[500cc rider]

Hi all
i have been riding a 500 cc (top speed 120mph) automatic scooter for the last 7 months .i have ridden it in highways at speeds of 90mph and and heavy transit roads.Now i want transition into a motorcycle. im 5.11 height and about 155 pounds i have no motorcycle experience besides scooter i dont even know how to drive manual (shift standard etc ..) on car .I will take MSF coarse.I am very careful riding in streets and always wear full face helmet jackets glooves and boots . now to my question how hard is it for a newbie who has no experience in shifting to learn to ride motorcycle and what bike would you recommend keeping in mind i have experience with automatic 500 cc engine ? thank you

[A]

Hard to say, but go for it.. you won’t find out how hard it is unless you try it.

[eon]

Everybody learns at different rates so you won’t know till you try. Your experience on the scooter will not help you here (maybe even hinder a little as you will reach for the left lever when looking for the back brake) but it will help you with everything else (roadcraft etc). Gotta say you should have taken the MSF class 7 months ago as 99% of still applies to scooters.

But at the end of the day I don’t think learning to shift is too hard (says the man still on a 500cc automatic )

[A]

I think the scooter experience will help you lots.

The most obvious would be the fact that you are used to operating a two wheel vehice in traffic, you’re used to how a two wheel vehicle maneuver, less to worry about falling over in most emergency situation.

Shifting is over-rated, most motorcycles at 650cc can break the speed limit without hiting the rev-limiter at second gear anyway.

[Gary856]

I’ve never ridden a scooter so riding a scooter fast is a scary thought to me, mainly because I don’t know how they handle high speed turns and hard braking. A friend told me the rear weigth bias of a scooter makes its handling a bit different from a motorcycle. If that were true, then coming from a scooter backgroud you’d also find the motorcycle handling a bit different.

[ranette]

I think the scooter experience will help immensely. Like mentioned above just the fact that you are used to being on a two wheeled vehicle in traffic is huge. You know how to counter steer and look through turns. Rather than a list of new skills you need to learn, you essentially have one. Shifting.

Eon mentioned the possibility of grabbing the clutch when you meant to hit the rear brake. I can tell you from first hand experience, and also from speaking with others who ride both scooters and motorcycles, much as you might expect it to be an issue, it just doesn’t seem be. Once you get even a few hours experience on a motorcycle your brain will differentiate between the two machines without you even thinking about it. Even in a panic situation(not that I’ve had many) I’ve never forgotten where the brakes are on my motorcycle, and it doesn’t seem to be in issue with other riders either.

As for Gary mentioning that because of rear weight bias motorcycles and scooters handle differently. From the standpoint of a very technical rider, probably. However from the perspective of recreational street rider they handle essentially the same. There are some minor differences, to me the one that stands out is foot placement. The only time this really seems to matter, at least for me, is weighting and unweighting of the pegs-there are no pegs on a scooter-during low speed maneuvers. However I think you’ll find that the only MAJOR difference is shifting. If you can handle that you shouldn’t have too many problems moving from your scooter to a motorcycle.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

After you take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class, you will have a better idea for the size of your next bike. If you have trouble shifting during the class, it would be best to stay with a 250cc to 500cc motorcycle for a while. If the 250cc during the class seems very easy, you have enough riding experience already to move up to a 650cc twin cylinder with 70 horsepower if you are slow and careful with it at first- they also have a top speed of 120mph.

[Juan Galvan]

How much for this motorcycle

[Author]

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