course. The salesman told my dad the same thing he told me, about how Arai helmets are so much better than others, blah blah blah. And he told my dad about how his step brother died on a motorcycle, I guess as a way to encourage me to always wear good gear. When he went to check the price on a jacket for me, my dad looked at me and said, "are you sure you REALLY want one of these things?" And I didn't know how to answer. So I left the store and told myself that I wasn't going to get one. Maybe it was because I'm always hesitant to spend a lot of money, and this jacket was going to start a lot of spending on my part. Maybe the stories scared me a bit too. But I tried to put it out of my mind. It's been a few weeks and I'm moved back into school. And not a day goes by that I don't want a bike. So this morning before class I went on Craigslist just to look at what's available now. And I found a 2002 Suzuki SV650S literally in my college's town (College Park, MD. Lucky me that I'd learn to ride in the home of the worst drivers in the country). For exactly the same price that the girl earlier wanted for her Ninja. So I sent him an email. I went just this afternoon to look at this bike. The SV650 is one of the bikes that I actually really like; I'm not the biggest fan of the Ninja 500. Lo and behold, this guy's house is like 3 blocks from mine. The bike has about 5k miles on it and it's in decent shape, it's been down once or twice before but there are no real scratches on the fairings (there are scratches on the bar end and the end of the brake lever snapped off). And I really like that bike. The thing sounds great, feels good (not total supersport, but sporty enough for me) and it's just one of the bikes that I'm a fan of. In the past few weeks, I've put a lot of thought into the risk involved with riding a motorcycle. And I think I've found a few things out. I'm currently in some preliminary classes to become an EMT, and one of the guys in class rides a big Harley tourer to class each week. He started riding about a year ago on a big bike and bought his current bike in March. Since then, he's put about 15k miles on his bike, and he's done a total of about 25k in the one year he's been riding. When I asked him about riding, he said "there's nothing to it. You stay out of car's ways, and they stay out of yours." He told me that on the day he bought his bike, he rode just about every major highway in the DC metro/Baltimore area. On my way to the fire house one night, I was stopped at a red light, at a pretty big intersection. I heard sirens and saw two police cars blow through the red light, chasing a guy on a GSX-R. And I realized, if this guy running from the police goes down and dies, he gets added to the motorcycle death statistics. You can look and see what percentage of motorcyclists die on the roads each year, and he gets put in the same category as everyone else who rides responsibly? Seems a little stupid to me. This looks to be widespread though, because everywhere I look there are guys on sportbikes riding like morons, wearing t-shirts and shorts. So I think what I've learned is that the way you ride has a lot to do with the amount of risk you're exposed to. Seems obvious, but damn, I'm trying to rationalize something that isn't rational at all. I mean, why does anyone ride a motorcycle? They're not practical, they're not safe, they're not spacious. People ride them because it makes them happy. And until I try it, I won't know if it's for me. I think I'm finally ready to take the dive and get on a bike. Sorry these posts are long, but it helps when I can write what I'm thinking down.
Just wanted to thank everyone for the awesome advice you've given me. Here's the new motorcycle: 2002 SV650S. Has a little over 5000 miles on it, and I picked it up for $2200. Here's to a lot of safe riding in my future.
Just curious what this board thinks of the Honda Rebel 250 as a beginner bike? I don't mind buying a bike that I'll outgrow in 6 months, but I don't want something that will feel like an overgrown bicycle. I was told the Rebel tops out at 65 mph, which seems slow to me. But, I can't tell if my ego is getting in the way of making a sensible decision or if it's a bike I won't really enjoy riding. I bought my gear today and I'm taking the MSF course this weekend, very excited to start riding.
There is nothing wrong with a 250 rebel as a beginner bike or even one to have for the rest of your life. I am sure that the MSF course will have a rebel or two to ride this weekend. If there is give the rebel a try. I have a friend that bought a Honda VTR250 as her first bike. She then proceeded to ride that bike over 30,000 miles and quite a bit of the eleven western states in her first year of riding. That bike never had a problem keeping up with traffic or going up hills or carrying her young daughter on the back. All small bikes will do is cost you less to insure, get better gas mileage, better tire mileage, chains and sprockets last longer and in my opinion be more fun to ride. I have in my stable currently, a Kawasaki ZRX1200R, a Suzuki GSXR1100 and an old Yamaha RZ350. The RZ is by far the most fun to ride.
It's about a week after getting my first bike, and I just had my first close call. Until now, I haven't done a whole lot of actual road riding, mostly just rides around campus to get to class and some short rides on the roads right outside campus. About 15 seconds after getting on a pretty busy road today, a BMW X5 tried to lane change into me. I hit the brakes and locked the rear. Felt the bike start to slide but I managed to get it going straight again as soon as the car passed me. I have no idea how. I don't even know what to think. Is this kind of thing very common on a bike? What should I do to prevent these kinds of things?
That's the exact thing I didn't want to hear, but knew I would anyways. I guess this is why you stay off these shitty roads on a bike.
Dude, you just have to be ready for this stuff to happen. Start expecting everyone around you to do the stupidest thing you've ever seen. Be ready to swerve, brake, etc. When in traffic, I'm almost always riding with my thumb on the horn, ready to honk. Glad you're okay. Start riding defensively. But don't let some stupid cager stop you from enjoying your bike and riding.
Well, I'm now the proud owner if a mint condition Honda Shadow 750 ACE. I'll try to get pictures up in a few days when the weather clears up. My question now is: What's the best way to pick up insurance? Just call up random insurance companies and get quotes, or are there companies that are better suited for bikes?
Just sold my Ducati....currently looking for another Monster or a Triumph. God, it hurt seeing my baby on the back of that guy's trailer.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. I just bought one of these. http://corpsesfromhell.blogspot.com/2010/07/ariel-square-four-beuty.html Admittedly mine is a basket and there is a few years worth of work to do, and the Mrs. is pissed....but for $300 from an old mans barn...I win. (yes the old guy knew exactly what he had and told me "what the fuck am I going to do with it...hell at least you know what it is boy...good luck"
Ride like you're invisible. You have the advantage of better acceleration and quicker stopping power, plus you're smaller, so you can maneuver your bike better than a car. When I'm riding, I find that the cagers will pull out in front of me more than anything else.
A Taiwanese company called Rough Crafts did this to a 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883. Price is TBA at the moment. Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler