Please help...questions on 1st bike

[VP]

Hi All,

I hope you can help me...I've spent hours trying to figure out what is a good bike to start with for someone who doesn't have any riding experience. I'm taking the MSF course in July, and would like to purchase a bike right afterwards.

I'm 5'9" tall, weight proportional to height, and plan to ride on city streets and freeways...I don't care about how fast the bike can go...just fast enough where I'm not being passed by a semi. I like both the sporty and cruiser bikes...if they made it for beginners...I'd get the sport touring bike...but a lass...those are only for very experienced riders.

Here are my must haves:
1. Windshield of some type
2. Quiet and smooth ride
3. Reliable
4. Able to set upright
5. If a sporty type bike, I like full fairing
6. MPG on hwy at least 50
7. It's got to be able to climb large hills without seizing.
8. Comfort...able to ride distances of at least 80+ miles without needing a back massage.

Bonus:
1. Liquid cooled engine
2. Shaft drive

I read that the liquid cooled engines are better than the air-cooled. How much of a difference is it?

I also read that the shaft drive is better, lower maintenance...does this affect the ride? wither it's smooth and/or quiet?

I have narrowed my list down to:
SPORTY TYPES:
1. Suzuki GS500F
2. Kawasaki Ninja 250R
3. Kawasaki Ninja 500R

CRUISER TYPES:
1. Honda Shadow VLX Deluxe
2. Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD
3. Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic
4. Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom
5. Suzuki Boulevard S40
6. Yamaha Virago 250 - this one however has a very small gas tank.

If anyone can give me some advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Vicki

[Kal]

All the Bkes you've listed fall into the range thats usually recommended.

Point Comfort level is something only you are able to judge so I am afraid you will have to find some local dealers and try each Bike on for size - how awful is that? Personally I like to be able to flat foot a bike with both feet but again thats a personal preference.

Shaft drives tend to be found on Tourers because of the alomost non-existant maintainence, Chain drives tend to be more responsive. If the final drive of any bike made a noise I'd be concerned about it.

Maintainence of a chain drive isnt a big deal, when you've done it once there is no fear about doing it again.

Aftermarket screens are available for all bikes and are a pretty inexpensive, easy modification. we have a spitfire screen on the CX that just clamps to the bars - no drilling or other work needed.

In short, any of the bikes you've mentioned should do you proud.

[MotoF150]

Suzuki V Strom 650, or a Yamaha FZ6 as sport touring bike, these bikes will be comfortable on a long ride and will outperform almost any cruiser bike, with a factory installed windshield plus will get 50 mpg, only problem is you have to give up wanting shaft drive, these are chain drive. If you don't like my idea go with the Yamaha 650 V Star Custom , the Classic is a girls bike. You will have to buy a windshield. Make sure you get the Yamaha Factory Windshield, that windshield is tested and designed for that bike.

[Lion_Lady]

DON'T STRESS OVER WHICH MODEL!!! This is just your first bike,

Not your ONLY bike. Go and sit on bikes at dealerships and disregard anyone who tries to upsell you "because you'll get tire of that little XXXcc in 6 months." Find what feels comfortable, but keep in mind that going with something LIGHTER and lower cc will make mastering the basics much easier (yes, folks start out on big, powerful rides all the time, it IS however a bit easier on something smaller).

As you master riding, your needs/desires are very likely to change.

Buy used, it'll hurt your wallet less when you decide you 'need' something different than what you have. Consider this just a stepping stone in the path to becoming a Rider, not just a Biker.

Bikers buy 'garage jewlery' - the image, primarily. Riders buy the machine that meets their needs, and damn the opinions of others.

P

[DivideOverflow]

You can turn a GS500F or a small ninja (250 or 500) into a sport-tourer pretty easily! They already have the seating position for one, just swap the seat if you need one that is a bit more comfy, add some tail bags and/or a tank bag, and you are sport touring already!

For the cruisers, go sit on the ones you have listed. Any of them are fine, just find what you like.

