are salespeople paid to over sell

[Kaige]

People warned me I'd have trouble jumping from the 125cc Eliminators to my 750cc Shadow but I've never had any kind of trouble with its power. Once I got used to the weight and found its leverage points, I ride it like I did the little bikes at the MSF range. Again, it's whatever you feel comfortable on. I like knowing if a dump truck is on my "O Ring" I have the power there to get the hell out of the way.

If you're the kind of guy that accidentally leans on the throttle and opens it up when you actually want to break...yeah you might not want to start out on a bike with that big of an engine until you have better throttle and clutch control.

Otherwise, just buy what you're going to ride. If you'll be afraid of a big bike and never gonna ride it, don't buy one. That'd dumb. Buy what you can see yourself riding, or see if you can test ride something that big and see how it feels first.

Ultimately you're the only guy on the bike. To hell with what everyone else tells you to buy, or how you think you'll look. If the bike goes down, you're the only one sucking the pavement. It's your ride.

Just my

[iwannadie]

My goal was to keep riding until we got to Lexington, but my dad cut that goal short by about an hour because his bike was struggling to maintain that speed and he was getting spooked by all the trucks whizzing by. My bike was only spinning 3500rpm and had a crapload of throttle left, and the extra 100 or so pounds made it a stable platform for standing up to the semi turbulence.

not to start anything But if your 'spooked' by trucks going by how does a bigger bike help you? sounds like you shouldnt be riding to begin with. my bike is kind of light(considering) i do the speed limit on the freeway i dont let trucks cause me to break the law. sure you get blown around But thats just the nature of being on 2 wheels, you learn to trust the bike and know your not going to just blow away. you learn to adjust for the trucks wind not rely on bulk to keep you steady. people have some fear a gust of wind is just going to suck them right under the truck if they are on a lighter bike.

[ZooTech]

not to start anything But if your 'spooked' by trucks going by how does a bigger bike help you? sounds like you shouldnt be riding to begin with. my bike is kind of light(considering) i do the speed limit on the freeway i dont let trucks cause me to break the law. sure you get blown around But thats just the nature of being on 2 wheels, you learn to trust the bike and know your not going to just blow away. you learn to adjust for the trucks wind not rely on bulk to keep you steady. people have some fear a gust of wind is just going to suck them right under the truck if they are on a lighter bike.

Do you go out of your way to miss the point? My dad didn't feel comfortable with the thought of running with the speed of traffic, which is far safer than obeying the speed limit at all costs, but his bike is not exactly a 90mph kinda bike, so he chose to call it a day about an hour earlier than I would have liked. Had he been on a bike like mine, maintaining those speeds wouldn't be an issue, and we wouldn't have semis passing us left and right.

As far as my dad not "trusting his bike", that's just not it. My Dad has been riding longer than I've been alive...but unfortunately he was a cop for 27 years, and ten of those were spent as an accident investigator. He has seen hundreds (if not thousands) of vehicular fatalities and carries those images in his mind like a Vietnam vet having a flashback. If anything, he's a lot like all the safety cops on this very forum, touting "proper gear" and all that. Needless to say, we didn't ride in close proximity during the run through the Dragon.

[ronboskz650sr]

I know how he feels...from the speed limit point of view. It just gets ingrained in you. In multi-lane traffic, I go with the flow, even if it's 80 mph (a typical flow around here), but in the country, I tend to hold myself back speed-wise, to avoid that ticket waiting on the other side of the curve...usually keep it about 8 over (63, in most places. Luckily we have lots of 30 mph curves (recommended, yellow sign speeds) around here, so plenty of fun is still available.

[sapaul]

I have to go with Zoo on this one. If you have the right attitude, why should you dump the bigger bike, or come a cropper. We all had to start somewhere and we all have limits, mental and physical. The minute we start thinking we have to compete is the time we get it wrong. We have to learn slow and build from there. When we reach that limit we have to be honest with ourselves. Nothing wrong with getting the bigger bike and riding slow.

