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So what exactly are you confused about? That riding a motorcycle is all about skill and has nothing to do with how much you weigh? Or are you trying to find justification for buying a bike way beyond your skill level to compensate for the size of something else?

What determines the power of the bike is horsepower, not the cc of the engine.

True, but the cc size is often directly related to the power of the bike. It's a more readily available stat and more easily used.

You have to go digging through sites to get the horse power specs, the cc's are often the first thing you see.

Shiv wrote:True, but the cc size is often directly related to the power of the bike. It's a more readily available stat and more easily used.

It's very easy to go wrong this way. Engine type is a major factor in the equation. It's not uncommon have an 1100cc V-twin that puts out around 50 hp, and a 600cc inline-4 that puts out 100 hp.

When comparing similar engine types, engine displacement is more accurate, but there are still a lot of surprises out there.

To the original subject, skill and experience have a lot more to do with the ability to handle a heavy bike than the size of the rider. I had this demonstrated to me many years ago when I met a little old lady in her 70s, riding a fully loaded Goldwing at a motorcycle rally. Not only could she handle the bike better than most of the young males there, she also did a demonstration for the ladies on how to pick up a Goldwing that had been laid down. It was an amazing demonstration in leverage. As I recall, this lady was about 5'5" and just over 100 lbs.

Wow, thanks so much to all who posted for your insight. I have made an appointment to go and see a V-Star 1100 this weekend. My girlfriend will test drive the bike and let me know how it feels/rides. I'll sit on it and see how comfy I feel on it.

Many of you are going to probably think it's a mistake to start with an 1100, but the same owner is this bike is female. She had a Sportster 883 and dropped on virtually every left turn she took. Frustrated, she sold it and bought the V-Star. She never dropped the bike and became a much more proficient rider on the V-Star than the 883.

I understand now that physical strength isn't as important and skillful handling and riding ability. I have been assured that I'll be able to handle a 1450cc Harley at some point in the future. For now, I focus on becoming a good rider.

Thanks again.

Uhm, dude the V-Star is 100 pounds heavier and probably generates more horse power. I can't say for sure because no online sources have the horse power of a V-Star on them but generally Harleys don't generate much power (or well that's the whole 'inefficient' arguement at least) and the Sportster has 50 horse power which is generally considered the cut off for a beginner bike.

Dude~ you gotta save face here...no way can you let your GF ride a bigger bike...not unless you let her carry your gonads in her purse...
Just messing with ya bro. At your heigth, I'd go for a Vulcan or a Shadow. They're good sized frames and in the 1100 (Sahdow) or 1500 (Vulcan) they'll keep up with your GF's HD. Or a VTX1300 Honda. The amount of power isn't an issue. Just remember that YOU control how fast you ride. The weight isn't a big factor either...my ex had a Road King, and she only weighed in at 105lbs...it's all about getting used to it. You don't worry too much about dropping it when you remember not to lean it when you're standing still, and they almost never fall over while in motion.

NPert,

I own and currently ride a 2005 honda shadow 600. If your looking at honda's s go for the 750 it'll be much smoother than the 600 at highway speeds. Zarakind just did this upgrade and he mite be able to provide more insight.

ninja79 wrote:... are you trying to find justification for buying a bike way beyond your skill level to compensate for the size of something else?

This is a pathetic statement. Your confusion is well founded, but like a lot of guys on here have said - it depends on how you handle the bike, not how big you are. You need to decide what you'll use it for. If you're going to be doing a lot of highway - the 750 may leave you disappointed. If you're looking for a good cruiser, I would suggest either the Shadow 1100 or the VTX 1300. Both are decent bikes that you should be able to handle if you're responsible.

The biggest thing I find is guys who have never driven stick have trouble with higher powered machines because shifting is one more thing thrown into the mix of things to learn and conciously do while riding - so adding power decreases their margain of error and things go bad quickly. If you have driven stick and have ANY prior experience - you should be able to go a bit bigger.

You've already gotten some really good info, it basicly boils down to skill. I looked at the Honda's and Vuclans and ended up with a Vulcan Classic 800. It was lower to the ground and better balanced. My Husband had a Shadow 1100 before he got his Vulcan 1600 and he wanted me to take it over. It was just to top heavy for me and I could BARELY flat foot it, it also bolted out as soon as you twisted the thottle. Like others on the forum you'll probably go through a couple of bikes before you find one that fits you really well. Good luck and have fun!