I was thinking of a used motorcycle. Problem is (among other problems) that there are multiple sizes in my price range. I am looking to stay under 5k, and am wanting to buy used. There are 250s, 500s, 750s and 900s in that price range. I could probably go higher in the displacement (I’ve seen 1300s in my price range), but for a beginner I don’t know if that is wise.
I am under the impression that the smaller bikes like the rebel or the 500 vulcan are easier to handle in city traffic, but are they harder to handle on the highways than heavier bikes like the shadow or the 900 vulcan? Then again if I drop the bike, a lighter bike would be easier to catch than a heavier bike.
Safety is a big concern to me. Would the 750 or 900 models be able to withstand hitting a pothole better than a lighter bike?
I’m looking into cruiser models, if I do get anything. I don’t want a street bike or racing bike. I’d be open to a touring, but they seem too powerful for a beginner.
I started on a Yamaha V-Star 250. Perfectly good for around town, but I wouldn’t take it on the interstate. It’s only got about 18-20 horsepower so it’s geared for reasonable acceleration. 65-70 mph is pretty much its limit.
Part of my fear is that a smaller bike, aside from not being able to maintain highway and maybe interstate speeds, is that it’ll be less stable when cruising. Like wind, or potholes or something else could make it lose balance and crash easier.
In my younger days I rode a Honda 360 from LA to the Bay area and back. It was a little too small for that, in retrospect, and today I’d be looking at about 650-750cc as a reasonable compromise, FWIW.
It’s nice that you rode a 550 all that way, but that doesn’t that mean it is the best or only choice. Bigger bikes are more stable and comfortable. Ask anybody who’s owned big and small. Small bikes will kill a newbie just as easily as a bigger bike, btw.
I disagree very strongly. There’s been a total reawakening among the manufacturers with regard to their support for the 300 to say 700 cc market. I think particularly highly of the Honda CB500 line right now for example. Even the 300s in the link below are all suitable for freeway riding.
I do think a very serious-minded beginner can safely start out on a larger machine, because I did it myself twenty something years ago. But I also think it’s a lot to ask of a noob and I survived unscathed at least as much through luck as through skill and restraint.
The bigger the better IMHO. The exception might be a state with a tough test for the license like I had to take in PA. You had to perform figure eights in a parking space without your feet touching the ground, tough to do on a large bike, but people usually borrowed a smaller bike to practice and take the test with. Except for very tight handling like that there’s no real advantage to smaller bikes on the road. For a first bike you might want to stay in the 750 to 900 range for cost consideration. I am assuming you’re not a small person, some of the bikes are a little too heavy to hold up while stopped for some people, but in that case just look for something with a low CG.
I’ll also take issue with this claim. I can think of lots of counter examples from bikes I’ve ridden. I’ll guarantee that my Hypermotard is less stable in just about any condition than the Honda 300. And a noob can have a harder time maneuvering that bigger heavier bike as opposed to something lighter, especially if they out a foot down wrong at low speeds.
I will agree that you can get just as dead on both though.
Freeway riding…What does that mean? Yeah, smaller bikes can run down the expressway a couple exits to go to Chilis for happy hour. They are not the best choice for day-long rides. I own both Honda 600 and a Kawasaki 1300. The 600 is okay for about 60 or 70 miles. Farther than that and I am definitely taking the bigger bike.
Why, exactly, does anybody think smaller bikes are safer?
I’m not saying the smaller bikes are safer. I think they’re all about equally dangerous on the whole. But I think a smaller bike is an easier learning platform that’s more manageable for a noob especially in low speed, parking lot and traffic situations.
And I don’t think motor size alone says much about long distance comfort. I’d much rather ride a small displacement standard, with a fairly upright seating position over the Panigale I was riding recently. My KTM 690 for example was not a bad bike for multi hour rides, but that Ducati killed me after 30 minutes.
as long as the wheels are spinning, the bike wants to stay upright.
I really, really disagree with people saying to just get a big bike straight away. See, the thing about smaller “starter bikes” is that they’ll do what you mean. A full-fat big bike will do what you tell it to, and you won’t have the experience to realize you’re telling it to do a very bad thing. I got my endorsement two years ago, but I had some experience on motorcycles (I took the BRC once several years ago.) I went with the V-Star 250 because I could find used ones cheap, it was powerful enough for anything I might do around town, it was “gentle” enough in its control responses where I could get comfortable working motorcycle controls without the bike taking me by surprise, and was light enough where if I did drop it (I haven’t) it would have been easy to pick up.
And that’s the other thing- you say you’re leaning towards a cruiser. full-size cruisers are heavy. My 250 is about 330 lbs. The “big” bike I got last year (an H-D Dyna Switchback) is 725 lbs. The bigger Japanese cruisers are in the same ballpark. The big baggers can be 900+ lbs. And trust me, you feel that weight, especially at low speeds and when you’re “walking” the bike around.
I’d strongly recommend (especially if you’re an older guy like me) doing it the same way. Look on Craigslist or Cycle Trader for a used V-Star 250, Honda Rebel, or Suzuki Boulevard S40. Ride it for a season to get comfortable. Then after that, clean it up (if needed) sell it for almost what you paid for it, and get something bigger.
I started with a 100cc Yamaha LT2 when I was 11 years old. That managed to put 150 stitches in my scull and forehead.
How big are you? How strong? You will be put in odd circumstances where you will need to roll it under YOUR power. Probably uphill and backwards. I would not go over 500cc’s for a first bike.
I’ve heard that even though motorcycles are more dangerous than cars, a big % of the accidents are new riders and/or people doing stupid things on a bike.
If I gain some experience and don’t do anything stupid, hopefully my risk goes down. But some things I can’t control. If I hit a pothole with a 900cc bike, will that bike be less likely to lose control than a 250cc bike?
No. Like I said, I have a V-Star 250, and a Harley Dyna Swtichback (1690cc.) even though the engine displacements are enormously different, the actual physical size difference of the bikes isn’t all that much. here’s a pic of my Dyna and V-Star 250 side by side:
you don’t just “lose control” on a bike. when you’re traveling at anything more than a crawl, the bike wants to stay upright. the most difficult part (IMHO) is the low speed stuff, like making a U-turn at 5 mph. That (or walking the bike around) is when you’re most likely to drop it. Not out on the road. out on the road your main concern is cagers.
