Total Motorcycle Community Forums

would a yamaha xt 225 be a good choice for my best bike

Hey, I'm new here and I'm planning to get my first bike in 2 months or by the end of this year. A few people have been telling me that I should start with something small like the Suzuki GS 500, the Kawasaki Ninja 500 Suzuki SV 650. I went to a couple of dealers and they've told me that I can ride the 600cc bikes, including the Triumph Datonya 675. Here's the thing, the people who told me to get the weakers bikes told me that I'll get tired if the weaker bikes and I'll would be wanting to get a more powerfull bike later on. If that's the case, I want somthing that will last a long time, not somthing that I'll get tired of within a year or two. So, what's your opinion? I do plan on taking a MSF course, by the way.

Following that logic, everyone should be tired of a 600cc sportbike in about a year... Seriously, start out on the 500s... I know a guy who started out on one, he's tired of it now, but he's honestly glad he did start on it because he admits he probably would have killed himself by now on a 600.

Oh, and keep in mind that the 500s with a rider my size (6'2" 300 lbs) can still do 60 in under 6 seconds... You'd have to be driving a Camaro to get that kind of speed.

Yes, I'm longwinded tonight... Also, I rode my friend's Gixxer 600 the other day, see my post here... viewtopic.php?t=22278
About the gixxer, I wasn't kidding either... it's fast!
Wrider

ticktock wrote:No different then when you get in a car, that first few miles are the ones you have to take in consideration even when you leave the office after a hard days work.
Could it also be that there are more cars on the road as well? Mikeydude you stated that: More crashes happen to people with no training. I don’t know if that is true as I have not seen any facts on that as to date but it does make some sense. Especially after seeing the number of accidents from young drivers. Could this be why they suggest a smaller cc bike for the beginner?

Guys don’t get me wrong here I am not disagreeing with the idea of smaller cc bikes to start I just have a lot of doubts that it well really make that much difference in the end and as for training well I am sure it is of some help but I look at what drivers training has accomplished for the 16 year old and it has many flaws.
I myself rode for many years with a group of prows who rode in parades and taught me control and balance on my bike as well we rode from state to state. Just got done last week taking a refresher course and they lean with the small starter bikes to. So don’t take it personal I just want to understand all of this and I am one of those people who have doubts till I see the proof and to date I have not seen any real facts just a lot of different opines from moderators and bike salesmen not even Progressive Insurance I wrote to could give me any numbers to back the claims I have heard here and on other sites.

Like I mentioned in my last post, that I went to some motorcycle shops and one of the dealers said that beginners can ride 600cc bikes. He also said that the reason why so many people are telling new riders to ride a bike that's 500cc or less because those same people who told the new riders to start something small, they've also been told to start with a less powerfull motorcyle. I also went to another dealer and he said (most of you will more than likely not agree with this) that beginners can ride a Triumph Dayton 675. I don't think that these guys are just saying that I can ride a 600cc bike just so they can sell the bike to me, if they were, they would have also said that the 700cc bikes are also for beginners and they've clearly told me that they're not for beginners. I agree with the above quote that it really doesn't matter as far as the training goes, especially, if you're a new rider.

I think what people mean to tell you is to start out on a bike with 50 horsepower or less and under 500 lbs. Bikes with more that 100 hp and new riders don't mix well and a Daytona 675 has 123bhp at 12,500 rpm. This bike will not be the last bike you own. The longest you will keep a bike two or three seasons at best. Would you try to learn how to drive a car in a F1 racer?

PS The salesman is trying to get as much commission from a sale as possible. Smaller bikes have smaller commissions. You do the math.

With their logic, ANYONE can ride a GSXR 1300 Hayabusa. The problem is, not many people can CONTROL it... The main thing we're talking about here is control over the bike. When you're pushing less than 50 horses and 50 ft/lbs of torque, it's much easier to control the bike, especially when you first get on it. When we recommend a bike less than the supersports, it's because we really do want people to survive their first year without incident.

One of the other logics people use to recommend supersports is that they have enough power to get away from traffic with ease. True, sure, but so does a Ninja 250. If you look up the specs on my Volusia, it's 550 lbs, I'm 300 lbs, and it puts out 50 horsepower, 50 ft/lbs of torque. I could EASILY outrun anyone that was trying to run me over.

One of my favorite stories to tell is that a lifted Chevy 2500 decided he wanted to be in my lane, at the same spot I was. I look over and see a bright red door about 2 feet from my face. ON MY CRUISER, I lean it over so far that I was almost scraping pegs, gun it, and accelerate from 45 MPH to 80 MPH while weaving through open holes in traffic in about 5 seconds. I challenge you to find a car that can do that without paying over $40,000 or heavily modifying it.

When we recommend these bikes to beginners, it's for their good, and the good of all the people out on the road.
Wrider

The question isn't can you ride it. The question is how long would you like your riding career to last.

