[Jeff in Kentucky]

If I was a beginner now and was less than 6 feet tall and weighed less than 180 pounds, and did not plan to have a passenger after the first few thousand miles, I would start by sitting on the new 2011 250cc Honda sportbike and the 250cc TU250 Suzuki cruiser, both with fuel injection.

Have the sales person hold the bike up while you sit on it, put both feet on the footpegs, and sit for at least 20 minutes while chatting with the sales person- you want to get more of a feel for what the bike will be like after riding it for a full tank of gas without a break- some people need to adjust the footpegs or handlebars, or add different ones to make the bike fit them better.

For track days, I would start with a used 2008 250cc Ninja and put some money into better tires, a better back shock and a stainless front brake hose after the first year of riding it, and go up to a used Suzuki SV650 after at least two years on the 250, after you have some experience and are less likely to crash the 650 in a fast corner.

For the more mechanically minded, an older or new bike with one or two carbs is a money saver, but most need rejetting to run well because of the EPA clean exhaust testing required, and are not as good for a beginner, who is more likely to stall a bike with carbs before it has warmed up and starts to run smoother. I leave my choke knob pulled out a little for the first half mile of riding with two stop signs, because my engine runs rough until fully warmed up when taking off from a stop, even after rejetting the carb for more power and less gas mileage.

For a passenger later or for a heavier or taller beginner, I would probably get a 500cc Ninja or Vulcan for long trips or a 250cc supermoto for short trips. The Suzuki 400cc supermoto is a very good bike if you want to spend more and your legs are quite long, but the narrow seat is not comfortable for riding 200 miles plus a day.

It really comes down to sitting on several, then making a choice based on cost, styling, and carbs or fuel injection, while staying low for both weight and power for more safety for a beginner to start with.

Here is a review for the fuel injected Suzuki 250cc cruiser:

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/suzuki/2009-suzuki-tu250x-review-88791.html

[bigguybbr]

It is a hot little bike. Unfortunatly for the big boned, the closest thing you can get new with similar look and ergo’s is a Triumph Bonneville.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

There is also the 500cc Royal Enfield, or the older 750cc Honda Nighthawk for quite a bit more weight and power, along with several older Universal Japanese Motorcycles (UJMs), or the Triumph copy 1978 XS650 Yamaha I used to own. Here is a Kawasaki 650 parallel twin from not too long ago below, also a Triumph copy. Marlon Brando rode a Triumph in the 1950s Wild One movie, and they won a lot of races and sold a lot of streetbikes in the 50s and 60s. The Honda CB750 four changed everything in 1969 for racing and fast streetbikes:

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/roadtests/retro_bike_comparison/index.html

.

[Rab]

A great looking *second* bike once you’ve cut your teeth on a 250.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/30/review-moto-guzzi-v7-classic-is-an-italian-beauty-you-can-live/

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