Motorcycle Suggestions...

[activgurl]

I just got my endorsement yesterday. We used these small 125’s & 250’s in the training class. The instructor offered her opinion that perhaps I would be more satisfied with something larger for my first bike. I’m totally new to riding, but I see her point as the small bikes would quickly be “out-grown”. She suggested a Suzuki Savage 650, or a similar model.

What I’d like to know is: What’s a satisfying ride for a newbie? Something comfortable (that CB125 had a terrible seat!), suitible for women, and not too jarring.

Now I’ll sit back & await stimulating suggestions…

[Johnny_L.A]

This thread has a few suggestions.

I wouldn’t recommend a sportbike (aka “crotchrocket”) as your first bike. My ex-g/f had a Yamaha Seca II like mine that she liked a lot. It’s not a sportbike, but it looks sporty. It’s easy to ride, but there’s a lot of room to grow. I’ve had mine for almost seven years, and while I “outgrew it” in a few months I find that it’s perfect for commuting. New, the Seca II is very reasonable. Used, they’re cheap! (I just checked the Yamaha home page, and I don’t see the Seca II on it. It may be discontinued.)

Another sporty little bike is the Suzuki GS-500. It leans more toward the sportbike end of the spectrum, but it’s small enough that you won’t get into much trouble if you’re careful. I rode one once and I liked the brakes, compared to the touring Honda I was riding at the time.

If cruisers are more your style, Yamaha makes the 250cc Virago for $3,399 MSRP. Or there’s the Honda 600cc Shadow VLX for $4,999.

Honda makes the 250cc Nighthawk for $3,399. It’s a “standard” like the Seca II and has cool retro styling. There’s also a 750cc Nighthawk for $5,799.

There are a lot of bikes out there, both new and used. I’ve been a life-long Yamaha rider, but Honda and Suzuki often have good promotions. I’d say the first step would be to go to the different dealers in your area to see what they have to offer. Choose a style that you like and compare that style between Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki. (I’m not a fan of Harley Davidsons, but you might want to check out the Sportster if that’s what you like.)

Decide on a style, compare the makes, make your best deal, ride!

[casdave]

What a misnomer that Suzuki is, Savage, it couldn’t pull the skin from the top of a rice pudding, they should have called it the Pleasant or maybe even the Mild.

Being from the UK, our bikes often have differant names to US ones though the number/letter designation is usually the same, so please make a few allowances for what may appear to be errors.

It would depend partly on your height, which you don’t mention, as you are new to riding I think this is an important consideration.

If you like a bit of power in an easy to ride well mannered chassis then the Honda CB600 (UK designation is the Hornet) might be worth a look.This is not a particularly cheap bike to run as its thirsty, and the tyres, whilst very cool looking, are wide and expensive, and insurance is fairly high too.Its loads of fun to ride though.

I think though that I’d be more inclined to recommend the 400cc version of the Hornet, or maybe a 400ccBandit, or 400cc Seca(UK designation Diversion XJ4OO)

For something very easy to live with the Honda CB500 twin is cheap to insure, sips fuel like a miser and is very cheap to maintain, and in the same class the Kawasaki GPz500, or the Suzuki ER500 are good alternatives.

The Buell Blast is a pretty good start but it seems to have been marketed specifically at women which means that the trade in or resale value might be lower since the majority of bike riders are men.

Here is a bunch of folk discussing the merits of bikes marketed at women but if you read the whole thread you’ll see quite a lot of suggestions
http://www.fuzzygalore.com/qa_smalldisp_results.htm

and the home page

http://www.fuzzygalore.com/motomouth.htm

[Johnny_L.A]

This page says about the Yamaha Seca II:

The Seca II was Yamaha’s entry in the ‘bargain motorcycles’ sector. When it first came out, its competition was the Kawasaki EX500, the Bandit 400, and the GS500E. It had many advantages over all of them. The motor was based on the Diversion 400 motor used elsewhere in the world. It was put in a full size steel tube frame. The Seca was a stylish motorcycle, and performed very well. It was comfortable, simple to work on, and a decent performer. The two valve per cylinder engine was no technological marvel, but it was reliable and easy to live with. The half fairing did a good job of protecting the rider from the elements. The Seca II was a very well rounded package.

Power in 1992 was 49.1bhp, with torque of 35.4ft/lb’s. Wet weight was 450lb’s.

This page has a picture of a yellow 1994 model. The ez-g/f’s Seca II was yellow, and it is striking! The official name of the colour is “reddish yellow cocktail”. I was going to get the yellow one, but the way I ride I thought it would attract too much attention; so I got the blue – which is also a nice colour. (Sorry, I don’t have any pics of mine on-line.)

Re casdave’s post: You don’t see many 400cc bikes in the U.S. It seems they go from 250cc to 600cc with the occasional 500cc thrown in. Insurance takes a bit of a jump after 700cc, at least the last time I checked. As he suggests, make sure you get one that’s appropriate to your size. Ex was 5’ 1" and could touch the ground on her “tippy toes” (as she said). While you only need to have one foot on the ground, it’s nice to be able to put them both down.

[Coldfire]

'Nother bike newbie checking in. Well, apprentice, really.

One quick question: does “wet weight” mean: weight with a full tank? I see it all the time, and I figured that must be it. Unless it’s made of spunge or something, and gains 30 kilos after a little rainstorm.

