[boulevardboy]

Hey, you are so welcome to any advise I can offer, even though I am still new to this game myself! I really like my bike a lot, and I hate it when I have to go to work in the car for any reason now. I think that you will probably be just fine with a 250cc for a long while – if you are anything like me and by saying you are not a speed freak we have something in common. My bet is that if I had started with a 250cc bike that I would have been fine with that for a good few years. The reason that I went for the 650cc eventually is because I had had my fill at 50cc and I didn’t want to have to tarde up after a few months – way too much trouble and expense.

Other than that I think that the advise on here that says 600cc is too much for a newbie runs true, but I figured I could be let off with that as I had over 8000 miles at 50cc was not a real newbie!!!

[boulevardboy]

Dude, there is a 50cc Vespa in my garage for sale – which just means that it may be a good idea to cut a few corners and go straight to a motorcycle rather than have a scooter first. I live in Kirkland WA and bought a scooter from the Vespa dealership almost 3 years ago thinking that I would never want anything bigger, faster etc. They tried to talk me out of the 50cc and onto a 150cc as they said that most people get bored of the 50cc pretty fast but I stuck to my guns. I lied to myself for the longest time, but it was really only a matter of a few months before I wanted a bigger scooter and then just a few short months before I wanted a bike. It did take me about 2.5 years to make the leap though as I couldn’t bring myself to spend the extra cash to trade up. I loved riding the Vespa so much, but I like my Boulevard even better.

Still not made the sale yet, but I don’t think I could get myself onto the scooter again – maybe I will put it up for sale in the Spring.

[boulevardboy]

You know, I first bought the Vespa to save on gas and loved it. I bought the bike as I couldn’t stand not having one after 2.5 years on the 50cc scooter and I have now found myself just going out for a drive – would never have thought it would have happened. I also look for things that need to be fetched from the store to give me an excuse to go out. I have had to spend a bit on new gear though as we have had it very rainy now the snow has gone.

[boulevardboy]

My bike is coming out again tomorrow as it is the first day that we have not had too much snow on the ground. It has been hard not to ride for the last few weeks as we don’t normally get this long with snow on the ground all at once

[boulevardboy]

Glad to hear that it works on a bike, just in case I ever needed to do it. I used to do it all the time on an old stick shift car I had. In fact it got to the point where I would always park the car on a slope facing down hill just in case!

[boulevardboy]

My best wave was when I was still on my 50cc Vespa and I got a wave from a HD rider – that I can tell you I returned with a great big grin!!

[boulevardboy]

Apart from 2.5 years on a 50cc Vespa my first ‘real’ bike was a 650cc Suzuki Boulevard, so I can’t tell anyone to get anything smaller than that as a starter bike without being a hypocrite. What I would say though that there is a lot of difference between a 600cc cruiser style bike and a 600cc sports bike, and that difference as far as I ahve been told is what can get you into trouble on a sports bike – lighter, different balance and weight distribution etc. The MSF course is a must though, and so is the ‘no passengers’ rule for a long time. Don’t worry about the weight issue though as I could take a passenger on my 50cc scooter and still get 30 mph out of it, on the flat at least!!

Keep safe, and make sure that you try a lot of bikes before you buy.

[boulevardboy]

I would say that as long as you don’t mind taking the course in the rain that it might be a good thing. I really wanted to get tips and advise about bad weather condition riding but it is hard to give that when you take the course on a baking hot day like I did!

[boulevardboy]

I have to say that when I was looking for a bike I was all over Craigslist like a rash. I saw lots of bikes that were from the ’80s that sounded great, but I managed to get hold of a bike mechanic that I asked how much fixing it could take andhe talked me out of it. If you are not hnady with a wrench then I think something that you know for sure is going to be reliable is the better option.

i ended uo at a dealer, and even if I might have ended up paying a bit too much I think (hope) that I might have endd up with a better deal in the long run

[boulevardboy]

I was taught at the ned of the MSF course that it was suppopsed to be the peace sign out to the side and down a bit. He made a point of telling it to everyone, which I thought was kinda cool. He also demonstrated it as done by a new rider – very fast and by a gold wing rider – right hand as they have cruise control!

[boulevardboy]

I was nervous to use a blade on the pipes until Munch mentioned it and said that he did it once a week on his. It came off a treat and didn’t do any damage to the pipes at all. It looks good as new and all ready for some polish as soon as I get the chance – I want to take the time to lovingly polish and wax it, but not got round to it yet!

[boulevardboy]

Thanks for the advise – I will try the razor balde trick right now. It has taught me a lesson anyway, and even more so tomorrow morning when I will have cold legs!

[boulevardboy]

Way cool dude – it does make you feel good. That was the one thing that really put a sring in my step when I was riding my scooter. If I ever got a wave from a real motorcycle rider I was stoked!

[boulevardboy]

I don’t want to ever pop a wheelie on my bike at all – and I think that I have got a good idea that without a bit of effort it is not that easy at all on a cruiser, so hopefully I’m safe.

I know that I have a lot more power than I had before, and I can really feel where the 650cc bike can be dangerous, but it is not really the bike that is dangerous, but the way it is ridden, and of course all the other people around you.

I think that as long as you have control of the bike and you are respectful of its power, then it does not really matter what size you start out on.

[boulevardboy]

Hey there

Just made a long-ish post and then lost it – so here goes again!

Glad you and your bike are both OK and thanks for the post as it is a good reminder to go out there and practise those all important stopping skills in the safety of a parking lot. I know that I should go out there and do it before too long.

I think that the good thing about ridning a motorcycle is that it can up your attention while you are in the car as well though.

[Author]

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