Motorcycle 101: school me

[varg]

Pretty good advice so far. Bikes aren't super cheap to own, between a decent bike and some quality gear, you will be hard pressed to start out for less than $4,000, and bikes go through tires, oil change intervals, chains and sprockets fast. You'll have to go through a basic rider course to get your license, and they usually are pretty good, but slow speed is where you will need the most practice so hit those parking lots and practice u turns, circles, figure eights, etc. when you get your license.

My usual recommendations for a first bike are SV650, Ninja 500, GS500, Ninja 250 and DRZ400SM. None are too powerful, aggressive or unforgiving for a new rider and all are available pretty cheap. If you're good with a wrench and a carb sync tool then classics like the R series BMWs and Honda CB5/700 are good too.

Whats the point of 150hp when first gear gets you to 100mph and you are already double the speed limit? useless....

I love it when people say that, I get to use my standard response; overkill is consistently more fun.

Look into a supermoto or enduro. But as stated above the sv650 is a great bike. I have had a yamaha wr250x supermoto. A suzuki drz400sm and a gsx-r 600. By far the most fun on the 250 lol but it really depends on what your looking for.

He said he's 5'6", I don't think enduros and supermotos are the best choice. Where are you in Palm Beach? I live and work around there.

[D J]

Look into a supermoto or enduro. But as stated above the sv650 is a great bike. I have had a yamaha wr250x supermoto. A suzuki drz400sm and a gsx-r 600. By far the most fun on the 250 lol but it really depends on what your looking for.

[Red_liner740]

What sort of bike do you see yourself on, Cruiser, Standards, Sport Touring, Cafe? Super sport?

Id recommend an SV650, second gen. Simple, easy to work on, V-twin with lots of torque, newbie friendly. Fuel Injected so no messing with carbs. Consistently get 50mpgs on it. Cheap to maintain, easy on tires (you'd be surprised how quckly big V-twins and supersports chew up tires. 5K for a rear is considered average for a good sticky tire.

My fiancee rides one and honestly, i had GSXR750s, VTR1000, ZX7, all those bikes have way to much power for street whereas the SV650 with 70hp is perfect for carving canyons and bombing around town. Whats the point of 150hp when first gear gets you to 100mph and you are already double the speed limit? useless....least fun bike on the street for me was my 08 gsxr750.

Suzukis like BMW's have a lot of interchangeable parts, so brakes and front suspension from a GSXR will bolt right up and can be picked up cheap.

Do a course because you dont know what you dont know.

They teach you some fundamental basics that help tremendously.

[Tom64]

Bmw k75

[2mAn]

Nope, if I get totally serious I will take one of those easyriders classes that teaches you and you get your license at the completion of it

[Stanley Rockafella]

if your being safe and maintaining it properly, don't expect it to be too much cheaper than your e30 is...esp if your buying something used that needs to be brought up to snuff. (tho if you can do you own wrenching, you'll obviously save some $$).

When starting into bikes, you'll obviously need some good QUALITY gear (boots, helmet, jacket, etc.) this stuff ain't cheap.

have your bike license already?

[ravenlord89]

I like about a million other people started riding on a Suzuki GS500e. Stupid simple, can pick them up for nothing, easy to work on. It won't be something you keep for a whole lot of time, but they are great to beat on till you have the skills to get something nicer.

Also, you will drop your first bike. Not if but when.

[2mAn]

Since Ive moved to SoCal I cant shake this idea of having a motorcycle to cruise around on. It didnt help when I moved to a new spot and my neighbor across is a motorcycle mechanic and usually has half a dozen bikes in front. Usually older vintage bikes.

Today, I spent some time BSing with him about his current build, a mid 70s CB550. Its a gem of a bike, and between that and old BMW bikes, Ive gotten the itch.

However, Im hoping most of this is me being bored, and needing a(nother) distraction.

Not looking for a CBR1100 or Hayabusa or anything like that, but Im curious what would be a good starter bike. Something light and torquey so it doesnt need to r3v'd to 100000000rpms to make power. Im also short (5'6") so I need a relatively smaller bike. I spent some time reading about the K100RS and found a few locally and now I need r3vs advice and input...

SO: school me