What's A Good Chopper?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hello all. In the next few months, I’m planning to buy my first motorcycle. As a complete beginner (yes, I’ll be wearing protective gear and taking a course), I would like to have everybody’s opinion on what is a good model of cycle for a beginner.

I live in Chicago, so it would be for mostly city driving, but I do plan to take trips out to the suburbs occassionally. Obviously, I don’t want anything too big or too expensive (I’m looking for a used bike up to $1500) or that requires rebuilding. I want a model with electric start, just because it’s simpler (so sue me, I’m not a mechanic). The only other requirement is that it be able to carry me and my wife.

Much thanks for any opinions!

Oh, and slythe, feel free to move this thread if it is in the wrong area.

2

At first I was unsure whether this was about knives or bikes. I’m not a motorcycle guy. ummm…
<looks at shoes, shuffles around a bit, and leaves>

3

At first I was unsure about whether this was about knives or helicopters.

I’m not a motorcycle guy, either.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

{follows Wonko, remembering to shut off the lights as he leaves}

4

Hmmmm…

Maybe I should have re-thought the thread title. I guess I was thinking too much of Bruce Willis in “Pulp Fiction.”

5

Hey there JF, welcome to riding.

This seems to be in the right forum, because all that follows is my own humble opinion. First off, I’d decide whether or not brand name makes a difference. No, we’ll get to whether the brand itself makes a difference, I am strictly talking about name here. If the type of people you are most likely to be riding with are all on Harleys, you might want to think twice about picking up a Honda. Do a bit of introspection and decide if Beemers are your thing, if you like the crotch rockets, or vintage Indians. Don’t discount this decision. While certainly possible that style does not make a difference, you need to be consciously aware of your feelings before you commit. I say decide this first because if you really won’t be happy unless you are on a Harley, why look at Kawasakis?

Next decide how you want to travel. Fast, slow, on and off road or only on, with lots of luggage or with just a bedroll? This starts to limit your choices a bit. Lots of things to carry and long distance riding? Consider a Full Dresser or a Goldwing. You mentioned lots of city riding but don’t discount weekend trips. This essentially helps you decide between a cruiser and a rocket.

Next comes size. How tall, etc. are you? It might not make a difference in this case, but if you are 5’1" , 190 pounds you might not want to start off with a thousand pounds of steel. If you are 6’ 7" 300 lbs., I don’t think you want a Honda 450. If you are in between, consider something in the range of 7-1200 CCs. These are large enough to maintain highway speeds, but also small enough to handle pretty well. I ride in city traffic (Washington, DC) and am grateful for the maneuverability of my bike. A smaller bike will also make it easier to learn.

From what I’ve heard Bike recommendations generally follow car recommendations - Jap bikes are generally put together better, but replacement parts and repairs are more expensive. American bikes have an air about them that you can only get with a Harley (though I heard Indians are coming back). They are a bit more expensive initially, a bit less reliable, but parts are cheaper and it is easier to find someone to work on it. Other foreign bikes have their followings (BMW, etc.) but are expensive as hell to repair.

Me? I cut my teeth on a 400CC Honda. Don’t ask me why, but it was stolen about four months after I got it. A year or so later I picked up a used Yamaha Maxim (XJ 700) and have been virtually trouble free for the past ten or so years. Shaft drive means a bit less power but much smoother rides. Great for making longer trips. Not the fastest out there, but I don’t ride fast so it does not bother me. It can cruise along between 70 and 80 if that is how the highway traffic is going.

Last word before my boss notices I’m on a message board: don’t take your wife for anything but a 'round the block ride for the first year. After the first month you may feel realll comfortable on your bike, you may think you can handle a rider. But someone on the back is going to dramatically change your handling. This might not seem like a big deal, but when that teenage punk or cellphoneasaurus unexpectedly cuts into your lane, you will want the experience under your belt BEFORE she gets on. And when you are ready to handle emergency situations with you wife on the back, have her take the same course you did. A passenger has just about as much (directional) control as the driver. Sorry to end on a preachy note here, but you’ll want her riding with you for a long time.

Keep us posted as to what you get… I hope I helped just a bit. Let me know if you have any specific q’s.

Rhythmdvl

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Well, Joe, I don’t know personally, but here’s somewhere you can start. Hope it helps somewhat.

http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Automotive/Motorcycles/Clubs_and_Organizations/ .
Let me know when you get out towards the NW 'burbs - there are some really good events out there. I’ve spent a bit of time up at Suburban Harley in Palatine in the past few years and know a few people there - I believe they have an event coming up soon. If you’re interested, let me know. There’s also a Sunday morning breakfast kinda thing up a bit further north that a huge group attends - and I can’t for the love of me remember the name of the town (it’s been a few years - haven’t been since I broke up with my ex), but it’s up near Lake Forest, on Half Day Road maybe.

