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I've seen it reccomended a couple of places as a good beginner bike, but it has 800ccs.... what gives?

I've looked into the S40 also, but I really don't like how it looks....

The S50 is a much better choice than the C50 or M50, but the S50 has carbs, and the C and M50 is fuel injection, S50 has better performance than the C or M50, lighter and easier to ride and handle. I would say its a good choice as a beginners bike, except all the other bikers you will run into will ask you what the "50" emblem on the side of the bike means, 50cc? btw: I own an M50 and I get SOOO sick and tired of everybody asking me that I wanta scream! AAAAAAGGHHHHHH!

Going by the size of the engine rather than the horsepower it puts out can be deceiving. I'd venture a guess (don't know for sure) that it's horsepower is right around 50. Most folks recommend staying at 60 or under for your first bike, as it'll be easier for you to learn to ride well on an easier to control bike.

I started on an S50 last year and had a great time. It's not going to pull your arms out of their sockets but it has enough spunk to keep up with the boys. Been on highways and byways both. It's a bit light for the highway. The cages passing you at 80 to 90 mph tend to rock you quite a bit. I've got about 2,400 miles on it with no problems and I'm getting around 54 mpg on average. Lots of pics and more info in my blog.

Scoutmedic wrote:It's a bit light for the highway. The cages passing you at 80 to 90 mph tend to rock you quite a bit.

That's why you pass them instead!
Wrider

Nalian wrote:Going by the size of the engine rather than the horsepower it puts out can be deceiving. I'd venture a guess (don't know for sure) that it's horsepower is right around 50.

The S50 engine specs out the same as the Marauder my wife & I used to have; that bike was rated 44hp. Power delivery on that bike was mild, no surprises, i.e. suitable for a beginner. I expect the S50 is the same.

I bought the S50 for my "first" bike (I learned to ride many years ago on my roomate's 125cc, hadn't ridden for 25+ years until taking the MSF course with my wife last year.)

After taking the MSF together, my wife and I decided to buy an S40 to share and practice with. Long story short, my wife took one looooong ride, declared the S40 "mine," and told me to go back to the dealer to get my own darn bike. Machismo got the better of me and I ended up with the S50. (Ain't middle-aged credit wunnerful?)

To be honest, if I were going to do it again, I'd have bought another S40. The S50 is just ... a ... little ... too ... much ... for a beginner, IMHO. I had a lot of misgivings pulling out of the dealer's lot last year. OK, I'll be honest: I was scared witless on the ride home. It's a fairly heavy, powerful bike and I wasn't ready for it.

I'm a lot more comfortable on the thing now (in fact, I put ~50 miles on it today!). But the S40 is a forgiving, easy-to-handle ride that looks great. I still take my wife's ride out every once in a while for grins -- it's a blast. Fast enough to make you giggle inside your helmet, just loves the twisties, and easy to maintain because pretty much everything is right there in plain sight. In short, it's a great cruiser to practice your chops before you move up.

Downsides: S40 has a tendency to backfire like a 12-gauge because it's factory-set really lean to meet emissions standards. (A quick Googling will bring up several quick 'n' dirty fixes). It's not really set up for highway driving - an hour or so on the slab and your fillings will come loose. But for everything except cross-country, I'd highly recommend the S40.

Hey, forgot to add anything other than sarcasm... Sorry! Anyway, my Volusia is the pre-rebadged M50, and it's fine... Also, the backfires can be fixed by rejetting the carb, even with stock pipes, and bypassing the PAIR valve... Trust me, it helps a LOT and you don't burn any more gas than usual. All the PAIR valve does is add air to your exhaust so that it can pass emissions. And the lean jet is really bad for your plugs and such...
Wrider

I can't recommend the S50 as a beginner bike either. It can be done, but you can't compare it the other boulevards in the 50 class lineup. The bike is about 2 seconds faster in the 1/4 and responds accordingly. Beginners shouldn't start out with 13 second motorcycles. The S50 has a higher compression ration then the M or the C and at about 100lbs lighter. That combination has made it the fastest cruiser in the midsize range for several years (may be different now with the Kaw 900). As scoutmedic can attest it can be done, but i agree more with wordherders accessment. You don't really say what your primary use is going to be (just cruising or some long trips also?). On the long haul it's light weight is effect more by the wind then a heavier bike and the seat isn't as comfortable. If your just cruising it's a very agile and nimble ride and can't be messed with by to many other cruisers from stop light to stop light. (especially with pipes and a jet kit). If your careful it can be done, but If you really want to learn how to ride as a beginner you should start out with something a bit more forgiving.

Well, I'm in South Florida. There are no twisties here (that I know of anyway.)

At the beginning, I'll probably just cruise around town and run errands on it but I'd eventually like to take it to work. Work is about a 40 minute drive/ride at about 75mph on the highway.