[62353]

In your same position and with the same budget, I decided to file $1k away for the MSF course and protective gear, then the remainder for the bike. That budget puts you in great company. The question you need to mull over is what type appeals to you most. It gets pretty easy to narrow down from there.

I did a lot of research when I made my choice, but all of the advice and reading ended when I saw the last few bikes that I was considering in person.

 

[59791]

pplassm.


I ended up with the bike cause its all there was in my area and price range. no bike dealer on this island. i should have gotten a dirt bike but thats life.

i know i havent been riding long enough to be trading up.. there is no good reason for me to be getting a larger bike.. but circumstances being what they were it happened. seems to fulfill the prophecy even if its for the wrong reason.


as for the bike itself.. the cruisers just don't seem to do it for me. i don't like the looks, the culture and from what i've seen so far they don't like to lean as much as i would like it to.

but aside from all that for some stupid reason i LOVE this bike.. i don't get it either.. i don't like other peoples cruisers.. just mine..

 

[sachiwilson]

A Sportster isn't a cruiser. It's a standard, really.

 

[59791]

I suppose it's close enough to the line between cruiser and standard that its up for debate.. when you say standard i think sv650 nighthawk. in my book the sporty's seat height, forward controls and weight put it in the cruiser section.

then again.. the only thing HD touches that i would even think about calling a standard is buell's blast..

 

[sarnali2]

I think a 599 Honda like Sachi's is an excellent bike for someone smaller or lighter. They're decent handling and plenty fast enough, it's not something you'd feel like you needed to trade up out of. My daughter is pestering me for a bike, I'll probably start her off on a GS500 or something along those lines.

 

[sachiwilson]

A 599 is not a beginner bike by any means, unless that beginner has excellent small-movement coordination. It is NOT an underpowered bike, and although I know of many people who bought them as a first bike, every last one of them has dumped it under power. That said, a 599 would fit the OP well and, assuming he does have some experience riding, would be a lovely bike for all uses. Mine gets around 45-48 mpg and does everything from grocery-getting to Iron Butt rides. Two Thumbs Up!

 

[acecycleins]

I am the guy you need to talk to when you look for insurance. It's what I do. Now, on subject: Here a bike not on ANYONE's radar. Suzuki is about to release a bike called the GSF650. It's everything you'll need in a bike (at-least for your fisrt few years). Other than that follow the SV650 leads or DL (it's ugly sister). You can find them all day and night around Atlanta for $3500 and with the money you'll save you can take me to dinner at Longhorn's and have enough left over for Kevin Schwantz's Suzuki School after the Rd Atl AMA event.

 

[acecycleins]

If you have the inseam a good dual-purpose would do you some good. DRZ400, Dr650, XR650, KLR650 are all good bikes and if Supermoto is your look the DRZ400SM can be had for $4500 or less for a '06-'05.

 

[lwatcdr]

Let's face it. There are not that many good first bikes available in the US. The Ninja 250 is probably the best of the bunch. It is cheap, a lot of fun to ride, and if you get one used and don't trash it odds are very good you will sell it for what you paid for it. It is an almost free first bike.
The SV 650, Ninja 650, and DL650 are all more motorcycle then a K1 super bike from the early 70s or the classic CB 750. Thank goodness that they also stop and handle a lot better.
I am probably preaching to the choir here but I just saw a letter in SportRider talking about how it is a "waste" for a new rider to get 600 instead of a 1000! Even my wife who doesn't ride now says "stupid squid" every time she sees a sport bike rider in a tee shirt and flip-flops.
She also asks me "don't they like their skulls" every time she sees a cruiser rider without a helmet.

 

[vermicious]

Anyone that doesn't likes Harley's simply hasn't owned one yet..

I've owned two. I didn't care for either and probably won't ever try a third.

 

[SmokeU]

What issue SportRider? Is there anyway to find the letter online? I'd like to read that for a good laugh.

 

[pplassm]

When people ask me what to get for a first bike, I always mention dual-sports, and they are always shocked.

They are light, powerful, nimble, and offer much more flexibility than a pure street bike.

My DRZ400 is comfortable on the highway as long as you keep it below 80, and absolutely rules the tight twisty, bombed out roads and forest trails in the western part of the state. The same traits that make it fun in that regime make it an excellent urban commuter and backroad bomber.

I know some riders prefer the larger air-cooled 650s (DRZ and XR-L), but the 400 is more fun in the tight stuff.

The only limiting factor is inseam, I guess. Dual-sports are tall bikes.