It's possible you could start on that and be fine. Statistics are against you though, and it's going to take you a lot longer to become a proficient rider than someone who starts on something more reasonable because you'll spend most of your concentration on controlling the bike, rather than riding well.

It's your choice in the end..your hide and your money. It's not that people here care what you get, you're just in the thread for what is recommended. 50hp or less is the recommendation.

Stay safe whatever you pick.

What's the big deal about buying a smaller cc bike knowing your going to trade it in a few years anyway? There are several advantages of it that it seems to be a no brainer.

1. They are cheaper, so whilst you are practicing control and lose control and maybe dump it, oops, oh well, but hey it was only a couple thousand.
2. To learn control, it's more forgiving. Instead of just over reving on the smaller cc bike, you would have probably done a wheelie on a bigger bike and most likely fell off.

3. Ok, now you have gained the acquired control on a cheap throw away bike that didn't break your bank account. Now you have the oppurtunity to really get to know bikes regarding looks, power, and comfort and have a more indepth idea on what you really need instead of all the guessing. If you've never ridden before, how do you know how many times your really going to ride. Where you liked to ride. What type of seating position you think fits your lifestyle. Do you like carry passengers. Do you like the freedom of the side bags. Did you like speeding mostly and luggage isn't a main factor. What style really keeps grabbing your attention. If you were allowed to take a spin on anybody elses bike, you can now understand the feel safely and can appreciate the extra horsepower and can gage what size cc you will like, use, need, and can control. You have seen, talked, and lived bikes with a better understanding now as well and can really make a better judgement call on what your next bike would/should be without confusion and hesitation.
4. Now that you bought your 1st bike cheap and it didn't have much of a mark up anyway, it pretty much holds it value. It's probably paid off and you can use it for a trade in for your new bike that you have mulled over for last year or so while you were gaining real life experience and know that's a sound choice for you will be.

I only see +++ on smaller cc's bike for a 1st timer. It's safer and the most practical. So what if you probably are going to trade it in. But if you bought a bigger cc bike in the beginning, and found that it didn't meet your criteria after all, you would have to trade that in as well. But that cost you more and was a little more nerve racking to learn on.

Okay, this was a bit...lol, long winded. But as a beginner rider, I am thanking my lucky stars that I decided with the 250 to learn on. It's still can do all the stuff the bigger one can but I feel more comforatable about it. And as soon as I can do everything without thinking about it (clutch, braking, throttle, shifting, etc) and I can start to concentrate on the upcoming road hazards instead and learn that sensing ability, then it would be time to move on. All the while I am finding out other things like, hmm, I would like to have freedom of side saddles to carry my stuff. I don't like the seating arrangements of my feet in front of me. I like to go fast but not balls to the walls fast. My back starts to hurt leaning over all the time and the wind is chilly, maybe a bike with a useable windshield next time. I have only been riding my bike to work and back and a few rally's. I am starting to think that my next bike should be a standard with a bigger cc, but not necessarily too big. I would like side saddles and a windshield. So now I can start checking out the different brands and reading thier reviews.

This is for those that doubt a 250cc bike can run on a Interstate. See this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWfh8t3cZc . So if a Rebel Cruiser can do it so can you and your first 250 sport or cruiser.

My first motorcycle was a 400cc Kawasaki Vulcan. Pretty much the same as the 500cc US version. When I bought it I weighed 225 lbs (now down to 203, woohoo!). I rode this bike 2 up with my wife, who weighs about 100 lbs, so figure about 350 lbs total with full gear and a small tail bag.

We could go riding with our friends (HD Sportster 1200 and a Fatboy) and had ZERO problems keeping up with them. Sure, they could beat me when they cracked the throttle open from a stop, but I could keep up with almost any car on the street, and acclerate just as fast if not faster than traffic. I took the ERC on this bike, with a passenger, and aced it. I retook the ERC when I bought my Ducati ST2. It was MUCH easier on the Kawasaki.

I'm going to echo what everybody else is saying. It had plenty of power, very easy to control, and very forgiving. It was light and low enough that even if I did something stupid, it was light enough I could muscle it up to keep it from falling.

I sold it this spring for about $300 less than I paid for it. The guy I sold it to, also a beginner, took the MSF class with my wife. She said he did great in the class, and he had about 2 weeks of experience under his belt at that point. And he'll probably sell it in a year or two for $200 to $300 less than he paid for it. The circle of life continues.

The cheaper, smaller bikes let you try all styles with minimal impact on the pocketbook. My first bike was a cruiser, this bike is a sport tourer. World of difference, and I'm not sure what my "favorite" style of bike is. If you like to take long rides, carry passengers and see alot of sites, then the cruiser might be best. The Ducati is a heck of a lot of fun, but my longest ride on it is about 4 hours right now, I'm hoping the handlebar risers I just bought will help with comfort. If you pay $8,000 or so for your first bike, it's going to be much tougher to try out different types until you find out what you like.