Tell me about starter motorcycles

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m not getting one any time soon, but I’m not ruling out the concept of getting one, either. My boyfriend’s new toy is a Ural sidecar outfit, which is fun and cute, but I was thinking, hey, wouldn’t it be fun to have my own bike to go with the World’s Cutest Motorcycle Jacket (which according to the tracking is in freaking Omaha. Omaha? What the hell is in Omaha and why is my jacket stuck there?)

I’ve never driven a motorcycle before, and I don’t know anything at all about them. Obviously I’d take a class or something; I’m just asking about bikes here. How much does a good first motorcycle cost? I want one that looks cool - no green plastic, please. I guess that means a cruiser style? (Seriously, I just read the Wikipedia article, which expanded my bike knowledge by, like, 500%. That’s how much I don’t know.) How much is the least I can spend on a bike I’d like the look of?

I’d like an American (ideally) bike that’s easy to find parts and mechanics for, but I don’t think I’d like a Harley. It would have to be fun to drive and easy for a beginner, reliable, and as inexpensive as possible. Does such a thing exist? For how much? How much do these things cost to maintain?

2

No Harleys? Good, I’d rather have a Big Dog.They’re kick-arse,made-in-USA, and aren’t everywhere you look.

-TM

3

As mentioned in a recent thread, my first bike is a Honda Nighthawk 450, 1983 model. I bought it used for $750. It has been serving me well for the past year.

Most of the recommendations I heard from other folks, including the bright people on SDMB, were to not go out and buy a brand new bike as a learner bike since you are likely to drop it at some point. Beyond that, I can’t really offer you any expert opinion on what to get.

4

I probably ought to mention that I’m a lightly built girl-type person. Are there motorcycles that are “too big” for me?

5

I don’t think you’re going to find an American bike that you will be able to afford. Your best bet is to go with a Honda or the like. You can probably find a cheap cruiser for $1000-2000 depending on what you want and how old you go. You might also be able to find something cheaper depending on where you are. I can only go on what’s for sale in the DC area.

With most any Honda you will be able to find parts and mechanics to fix it. You wouldn’t want to go with a Ducatti or something like that, but for the most part you’ll be able to find someone who can fix it.

6

As a first bike there are plenty that are going to be too big. However even this woman doesn’t have problems with bikes that are supposed to be too tall for her. I’ve seen her pick up 600lbs bikes before and ridden with her once or twice. Learn to ride properly and you souldn’t have any problems.

7

That should be http://www.bdm.com/ for Big Dog.

About a week ago, I put up a thread asking for opinions on the Buell Blast, and it got 0 replies. Do I have an opinion in this thread?

8

I started riding a bit over a year ago on an 84 Honda Magna (There’s a picture of a bike just like mine, down to the color, at the top of this page.) and I love that little bike. It’s a 500cc V-4 from 1984 (making it several years older than most of my students…) with only 23k miles. Runs a treat. It’s easy enough to get parts for, though I have a rear tire problem at the moment. The Honda people seem to be shipping this tire back and forth across the country and it keeps ending up not here. Sadness ensues.

It’s a sport cruiser, with cruiser stylings and a zippy little engine. I got it from a friend of mine for only $600 (including a beat up old jacket and a helmet) because he was moving out of town and we were D&D buddies. It was listed for (I think) $875 on craigslist. I would definately suggest against plastic of any kind. The thing about plastic is that it tends to self-destruct when it touches the ground. A girl I know bought a 250 Ninja and dropped it on her way out of the parking lot. Took out the rear view mirror and cracked the plasticky bits. She was up for several hundred dollars in repairs more or less immediately.

To give you an idea how expensive these things can be (especially if you want matching parts!), I had a small incident with wind a few months ago. Long story short, I was up in the mountains and the wind shifted to be blowing across the bike instead of along it. Poor thing took a tumble that knocked it off the center stand. End result? Broken clutch lever, smashed turn signal and broken mirror. (No plastic of note on the bike.) Turn signal assembly: $60. Clutch lever: $12. Mirror post: $50. Of course, I got a pair of mirrors from a guy on the internet in exchange for a bottle of wine, so I only paid half that, but we’re talking about really minor damage here.

Other comments? The experience of riding is more or less the same as a bicycle. You turn in the same way and a lot of the specific things you have to think of overlap. (Sand on the road, cracks parallel to your direction of travel, lean into turns, brake before turning, not during, etc) The difference is in the attitude of the cycle. My ride around bike is an aluminum frame hybrid. It’s not street bike nimble, but it’s light and responsive. After being on the Magna it feels like riding toothpicks, but in a good way. Personality-wise, I’d say my bicycle is like one of those arabian horses: light, nimble, but will give you a steady and quick ride.

