I've been considering taking the plunge for a while now, but I think I'm ready to start pricing things out and getting genuine advice. Any makes/models that would be good first time rider bikes for me to look into? I'm open to just about anything at this point. Fuel economy is my main priority, style/comfort second, and I think reasonable pricing is the third priority.
Unless you already have motorcycle experience take a motorcycle safety course. I would say buy a 5-15 year old bike. Expect to lay it down or at least drop it a few times, don't be upset about scratches/dents. If you're getting a street bike keep it small 250CC-ish, if dirt stay under 500CCs 250 would be OK, cruiser 500 would be decent for a first bike. If dual sport get something with electric start(I just upgraded to electric start, and it's sooo nice). As Lurker asked, tell us what you like and we can then steer you into a direction. Do you have friends/family that are into bikes and/or can help you do maintenance? If no to both, buy some basic tools(Harbor freight will work for this) and buy a Clymer manual. Don't forget to factor in the cost of gear. You will NEED a helmet, gloves, armored jacket at the least and I would get good boots and pants if you can. Chaparral in San Berdu has a bitchen parking lot sale every year(Oct 1st), parts and gear go for super-cheap.
I haven't ridden in years but still have my MC endorsement on my ODL. Not that I intend to ride street again, but my state requires one for a moped above 50cc or for three wheeled electric vehicles. Every time I get the urge you spoke of, someone I know either gets killed or in a wreck while riding.
Suppose I am as I still have my R6, although I did a massive 200 miles this year and last combined. Really need to get rid of it. I'm the same as you wiskas, a guy 4 houses up the road only has one leg due to a bike accident. Last month I heard a guy I meet while on holiday in Louisiana died in a bike accident. The problem is other motorists. I noticed the standard of driving has declined massively in last couple years. One street I use has cars parked half on the pavement and cars literally charge at you half in your lane and how I've not had my wing mirror knocked off is beyond me. Rule number 1, if the other vehicle is a white van man or has a crap car, you better get ready to stop fast and move as far as you can to the side because they sure won't.
There are two types of riders. Those who have gone down, and those who haven't gone down, yet. I barely make it into the latter. So as Super_Chris mentioned, you need to factor gear into the price of the bike. If you can't afford the gear, you can't afford the bike. I ride a cruiser but have been curious about getting a sportbike. That idea died when someone was inches away from backing into me while I was doing 5 mph in A PARKING LOT. I realized increasing speed just decreases your time to react to such idiocracy and SoCal is full of idiots. Until I move somewhere more rural, I'll keep my riding slower and just on the weekends. Which leads me to my next question. Is this going to be your sole mode of transportation?
I have a cruiser. I don't ride it much. as stated above, I would start with a cheap bike, because your going to crash it and lay it down. I sold my first bike, 82 honda nighthawk 450 for 500$
I honestly don't know what type of bike I should get. If I do get the bike I'd still keep my volkswagen for transporting stuff/and driving the 70 mile trip from LA to Palmdale. I just want the bike for driving to and from work and for navigating through LA. Is something like a used Ninja 250r what I should be looking at?
Those are pretty dangerous commutes for an unexperienced rider. I would just ride around town at first until you get good at panic braking/downshifting, learning defensive riding (knowing when to split lanes such as when traffic suddenly stops in front of you, etc.) and working on getting to know your bike. The other day I needed to use the horn in a sudden situation and I couldn't find it without looking down. A wise old biker (notice the old part) told me: "Never ride to and from work. That will get you killed. Drive to work and back. Then on the weekends, pull the bike out and go riding preferably in a group." He elaborated in saying that people tend to drive like even bigger idiots in the morning and afternoon when they are rushing to and from work. Another reason was because you, the rider, might tend to take a few more chances in traffic if you are running late. Made sense to me and I follow that rule to this day. Sure there are a ton of people who ride to work but the majority of them (in my area) are Marines and are fuckin lunatics (15S towards SD on any given weekday morning you can see these crazies splitting lanes at 90+. They're easy to spot by their $15K sportbike, $35 backpack and the Marine issue BDU's.
A Ninja 250 would be good if you want a sport bike. It's a good primer to the riding style, and still not enough power to kill yourself too quickly. To be honest I have little experience dealing with that style of bike. Other than dual sports/strait dirt bikes so I can't help a whole ton on that topic. I do know that the Ninja should be cheap. If you're willing to get the 'old' style (2007 and prior) you can get them cheap somewhere around $2k, the newer style's seem to go for $3-4k. I think it's silly when people try and sell a year old bike for $200 less than the MSRP($4300). Also factor in $300-600 for gear. Might be able to do it cheaper at the Chaparral sale, even if they are a little more dirt oriented.
