[hbkblue3737]

I posted this on the general forum but it was under anonymous so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to double post.

I am completely new to bikes and have done a ton of research in deciding what would be a good starter bike. I am 23 years old and fairly athletic if that helps at all, about 6’1, and 185 pounds. I also am gonna take the safety class and don’t want anything over 600 ccs as everyone says that is very bad for a beginner. Well these are my choices just want to see if there is anything wrong with any of them or if any would work for me.

Sport Bikes:
Ninja 250r
Ninja 500r
Suzuki GS500F

Cruiser Bikes:
Boulevard S40
Honda Shadow VLX
Vulcan 500

well you have no idea how long it took me down to narrow it down to 6 bikes from just doing research, finding out what would be safe, and what would fit my price range. So any insight would help I am basically just looking for some reassurance I am not making a bad decision. Right now I am really just trying to make the choice between sport or cruiser so it narrows it down to 3. If anyone could suggest which would be better out of sport or cruiser for a complete noob just let me know.

[ShannonG]

I think the sport vs. cruiser decision is strictly personal preference. Many people like the look of a sport bike but don’t like the feel of being hunched over the gas tank. Sit on them all and decide which one feels the best.
That said, I have an ’08 GS500f and love love love it! Sporty, forgiving, comfortable. The GS Twin engine has entire websites devoted to it of people who love these bikes.

[jackson]

That is strictly my opinion on looks. That being said, Shannon is exactly right. I’ve always heard, first step is to decide what type of riding you want to do. Some may favor sport, some may favor cruiser. All of these bikes are within the “beginner” guidelines. Also, all the magazines and internet sites in the world won’t tell you wether your knees hit the handlebars when you turn. So go sit on a few. And finally, if budget is a concern, maybe get an insurance quote. I found some bikes to have twice the annual insurance premium of others.

[Author]

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