Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I'm taking my MSF course in 3 weeks.

I've been looking at various motorcycle ads, read the stickies and the "Learn to ride a motorcycle" link.

I'm 6'2", about 240 lbs. I want a bike to commute to work and back, but may also do a lot of 2-up riding with wife or daughter (add about 150 lbs). I also live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, so need power and suspension to carry total of about 400 lbs on pretty good hills.

I sat on a nice used 2002 SV650 at the local dealer. It felt like it fit me good, but it's listed as not a beginner bike in the link. But given the extra weight, does that put the pounds/HP rating back into the beginner range? Or does it work that way?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

MX

Motorcycles are surprisingly good at hill climbing... I live in the mountains and my Ninja 250 can carry my not inconsiderable weight uphill as fast as the rest of traffic (or faster). I was worried because a lot of cars have a hard time... but it's a non-issue. Going *down* hills, especially those with sharp turns, takes practice though.

Many others will chime in with more generic information, but I'll toss in a couple items:

Most people say "no two up for a year"...

SV650 is a marginal 1st bike... which means it is doable if it is what you like. The 500s would also work, and there are a bunch of cruisers in the 650 to 800 cc range that would also fit the bill.

dieziege wrote:...Most people say "no two up for a year"...

That's a good point. I hadn't heard that one. I figured on riding solo for quite a while before 2-up, but wasn't sure for how long.

MX

what dieziege said.

+ you need to decide what style of bike you want (cruiser, sportbike, touring, etc.)

ninja79 wrote:what dieziege said.

+ you need to decide what style of bike you want (cruiser, sportbike, touring, etc.)

That's why I'm asking here. Mainly to be used for daily commuting around town, with occasional trips around northern california.

MX

that's something you have to decide for yourself. I personally don't like cruisers, but other people are "built for comfort, not speed". Look at different bikes, sit on them, figure out which style you want, then look for good beginner bikes of that style.

I would consider the SV650 about the absolute upper limit for a new rider. I have ridden one before and found the bike to be resonably forgiving if you can keep your right wrist in check.

You might also want to figure out what type of riding you want to do. You can commute on any bike. You mentioned riding up into the mountains, whats your idea of riding in the mountins. If its a nice luisurely cruise you would probably like a cruiser. If you are more akin to attack the corners and do a little canyon carving you would likely prefer a standard or sportbike (the SV650 falls into this category). If you want to take all those gravel forest service roads that go into the backcountry you would probably like a dual sport.

But, within certain limits, most beginner bikes will do everything on your wish list except the two-up riding. I'm riding my 250cc ninja as a commuter bike... 120 miles round trip every day and I live in the mountains so it's gaining or losing 5000' of altitude on every trip. I bought it because it was cheap, brand new, and I expect to put a LOT of miles on it over the next couple years so I didn't want to deal with a used bike right now. ... but it is also fun to ride through the twisty back roads and more than capable of earning you a really expensive speeding ticket even on a 70MPH-limit interstate. It probably isn't a great choice for you if you want two-up riding capabilities... but might be a great choice if you want to ride for a few months, give it to your wife, and get a second bike for yourself... but two-up for people our size wouldn't be a good idea.

Dismiss all your preconceptions and go to some dealerships (any you can find) and sit on a bunch of bikes. Don't listen to a word the salespeople say... they lie and their advice is designed is to give them bigger paychecks not to give you the best possible bike (there are exceptions... rare exceptions)... but sit on the bikes and get a feel for them. Because a bike that fits me "perfectly" may be miserable for you... and a bike that seems great on paper might not work at all once you see it in person.

I was totally convinced I was going to "need" one of the 500s... but a few quick trips to the dealerships opened my eyes in unexpected ways. As it is, I'm planning to burn out the 250 as a commuter over the next two years... and buy a 650 adventure touring bike (which is what really appeals to *me*) too....

Not planning on any off-road. Somewhere between the cruiser and the sport bike. Enjoy the curves, but I don't plan to race em either.

I'm also looking at the Kawasaki Ninja 500R and the Vulcan 500. Any comments on suitability of those?

MX

Mr. MX,,, Very good question! Most people never think about the max weight capacities of motorcycles, my bike for an example is listed at 265 lbs, and looking up bigger bikes I found some surprizing, the Honda VTX1300 has a higher weight capaciticy than the VTX1800 , the 1300 is listed at 342 lbs and the 1800 is at 325 lbs. The weight of passengers effect any bike, makes it different to ride, its tough being a beginner starting out riding a passenger, its not about the power the engine makes, its about the frame and the supension on any bike, even the tires have a max load capaciticy. For the weight of 400 lbs you may have to go with either the HD Roadking, or the Honda Goldwing, or better yet buy 2 bikes, one for you and one for ur passenger.