Have fun! (Too bad O’Dell’s is closed down - you woulda loved it!)

7

I bought my first bike, a used Yamaha Radian, a year ago, and have very few complaints. Its light weight and low gearing make it a very spunky bike – ideal for city riding; that was a big plus for me. It’s also a simple joy to maintain; nothing complex or (too) expensive about keeping it running.

It won’t break any land speed records, though. It balks at going above 70 mph, so if you have a need for speed you might want to look elsewhere.

If I may share my shopping experience with you…

I searched the Yahoo online classifieds and found the experience painless and rewarding. Unlike newspaper ads, the Yahoo listings (and other online classifieds, I suppose) ask the seller to fill in all sorts of descriptive information (size, color, year, etc.) so you get a really good idea of what the bike is like. Plus, you can email the sellers questions, which they were all happy to answer. I developed my own little stock questionaire which I C&Ped to each prospective seller. That REALLY gave me insights about the bikes, sight unseen.

I, too, was shopping in the $1000 to 1500 price range. What I found is there were a lot of bikes from the 70’s and 80’s for sale at that price; even though I believed the owners when they said the bikes ran fine, I simply did not trust a bike that old – every part is a ticking time bomb in my opinion. When my 1990 Radian appeared in the listings for $1200, 2 experienced biker buds and I checked it out ASAP. They gave it a clean bill of health, and I handed the kid his cash. All very painless.

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As regards brand, I find myself leaning toward the Honda/Kawasaki types. I wouldn’t say that brand is a huge factor; more important to me is styling.

I don’t think that I’d be using the bike for trips that require luggage, and I’m not much of a speed demon. I just want a good casual bike.

I’m 6’1", 160 pounds (wiry), so I want a fairly mid-range size bike. Thanks for the suggestion on engine size.

Luckily, I live in a major city, so the parts are a bit easier to obtain for a foreign bike. I’m inclined to go for reliability as opposed to having to become a full-bore mechanic, so I’ll probably go Japanese here.

Absolutely. Preachy is not a problem when it comes to safety; I’d rather have the well-meant advice than have my wife in a hospital bed.

9

Through the years, I have owned/ridden almost everything from Honda to Harley. One thing I might add to all the good advice posted here, is, if you can afford it, buy a cheap, beater, lightweight bike to learn on.

The theory behind this is that once you take up riding, you WILL fall off. Not if but when. The odds of you falling off are tremendous when you are beginning. If you get an old ugly beatup bike to start on, you won’t feel as bad when you put your first dent in it as if it was a brand new (or at least good looking) bike. The lighter bikes are usually easier to handle that the big ones, and their much easier to pick up after you fall.

After you get the basics down, and can handle it, then is the time to move up to a bigger/better/better looking bike.

One last thing. As your going down the road, don’t forget to look at the road in front of you occasionally while you’re admiring the scenery! :smiley:

V.

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Thanks for the advice, Vega (though why I’m thanking a star that could have been dead for 25 years is beyond me).

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Joe, no offense, but did you have to clip Lord Vega’s ENTIRE quote in your post? Couldn’t a simple “Thanks for the advice, LV,” have done the job?

Sorry, but I really hate those huge unneeded quotes.

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Personally, I prefer Harleys. I have a '61 hardtail panhead that I’ve owned for over 20 years and I couldn’t imagine riding anything else, but thats just my opinion. As long as its got two wheels and gets you in the wind, great.

In your price range, might I suggest a Honda Shadow, I like the styling of them a lot, sort of a lowrider look.

Good luck, keep the bugs out of your teeth.

And be careful, like Lord Vega said, there’s only two kinds of riders; them thats gone down and them thats gonna go down.

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Lord Vega’s advice is excellent. I might add, get started on a bike without a fairing - plastic breaks easily and is surprisingly expensive - and consider getting yourself a “standard” bike, i.e. do not start out on a cruiser/racer/tourer, but get yourself a more generic machine to learn the ropes on, then branch out to whatever niche you might be interested in.

If I were to suggest: A second-hand naked Suzuki Bandit 600 or Yamaha Diversion 600. Nice, reliable and (IMHO) decent-looking bikes. They both handle well and won’t surprise you with any quirks. Sure, there’s a chain-drive to maintain, but that’s not the chore it used to be. I rode a Bandit for three years and liked it a lot, but YMMV.

The creatively named website “www.motorcycle.com” has a very nice library of tests, dating back to 96, I think. I’ve found it to be a very useful ressource.

Best of luck, keep the shiny side up.

