- This topic has 11 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 2 months ago by SantaCruzRider.
First Bike
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February 20, 2009 at 2:57 am #2550badtoothParticipant
I am 5’7″, medium built. Looking for my first bike. Every dealer I have been to I hear the same story, Honda Rebel too small for me, Harley Nightster, or the 883 too small for me, the 1200L is the one for me, etc, etc, Now I read that for a beginner bike not to go over a 250cc engine. What do you do if one of those bikes (street classic style is what I am looking for, straight siting) feels too small but then the ones that feel comfortable are the ones with bigger engines?????????????????
February 20, 2009 at 3:14 am #16612MunchParticipantStill mulling over the “street classic style” idea. Nightster and 883 I do not recommend. Not impossible to learn on but the odds are against ya a bit more then normal.
5’7″ and they are too small for you… nah don’t see it. I am 5’10’ and started on a Vulcan 500. Compared to length, and power its smaller then the nightster and 883. Someones trying to get a comission of ya.
The only right advice anyone really can give is to sit on anything and everything you can and find whats comfortable for YOU. Leave the ego at home, heck leave the friends at home if they can’t be more concerned for your safety rather then their “cool factor by proxy”.February 20, 2009 at 3:24 am #16613badtoothParticipantLOL Thanks, the funny thing is that one of the Harley guys told me to actually go on Craigslist and check the price of used bikes and also what is being sold as far as the Rebel or similar bikes. He just went on to say, when you are ready for something bigger come back and I’ll show you other stuff. That was only one of them, the rest were like you can ride the 1200L, it looks good on you and you can drive it for free for a year (HD offer of buyback for the MSRP after 1 year on a trade up). Now, what is really the most power to look for if I wanna ride also with a passenger? I’m about 210, my wife about 100. What is out there economical and reliable?
February 20, 2009 at 3:41 am #16614AtlAggieParticipantThis is just another newbie’s opinion, but most veterans I’ve talked to don’t recommend buying new with your first bike. Odds are you’re going to drop your first bike a few times while learning to ride, even if they are just low speed or no speed drops. Much easier to handle that if you’re not still making payments on that shiny new bike. The other thing, is that your first bike is just that, your FIRST bike. Not your last, and usually not even the one you keep for a very long time.
I agree with all the advice here that it’s not safe to start off on a big bike. Most of the folks here will tell you that anything more than a 500cc is too big to start on. Just remember that, unlike the dealers, nobody here has any reason to push you toward a certain style or size bike. Doesn’t matter to me what you decide to ride. But I’d hate to see somebody, even someone I don’t know, get hurt because I was too lazy to try to talk them out of it. On the other hand, you have the advice from the dealers, or maybe from other riders who ride bigger bikes. With the dealers, you need to remember that their profit margin goes up in direct relationship to the cc of the bike! The other big bike riders may have been fortunate enough to start off on a big bike without getting hurt or discouraged, but why take that chance if you don’t have to.
I started on a used Rebel, and that bike was plenty for me when I was first getting started. After 2,000 miles of practice, I traded in the Rebel (getting almost as much in trade as I paid for it!!!) on a new Vulcan 500. Bigger bike, 100 pounds heavier, but about 2.5 times the hp of the Rebel. I’m still learning that bike now. I doubt that I’ll keep it forever, but it will definitely be enough bike for me for a good while. Maybe I’ll be ready for that 1200 or 1300 in a few years, or maybe I’ll decide the Vulcan is all I need. But at least I know I won’t be spending a lot of money on something too big for me to handle, where I don’t feel comfortable on the bike. I’ve seen a lot of big 3 or 4 year old cruisers for sale on Craigslist with fewer miles on them than I put on my Rebel in two months. Wonder how that happened….
February 20, 2009 at 4:06 am #16615SantaCruzRiderParticipantI owned an 883 and it has plenty of power to move you and your wife around. My wife and I rode plenty on mine and it had no problem with acceleration, 80+mph on highway or taking steep hills — it’s a non issue.
The Sporty isn’t the ideal bike for beginners, and there is plenty of good advice on this site to suggest better places to start. But if you’re stuck on getting a Harley, you don’t have many choices.
On the plus side, the 883 does have a nice low center of gravity (so it will hit the ground with a bit less force the first time you drop it) and the engine is detuned so it delivers speed and power that are more on a par with Japanese 700-750 cc cruisers. But it’s still plenty fast and sounds about as sweet as any bike out there (IMHO).February 20, 2009 at 4:59 am #16616briderdtParticipant“Now, what is really the most power to look for if I wanna ride also with a passenger?”