The Magna is more like a Labrador Retriever puppy transplanted into an adult body. You know, like an adult Lab. :slight_smile: It’s bigger and heavier, but it’s just so eager to please and wants to go and play. Turn the throttle and it just takes off and, what’s that? You wanted to go faster. OK! Let’s go faster!

Sorry that this isn’t exactly on topic, but I’m feeling a bit insomniac and lyrical at the same time.

Tenebras
As for my

9

I’ve ridden one and I thought it was pretty good. They’re lightweight and handle well, and are pretty fast. I think the muffler is hidden underneath the frame of the bike, which is kind of a strange feature and sort of cuts down on the “badass” cred of the Blast, but it means you don’t have to worry about burning your ankle on an exhaust pipe (but you should be wearing high boots in the first place, so that shouldn’t be a concern anyway!)

10

Not if I’m going to teach high school every day, I won’t be.

11

Zsofia, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers a two-day class that I can’t recommend highly enough for someone who has never ridden. I’m sure there are other classes that are just as good. The class I took cost $180 and it was worth every penny. The beauty of it is, you spend 8-10 hours on a small bike (250cc in my case). The time on the bike gives you an idea of what it feels like and helps you think about what you want in a bike. I’m sure the instructors will be happy to answer questions about the different types of bikes. Once you’ve been through the class, you’ll probably figure out you can handle just about any type and size of bike and it will be a question of what do you want.

The Craigslist ads are a good place to scan through and look at what is available and the price ranges.

Your first bike shold be used and inexpensive. You’re going to drop it. If you find that riding on a regular basis isn’t for you, you haven’t sunk a lot of money into to. IMHO, the only real mistake you can make is laying out 25K on a shiny Harley and leaving it in the garage 50 weeks out of the year.

I heard a story about a lady that did just that. When she actually tried to ride the bike (no classes), it scared her. She called the dealer and asked if she could bring it back. The dealer agreed, so she and her husband loaded it into a horse trailer without tying it down. When they got to the dealer, they opened the trailer door, and there it lay, on its side. Not surpisingly, the dealer refused to give them a full refund.

12

I have an opinion on Buells, but it’s not based on empirical evidence. As you will know from previous threads, I’ve been a Yamaha rider since I was ten. (I did have that one Honda, and I’ve ridden other Hondas and a Suzuki that weren’t mine.) I just can’t get behind Harleys. They’re noisy and slow and from what I’ve seen they handle like barges. Coldfire, with whom I’ve ridden once, rented a Harley on a trip to L.A. and reported he was not impressed. When I think of a Buell, I think of a decent frame fitted with a noisy, shaky Harley engine. I read reports several years ago about parts falling off. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a V-twin. Ducatis are awesome, and the Suzuki SV650 (an excellent ‘beginner bike’) is quite popular. It’s just that in my opinion putting a V-twin developed for cruising into a sportbike does not result in an outstanding sportbike. But be advised that my opinion is based on my prejudice that Harleys are more about image than function.

But the Blast isn’t a V-twin. It’s intended as a beginner’s bike. Being a ‘thumper’ (single-cylinder) I wondered about vibration. You might find the posts about the Blast on epinions helpful.

13

I’ve thought about one for my wife, as she’s 5’0". They’re fairly light, not overpowered, and there’s a “shorty” option with a 25" seat height for short riders. I also prefer the low maintenance belt drive over a chain for new riders. All in all, if I were looking to buy a brand new bike as a starter bike, I’d look hard at the Blast. This seems to be one of the few bikes out there that is overtly designed for novice riders. At one point, Harley/Buell even had a deal where you could buy a Blast, ride it for a year, and trade it in on about any of their v-twin bikes with a very high (if not full list) trade in value.

14

Johnny L.A., I just saw the SV650, and that looks very nice. The base model reminds me of one of my favorite bikes ever - the Honda NT650 Hawk GT. In fact, I’d recommend a Hawk to a beginning rider, except they’re so pretty I’d hate to see another one get dropped…

And now you guys have me thinking about shopping for a bike. In the Great Plains. Two days before October.

15

Female rider checking in! I purchased my first motorcycle this past April: a 2006 Yamaha Virago. I love it! The bike has been wonderful to get used to riding, and while it certainly isn’t terribly fast (only a 250cc engine), it’s lightweight and pretty nimble.

My main concern when I bought it was the seat height - I’m 5’5, but I have really short legs (as in, I buy the ‘short’ inseam option on my jeans, and the legs still generally hits the floor.) I sat on quite a few 250cc models, trying to find the right fit, and the Virago was great.

I bought it new for about $3200, and the first break-in maintenance was about $150. Regular maintenance means I have to lube the chain every few weeks (it’s much easier than it sounds.) So far, I have had zero problems and there are plenty of Yamaha dealers around to take care of my baby.

16

Buy one that’s broken and fix it in the garage. The frustration will keep you warm on those long winter nights. :slight_smile: