Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hello,

I've always been interested in riding a motorcycle, and after having my first ride on one, which was a trip from Long Beach to San Diego, I've decided to commit to buying one for myself.

The bike was a Kawasaki KLR 650 (I think) and I liked the style of it. I like the idea of having a bike that is compatible for both the street and off-roading. I want a bike that is good for beginners but will still be enjoyable to keep after those first beginning stages of riding. Something that is good for traveling long distances. I've done some research and hear that the Yamaha XT600E is a great beginner's bike for dual purposes, so that is what I'm leaning towards. I'm also interested in the Yamaha Tricker, but am not sure if it's reliable enough for traveling long distances comfortably.

What are your opinions? My first bike, suitable for the streets and off-roading, but not too big that it's hard to control. I'm about 5'6" and not afraid for a challenge

The new KLR is a big step up from the old one, so the new one I would recommend. The older carb jobs are not so reliable if you do not have any mechanical knowledge.
First impressions from your post. I would recommend the Yamaha 650 Tenere

My bike is a Suzuki Raider 110cc. I stand 5"3' only so it suits me.

hera wrote:My bike is a Suzuki Raider 110cc. I stand 5"3' only so it suits me.

to the community Hera! Great to see another lady rider joining the community! (don't forget to post a "hi" in the start your engines forum to get more "welcomes")

Mike

Hi Hera nice to meet you from over the water

I am 5'2 and was very concerned when I went to make my first purchase. I had taken the safety course on a Honda Rebel but my first purchase was the Ridley Auto-Glide Classic since I was not real crazy about the shifting portion of riding. I absolutely love my Ridley. It has a nice low seat height and a very low center of gravity. I highly recommend checking them out, if you can find them. I have mine for sale due to a non-reversable health condition. Good luck!

Iron Lung!

I'm pretty new to riding, at least from the driving prospective. I learned on a 125 Suzuki gosh, I don't even remember what it was. But anyway, I almost bought a Honda Shadow vt700c. Thank god I didn't because it was WAAAAY to heavy for me. Seat height wise, it was great, but it was much to heavy. I got a Honda Rebel 450cc and I LOOOOOVE it. It's not too big, and it's not too small. It's juuuuuust right!

My first bike was a 2007 Honda Rebel 250. I looked around and sat on several bikes before deciding on the Rebel. I liked the Rebel better than the V-Star 250 - but I think that is a personal preference. I am 5'3". When I sat on anything bigger than the 250, it scared me. When I sat on the 250, I felt I could handle that bike. I bought my bike right before Christmas 2011 and took the MSF course in January.
I think I was riding around 2 months when I started thinking about getting a bigger bike. I learned a lot in the MSF class, but I feel like the 'Ride Like A Pro' dvd made me a much better and more confident rider. I bought a Suzuki Boulevard M50 (considered a muscle cruiser) in the middle of April - 4 months after getting the Rebel. I have kept my Rebel and taught a couple of other women to ride on it - including my 17 year old niece.
If I could do it again, I may buy the Suzuki Savage 650 (now called the S40). The S40 is only around 30 pounds heavier than the Rebel and has almost double the horse power. My biggest problem with the Rebel is I felt I needed more power on the interstate. It makes a great local commuter.
I recently bought a Suzuki Boulevard S50 as an upgrade for my niece from the Rebel. When we went on longer out of town trips, she could not accelerate as fast as the bigger bikes and it was a little light. The S50 is an 800cc bike and weighs almost 100 pounds more than the Rebel, and 100 pounds less than my M50. The S50 is heavy enough to hold the road nicely and fast enough to get out of the way. So now I have 3 bikes in my garage

I'm a new (well, licensed 10 years ago when I took the course, haven't ridden since but will take refresher lessons!) rider and debating what type of bike I should be looking at.

I read over and over that the Honda Rebel is a fabulous first timers bike. I'm only 5'1, so definitely want something with a low seat height. I like the lighter cruisers, but am really drawn to the style of the Ducati Scrambler (but not the price or power!). Given that I'm quite rural and all my riding is highways and/or mountains around here, I worry that 250 won't quite cut it or that I'll want to upgrade quite quickly. I don't want to be perched and leaned over like on a sport bike, but prefer something a smidge sportier than the big cruisers or touring bikes.

Any suggestions on what I should be looking at? I'd love to find something in the 400-600cc range, not wildly expensive, with a low seat height and a smidge of sport while still being comfortable.