Nobody can choose what style of bike you might want to ride man. It's relative to your personal taste and what you want to do with it. You might want to try to have friends with different types of bikes let you try them out (tough sell unless they have their old beater still around). A cruiser is heavier and slower but more comfortable on long rides (for the most part). Sportbikes are agile, faster, quicker and have a different center of gravity which changes the riding style. Dual-Sports are dirt-bikes with all the D.O.T. mandated equipment to make it road legal (simply put). All 3 of the above have very different riding characteristics. It's something you need to figure out before you decide to buy.
I think I can rule out the dual-sport. Im between a cruiser or a small-engined sport bike. I guess I just need to try out the two. How does insurance vary between the two?
Anything classified as a "sport bike" would be expensive(relatively) just because of the name. Dual sports are cheap. Mine's $300 a year(a lot of coverage), but cuts my truck and car insurance by 10%, which ends up being pretty cheap(last bike cost less than $10 a year after discounts). I think a cruiser would be pretty cheap too. Don't get full coverage, do get theft insurance and do get it through your current insurer. Absolutely get uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and get the coverage that covers your medical costs in an accident(your fault or not). Oh yeah, and take a motorcycle safety course BEFORE you buy a bike. You can get your M1 through most of them, and probably get to try out different types of bikes.
My favorite bikes are 80s/90s Japanese sport bikes/standards which may fit your need. Great gas mileage, low insurance, and more than enough power for anything (depending on the model, of course). And of course.. like everyone said be prepared to drop it. Either at 60mph or at 0mph in a 7-11 parking lot, it will happen. And you may not even be able to pick it up by yourself the first couple of times. My only fall was at around 30mph in front of a school bus letting out some high school kids. A full face helmet hides shame pretty well, though. http://www.classic-japanese-bikes.com/
I'd have to say go with an older Japanese bike for similar reasons to what Coleman listed. All the UJM bikes are a good classic look, lots of bikes to be found, and great for learning on. Plus it's a first bike, If you end up wanting to ride seriously, it's not likely a bike you'll keep long.
insurance is going to be a lot better on a cruiser than a crotch rocket. If you are looking to commute, there are also some naked bikes that are sporty but more comfortable to ride. I am not sure of any 250-400cc examples off the top of my head, but stuff like the sv650, 599 (what I have). The weird part with these is that some insurance cos label them sport bikes, some don't. Geico won't insure me because its a sport bike, but progressive has no problem doing it ($100/yr liability) I started on a dual sport (94 xt225 that I still have) and would recommend that. If you don't want one, then look at the ninja 250 you were talking about. That will be a good starter bike that you won't outgrow as fast as something like a rebel 250 I think I am going to buy a cbr250 in the next few months with the excuse that its for the wife to learn to ride =)
I'll add my .02 cents as i just started riding last year. I picked up a 2002 Kawasaki Ninja 500R. This is an AWESOME beginner bike in my opinion. Its cheap, great on gas but fast enough to get you out of trouble or avoid getting bored after the first month or two of riding. I honestly think you'd be wasting your money if you picked up a Ninja 250R you will more than likely get bored after a while and highway riding wont be tolerable on it. My insurance on the 500R is next to nothing. Also i like the street bike look so I'm doing a few mods such as single exhaust vs dual as well as removing the protruding turn signals and making them flush leds along with a rear fender eliminator kit. It should end up looking like Tom Cruises bike in Top Gun.
Ninja 250 is perfectly fine for highway if you arent a fatass I will 2nd the ninja 500 assuming its the EN or whatever the model is. One of the guys at work has one. But ninja and gsx are still squid mobiles =)
Idk dude I'm 185lbs and if i had to accelerate out of someones way on the highway ... pancake that's all I'm saying. EX500 is the designation for my bike.
Aren't you like 10ft tall or something, though? Maybe you're just as aerodynamic as a block of concrete? Check Progressive for insurance. I found them to have the best prices when I was shopping for insurance. When I was 22 I was paying around $500 a year for good coverage and it only got cheaper (if you don't care about living). I had a 1984 Honda Nighthawk CB700SC. It's a 'Standard' but widely known as one of the first crotch rockets. For a first bike they're almost too fast but if you see one for sale.. give er' a chance.
i own a 2000 ninja250... (saving up for a gxr750) (or an r6) but i really reccomend you take the MSF course.. couple of my friends went straight on with bigger bikes but i think i did good starting with a smaller bike first.. its tiny.. it gets boring quick.. but its feels different and you get to learn everything on it
My boss just got a dirt bike and his motorcycle temps. He called the insurance co to get insurance for it. They told him he had to have his license for 3 years before they would insure him. Ain't that some bullshit.
This is freaky! I almost never visit The Workshop, but today I came here with the intention of posting a thread about choosing my first bike, and... whaddya know? djsoulriot beat me to it. What about something like this? http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2006-Suzuki-Boulevard-S40-99286103 It's not much heavier than a Rebel even though it's 650 cc. Or should I stick to 250 cc for my first bike?
I have the Boulevard C50 and it's a great beginner's bike. Quick enough to get you out of trouble but not too powerful to land you in the ER.
