Total Motorcycle Community Forums

This may sound really strange with the sheer amount of available bikes, but I can't seem to find one that I like and meets all the requirements I have. Here is what I'm looking for:

-Upright seating position similar to the Triumph Bonneville/Scrambler.
-Low Cost
-Reasonable engine for a beginner
-Standard seating, not a cruiser

After looking at every motorcycle maker I can think of, I come up empty when trying to select a bike. For example, I really like the look of the Honda Rebel, but I worry that it's seemingly smaller engine will be insufficient for the amount of highway driving that I'll be doing. I looked at the Yamaha V-star line, but they are too much of a reclined-seating cruiser. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks so much for the help.

You could try dualsports....
Maybe "adventure" models like the BMW F-series or Vstrom, etc....
Suzuki has several models they call "standard" seating including the SV650 and the Vstrom....
Moto Guzzi has the Breva and Nevada....
The 250 cruisers are all standard seating I believe....
Yamaha F6 possibly....
Kawasaki Ninja 650R....

Hope those get you started. There is definitely a huge shortage of mid-range bikes in North America. I get extremely jealous when I see all the choices in EU and elsewhere.

Good Luck!

p4tz wrote: -Upright seating position similar to the Triumph Bonneville/Scrambler.
-Low Cost
-Reasonable engine for a beginner
-Standard seating, not a cruiser

Buell Blast?

The more I see of it, the more I like the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD.

http://www.kawasaki.com/product_detail. ... motorcycle

From the reviews I've read and what I've seen, it seems to be a reliable bike that should be able to maintain highway speeds. Anyone have experience with this bike?

I have an 800, but I know "TheImp" here on the forum has a 500, you might want to send him a message or start a new post directly asking about the 500 in case he misses this thread. You can also try www.vroc.com im sure someone there can also help you as well.

Thanks for the tip. I sent TheImp a PM, so hopefully he'll respond

So I take it you've been through the Buell Blast/EX500/GS500 routine already?

Shiv wrote:So I take it you've been through the Buell Blast/EX500/GS500 routine already?

Yes, I have. Those seem to be the popular choices for beginner bikes on here, and from what I've read, rightfully so. I sat on the EX500 and the GS500 and didn't really like the feel of them. Not to say they're not alright, but I might need to do some fairly long distance commuting to work and school and wouldn't want to ride 2 hours in the position. That's what attracted me to the Vulcan 500. I'm not worried about the engine because it has the same as the EX500, I'm just curious if it is a good bike for highway driving.

Well the Vulcan is about 150 pounds heavier than the EX500 so you won't get as much of a return on the power as you would on the Ninja.


But it should still be fine at highway speeds.

Mid 90's Honda Nighthawk 750! The perfect motorcycle in my eyes.