[BigChickenStrips]

ninja 250R would fit your description pretty well. it is full faired so it looks liek a sport bike but has the much more comfortabe "standard" riding position. a lot of uninformed people will say the 250 isnt big enought and you'll get bored. honestly if you have never ridden before, just riding SOMETHING will be a thrill! this mornign i rode 60 miles and i could hop back on and ride some more. i find the seat to be very comfortable and im a pretty big guy (6'2" 140lbs) i also accelerated from 65 to abotu 80 mph on an uphill slope during my ride. the only time i have had hill trouble was when i was doing about 35 and upshifted too quickly but that was my fault not the bikes. (im new to riding as well) you mentioned fuel economy, how does 70+Mpg with a 4.8 gallon tank sound? i live in land-locked TN and i could leave this mornign and see the ocean before i needed to fill up again. there is also a huge community of people to help you with accessories and maintenance
www.ninja250.com www.ninja250.org and www.ninja250.info to name a few.
this bike has been in producton and largely unchanged since 1988 so they should have all the "little bugs" worked out.
the barrier to entry is pretty low as well. i just bought an 06' for about $3500 and if you have cash you could shave a lot off that price. and beign that the msrp is $2999 check cycletrader.com and see what the used ones go for (yea, how are they selling used bikes for more than MSRP? but they are doing it)

it is chain driven but most bikes are, shafts are nice, but chains are fine.
it IS liquid cooled, and the cooling system seems to work really well.

it does have a windshield and there are also several aftermarket ones available.

very reliable bikes- check out some of those websites dedicated to this bike and you'll hear some stories.

as far as ride quality, it is loud enough to fell "motorcyclish" but not so loud that the neighbors will be pissed off if you fire it up early in the morning. i find the ride to be very smooth on the road and with a little practice, acceleration can be smooth just like a car or you can smoke just about anything off the line. (believe me, its quick if you make it quick) i dont know what else to say but for $2000 difference the ninja 500 is not much better than the 250. (also resale not so much because it so much more money you take a bigger hit on re-sale)

i dont know what else to say abotu this bike other than i love it and to my knowledge it is the ONLY full-faired bike that has a standard riding position availabe for that low of a price. i swear Kawasaki should be payign me to advertise for them. if you have any other questions specifically about the 250R feel free to PM me as you can tell i love talkign about it.

lastly- i want to show you quite possibly the MOST helpful webiste to a beginning biker.

http://www.californiabikenights.com/learn.php

this was created by a guy who post here under the handle of DragonHawk and is one of the best websites around for beginning bikers to get some knowledge. (Dragon rode a ninja 250 for like 20,000 miles before he traded up if im not mistaken) very good info in a great format.

have a great day and ride safe.

HandsomeRyan

[Sev]

Suzuki V Strom 650, or a Yamaha FZ6 as sport touring bike, these bikes will be comfortable on a long ride and will outperform almost any cruiser bike, with a factory installed windshield plus will get 50 mpg, only problem is you have to give up wanting shaft drive, these are chain drive. If you don't like my idea go with the Yamaha 650 V Star Custom , the Classic is a girls bike. You will have to buy a windshield. Make sure you get the Yamaha Factory Windshield, that windshield is tested and designed for that bike.

You barely know what's going on with your bike... and you feel qualified to suggest bikes for new riders? PFFFFT.

[Kal]

If you don't like my idea go with the Yamaha 650 V Star Custom , the Classic is a girls bike.

I'm sure there are several BIG blokes that wouldn't be too impressed with that...

Come to think of it, I know some women that would get upset of the idea that something is a girls bike too...

[cbm]

If you don't like my idea go with the Yamaha 650 V Star Custom , the Classic is a girls bike.

I'm sure there are several BIG blokes that wouldn't be too impressed with that...

Come to think of it, I know some women that would get upset of the idea that something is a girls bike too...

Yes, some girls just might not appreciate the "girl's bike" label, myself included. Incidentally, at least where I'm from, "Vicki" is a girl's name. Check the bottom of the initial post in this thread.

Vicki, welcome to the Forums, and good luck finding your first bike. You've obviously done some homework. Go sit on some bikes and see what you think.

[MotoF150]

my mistake, ur right I didn't see that Vicky is a girls name, sorry, I didn't mean any insult to any women bikers. I know some ladies that ride Gold Wings and they seem to ride them just as good as us men.