Get a good 6 months to a year on the bike before you even ask this question. If you’re just learning on a bike, don’t put some one else (who has no control over what happens) into that equation.
February 20, 2009 at 5:46 am #16617SantaCruzRiderParticipantAdding a passenger is very distracting and typically makes the bike sluggish — slow to stop, can wallows in turns, feedback is different and once you realize something is wrong, it may be too late.
Plus, your passenger is going to have much more fun when they have complete confidence in you.February 20, 2009 at 1:35 pm #16623MattParticipantI agree 100% with what has been said above (especially the passenger bit! Riding with a passenger is significantly harder!)
“Classic street style” is a very personal thing. To me that means an 80s japanese upright bike with the feet uner you and your back straight. To some people that means a cruiser.
One of the problems with Sportster is that it has forward foot pegs, which is not what I consider a “standard” position. It is also harder to learn on (you have less control of the bike with your feet forward). At 5’7″, I really don’t think you’ll be so tight on any bike that you require forward foot pegs (like Elwood with his 38″ inseam does).Try sitting on a Rebel. Don’t ask someone “is this too small for me”, ask yourself “am I comfortable on this?” Sit on it for a good 20 minutes (go to the dealership in the middle of a weekday afternoon and the salesman will happily let you sit there for as long as you like shooting the bull with you). If it isn’t comfortable, if you knees feel uncomfortable, then look into a bigger bike. But I’ve known people an inch taller than you that loved the rebel’s comfort (my Mom being one of them, she owned one for a year).
All the 250cc cruisers are a similar size, but the variety in shapes and sized of the 500/600/650 cruisers is pretty big. Some like the S40 are small and narrow, others like the vulcan are wide, and the Shadow 600 is kinda long feeling (but it has forward pegs, so that might be part of that feeling). I’ve never sat on a V-Star 650, so I can’t comment on it. But my point is that there are lots of choices in bikes smaller and far less expensive than the Harley.
Also, consider holding off buying a bike until you’ve taken your MSF. It’ll give you an idea of how comfortable the 250s are, and what things you want to look for in your bike.
Cheers
February 20, 2009 at 4:28 pm #16627Clay DowlingParticipantYou sound more like you’re in the ideal size range for the rebel. With your weight I suspect highway speeds aren’t going to be realistic, but for getting around town a rebel is going to be just about right. Also, from experience, highway riding isn’t where the fun is on a motorcycle. The fun is in riding the twisty back roads.
I’m a few inches taller than you, and I ride a Honda Magna. The seating position on a Magna and a Rebel is identical. You won’t feel cramped up. It’s like sitting in an office chair.
The only real beef you’re going to find is that the seat is uncomfortable after a couple of hours. That’s just a Honda feature for their lower end bikes (which the Magna is in terms of comfort features). Chances are you won’t be taking two hour rides for a while, so don’t sweat that.
February 20, 2009 at 11:46 pm #16634fl adamParticipantAfter some very frustrating visits to some motorcycle dealers, I have finally purchased a bike. Everytime I went to a dealer I asked for a cruiser between 500 and 750CC. I was looking for a Vulcan 500 (dealer would not sell, said loan would not go through) or a Honda Shadow. The Kawasaki dealer could not get the loan to go through but had a used Sportster they said they could sell me. They could not even get it started…Not good for the dealer. One dealer had a reasonably priced Honda Shadow, but it was a 1100CC model…I liked it but did not really want something that big. Finally my brother came through and sold me his VStar 650. It is in great shape, the only problem is I have to go get it, he lives on Long Island. I am in S.W. Florida. I will not have enough vacation until August….That’s a real bitch….
February 21, 2009 at 10:12 pm #16643badtoothParticipantWell, I really appreciate it all the comments! I already took the basic course (a month ago) and got my license certification. My real interest in bike riding is really for weekends where there are ‘less’ people on the road and pretty much to ride less than 2 hrs distance to any point to hang out and return home. I saw a Honda Shadow which felt comfortable but again was a 750?cc , the guy at the dealer offered a used Virago, I’ll probably go see it this week.
February 21, 2009 at 10:26 pm #16644SantaCruzRiderParticipantNot sure which one you’re looking at, hopefully 535 or 750. Either way, they are nice old style cruisers. Styling can be off-putting for some, but they ride really nice and can be dirt cheap. Plus, they made them for something like 115 years, so there are lots of parts out there.
750 Shadow is also a very nice bike. Smooth and well balance, and pretty bullet proof. My friend had an older Shadow and it even had shaft drive — very nice.
And hey, nothing wrong with weekend riding. It’s a great diversion. -
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