Intro, thoughts and first bike alternatives discussion.

[jonnythan]

here not much newer small stuff is available(other then brand new).

2004 Honda Shadow 750
1974 Honda CB550
1992 BMW R100R
1978 Suzuki GS550
1981 Yamaha Maxim 550
1980 Honda CM400T
2004 BMW F650GS
1996 Honda Magna 750
1980 Yamaha XS400
1982 Yamaha Seca 400
1983 Honda Shadow 500

These are all bikes that were listed today on Craigslist in Vancouver

[storysunfolding]

1996 Honda Magna 750

Sure you want to throw down honda's performance/power cruiser of the 90's? You know the one with its V4 interceptor based motor

[Batan]

here not much newer small stuff is available(other then brand new).

2004 Honda Shadow 750
1974 Honda CB550
1992 BMW R100R
1978 Suzuki GS550
1981 Yamaha Maxim 550
1980 Honda CM400T
2004 BMW F650GS
1996 Honda Magna 750
1980 Yamaha XS400
1982 Yamaha Seca 400
1983 Honda Shadow 500

These are all bikes that were listed today on Craigslist in Vancouver

Yes I know that, I look at it every day. But a lot of junk out there trust me. A lot of those ads are old and that BMW for example is 6 grand. Not exactly a first bike material plus it's a dual purpose bike and I really(like really) don't want one of those. Standard/naked/possibly sport/maybe cruiser is what I'm after.

I don't see to be the only one, from another recent thread:

I am 6'1" 180 and have gone to look at the new Ninja 250 and I've sat on an '05 that was in the dealership. They were both comfortable for my height, the controls were a bit close but not bad at all. The unfortunate thing is that because of the high demand for newbie bikes... I can't afford a newbie bike, used or new. So I'm looking at slightly bigger bikes but thanks to the sagely advice of the bikers on this forum I have ruled out several and been given lots of tips for how to make sure I'm not getting ripped off. So like the experienced guys are sayin try out that ninja before you decide to stay away from it.

[UTRider]

Rule #1 - don't part the motorcycle on a lawn...unless you need practice picking the motorcycle up from it's side...

Especially if unknown to you, someone watered said grass while you were at work. Come to a stop, foot down, foot slides. And as my youngest Dughter says "kaboom".

[camthepyro]

Your MSF course is scheduled for June, and you bought a CB750 SS. To me this situation sounds like a crash waiting to happen. Really, let's be totally honest: You know nothing about motorcycling, and that's Ok. Your car background does not prepare you for safely riding a motorcycle. Your bike is older but it is still a supersport bike, make no mistake about it. Give yourself a better chance of learning to properly ride with a better suited beginner bike. For your second bike ride whatever you want.

Motorcycling is unlike driving a car, but you won't know this until you do it. Almost anyone can get into the seat of an expensive sports car and drive reasonably well. On a SS bike you'll crash. These bikes are street legal racing bikes for people with enough motorcycling racing experience. Those double disks in front should stop you pretty well, too well for a beginner bike. And only 75hp, you say? That's a whole lot of HP to move a bike, way more than a beginner should have.

I recommend, for you and your wife's personal safety, as well as the paintjob of your bike, to park it and get something more conducive to learning. A 250, a Vulcan 500, a Honda VLX 650. There are lots of bikes to choose. I'm unsure why you believe a CB750 SS is suitable for you. It's your life and your money. Have you checked out insurance for your CB750 SS?

http://www.chuckhawks.com/good_first_motorcycles.htm

This post drives me absolutely crazy. Quit acting like the bike he got is a death trap, it's not. Sure, it may have almost been a sports bike back in 1982, but that was 26 years ago. There is a huge difference between it, and a current 750cc ss bike, like a GSXR-750. The latter is MUCH lighter, has a LOT more horsepower, has brakes that are WAY touchier. The bikes aren't even comparable. If they were, between would be bringing bikes a quarter of a century old to race tracks.

All you're doing is parroting what you've heard. Have you ever ridden that particular bike, or a current supersport for that matter? If not, then how could you possible compare them?

I agree that bike has a tad too much power for a beginner, but not much. The throttle isn't nearly as touchy as current supersports, the brakes aren't as touchy. So what is the problem?

[jscof]

I just bought a Ninja 250 last month and there seems to be a lot for sale around the D.C. area. I'm guessing you aren't any where near that are you? BTW nice looking bike.

[cdillon23]

I am new here and new and really can't say what is a good starter bike. I can tell you what I have and have had.

I would call myself a beginner still. I used to ride dirt bikes a lot when I was younger and in 2000 I bought a 1999 Honda Shadow VLX 600. It was a great bike. I had it for about 2 years and loved it. Didn't ride it as much as I wanted to but nonetheless it was a great bike to begin with. I sold it in 2002 because of the birth of my son. Well just last week I got back into motorcycling with the purchase of a Shadow Spirit 700. I am really loving it and feel it is a very easy bike to control.

All I can tell you is this. Take your time and do your homework. Try to remove anything you can from the equation that would make riding harder for you. Don't think you can do things you can't yet.

Other than that have fun, and man you have a great looking bike there.

[Gurgus]

That is a very nice looking bike. I don't know if its too big as I'm only in my first season as well. My CB is only a 450, but its still much faster than I thought it would be when I bought it last November. Yours is nicer looking though, I love the stripes! Here's my '84 CB450Sc:

[Batan]

Thanks guys. Good to see we can talk about things w/o flaming! LOL
To answer the question above, no I'm not in DC area, I'm in Vancouver Canada. You can ride a bike pretty much year round here, 10 months if you want to avoid the "winter". So, bikes are a hot item, especially beginner bikes. That CB450 is very nice! ^

As I mentioned both of us, my wife and me, are taking the course. And we wanna get two bikes eventually. So that said, worst case scenario is, I can get another cheap bike after the course and still keep the F. That way, if we head out of town later this summer or fall, we DO have two bikes and there is a smaller one available for honing the skills.


There is an occasional Ninja 250 that comes up but they are on the range of 4Gs, too much IMO for something that will get dropped. So most likely, if I do end up getting a second bike will also be something older, hopefully around 1G.


Anybody with their 1st bike story, big or small, chime in!

[jmillheiser]

The CB750 isn't that bad of a choice for a first bike, its heavy but is well balanced so it should ride pretty easy. The 750cc engine isn't a peaky monseter like a modern bike, it should have a nice flat torquey powerband not unlike a SV650.

My first bike was a CX500. Was a very easy bike to ride and I never felt overwhelmed by the power, though it wasn't slow by any means. My Bandit was a perfect step up from the CX even if I was only going from 50hp to 85hp.