Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Shane-o is not flaming you. He's F*cking with your skull, and you're assuring him, and everyone else of that very fact.

He is. Try not to let Shane-o get to you--although he does cross the line with newbies quite a bit. He hides a fountain of knowledge amidst all that poor typing and self-amusement. He's kind of endearing--in a prickly sort of way--after a while.

I think you understand this, but please realize that "splat" is always a very real possiblity. These guys know this all too well, and even when you have minimized every risk, it can still happen. The steam you hear coming out of their ears is frustration and concern. Not just for you, but for all the newbs reading this post. Because we are at the highest risk for going "splat." And when they have patiently reviewed and reviewed and reviewed what minimizes the risk, and someone for whatever reason, goes with something that elevates the risk, well, then they get frustrated. Hence, the steam.

You may do alright with that bike. No one can tell who will or won't be "okay" with a less-than-ideal starter bike. All they can tell you is that more people who start with those bikes get into trouble than the ones who start with the conventional, prescribed learning route.

And pavement hurts.

shane-o wrote:
Now Batman,

LOL

He gets them coming and going, the one the only shane-o!

matthew5656 wrote:
Um, glance back to the second page of this thread, at the very top you may notice jonnythan listed a number of starter bikes. Some are probably safer than others. Even then, some of those bikes may be a better choice personally for you because the ergonomics feel a little different for every bike,- cruisers or sport, and everything in-between. What I, and I'm sure many other members don't understand about wastes of space threads like this one, is the idea that someone feels the need to ask a random e-stranger about a particular bike that's most suitable for their purposes. Perhaps if you did some online research for yourself, maybe read a couple books (there are some really interesting reads published out there), and then, just maybe you could try visiting a dealership or call a few private sellers and actually sit on a few bikes to gain a better idea of what's currently offered. I think your first purchase of the CB750 was a smart enough one because I started on an '83 CB650 last summer and experienced no problem with the power output, weight, handling, braking system, or it's ergonomics. The Honda inline-4 motor is rock solid and will last a long time if you maintain it. You seem like a bright enough guy that you will learn more about the moto-world and everything involved the further along you ride, so what are you so worried and getting upset about? Just ride, son. You're wasting all of your time arguing with some characters on a motorcycle forum, ahem, an argument you probably will not win, nor benefit from. And this is while you could be out cruising on your new wheels.

This is the internet dude. Shane-o is not flaming you. He's F*cking with your skull, and you're assuring him, and everyone else of that very fact.

Yes, I'm aware of the list, from couple of pages ago, it's a good one. I was going to incorporate that list in the first post, but the thread kinda went to ishts. I also started understanding what you're saying about Shan-o, after his first couple of posts or so. However, before that, he fired off w/o really reading into what I wrote. Also, as he mentioned this is internet, sarcasm and cynical comments don't come through as they do in real conversation, and somebody like him, for somebody who does not "know" him, just comes across as an "O Ring" even if he's not. And there is that certain arrogance radiating through the posts like that and nobody is a big fan of that as a first impression.
Anyway, it's all good. I think anyways.
When it comes to F, it's a gray area bike and definitely not ideal. I would be fine with learning on a CB350 or something similar, in fact would love to. Why would I make things harder on myself and make the learning curve less steep? I bought this bike after I've done the research. The power is about the same as more modern CB750 Nighthawk which is a bit lighter so Nighthawk has higher power to weight ratio. The guide on the main page of this very site lists CB750 as a good starter bike(kinda surprising) that is well balanced, despite it's weight. I bought it after realizing nothing is going to be available other then overpriced junk. And this is one nice bike, has low mileage for the year(25k kilometers), it's very clean and is cheap to insure due to eligibility for collector status. But despite that, I will still be looking and possibly snatch a lighter bike, hoping to pay what they are worth, not double which is what's asked right now. We are planning on getting two bikes anyway so we can go on shorter trips(at first). That way, the F could be taken out only sometimes until "it's time". Again, I'm very aware it's not an ideal starter bike. However, if I do ended up riding it, I will not be riding the Satan himself, and some people tend to put it that way. I was not hoping for somebody to reassure me it was a good decision. What I was hoping by mentioning the F is for people with the experience riding similar bikes(of similar vintage, weight, power) to tell us about it, especially if it was their first bike, regardless of the fact that no two people are the same. And I don't know if this was understood but the bike is actually parked, I'm not riding it and will not be until the course. And negative opinions are welcome, but are counterproductive unless the bigger picture I'm trying to present is taken into account.


And again, the list of the learner bike alternatives is due to too many "Ninja/GS500" answers in any "what should I buy" thread. Cut/paste online guides included. What's happening with that is, those bikes are overpriced, and not available to most of learners, not realistically anyway. Most of people would want to start on $1000-$3000 bike, but it's almost like the 1k small bikes cost those 3k. Almost. The guides will tell you "buy used" but then the only way to get a Ninja 250 is brand new. As I mentioned I was looking into GS500 that was for sale, used, with reasonable price and people bid its price up to way beyond what it was worth. And nobody intelligent wants to start on a brand new bike, even if it was recommended(which is not). So, there is this starter bike vacuum created by the very people writing these articles to help newbies - the lack of learner bikes.

The problem here is you're looking for a bike during a time when demand is high. Late winter/early spring/spring is when everyone else is looking for a bike, so you're naturally going to be seeing higher numbers/less starter bikes at good prices. At the end of the season (Autumn, late autumn, early winter), that's when you'll see good deals for starter bikes and such. The lack of learner bikes can be attributed to this.

Also, Ninja/GS500 are good sport standard bikes, and they're just about the best in their class for low-powered beginner bikes. Sure, Yamaha has a Virago 250, Kawasaki has an Eliminator 125, Honda has the Nighthawk and Rebel, both 250.
But with the exception of the nighthawk (which looks like a dirtbike to me), those are all really small cruisers. And for cruisers, some will argue that they are TOO small. Vulcan 500's and the like are better starters.

So for the sport scene as WELL as the standard scene, the Ninja and GS500 are really great starter machines. They both fit a niche, and do it very well.

I lucked out when we found the CB360 in the condition it was (just old, not run since '79, and just broken in (2300 miles), but you're not the only one having troubles finding a starter bike.

Really, unless you're looking for a cruiser (which, unsurprisingly, most young people aren't), the Ninja 250/500 and the GS500 are the two best choices based on their performance/value. Also, how many low-powered sport-looking bikes are there? The USA doesn't have the CBR125, so for most people, the Ninjas and the GSes are the only choices available.

^Agreed. I'm hoping that maybe even in July, there could be something that comes up rather then in the hot bike buying season(now). Buell Blasts unfortunately seem like crap, too bad since that's another choice and I rather like the way they look. Another one that seem to me to be a nice one is a Honda CB1, but those seem really rare. I have yet to see one come up for sale.

That CB360 turned out to be a good one? I believe there IS such a thing as mileage that is too low. What did you end up doing to it before it was on the road?

For the record, I like naked/standard bikes.

Like I said, it was last run in 1979, when the owner's wife decided she didn't like him riding, so he stuffed it into a heated shed/workshop where it sat since I got it. It has one little scruff on the left grip where he dropped it in gravel. the scratch and small dent on the tank is from people bumping into it with 2x4's.

It's in the shop still, and they're having trouble finding parts due to its age, but mostly a lot of the rubber just needed to be replaced as it's been sitting so long. Still going to cost, but since we got the bike for free, no complaints.