Big college student searching for perfect bike

Message

trailworthyxj · Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:53 am

Im new to this board and i am strongly considering a bike to ride around to conserve gas this summer and you just cant beat the feeling you get when riding a bike. My only problem is i am a full-time student in the fall and a struggling broke employee at the SCDOT in the summers. I make decent money and i could afford a loan. I am looking for a bike that is pretty good size (considering the fact i am 6'4", 270 lbs) and still pretty beginner friendly. Does such a bike exist for around 6k? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Im tired of filling up my 10 mpg truck twice a week.

DivideOverflow · Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:10 am

Kawasaki KLR 650 if you dont mind a dual sport. It would fit a 6'4 person very well with its nice tall seat height.

trailworthyxj · Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:30 am

Yeah i was actually considering a dual sport. Ive seen a few of them around campus and they look pretty good size. I was also thinking about a Buell M2 cyclone. They are 1200 cc so they have to be a pretty big bike and i know where i can get a decent one for a decent price. But once again i am clueless when it comes to this stuff, so any advice is really needed. Thanks.

VermilionX · Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:37 am

people here are gonna suggest to keep it under 50hp for your 1st bike, or sometimes, they're fine up to 70hp.

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Buell/2002/M2%20Cyclone/

that cyclone has 90hp accdg to that website. so they'll say to choose a diff one.

i think you should go w/ suzuki katana 600, it should be big enough for you.

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Suzuki/2005 ... 0(Katana)/

Chris8187 · #5 Unread post by **Chris8187** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:24 am

Well, keeping it under 50hp is a good general rule for sportbikes. Not to mention the smaller bikes are cheaper. I would get a bike you won't mind dropping or crashing so much and sort of beat it up, and than later on you can get that nice bike that you can baby.

Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:37 am

might be comfortable on an Suzuki SV650 or a VStrom 650. Also, Honda XR650L.

kabob983 · #7 Unread post by **kabob983** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:45 am

VStrom is a pretty tall bike, I'd look into that. Also the BMW R 650 GS is a pretty tall bike as well. You could find a used one cheapish I'd think.

trailworthyxj · Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:56 am

Yeah i know the smaller bikes are easier on the rider and on the wallet, but im such a big guy that i just wouldnt look right on a small bike. My buddy is the same size as me, bought a shadow 600, good starter bike, but he looked like a monkey riding a tennis ball. I will look into the size of the Katana 600 and see what it can offer, but i have never seen a 600cc sport bike that is big enough for me. Thanks for the advice though, please keep some more ideas coming.

#9 Unread post by **Skier** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:59 am

You might want to reconsider a choice of bike from how you would look on it. It's better to look goofy on a small bike you can handle proficiently than looking sharp on a bike that's beat up from multiple drops/crashes. Just my $0.02.

Also, Katanas are top-heavy pigs. Poor starter bikes.

roscowgo · #10 Unread post by **roscowgo** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:39 am

VermilionX wrote:people here are gonna suggest to keep it under 50hp for your 1st bike, or sometimes, they're fine up to 70hp.

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Buell/2002/M2%20Cyclone/

that cyclone has 90hp accdg to that website. so they'll say to choose a diff one.

i think you should go w/ suzuki katana 600, it should be big enough for you.

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Suzuki/2005 ... 0(Katana)/

Speaking as a fat guy with a kat..sit on one. for quite awhile. mines easy to flat foot, but my left knee and upper back start to just plain ache after awhile on it.