[activgurl]

Arf. Lots of models. My eyes are spinning. We had a couple of Nighthawks in our class. They have the same seat style as the CB125, and I felt like I was a-straddle the proverbial fence. But, by golly, that Shadow looks like a comfortable post! I’ve got to go check out a few more pages, but keep those ideas coming!

By the way, I’m 5’8", 145 lbs. I believe the forward controls might be preferable, but can’t really formulate a solid opinion at this point.

[BoBettie]

The Virago 500cc is my personal favorite- just the right size for me (I’m 5’4") and easy to handle. Nice, easy clutch, smooth ride, easy shifting.

I also like the Honda Rebel a lot, but they only come in a 250cc (as far as I’m aware), so their use is limited. You want to be able to get out of the way of traffic.

Zette

[casdave]

Coldy
Wet weight = Bike with all fluids such as lube oil, coolant, fuel.Some manufacturers even go so far as to quote bike weights without brake fluid just to prove they have the best power/weight ratio.

BMW always quotes on the true road weight, I think Triumph does too and with Harleys, well, who gives a damn about the weight.

A soft spongy saddle does not always mean comfort, shape is what counts and it is easy enough to find someone to custom make one for you.

[Johnny_L.A]

The Virago 500cc is my personal favorite

Ooooh, Zette! I’m gonna remember that! [getting out notebook and writing] “Zette’s favourite ride is a Yamaha.”

[Hibbins]

If your in the market for a sporty used bike. A couple of discontinued models to consider would be the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and the Yamaha FZR 400.

[Athena]

Don’t worry too much about the size of the bike, activgurl. What matters most, at least in my case, is that I can get both my feet flat on the ground. Riding a bike where you’re on tippy toes when you’re pulling out of a parking spot is is scary, to say the least. Make sure to check with the manufacturer to see if the bike can be lowered - a lot of 'em assume you’re about 5’10" or so. I’m 5’7", and I’ve found about half the bikes out there are a little too tall for me.

That said, don’t worry too much about the actual cc’s. I did the same thing you did - I took a class, then I bought a bike. The first bike I had was a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic, 750cc. Absolutely no problems with it - it fit me fine, easy to horse around, etc. In fact, I’ve ridden the next size up Vulcans (1500cc?) and that was no problem, either.

I then sold that and got a HD Road King. This is NOT a small bike - 1350 cc, big ol’ hog. I rode it for a year, then ended up getting it lowered. Lowering it made a big difference - went from being able to get about 3/4 of my foot on the ground to getting my whole foot on the ground. I liked the bike a lot more after that.

I had a lot of people tell me I needed to get a smaller bike, but if you’re not a teeny tiny waif type of girl, you’re not going to have any problems with a big bike.

[brewha]

My first road bike was a Honda CX500. Its just about the perfect size for a beginner. Its light and easy to drive and still has enough power to not be outgrown very soon. The model has been discontinued, but buying a used bike is a pretty good idea at first. If you later decide that the bike doesn’t fit your riding style, you can get something else without having much invested. Japanese bikes depreciate quickly once they’re driven off the lot. Good news if you want to buy used, but bad news if you bought a new one that you don’t like. I’ve driven Hondas all my life, and I’ve never had to do much more than put gas in them.

[Johnny_L.A]

brewha: The bike I had before the Seca II was a 1979 CX-500. I bought it for a dollar from a co-worker, and it had 33,000 miles on it. It cost about $250 to get it running, and I put new rubber on it. After riding it a while, I lost first gear. It took off fine in second. The engine itself just kept runnning and running. Hondas are very reliable. I finally sold it after an additional 32,000 miles for $300.

The CX-500 can “go naked”, have a big touring fairing and/or saddlebags, and is fairly comfortable. I took the fairing off because I like to feel the wind (mine didn’t have saddlebags). I missed the storage space in the fairing, but I liked feeling the wind.

Japanese bike makers seem to copy other designs. For example, the Yamaha TDM (would you want a bike called the “Tedium”? )reminded me of a Ducati. The CX-500 reminded me of a mini-Moto Guzzi.

[brewha]

Johnny L.A., my CX-500 is an '82. I quit riding it after about 30,000 miles(I’m not sure, the bike outlasted the odeometer). I now drive a Shadow, but every couple of months I charge up the battery in the CX and she fires right up. I lost first gear in mine as well. I blame it on my driving style. The bike was loads of fun to wheelie and do burnouts. I’m not sure how much it would cost to fix, but it is just as easy to start out in 2nd that it really isn’t worth it. I also agree with what you said about dressing them up. I bought mine with a fairing and saddle bags. I kept them off unless I was going on a trip. The performed flawlessly on a trip from WI to CO.

[kferr]

Harley Davidson XLH 883 This is the factory lowered version, and can be fitted with forward controls.

[activgurl]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! I have looked at all of the models mentioned, and am shaking my head at a few. The really sporty-looking ones (Buell, Ninja, Yamaha FZR400, etc)I’m not too sure would work for a first-time rider. I plan on doing lots of slow riding, practicing turns & getting comfortable with handling. Practice! Practice!

As for the HD883, Vulcan, & Virago, I will just have to try them out. As casdave said, the seat shape will vary as to comfort. Don’t know that I want a HD for a learner’s bike. That first scratch is going to hurt plenty enough! And there will be scratches, I’m sure.

So, with all these opinions in my mind, I’ll be swinging my leg around quite a bit in the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to becoming an accomplished rider like this great group.