Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I am looking to get my first bike and am unsure of what to look for. I do not have any loyalties to any particular make. I am 6'5" about 225lbs. I want to find a bike that I can have a passenger on (later, after I have learned to ride and have some experience). I will admit, I will definitely use it to pick up chicks, and I tend to be attracted to well... not so athletic women. So yeah... 400 lbs of people on a bike. I will be investing in a lot of safety equipment. I am not a big fan of what I hear refered to as "crotch rockets". I want to get one probably ten years old or older Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I wouldnt normally suggest a gold wing, but it might be something to look into later after you have learned how to ride. you can always lighten one up by taking the front fairing off and put a aftermarket headlight on. You can still find older models. Id start on something like a nighthawk, Seca/XJ, or something in the 600cc crusier.

How big do the nighthawks get?... I have only seen one over like 250 cc... and I know that displacement doesnt really say much about horsepower, but since we are talking about a general class... ie the 600cc cruisers we can kind of keep ahandle on things.

You won't find ONE bike to learn on, then be capable of taking passengers later. Just not the best choice of action no matter the viewpoint.

Have you signed up for the MSF Basic Rider's Course? If not, do that before anything else. Your MVA should have the info available.

Before taking passengers (especially total strangers) you MUST have an excellent grasp of handling your ride under all circumstances, because you are responsible for your passenger's safety. (If you crash, the responsibility for your passenger's injury is yours.)

This includes making sure you've got safety gear for your passenger AND ensuring your passenger knows how to behave while riding pillion. Take a look at this site: http://www.msgroup.org/DISCUSS.asp for a run down on taking a passenger.

P