S. Norman

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Hey JosephFinn, I have been riding for years and loved almost every minute of it. When I turned 16 I borrowed an Yamahahaha Enduro and took a riding class. After that I went through several different bikes of various styles. I wrecked once when being an idiot riding a crotch rocket and been forced off the road when putting on the Harley. In all, if you can borrow or rent a few different bikes and find a type you like best BEFORE making your investment. Do you like to: cruise, in town, long trips, speed, cornering, etc. decide the type of riding you like to do and find the bike that best suits your style.

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Here’s a thought. Actually I’d like to hear an opinion from established riders as well.
I’ve also been considering getting a bike. I haven’t ridden since I was a teen (I had a Suzuki 250 on/off - nothing major). Not wanting to dive right in the deep end with a Harley, which I couldn’t afford in the first place, I’ve set my sights on something a little plainer.
My neighbor just sold her Honda Rebel. I thought it looked pretty cool. It’s only a 450 (I think) but it advertises itself as a “small bike with big bike styling”.
Or is owning a Honda Rebel just another way of saying "Look what a gigantic wuss I am?

16

Lots of good advice here from people who know a lot more about the subject than I do. My husband and I are Harley People, but Kevin has a soft spot for Japanese bikes – he atarted out on a Honda and has also owned two Kawasakis and a Suzuki. Our current bike (a very customized '86 FLST) is his second Harley. Anyway, I am a passenger only and when it comes to our bike I get input only on cosmetic things (I picked the paint job – lipstick red w/ pearlized white, yellow and orange flames) AND on passenger things – the seat, the passenger foot-pegs, the sissy bar. So, in the interests of keeping your wife on the back, let me recommend a few things. Don’t dismiss the possibility of a few minor modifications out of hand. First of all, have her test out the passenger seat. Even if the drivers seat is extremely comfy, the passenger seat may not be. this was the case with our bike – Kevin loved the stock seat, but the passenger seat was so narrow it split me right in half. NOT comfy! We changes to a saddle-type seat and I’ve been much happier. We’ve often taken rides of up to 400 miles a day (well, that’s atypical – we like to keep it under 300 miles a day) and I’m as comfy as it’s possible to be. Also, depending on the type of bike you buy, your wife will have a choice of foot-pegs or -plates. Myself, I like the -pegs better – I like to be able to flex my ankles, but it’s a personal choice and you should let your wife make it since she’ll be the one standing on them. Finally, a sissy bar is an absolute must! When we were on vacation in Wisconsin last month, we borrowed Kevin’s brother’s bike for an all day ride. It’s a '97 or '98ish HD Police Special and Kevin loved it enough to consider looking for a full-dress cruiser of his own in the next few years. He raved on and on about how comfortable it was, what a smooth ride, etc. etc. etc. I, on the other hand, was miserable. No sissy bar (Rick’s wife never rides with him, so he never put one one). Gotta have a sissy bar.

Good luck and good riding. We’re going for a ride on Sunday (weather permitting) and I can’t wait. I haven’t been on the bike since we packed it out in May (we’ve just moved across country – from San Diego to Yorktown, VA). I’ve missed it!

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Everybody, I am so grateful for the great advice so far! I just have one question: what exactly is a sissy bar?

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A sissy bar is that vertical bar behind the seat that acts like a backrest for your passenger.

19

Ok here’s my take on it. I’ve been riding two years now and have something like 35k doing it. you don’t want anything huge, or fast for a first bike. I’ve got a Honda VLX 600 and I love this bike, put well over 20k on it. but instead of listing other bikes I’ll suggest the <i>Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles</i> as a good starting point. it has a list of alost all current MCs and a list of what HE considers good for a beginner with pics. it’s a cheap book and VERY helpful, I still look at it every once and awhile. The other thing is to take a Motorcycle Saftey Course. Plus get your license BEFORE going on the road. and if possible take the course too.

don’t forget to ALWAYS wear a full face helmet, good leather jacket, boots and at least jeans. you can never tell when something stupid will happen, like the deer that ran out in front of me. NOT a fun thing, but I wore all of that stuff and have a few scars on the legs but thats it. hell I know a guy who after 25 years accident free got hit by some moron so you can never tell. but don’t let that scare you, it’s a lot of fu. enjoy.

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The answer to your question is “Do YOU thing you look like a big wuss?” Rhythmdvl made a good point when he said: “If the type of people you are most likely to be riding with are all on Harleys, you might want to think twice about picking up a Honda.” If you hang with a Harley crowd, you will probably take a lot of grief for riding a Honda and vice-versa. But then, if you’re big enough to make Ah-nold look like a punk, then you can ride pretty much what ya want. :slight_smile:

Get the bike that YOU like the best. And like Jess said, if you’re going to have a constant rider (wife, s.o., etc) then let that person in on the decision.

Good Luck!

V.