aiming for a Warrior.. how do I get there?

[dreadshawn]

Pretty new rider here (obviously), going in for my motorcycle training class pretty soon, and then on to the license. Got the full face helmet and all of the protective gear, and I have ordered the two books on proficient motorcycling. I have done a LOT of reading on this forum, asking other riders on what is a good bike to start on, and trying my best to keep my ego and my desire from overcoming my inexperience and buying a Warrior right away. I do admit, it is VERY painful to keep myself from shouting "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!" and breaking down to buy the Warrior...

My dilemma is this: My ultimate goal is a performance cruiser, because I like the speed and power offered by them, and in particular the Road Warrior or the Mean Streak. Essentially, what sort of bikes would be the best in handling similarity to these boys? I don't want to purchase a bike only to have to re-learn a new but totally different bike in handling, weight, etc. I do realize that there will be re-learning no matter what, but I want to sort of keep riding bikes that are similar in vein to the performance cruisers.

So what then? A Ninja 250 for the performance characteristics? A Vulcan 500 for the handling characteristics? Damn the torpedoes and damn my life to a Warrior anyway (not likely)? I know the performance cruisers are a unique breed of bike, but does anyone know of a sub-1000cc performance cruiser?

Overall, I am trying to be the best newbie I can, and learn from those who have been there before me, and I have done my best to debunk all of the classical excuses inherent in new riders: issues regarding height, weight, power, size, styling, etc. This forum has been a great resource for me so far, and I hope to hear your responses.

My stats:
exp: less than 6 months on a sub 400 dirtbike
height: 6'1"
weight: 215lb

[KingRobb]

matching the handling would be the direction I would suggest.

But assuming you have been driving for a bit, so that you understand traffic and how little attention most drivers pay, then my view is that the six months on a dirt bike will be worth more to you than any riding...loose dirt and jumping hills will teach you more save your "O Ring" skills than any kind of starter bike IMHO. So if you still have the dirt bike spend as much time on it as you can until you have your license, take the MSF and go straight for the warrior. The only skill you wont develop on a dirt bike is assuming that everyone wants to kill you and will try.

[dreadshawn]

kingrobb>> LOL, so true, so true on the OTHER riders and drivers!!! I can agree wholeheartedly on that because I drive rigs for a living (only B class, no need for A class yet), and most other drivers are completely insane in their road manners.. Ever try to dodge a Camry with a 30,000lb vehicle? It isn't fun, and a whole lotta beer usually gets destroyed doing that, too.. ..and yep, I deliver beer. Awesome. I am a college students' best friend.

Anyway, I appreciate the vote in confidence for my rather limited skills on a bike (althought it is extensive on ANYTHING else, for some weird reason.. but that doesn't give me an excuse to jump that fast to that bike).

Would there be any suggestions as to what would make a decent similar-handling bike out there?

[dr_bar]

Just about any cruiser will have similar handling attributes, just remember that when you do upgrade, there will be a learning curve again because of the weight issue...

[logitech104]

Would there be any suggestions as to what would make a decent similar-handling bike out there?

since you mentioned the ninja 250, but want a cruiser, have you looked at the Honda rebel?
price is only $3,100, pretty much the same for the ninja.
you should just go to each brand of bike's websites [Honda, yamaha, suzuki, kawasaki etc.] and see what small cruiser's they offer.


http://powersports.honda.com/motorcycle ... d=CMX250C7

[dreadshawn]

haha, I do know about you Moto, as I have read many a post from you on the other threads..

I do like the Honda Rebel, and it does seem to be a nice bike.. I might check that one out..

I also just now found out that it really pays to own a bike here in Montana, where it is $250.00 for 12 months, and registration is $50.00. All that for a 22 year-old? Sometimes I really love living here...

[ZooTech]

My dilemma is this: My ultimate goal is a performance cruiser, because I like the speed and power offered by them, and in particular the Road Warrior or the Mean Streak. Essentially, what sort of bikes would be the best in handling similarity to these boys?

Look for a used Suzuki S50 (Intruder) or M50 (Marauder 800). Either one would make a good beginner bike and will handle similar to the Warrior/Streak. You shouldn't have too much problem getting most of your money back out of it when it comes time to move up.

[KingRobb]

haha, I do know about you Moto, as I have read many a post from you on the other threads...

You do have your head on straight kid.

The rebel is a good option...and seriously spend a lot of time on that dirtbike.

[Dragonhawk]

I agree with the other posts that if you want a Warrior, start with a more beginner-friendly cruiser. Going from a Ninja 250 to a Warrior would just be way too odd because you'd have different power AND different handling. If you move from a cruiser to a Warrior, the handing will be very similar and just the powerband will be different.

As much as I am an avocate of small, low-power bikes for beginners, I think the jump from a Rebel to a Warrior might be a bit huge.

You might want to consider a Vulcan 500 or a VStar 650 as your first bike. They are more powerful than a Rebel, but still not crazy-powerful for a beginner. I think skills learned on one of those will allow your eventual transfer to a Warrior to be a bit easier.

[storysunfolding]

I'm with zoo, an m50 or an s50 would be a good first step. A bit on teh heavy side for a first bike but they are quality and a much better step to a warrior. The learning curve will be a bit steeper due to the weight and longer wheelbase but I have seen many people begin safely on both.