What Motorcycle to buy for a first timer rider?

I would put off getting a new Triumph until after you’ve burned through your starter bike. They’re nice, to be sure, but a lot of dough to start with.

Yep, that’s what I meant (‘done your learning’). They are NOT starter bikes, for sure!

Missed those words…my bad.

i was looking pretty seriously at one…I’m getting a Harley.

250s are good for this. I started out with a 100cc and the next year got a 250. I moved up to a 500, then a 750 and just for fun got a 250 again about 15 years after I started riding. A 250 will serve many rider’s practical needs. Mine would go 80 on the freeway. Gas mileage is very good with a 250.

I’d like to add that it was a lot of fun for me to go through a progression of ever larger bikes. A lot of people overlook and therefore miss that experience. I peaked out with an 883 which I still ride. I have ridden larger and far more powerful bikes and I suppose if I was 20 years old would want one of those. It’s a matter of taste; I don’t care to own huge cars and overly powerful or overly large bikes as well.

PS, don’t buy a bike larger than you can pick up. Try as I might and I am not a weakling; could not pick up a fallen Gold Wing. It was on the grass so it was not damaged.

My current bike is a 1200 cc four cylinder bike and it is stupid fast. It also drinks so much gas that I may as well be in a small car, kind of misses the point of a motorcycle.

I’m downsizing on my next bike, the new Bonneville is tempting, especially now that it finally has EFI and has a mag wheel model that uses tubeless tires that can be plugged in an emergency.

Horsepower is over rated, how fast does it have to go before it’s finally fun to ride? Besides, if you can go over 80 mph, the road is too darn straight.

I agree that as a new rider, you should have newer safety features. Yes, a new model with abs will cost more, but successful midlife crisis dreams do if safety is important. That’s if you don’t dump the idea and get used Corvette instead.

I vividly remember a “20-20” news show about 30 years ago. The show’s topic was about how the recent rise in motorcycle horsepower was causing many more deaths.

The deaths were not coming from experienced riders. They were coming from young novice riders. The old trend of starting out on small low-horsepower bikes and working one’s way up was fading. Instead, increased numbers of riders were now buying fast pocket-rockets for their first bike.

They showed a motorcycle junkyard located near of some southern California canyons. The lot was full of wrecked bikes. The owner said every weekend you can see the helicopters flying into the canyons to locate & pickup the dead bodies from motorcycle accidents.

I started out with a 250 Ducati (it was all I could afford) when I was 17, and worked my way up from there. I’m a believer in beginning on smaller bikes.

Those Honda Rebels at MSF sucked. I would not trust my life with those front and rear drum brakes.

I’d get a Kawazaki Ninja 250. I don’t know of any 250s that come with 6 speed, f/r disc brakes, and a water cooled engine.

Hmmm…not too sure about that…

Honda Rebel specifications state front disc, rear drum, starting at ~$4000.

Try this site that specializes in 250’s. There aren’t a heck of a lot of choices, but they all seem to have the right setup.

Having a single disc in the front will stop you just fine, and the primary job of the rear brake is to move the weight onto the front wheel. While the rear brake will provide some stopping power, you get most of it from the front.

chunky, those were Honda Nighthawk 250s that had the front and rear drum brakes. However, for a bike that light, they do a fine job of stopping it. I rode one in the MSF class, and in the emergency braking exercise, it did just fine.

Actually, Honda’s 250 class bikes usually have 234 cc engines. For a true 250, I would consider Suzuki’s small 250 cruiser or the Ninja 250, but, honestly, I think a middle aged man who just graduated from the MSF BRC is capable of handling one of Honda’s 750 cc 52 degree V-twin Shadows. He just needs to take a few minutes to get used to the different throttle control before he hits the open road.

" He just needs to take a few minutes to get used to the different throttle control before he hits the open road."

I think that moving from a standing stop would be more of a problem. A 750 has enough power to take off from under you if you pop the clutch. That’s one reason I think a new rider should stay at 500cc and less.

It depends on what exactly you are a beginner at. If you have lots of manual transmission and clutch use experience but have never ridden a motorcycle, you’ll do just fine on a Honda Shadow 750, it’s very docile.

However, enter a turn too hot with no motorcycle braking experience and you are in trouble no matter how small the engine is.

Honda is coming out with a brand new 250 cc one cylinder water cooled sport bike with EFI and optional ABS at extra cost. Now that’s something beginners should have.

jtsanders …I think that moving from a standing stop would be more of a problem…

This is true. Fuel injected bikes have a tendency to throttle snatch. That is when you twist the throttle and the bike lurches forward no matter how gingerly you try. It can be very alarming. If you do buy a bike spend the $65 and get a Throttle Tamer from http://www.g2ergo.com/ It is well worth it and makes acceleration smooth and easy.
The difference is in the cam at the end of the throttle tube.

No matter what you buy, be safe and have fun.

B.L.E. … Besides, if you can go over 80 mph, the road is too darn straight.

WELL SPOKEN

Several years ago I bought a new/used Triumph Bonneville (2001). Wonderful bike. It is dependable, agile, not heavy and cumbersome for a new rider, and it gets respect from others due to the Triumph name. But every bike is different and it should fit your size, riding style, and expectations. I could, but would not want to ride my bike on a cross country ride, for example.

JT, getting used to the throttle of a larger displacement bike should involve rocking back and forth lightly, getting used to the friction zone, as a first step. The second step should be practicing starting from a dead stop in the motorcycle dealership’s parking lot, followed by getting up to second gear, before you hit the road. This is exactly what I did when I bought my first bike.

Compared to other 750cc bikes, the V-twin Shadow is pretty docile, like BLE says. Mine has a single CV carb, which makes it a lot more tame than my Nighthawk 750, which has four carbs. The Nighthawk can really scream, but the Shadow might not even be capable of a burn-out (a hypothesis I never plan to test!).

My first bike was a Harley Model K and I was 13. There is a lot of experienced advice here and I can’t contradict any of it and I would also suggest that you take a beginner course if available and if not, find a friend who is motorcycle savvy and let him show you the ropes and let you drive on a vacant parking lot to get the feel of riding on 2 wheels. And although my only experience with a Rebel was around the block it impressed me as a very adequate starter. BTW, the last bike I owned had less than 100 miles on it and cost me $250. It was a Suzuki 250 that the mid-life crisis owner quickly dumped and left in the ditch where I picked it up. Good luck. Be careful. Enjoy. And those W650 Kawasaki retro bikes look great. But I’m somewhat past my mid-life crisis.

pbparady…I do not know if it has already been stated but the motorcycle safety class being referred to is typically available through your local community college.

I started on a kawasaki meanstreak 1600. Scared the hell out of me for a while. Don’t get anything too small - you will be surprised how quickly you adjust to it.

edit: also, this was my first bike and it was for my mid-life crisis as well.

edit again: another thing to add is somewhere up there I read someone saying these larger bikes ride you… either that was not about cruisers or it is spoken by someone without experience on larger bikes. Heck the guy doing the motorcycle class told us the fastest time on the tail of dragon was on a goldwing (and a guy who has to take a smoking break every 10 minutes can’t be wrong).