Having recently taken my MSF training course, and gotten my motorcycle license, I’m in the market for motorcycle.
One has caught my eye, that looks nice, and is in my price range, and most importantly, is available; A 1998 Suzuki Marauder 800.
Problem is I’ve been semi cautioned not to get too powerful of a bike while starting, and have been pointed to the 5-600cc range as good for a beginner(250s are out of the question, due to kneeinchest syndrome)
Would I be totally crazy to go for it? I’m not a crazy driver, and I absolutely do NOT plan on hot rodding around. I just like the way this bike looks, and unfortunately, the used market is not exactly amazing around here(I definitely do not want a new bike as my first).
So I ask you, Biker Dopers… Is this an amazingly bad idea? I’ve tested a 600 and 750, and I believe I handled them well, but I am definitely a novice, and as such don’t really know what I know.
I went directly from the MSF course to the 800 cc Suzuki Boulevard (the C50T cruiser). My brother went from the MSF to some 1200 cc or thereabouts Harley.
Take it easy. Wear your gear. Know your limitations. Do not add a rider until you are really comfortable
I don’t ride anymore, and I was never a hardcore biker, but I still say go for it. Some will say don’t it’s too much, you’re just going to lay it down, etc. Others, like me, will say it’s really not difficult for a cautious rider to “grow” into their bike–within reason.
I’m not saying a new rider should run out and get a Road King or something like that, but I’ve seen a LOT of newbies do fine with rather large bikes right off the bat.
How big a guy are you? I’ve seen a few big men that could make any touring bike their bitch the first day they ever sat on a motorcycle.
Just do it man. Insurance, caution, and as much practice as possible.
I started with a Honda 150cc scooter and am glad I did as I had a couple Teachable Moments that on the scooter were easily navigated. If they had happened on my 750 Suzuki , it could have gotten ouchie.
As for passengers, I’d caution you to wait at least a year, seriously. You need to be completely comfortable on a bike to the point where the controls are second nature and you don’t get that little pit of your stomach feeling when you take the apex of a curve wrong or hit a patch of gravel (although that always feels iffy). I’ve been riding for a few years now and when Steph is on the bike I find myself being hyper careful.
“Big” means two differnt things really. They’re related, but they’re not the same.
Big in ccs & power - As long as you ride like a responsible adult it doesn’t much matter whether it’s a 250 or a 1000. Ridden like a maniac, the 250 can get going plenty fast plenty quicly enough to highside a curve and do a header into a hillside or oak tree. Cars pull out in front of 250s just as readily as they do 750s. Remember not to crank the throttle wide open and your 750 or 1000 is just fine.
Big in poundage & ponderosity - There’s a world of difference between a 1000cc sport bike and a 1000 cc tourer. I don’t have personal experience with touring bikes; they never were my thing. But my take always was that riding a tourer safely took more experience than riding a sport bike safely. You had all the extra risk of crashing and injury which any motorcycle affords, and all the manueverability of your uncle’s Buick. As we say in the piloting biz, “you have to use your superior judgment to avoid the situations which might need your superior skill.” Judgment comes only with time (& scares). Were *I *looking to buy a tourer as my first bike, I’d tend towards the small end of the spectrum.
Now I’m also of barely average height and slender build. If I was 6’5" and 275 lbs *before *I grew that *de riguer *touring riders’ beer gut, I might think differently about the challenges of man-handling an 900 lb dresser in a parking lot.
800 is not a bad displacement for a beginner with riding course behind them. Try sitting on it first and get a feel for center of gravity and any top-heaviness and whether either is too much for you.
Remember this tip from Uncle sparky!: big is great on the highway, but a small 500 Ninja or Blast is an orgasm on wheels around town.
A Suzuki Marauder isn’t a terribly powerful or heavy bike, an 800 isn’t big at all when you’re talking about air-cooled cruisers so it should be fine.
As a beginner, too much bike applies either to something heavy, like a big cruiser, or something powerful, like a sportbike. With a heavy bike, the danger is that a beginner doesn’t have the bike handling skills to keep it upright. Get a little off-kilter and over you go, the bike is too heavy to save. With sportbikes, it’s that they react with lightning quickness and a beginner doesn’t yet have the finesse to always stay on top of it. One ham-handed mistake and off you go.
My first bike was a brand-new 750cc Kawasaki Vulcan Classic. I had oodles of people tell me that I should buy a beater bike, that I would drop it, get a small bike, blah blah blah. The problem was, I didn’t want an ugly old beater bike, I wanted a cool bike! I got what I wanted, and it was fine.