[bikeguy joe]

...or buy a 1600cc bike with all the high performance you'll rarely use in the first year or two of riding

For the folks who plan on avoiding the interstate for those two years maybe. I'll agree here.

high insurance rates

Since when is $410 per year considered high? Mine is 106 dollars for full coverage for the year, for my Volusia, 35 dollars for full coverage on the Vino.

high monthly payments

Depends on your credit. I pay $200/month.

high down payments

Varies.

then when you dump it because it's too much for a newb you'll have a bike with a rediculously low resale value.

Change "when" to "if" and we might actually come close to an agreement here. Why is everyone so convinced that newbies will dump their first bike? Because YOU did? Way to set yourself up as the benchmark for all riders to strive for... Yes, I crashed (a couple) in my early riding adventures....BUT I'm NOT trying to set myself up as a "benchmark" for anyone, I think that's you.And, incidentally, my Mean Streak would be way more forgiving than my Dad's 800cc Suzuki C50. "More forgiving" of what? I have sportbike wheels, tires, forks, and brakes...and much better balance...and that's what a newbie needs, rather than the weakest and lightest bike he or she can find. (Not recommended, that's not what I said) Not to mention...how tall are you again? Shorter than that. And how much do you weigh? Less than that... Now imagine having this guy's dimensions and riding the bikes you're recommending. Come to think of it, I'd recommend a Volusia, or other Intruder series of Suzuki, 805cc great bike for a guy his size, priced right and available in three distinctly different styles!Remember the theme song from Different Strokes? "What might be right for you, may not be right for some!"

O.K., remember that song, can you?

Peace,
Joe

[ZooTech]

Some stuff (just read his post if you don't know)

Indeed, Joe, but I get the feeling from at least some of you here that the thought of riding a 1600cc bike (or similar) is somehow daunting...and I'm here to tell any of you that fit this description that it's not necessarily true. The ability to accommodate a newbie rider is different from bike to bike, regardless of the size. Now, a VTX1800 is only 200cc bigger than my bike, but it weighs around 100lbs more and carries it very high, thus making it difficult to handle at slow speeds. But if you have a chance, go sit on a GoldWing or a Valkyrie and see how unbelievably well-balanced they both are. And as far as the Mean Streak is concerned, I am certain every member of this forum could climb aboard one right now and ride it with no problem. Whatever preconception you have about bigger displacement bikes is fallacious, since there are bikes with half the displacement as mine and 200 fewer pounds that I feel would be more difficult for a newbie to ride. I stepped off a 700cc NightHawk and onto my MeanStreak without so much as hearing it run before signing the papers. And I only got to sit on the bike for maybe a minute. But a half mile from the dealership I thought to myself, "Man, how easy is this?!". It's not due to some special skill I acquired or something I know that you don't, it's just a matter of fact that engine size is no indication of rideability.

[bikeguy joe]

Zoo- you're right in many respects here, but what I'm trying to stress is 1600 cc (especialy your particular brand) is a lot of bike, both in weight and power for a newb.
I agree that there are bikes half that size that are rough on newbs due to high center of gravity and high weight, but there are several that are somewhere between a 250 Ninja and a VTX1800 that are at least as, or more suitable for a rank beginner than a high(er) performance bike like the Meanstreak. Many USED bikes come to mind. Not all newbies will drop their bikes, but most will.
My last bike before the Volusia was a 700SC as well....completely different birds fo' sho'.

[bikeguy joe]

...So if you can afford it, want it, and are REALLY going to keep the shiny side up, go for the gold!

Otherwise, go for the hoopdy and learn to ride, then get a REALLY nice bike.....

How's that Zoo? Can we agree to disagree, sorta? BTW, I think we could have a more agreeable conversation about helmets....or the lack thereof.

[ZooTech]

...So if you can afford it, want it, and are REALLY going to keep the shiny side up, go for the gold!

Otherwise, go for the hoopdy and learn to ride, then get a REALLY nice bike.....

How's that Zoo? Can we agree to disagree, sorta? BTW, I think we could have a more agreeable conversation about helmets....or the lack thereof.

Hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again...the best bike for a beginner is a $300.00 4-stroke dirtbike. Ride that around the yard and drop it to your heart's content. Then, when you stop dropping it so often, go to the dealership and buy up a streetbike. But, not everyone's circumstances allow this, and some just want to buy "the" bike and be done with it...and I'm here to support those that decide to take the road less traveled, since so many of us did as well.