Total Motorcycle Community Forums

congratulations moto! once again you are wrong. weight capacity of a VTX1800 is 410lbs. i don't know where you got your info, but mine came from my owners manual which would be a good thing to consult when spouting information.

The best part is that he's wrong about his own bike!

Suzuki M50 wet weight is 617lbs, GVWR is 1035lbs, giving a 418lb Max Load... yet he keeps quoting 265!

If you're just sarting out riding, then I'd suggest getting a mid-80s to mid-90s cruiser type japanese bike in the 350-550cc range. It should cost you $800-1500 for one in decent shape if you look around. Ride that for six months or so to develop your techinque and gain experience. They're very easy to ride and good learner bikes. And, if you drop it or dump it, it won't cost you very much.

Once you've logged some miles on that and have some confidence in your skills, then decide on what to get as your "real" bike. You can probably sell such a beginner bike for about what you paid for it (or more if you find the right deal).

Aside from the benefit of having a low cost beginner bike to learn on and not worry about damaging, you'll also develop enough riding skills to be able to take bikes you're looking at for a test ride since you will have developed your riding skills.

Don't worry about or plan on doing much 2-up riding on your learner bike - worry about that when you get your "real" bike after developing your riding skills. In my opinion, any bike that has enough power to really pull with 400 lbs. on it is probably too heavy and too powerful for a starter bike. That said, a lot of bikes in the 350-550cc range can still be ridden comfortably with a passenger.

I'm working on getting my brother into riding and that's what I have planned for him. I also told him to wait until after he takes the MSF course to even buy the beginner bike - who knows - even though he's interested in riding, he may find he's not as interested after taking the MSF course.

Just my .02.

Flting Duck wrote:...I also told him to wait until after he takes the MSF course to even buy the beginner bike - who knows - even though he's interested in riding, he may find he's not as interested after taking the MSF course.

Just my .02.

I've actually been riding a mountain bike with a 40cc gas engine on it for a while now. That's what got me going. I want more! Always wanted a motorcycle, but the wife was always against. The bike seems to have been a good step. She's now ok with the motorcycle idea, especially since I'm stressing the MSF. Plus, it seems more dangerous on the bike, with all the cars passing me on narrow lanes with no shoulders. If I can keep up with the traffic flow, I'll feel better. Obviously there's a big power and handling difference, but I'm pretty sure I'll like it. Yes, I know the bicycle is completely different, but I really liked the feeling going 35+ on the bike.

I probably won't get anything until after the MSF (3 weeks), but I'm looking around now so I know what good prices are and what's what.

MX

Well, my wife wanted to go to the craft store, which happened to be near the dealer, so I went and looked a little more. Sat on a Honda Shadow VT600 (that's a cruiser, right?). I didn't like the low seat. I asked the guy if I could sit on a standard and he pointed to the SV650 again. I liked the 31.5" seat high. Is that a standard? I thought it was more of a sport class. I think I'm going to be leaning more toward the standard or a cruiser with a higher seat.

MX

The Honda Shadow 600 is r-e-a-l-y,,,, S----L----O-----W !!!!

MotoF150 wrote:The Honda Shadow 600 is r-e-a-l-y,,,, S----L----O-----W !!!!

Can you define slow? Acceleration or max speed? I don't really care to go more than 75mph.

MX

dont pay attention to him, hes just tries to stir up trouble.

to answer your original question the SV650 (the plain model not the S model) is considered a standard, the SV650S is considered a sportbike.

the main difference between cruiser, standard and sportbike is the riding position. A cruiser has a low seat and the pegs usually put your feet out in front of you and you sit in a laid back position. A standard has a taller seat and puts your feet right under you and you tend to sit pretty upright. A sportbike has about the same seat height as a standard but the pegs are usually higher up and you sit leaned forward quite a bit.

as a first bike, if you are considering a cruiser, you could look at around 800cc. examples are the M50, C50, Honda Shadow (spirit, ace 750), Vulcan 800.

i use my Spirit as a commuter and it's agile enough for in town and it's also powerful enough to ride two up in the mountains of Alberta with no issues.

i will echo the no passengers for a year, i broke the rule and looking back i shouldn't have.

the other thing with passengers, the first time you take a passenger, DONT have it be a family member, unless they are a rider as well. if you have a friend who rides, get them to come along so you can see how the weight differs without having to train a passenger at the same time you are learning.