First Bike for an Old Fart

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slider03 · #1 Unread post by **slider03** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:37 am

Hi, folks,
I'm new to the forum and new to motorcycles, and I'd like your opinion. I'm thinking of learning to ride. I'll be taking a two day training course soon, and will be looking for a first bike. I'm 52 years old, 6'2", 190 lb. I'll be learning to ride on the paved, hilly country roads around my house, then expanding to state roads, and when I get enough experience and nerve, the interstate. If all goes well, I would eventually would like to be able to own a bike where I could take with my wife on weekend rides. What would be a good first bike for me? I'd like an inexpensive used bike with a low center of gravity and enough power to get on the highway when I'm ready. What should I be looking for, or stay away from?
Thanks in advance!

#2 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:49 am

My Dad is pushing 60-years-old, is 5'9" tall and weighs ~220lbs. He rides a Suzuki C50 (800cc) and takes my Mom 2-up with no problem, yet the bike is not terribly large.

Having said that, wait until after the course to decide if you want to move right off the 250cc bike they issue you and on to an 800cc bike, or if you'd feel safer spending a season on a used 450-700cc standard beater. What frustrates me about the fact that they use 250cc bikes for the MSF course is that a lot of folks are under the impression that they're ready to ride once they've mastered those bikes, which is not really the case. I've ridden a 250cc NightHawk and I felt as though I should be performing in a circus or something. Pretty much all they're good for is getting you accustomed to hand controls and shifting with your foot. Beyond those things, a 250cc is not very representative of riding a "real" motorcycle in real-world situations. I always manage to stir up a hornet's nest when I say bad things about little bikes so...flame on!

Drop us a line once you've taken the course.

scan · #3 Unread post by **scan** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:56 am

zootech wrote:Pretty much all they're good for is getting you accustomed to hand controls and shifting with your foot. Beyond those things, a 250cc is not very representative of riding a "real" motorcycle in real-world situations. I always manage to stir up a hornet's nest when I say bad things about little bikes so...flame on!

What you say about he controls is perfect. You use a low power, easy to control bike to get trained on foot and hand controls. Not being a pro at running your clutch, brakes, and shifter and having a big bike between your legs will often result in dropped bikes. Next you move on to controling a larger bikes weight - now that you can control its engine and braking.

You are 100% right - it does not represent well other kinds of bikes. And that is the point.

#4 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:12 am

scanevalexec wrote: You are 100% right - it does not represent well other kinds of bikes. And that is the point.

Exactly...but the pitfall is that people will go from the course and start looking at liter bikes and heavy cruisers, not realizing what 600lbs of bike feels like compared to a Rebel 250. I'd still like to see MSF courses use Ninja 500R's and Suzuki S40's instead. Bikes are getting bigger and bigger, and the training industry needs to get with the times. Perhaps the most practical solution would be a two-step program where they start you off on 250's and, once you "graduate", they move you up to 500's and 600's to get some weight under you. That would better prepare all those newbie riders out there for the ride home from the dealership on their brand new (and no-doubt much larger than 250cc) motorcycles.

stock28 · #5 Unread post by **stock28** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:45 am

I tend to agree. I went from the MSF bike to a V Star 650. Now the Star is not a big bike by any means, but it felt huge compared to the bike I rode in the class. I felt comfortable leaning and pushing the little bike over. The heavier bike took some getting used to. Don't get me wrong, I think the small bikes are perfect for learning on. The problem comes in when people think because they did alright on them that they can handle a 700 pound cruiser or a race bike.

Gummiente · #6 Unread post by **Gummiente** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 4:14 am

zootech wrote:I'd still like to see MSF courses use Ninja 500R's and Suzuki S40's instead. Bikes are getting bigger and bigger, and the training industry needs to get with the times.

Thing is, the training HAS to be designed to accomodate the least experienced rider. As a former CSC Instructor (the Canadian equivalent to MSF) I taught many people who had never been on a bike before, not even as a passenger, and the concept of learning to ride was a big step for them. Small bikes are used because they are much more user-friendly and forgiving than, say a Ninja 500. Picture a first time rider accidentally grabbing too much throttle on one of those and as opposed to pinning it on a KE100. Not to mention that small bikes cost less than the bigger ones and during the course of a training season you would not believe the amount of damage they suffer and the cost to maintain them. It's cheaper to use smaller bikes.

But one thing that is always stressed at the end of the course is that the students had to adjust their newly learned techniques to the bikes that they were going to purchase; emergancy swerving, braking, etc was going to be a lot different on a CBR600 than on the Marauder 250 they had just puttered away the weekend on.

gsJack · #7 Unread post by **gsJack** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 4:31 am

slider03, I started on a CB400 21 years ago this month just a couple weeks shy of my 52nd birthday. Was 6'2" and maybe about 220# then. I traded the CB400 in on a CB750 about 6 months and 6 thousand miles later.

If you are interested in a sport or a standard type bike, I'd suggest something lika a Ninja 500 or GS500 size bike to start on. If you think you are headed towards a cruiser type bike, get a 500-800 cc bike to start with like a Vulcan 500, V-Star 650, Intruder 800, Vulcan 750 or 800, or Shadow 750. There are many choices. I never suggest a 250cc bike for a beginner except for a small person. It's best to be able to get both feet flat on the ground when stopped until you get some miles under your belt.

Any of these bikes well riden will carry you and another person on the highway safely when you learn to ride it well and use it fully. Don't be in too big a hurry as I was and most others are to move up to a bigger bike. You will become a much better rider much sooner if you learn to ride the smaller bike well first.

#8 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 7:25 am

Gummiente wrote:Thing is, the training HAS to be designed to accomodate the least experienced rider.

I realize that. However, catering to the lowest common denominator is, more often than not, a grave disservice to those who do not fall into that category. That is why I suggested the two-step course, because I understand that the 250cc bikes do serve a purpose for a small fraction of the populous. Problem is, they don't serve the majority very well...and that's where we have problems arising with newbie riders pulling out into traffic on a brand new 650 the day after they completed the MSF course. And throttles can be easily modified so as not to be too dangerous in the hands of a student, so that argument doesn't hold water no matter how many times I hear it. The idea is to get weight under the rider, I couldn't care less how much horsepower the engine has, that has nothing to do with the lesson that needs to be taught which is how to balance and how to throw 600lbs of steel around with your body.

Hardly · #9 Unread post by **Hardly** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 7:42 am

SliderO3, I wish I was a 'young 50 year old' starting out riding but I'm not.
I'm into my 60's,,
I've choosen a K-Vulcan-500cc to start 'all over again' after my MSF course.
Not planning on any 'two up' for at least a year's riding is under my belt.

'Sorry Ma, Pa's gone riding again, in empty parking lots & quiet side streets!!

slider03 · #10 Unread post by **slider03** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:37 am

Thanks to all of you for the good information. You all make good points. What should I expect the differences to be if I went from the 250s used in the classes to buying a 500 to 750cc?