Motorcycle Riders...what bike do I get?

Today I took my knowledge test (the written portion), and next Saturday I’m taking a motorcycle safety class (given by Team Oregon). Those two things combined will give me the right to have a motorcycle endorsement!

I haven’t done much street riding, but have extensive time on motocross tracks. I know they don’t necessarily translate, but I’d like to think I’ll be in a little better position than a total novice. My dirt time was mostly on a 2 stroke CR250, but I did do a season on a YZ426.
I’m tall (6’5"), but thin (190lbs.). I plan to use the bike mostly for commuting, although the occasional weekend ride is not out of the question. I don’t ever anticipate having a rider on the bike with me (both because of my experience level and my wife wants nothing to do with it ;))The commute will be almost entirely metro area interstate and about 25 min each way.

I’m leaning towards a cruiser style, versus a crotch rocket, which don’t look like they’d be very comfortable (but I’ve never ridden one). My Dad also insists (and he rode for years and years), that a full windscreen will do wonders for the cold, rain, wind and bugs.

I had originally started out thinking about a 250, but have been talked into starting at a 500 because of my size and the fact I’ll be on the freeway so much.

So, I thought I’d ask some of the experienced riders here at the Dope for suggestions on bikes. I’ll be getting something used for sure, probably early 90s.

What do you think?

I’m just here to say that I ride a Suzuki SV1000S in all weather, and I do mean all, rain, snow(not so much, but it happens), sun etc. and it’s pretty comfortable. I regulary ride more than 200km in a day.

The only cruiser I have tried was a Suzuki GN250, it would do about 105km/h when the wind was right and imho that was way to slow for danish motorways.

Besides the weak power issue, I did not find it very comfortable, I actually very much prefer the riding position of sports and touring bikes. To me they seem much easier on my back.

If I where in your situation, I’d proberly look at something like Yamaha XJ400, XJ600s or perhaps an YZF600 (not R6, but a thundercat).

Also I have to recommend looking at SV650S because it’s an incredibly fun bike.

My current ride is a YZF-R1 (1000cc, as opposed to the R6, which is 600cc). It’s a sportbike. Personally I don’t find it uncomfortable. Amend that. After 70 or 80 miles it turns into a torture device. But it was quite nice when I was riding it on a 40+ mile commute. My other bike is a Yamaha XJ600 Seca II. It’s much more comfortable, and is a Standard.

Both of these bikes have little windscreens. But their purpose is not to keep the wind off of you; rather, the are meant to deflect the wind over you in a stream. My previous bike was a used Honda CX500. This is a ‘mini-tourer’, and when I got it it had a Windjammer fairing on it. Drove me nuts! I was riding through L.A. traffic and I couldn’t get a decent breeze. I took it off. I missed the handy storage, but I liked feeling the wind. Now that I’m hundreds of miles north of the OP, I could use a bike with a full touring-style fairing.

I worked with a guy who coveted my R1. He had an SV500 and, even though he’d only been riding for three months, it was too slow for him. I can relate. I’ve got 80,000 miles on the Seca and I much prefer riding the R1. I like the power. But a 600cc Standard is perfectly usable as a commuter. Cheaper too. A lot of places will charge higher insurance rates over 700cc. My Seca II gets 50+ mpg and can run on regular gas if it’s not too hot. My R1 gets 40 to 43 mpg and requires premium fuel.

I’ve never ridden a cruiser. They look uncomfortable to me. Feet too far forward. Seems hard on the back. Also, they’re not designed to handle like a sportbike or even a standard. Obviously handling is important to me, else I wouldn’t be riding an R1.

If you’re going to use it primarily as a commuter, I’d get a standard (what used to be known as a UJM – Universal Japanese Motorcycle) in the 600cc to 750cc range. A standard has an upright seating position, is often cheaper to buy than a sportbike or a cruiser, handles pretty well, and generally gets pretty good mileage. Insurance might be cheaper than a sportbike too. It won’t be fast, but it will be fast enough and can be fun for the occasional pleasure ride.

A sportbike makes a decent commuter too. When I was commuting on mine I was in L.A., so lane-splitting was normal and expected. The R1 is much easier to maneuver through traffic while lane-splitting. Part of this is due to its more compact and streamlined mirrors. Standards, such as the Seca, tend to have higher mirrors and I’d have to watch closely to avoid touching mirrors with the cars when it was really tight. The R1’s mirrors would go beneath them. A 25-minute ride is not too long to spend in the saddle, so no worries there. And for those occasional rides you can really have some fun with it.

A lot of people commuting ride cruisers. More power to them. But not my style.

If you’re not worried about lane-splitting (and since you’re in Oregon, you’re not) a touring bike will be very comfortable and will be very useful on your pleasure rides – especially long ones. But they can be more expensive than other bikes.

Spiny Norman has a very nice sport-tourer. A comfortable ride, I’m told, but also has some oomph and slice. If I hadn’t had my heart set on the R1, I would have bought the Yamaha FJ1300R sport-tourer. That one has an electrically-adjustable windscreen. When I looked at them they were running about thirteen kilobucks though.

Anyway, I’d suggest looking at a 600cc to 750cc standard or a 600cc sport.

And remember: Friends don’t let friends drive Harleys. :stuck_out_tongue:

A few years ago, when I was still out east, I’d go to the Honda demo rides to try out some bikes. My personal favorite being the VFR800, but I digress.
I found the V-twin cruisers to be lacking in “oomph”, and I also don’t like the feet-forward seating position… seems one’s back would need considerable support before this position becomes comfortable.
One step removed from that, would be the VF750 (Magna.) It has a seating position close to the cruiser position, but the feet not so far forward. It also has a V-4 engine, which has the added “oomph.”
Another good choice is the CB900F, which is as close to a ‘standard’ bike as you’ll find nowadays, as you’re sitting pretty much upright, although you still have your feet higher than, say, a late-70’s ‘standard’ bike. Keep in mind, though, that bike scared the crap out of me! I’m sure it could lift the front off the ground in most gears, and had better acceleration in 6th gear than my 78 GS750 (I miss that bike) had in 1st gear.

I think a used Magna (mid-90’s or newer) would be my top recommendation, given what you’re looking for.

S^G

Right, that’s exactly how Dad explained it.

Correct on the lane-splitting. Not only is it not legal, but my commute is pretty quick, I rarely get to a slow spot where that might be practical and safe.

The only one I want to ride is my Great Uncles ~1925ish. But I think his son gets that one.

I have actually looked at a couple of those online,… now I jsut need to ride one to see how it feels.

I think a 500cc cruiser for someone your size would be too small.

Yamaha has a really nice line of Star cruisers. I had a 1100cc VStar Classic that was very low to the ground, well balanced and easy to handle. I’m 6’1" and 230 lbs, I wouldn’t have wanted anything smaller.

Learn as much as you can at the course. Start slow and cautious. Pretend you’re invisible on the road and that everyone is going to do the unexpected. Wear your protective gear all the time. And have fun. It is a great sport.

Agreed - I had a 82 CB900 Custom - very nice basic bike. Comfortable, reliable.

Dude, my road couch is a real comfortable ride. It was either an Electra Glide or a Gold Wing. Gold Wing is nice too, but I didn’t want to have to take a advanced user course to figure out how to best optimize the espresso machine option.

And girls like the passenger seat on the Harley :smiley: