- This topic has 22 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 8 months ago by ranette.
new rider choosing a bike in nyc!
-
AuthorPosts
-
July 28, 2010 at 1:42 pm #4138ngl826Participant
So, I’m a new rider, having a hard time picking my first bike, and I thought I might come here for some feedback!
For background, I passed my BRC last weekend, but I actually spent last summer riding a friend’s Rebel (he taught me to ride it, and then left it with me all summer while he was out of the country). So in terms of riding experience, I DEFINITELY consider myself a new rider, but I do have those 3 months of experience under my belt from last summer – so my feet have gotten a little wet, I guess.
In terms of a bike, I’m feeling really conflicted. I’ve done a ton of research on sizes of bikes, etc and I definitely am committed to getting a small bike (ideally, 250cc). My safety is a priority for me, and I want to develop my skills and become a better rider in the safest, smartest way possible. I’m in no rush to get a big bike.
But I will be commuting to work every day on my motorcycle, and my commute is mostly on a city highway (the BQE, for those of you who are familiar with NYC roads). The speed limit is 50 mph, but the speed of traffic on it is routinely between 60 and 70 mph.
I loved my friend’s Rebel and would love to get a Rebel as my first bike. But I’m concerned that the Rebel won’t be able to handle 1-2 hours of 60+ mph riding every day. And I wonder whether I will be safe on such a busy, crazy road on a Rebel.
(On top of that, the BQE is a pretty crappy highway with lots of potholes and other road hazards.)
So I don’t know what to do. I want to get a small bike – BUT I want my commute to be safe, do-able and enjoyable!
I think the ideal solution to my problem would be a bike in the 300-400 cc range, but it seems like those bikes just don’t exist! I’ve thought about the 1987 450cc Rebel, but I worry about buying a 23-year-old bike…seems like I might be asking for trouble. Plus, there are very few of them around.
I’ve also considered getting a dual sport, for the sake of managing the potholes and rough streets – and I’ve also heard that they’re great first bikes – but I’m 5’4″ and it seems like most of them are too tall for me. Plus I worry that, like a Rebel, they might be unstable on a busy highway because they’re so light, and maybe easily blown around.
Other info:
-I’m buying used
-I’m 5’4″ / 145 lbs
-I don’t think I know “what kind of rider I am yet” – so I’m open to any kind of bike other than a sportbike (just not interested).SO – any advice/ideas for me? Thoughts, opinions? Bikes in the 300-400 cc range? Thoughts on riding a dual sport in the city and on the highway? Thoughts on the 450 Rebel?
I’m open to any and all feedback – thanks so much!!!
July 28, 2010 at 3:38 pm #27813WeaponZeroParticipantSounds to me like you want an urban assault weapon. Standards/streetfighters and supermotos are your bread and butter. Yes, many of them (dual sports/supermotos) have high seat heights by default but the suspension compresses quite a bit with you on them.
KLX250SF I think would be perfect for you.
July 28, 2010 at 4:02 pm #27814ranetteParticipantWhat about a smaller cruiser like an S40. It’s 600+cc but is a thumper and after a few months on a Rebel it probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. Low seat height, enough oomph for the BQE without being scary. Owlie can chime in with some firsthand experience.
July 28, 2010 at 4:21 pm #27815Gary856ParticipantAn ’02 or older GS500. I know you want a smaller bike because you feel it’s safer, but the power of the GS500 is pretty mild and controllable even for a brand new beginner, yet it’s enough to cruise at 80 mph+.
July 29, 2010 at 1:46 pm #27839CBBaronParticipantThe Ninja250R and GS500F will be less stressed out at highway speeds though I don’t think your Rebel would be incapable.
The Supermotos like WR250x and KLX250sf would be capable and handle the irregular pavement better but the seat heights may be tall for you.This is why I like the Ninja250R. It is light and low like the other 250cc entry level bikes but has about 50% more power than the air-cooled 250s like the Rebel and Nighthawk and GZ250, which means it will do 75mph freeway speeds and still accelerate if you need to.
Unfortunately there is a derth of street bikes available between 250cc and 600cc. The only ones that come to mind are the dual-sport/supermoto DRZ400 and the sport/standard Ninja 500R and GS500F. There are a number of choices at 200-250cc and at 600-650cc but not many in between.
Craig
July 29, 2010 at 3:45 pm #27845ngl826ParticipantThanks for all of your help, everyone. At this point I’m considering either a Nighthawk 450 or a Rebel 450. The only problem is that I’m still not sure if buying a bike that’s 20+ years old is a good idea.
Here are a few of the bikes I’m gonna try to go see this weekend – any opinions on these? Do they seem fairly priced? (I’m assuming the $16000 Rebel is supposed to be $1600.)
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/1826279776.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/1830858620.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/1791671211.html
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/mcy/1860918727.html
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brx/mcy/1866299420.htmlThanks again for the help!!
July 29, 2010 at 4:16 pm #27848Gary856ParticipantBefore I got my first bike last year I went thru a similar phase – looking for an older Japanese “standard” – Nighthawks, Radians, Zephyrs, etc., because I thought they might be more beginner friendly due to their sensible ergonomics and power. At the end these concerns pushed me away from an older bike:
– age and reliability
– parts availability
– old tech brakes
– old tech suspensionGS500 and Ninja 500 are the more contemporary equivalent of these older bikes and work very well for beginners. Heck, even my 9-year old ’01 GS500 feels pretty dated (its design first came out in the late ’80s) compared to the newer bikes.
July 29, 2010 at 4:16 pm #27849WeaponZeroParticipantI’d steer clear of older bikes like that for first bikes for the reasons Gary said
July 29, 2010 at 5:50 pm #27852Ursula AlusruParticipantOne of the things I’m really excited about is learning about how my older bike works (an 81′ GS850G). I bought it from a shop in really great working order so I can ride it all summer and fall, but I now have a winter project too. I don’t just want to store it for the winter I want to shim my own valves, change my own spark plugs, clean my carburetors, and work out my electrical gremlins. I do have the tremendous advantage of having at least 5 highly mechanical people in my life who have rebuild/work on bikes in the past.
July 30, 2010 at 12:29 am #27855TrialsRiderParticipantThe best riders work on their own machines. Remember to change the front fork oil, it might have rarely been done.
July 30, 2010 at 3:16 pm #27859ngl826ParticipantYeah – the concerns about old bikes are very real – thank you for bringing them up. The problem is that I’m really not interested in a sportbike at all – so that eliminates the Ninja. And I know that the GS500 is technically a naked/standard bike, but it seems to me (from my very newbie perspective) that it’s still more on the sport side of standard than I’m looking for.
I’m also considering a Honda Shadow…but just would prefer to avoid a 600cc bike as my first, if I can help it.
July 30, 2010 at 6:43 pm #27861Gary856ParticipantIt looks like you’re drawn to and leaning toward cruisers. When I looked for my first bike I also looked at the middle weight cruisers like Shadow 600 and V-Star 600; they seemed comfortable, stylish, and not too expensive. I had always admired sportbikes too but I knew better than to start on one. At the end I decided before I settled on a style of bikes, I needed to learn the skills, and that’s where a GS500 comes in. With sportbikes in one end of the spectrum and cruisers on the other, a GS500 is dead in the middle. It’s a perfect platform for a beginner to learn and build riding skills on – much easier to learn on and newbie friendlier than a sportbike (too crouched forward ergonomically), and much more dynamic than a cruiser (too laid back ergonomically). Plus a GS500 is pretty cheap.
If you really want to start on a cruisier, check out Vulcan 500, which is the cousin of Ninja 500 in a cruiser body style.
July 31, 2010 at 3:19 am #27863ranetteParticipantNH is a bit of a drive from NYC but here’s a Rebel 450 on Craigslist that seems to be owned by someone who put quite a bit into it.
http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/1869614212.htmlAugust 6, 2010 at 3:01 am #27939ngl826ParticipantWent to see the 1983 Nighthawk 450 today with high hopes. The bike was beautiful and well-maintained but…waaaay too big for me. I was up on my toes (might be fine for down the road, but for my first bike, I want to be able to flatfoot it, for comfort, confidence and safety reasons).
So, looks like I’ll probably be going with a Rebel 250 after all – get comfortable, build my skills on a small bike, and then trade up next year for something a little bigger.
Thanks for all the help!!
August 6, 2010 at 12:12 pm #27946AParticipantRiding motorcycles on highways like BQE you should consider something around 650cc, I drive/ride in NYC about 5-6 times a year, always riding a machine that has some weight that is stable at highway speed. Though a 250 Rebel is lightweight and maneuverable at low speed, it might become unstable or even dangerous maneuvering through traffic that include large heavy trucks at highway speed.
Smaller displacement engined motos would require more shifting action to keep up with traffic, clutched or clutch less, it will tire out the hands rather quickly in bumper to bumper traffic of NYC.Personally, I would pick something with upright riding position, at least 650cc, flatfooting both sides is going to be difficult at 5’4″, you should practice sitting on one thigh as you approach stops and just keep yourself stable with one flatfoot on ground when stopping.
IMO, cruisers are not very maneuverable, scooters are better options than cruisers, but that’s just my opinion.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.