However, things are not black and white, take everything with a grain of salt. There are a lot of things to be factored in and this is my experience so far.
A while ago I posted about the trouble of beginner bike market and my choice of first bike - an 82 Honda CB750F.
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It was not my first choice and not an ideal beginner bike, but after researching it seemed like a good buy, solid bike well kept ticking off most of the right boxes. I wanted a GS500 but there was none for under 4ish grand. I bought the Honda about a month and a half before my course and hadn't touched it until after it. The "intro" on this forum thread went to hell (and back), "too much bike", "pilots don't start on fighter jets", etc etc, you know the drill. My reasoning about power to weight ratio(550lbs/72hp, not far off of a Suzuki GS500 @ 380lbs 52hp) and other things did not seem to matter and I had no real backing on my side as a newbie who's had never ridden a real motorcycle up to that point. I was just a guy trying to apply logic to things I admitedly had no experience with, just research and reasoning.
I took the course, and so did my wife with the best school in Vancouver, and it was a 6 day venture. Two day of class, two day lot riding and 2 day highway/city riding. The school indeed kicked "O Ring". I was extremely impressed with instructors and teaching methods and so were the others in the group and everybody I've talked to. It covered a lot of ground, from instructors throwing stuff at your head(like cones, seriously) and slapping your helmet riding behind you while you're doing a slalom to riding during Vancouver's busiest hours on busiest streets and highways. Five of us students were in the group, but that dropped down to 4 as one person had to drop out. That was even better as there was only 4 of us left which gave us more time and attention.
After the classes, we hit the lot on the third and fourth day and we were given Kawasaki Sherpas:
I never thought I'd be doing things I was doing on a bike that quickly. The 5th day we went through some of the city and did some highway riding while still being on Sherpas.
The last day, we switched to bigger bikes while going through rush our traffic and busiest parts of the city and busiest highways. The two girls(ages 19 and 32, the latter being my wife) got the Ninja 250s, a fella that was with us, a 40year old fire fighter, was given a Vulcan 500 and I was given, and was very excited about that, a GS500E.
Perfect, as that's what I wanted all along. It was purple though, LOL.
Oh well... looked something like this:
I loved the bike. Very easy to ride, definitely quick enough.
We both did well during the course, I'd say perhaps "upper average". We did not suck at anything, we felt comfortable, did not drop the bikes but probably did not show amazing racing talent either(nor tried to), that's the way I see it anyway. During the class days we were asked if we had already bought bikes and what they were. Towards the end of the course, I talked to the instructors about my Honda as I wanted to know their opinion as well after finishing the course, and they seemed very positive about the choice. Out of curiosity, I also asked for recommendations on the bikes for two of us if were were to buy brand new bikes off the bat. What they recommended were Suzuki SV650, Yamaha FZ6 and similar.
The course went well and it so happened that, about 3 days after the course I actually managed to find a good deal on a GS500E. That was just great as that's what I was looking for all along and it was only a second good deal on that bike I've seen this year. I'd missed out on the first one earlier this year as people were bidding on it over the asking price!
With both of us wanting bikes, I was lucky enough to have two shots at a perfect first bike. I bought it for my wife and for me when I'm the only one riding. When we go out together which we mostly do, I ride the Honda. So far, I've logged about 90% of the mileage so far on the Honda but did take the GS500 out a few times. Which enables me to compare the two bikes later on from a new rider's point of view.
Anyway, we decided to go for the first ride right after I got the second bike. I was a bit nervous about the Honda as, not having ridden it, I had no clue how it would be and was about to find out if my reasoning was on the right course or if the flames were indeed right all along.
I got on it, and after about 3 blocks I realized that I had probably built up the hype for nothing as the CB was as smooth as butter. Having logged on a few miles on it, nothing terribly much but enough to get a feel for it, I can say that it really is a friendly bike to ride despite its weight. In some ways, it's easier for a newbie to ride then the GS500. GS500 is a dog to start off the line as it's got no torque down low which for a new rider might mean stalling/dumping it off the line. The CB has a fat torque curve, redlines low at 9500k so it's a very relaxed bike to ride with a linear powerband. Not that GS500 is high strung, far from it, but the CB is even more relaxed. Also, the GS500's front end feels a lot lighter and the suspension unloads quite easy.
You do feel the weight of the CB in the corners, of course. But is it overwhelming? No, not really. However, keep in mind that I have a somewhat cruiserish attitude towards riding. Mind you, after a while I did take it to the redline 2-3 times on a stretch of straight highway and yes, it's got some nads. But unlike GS500, it pulls very decent at 3k rpm so it does not need to be wound up. The GS500's power should be along the same lines, but it feels slower unless it's up there. Still, love the bicycle feeling of it after the CB.
In the end, my research and reasoning turned out to be in the right neigbourhood. I thought I'd like standard bikes for many reasons, and as it turns out, I do. I didn't particularly like sitting on cruisers, and I still don't. I thought I would not particularly like sport bike posture, and as it turns out , I don't.
If I could have gotten a couple of GS500s, I would have. But given the circumstances I am really glad I bought this particular CB750F.
What I was surprised with though is how much dual sports have grown on me, Sherpas are a hoot to ride and I can definitely see myself riding a KLR or a V-Strom, something I would not even considered until I started riding. Biggest thing about that being the fact that we plan on traveling.
I will call upon common internet wisdom and call at least one BS about it - Ninja 250 vs. tall people. Everybody and their dog claims that a tall person would be just fine on it. Perhaps some would but at least two are not. We're both relatively tall(6') and we both felt tortured by the size and posture of that bike. Not fun. So, my advice for new riders considering Ninja 250 is - sit on it first coz it might be physically small despite of what you read online.
One thing, probably most important one - I cannot imagine why would anybody get on any bike without taking the motorcycle course! I strongly believe that it should be mandatory everywhere. W/o the course, I think I'd rather start not on a 250cc, but on 125! Honestly.
And here are the bikes:
They do accomodate taller riders much better than many other bikes.