I traded it within a year for a Road King. The Road King was actually balanced better, and was easier to turn and maneuver at low speeds. I think I would have been fine with that as my first bike.
And I’m a chick, and not a huge one at that. Get the bike you want; be careful with it, ride within your limits, you’ll be fine.
I would say that an 800 cruiser isn’t that bad. I can’t imagine an 800 being too bad for a beginner, especially if you fit on it. You’ve also had the riders course and that will help out a lot. Now if you were asking about an 800 sport bike then that would be different.
I’d say go for it, since it’s in your price range and used. Used is always good for a first bike.
In the MSF class we rode Rebel 250’s. I was really worried about getting a 750, but the guy pointed out that if I was comfortable on a 250 after only a few hours of riding it, I’d be bored with it in a month. I got a Honda Shadow 750 and I think it’s perfect for a beginner. No problems on the freeway, light enough that I can control it without worrying about dropping it, but heavy enough that I don’t get tossed around (too much) in the wind. Also, it’s got plenty of oomph for extended freeway travel but not so much that it can get away from me if I’m not being careful (that is, if I drop the clutch at a red light by accident it’s not going to do a wheelie or take off from under me).
An 800cc I think would be just fine for a beginner as well.
Also, make sure you sit on the bike. Have someone hold the front wheel between their knees (someone that’s done this before) and upright the bike then you can put your feet on the pegs. I almost bought one bike that I loved (a Shadow 600 I think), but when I sat on it I found the pegs where in an uncomfortable spot for me.
Too much means different things depending on style of bike. On a cruiser, it mostly means how big the bike actually is. It’s easier to learn to maneuver something light weigh when you are still learning. For a sport bike, it means engine size. On a big cc bike, you can sneeze and bump the throttle and spin a tire or loop it. You probably don’t have to worry about that with a cruiser. I think the one you like right now will be fine for you. Most people do drop their first bike at least once though.
There is two kinds of bikers, those that have dropped their bike…and those that will.
I agree that if you buy a bike that is too small you’ll be looking for another one by next year. Bikes like the Yamaha 650 V-Star and the 1100 V-Star are the same size except for the motor.
Many thanks for the tips and suggestions guys. Sadly, I a series of unfortunate events conspired to keep me away from test driving it today, so I will have to go next week, but its good to know that I won’t be doing something seriously unsafe.
Really? I very much doubt there’s a meaningful percentage of people who’ve ridden bikes for more than a few years who haven’t dropped/wiped out on it.
Granted, I don’t have any facts at all, but there’s only one person I know who’s owned a bike (I own one as well) who hasn’t dropped it–and he’s only in his second year, so we’ll see.
I am surprised people went from a MSF course to a 800 bike. (I assume these people had 0 experience before the MSF class) I knew how to ride and took the MSF course as a refresher and also to get my MC license endorsement. The MSF course is good but it’s only 2 days, I think it’s a big jump from that to a 800 bike. I am biased though since I have never ridden anything bigger than a 400.
How many hours was it? My class, IIRC was 3 hours classroom on a Monday then 3 hours on a bike on a Wednesday for three weeks (maybe 4?). My ONLY experience on a motorcycle before that was someone taking me for a 5 minute ride on the back of a HD Classic Glide. I was okay on the 750 the first time I rode it (well, kinda, I was nervous and it took a while to get the nerve up to leave the subdivision and get on to a busy street).
So far I haven’t dropped it (had it for a year and about 900 miles). Had a few close calls but they were all while I wasn’t moving. Twice I started to lean it down on the kick stand to find out the kick stand wasn’t down and one time I came to a stop on a gravel driveway and my foot slid out from under me.
I’ve ridden ATVs and dirt bikes since I was 12 or 13. One of my dirt bikes was a street legal 225cc Yamaha. When I got my FZ6 at age 21, I had no problem adapting to it. It still feels fast. I’ve traded 2 Mustang GTs in the time that I’ve had it.
And what is that supposed to mean, exactly? If you ride a motorcycle, you’re doomed to crash? You’re going to drop a bike and ruin it? I’ve heard this saying a lot, and I never quite know what it’s supposed to signify, beyond some vague “OMG MOTORCYCLES ARE DANGEROUS” sort of thing.
I’ve dropped bikes. It was never any big deal; I didn’t do any damage to myself or the bike. Heck, I’ve had way worse crashes on my mountain bike, and nobody ever gave me any gloom-n-doom predictions when I was trying to decide on which one of those to buy.