Brand new rider, looking at first bikes >> 250 or 500?

[jackacid]

Ryan,

I believe that's an in line 4 cyl motor. I have one. You could be good to go with that. HOWEVER, Take it easy and remain aware of your throttle and hand position. If you grab a hand full of gas it can really surprise you, especially in the upper rev ranges, and could be trouble. You may find the bike a little top heavy at first.

Lots of parking lot work for at least the first month in between other uses. Control is the key to enjoying it.

My only concern would be what kind of work would it need. IMHO definitely look for new tires at the least.

Keep the dirty side down.
Pete

Thanks Pete. Had the parking lot plan in mind, so great minds must think alike! I believe it needs new wheels/tires and a carburetor. But I haven't seen it yet or talked to the owner directly. I figure if it feels too big or powerful I could realistically sell it and make a few bucks on it, then downsize.

I won't keep anything I'm not 100% comfortable.

[rlmitchell]

Welcome aboard. I am a newbie to the forum (and to motorcycling) myself!

I have a Honda Rebel 250 and absolutely love it. I weight only 15 pounds less than you do, but I'm only 5'7. My son, who is 6'1 tried to ride it the other day and he sort of looked like a teenager trying to ride a toddler's tricycle and it was very uncomfortable for him.

I think the poster who told you to try the 250s at the class gave you wise advice. Sitting on them will give you a good feel for how comfortable or uncomfortable you might be.

[pchast]

[quote="jackacid"][quote="pchast"]Ryan,

I believe that's an in line 4 cyl motor. I have one. You could be good to go with that. HOWEVER, Take it easy and remain aware of your throttle and hand position. If you grab a hand full of gas it can really surprise you, especially in the upper rev ranges, and could be trouble. You may find the bike a little top heavy at first.

Lots of parking lot work for at least the first month in between other uses. Control is the key to enjoying it.

My only concern would be what kind of work would it need. IMHO definitely look for new tires at the least.

Keep the dirty side down.
Pete[/quote]

Thanks Pete. Had the parking lot plan in mind, so great minds must think alike! I believe it needs new wheels/tires and a carburetor. But I haven't seen it yet or talked to the owner directly. I figure if it feels too big or powerful I could realistically sell it and make a few bucks on it, then downsize.

I won't keep anything I'm not 100% comfortable.[/quote]

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Ryan,

Reality check, an in line 4 should have 4 carbs, a large expense. Check into cleaning them and dumping the gas in the tank cleaning that out also first. Even paying a local bike shop to clean them would be less expensive and have a good chance of bringing that back into operation.

Where is this machine. It may not even be worth the effort of getting it for free. I hope someone else chimes in here with expert advise.
I am not myself a mechanic.

Pete

[zeligman]

R - here's my nickel

unless you're a mechanic - get a bike that RUNS as your first - EVERY day in the shop lasts FOREVER - at least it did for me. I wanted to RIDE, not tinker although i ended up doing some repairs along the way and learning my machine!

the most embarrassing repair it needed was a new fuel gauge -which was frozen at a 1/4 tank, making me - you guessed it - run out of gas in the first week riding. LOL

welcome to the site, and the people here KNOW what they are talking about (with one or two notable troll exceptions)

-zman

[jackacid]

Thanks for the advice guys. I found it needs new wheels and the carb needs to be cleaned. My dad estimates $400 for new wheels + 2-3 hours of labor.

I think that's all it needs, doesnt sound like it's not running, just hasn't been used in while.