[madjak30]

You want a used bike that is fairly new. The older they are the more questionable the maintenance schedule can be…also the more likely that the fuel lines, brake lines, etc are getting old and cracked and need replacing. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy an older bike, but just realize there could be more work to be done to it to make it road worthy.

If you have never sat on a bike before, the sport type bikes will feel tight to you. You will want to find a standard bike to start on…they are the most neutral seating position…not hunched over the tank and putting pressure on your wrists, and not having your feet and hands out front…they can range from cruiser looking bikes to dual sport bikes to some that are nearly sport bikes…

The only problem is, there is a shortage of choices on newer standard bikes with reasonably sized engines…the GS500 and the Ninja 500 are two popular choices, and you should be able to find on in your area at a reasonable price…you could check out the Honda Nighthawk 250, the 750 would be more of a handful for a beginner due to weight and power…there are more choices in the dual sports, but they tend to have limited comfort in the seat.

You need to go to the dealers and sit on the bikes, that will determine which ones are going to “speak” to you.

Good Luck!!

Later.

[madjak30]

This won’t be too popular around here, but hear me out…

You could also look at the Honda Shadow 750 cruiser, the Suzuki 50s (C50,M50,S50) or even the Vulcan 900s…they are way bigger than we usually suggest in here, due to their physical size and weight. They are all V-Twin bikes that have very smooth power delivery and don’t have enough power to jump out from under you. The performance level of these bikes is similar to the Suzuki GS500 or the Kawasaki Ninja 500, so powerful enough to get the job done, but not crazy…I test rode a Suzuki M50 this past summer and if I hadn’t ridden my GS500 to the test ride and jumped on the M50, I may not have noticed any difference.

The biggest problem with these bikes is the weight of them @600lbs+ they are not the ideal bike to start on, but all three will be more comfortable for you and have the size you are looking for (two up won’t be an issue for them either). All of them have been around for a few years and you should be able to get a good deal on a used bike…

As for the owners manual issue, go to the dealers service dept. and look at the Haynes or Clymer manuals…they are quite detailed and will help you maintain your bike with ease.

Good Luck!

Later.

[madjak30]

Kidding…250cc single cylinder…they went with the single to get more torque to make it easier for the beginner…the CBR125R came first, but I think it is a little small (both physically and engine wise) for our roads and speeds that traffic flows…the 250 should be a much better fit.

There are all kinds of reviews of them on the net…should be a good competitor to the Ninja 250…lower Hp, but higher torque…and it looks like a VFR1200 that was shrunk…

Later.

[madjak30]

We got it last year as a 2010 model…I think it is similar in Hp and TQ to the Ninja 500 that has been discontinued due to emissions…the Suzuki GS500F is on it’s way out for the same reasons…I don’t think there is a 2011 version…haven’t checked though…

I think the Ninja 400 is similar in weight to the Ninja 650…it’s pretty sharp looking, and would be a great starter for someone that just can’t justify a 250, but doesn’t want to jump all the way to a 650…

I just wonder what Suzuki will replace the GS500 with?? There were rumours of a Gladius 400…but I haven’t seen anything about that one in a year…

You could check out a mid 90s Bandit 400…they were supposed to be a pretty good handling bike…

Later.

[madjak30]

FWD on a bike…man, that just proves they can screw anything up…;-P

Can you imagine trying to steer that thing? Talk about not wanting to lean in…lol

Later.

[madjak30]

The Ninja 250/500 and the GS500F look like sport bikes, but are standards…you can tell by the seating position, not the faring…if you prefer the look of the standard naked bikes, you will want to check out the GS500E, Honda Nighthawk 250…there is a 750 version of the Nighthawk but it may not be the best choice for a starter bike…too heavy, and more power than you need to start with…low weight and low power are your friend right now…

Later.

[madjak30]

You’ve had a busy year learning all that stuff…hope you didn’t loose it too often in the “learning curve”…

Oh yeah, welcome back…

Later.

[madjak30]

I think the Vulcan 500 is a really good choice…it will have the most oumph out of all of the suggestions, then the Star 650, the Honda VLX 650 then the Suzuki Savage/S40…the Kawasaki engine is the same engine as the Ninja 500 with slightly different tuning, the Yamaha and Honda are V-Twins that will have that “rumpity rumpity” sound you would expect from a cruiser, and the Suzuki is a single cylinder 650…lots of low down torque, but might not be the best choice for longer hiway cruising (vibey and might run out of breath, depending on cruising speeds)…the best suggestion is to go and sit on some of the bikes to see what fits you…you need to feel comfortable on the bike, and take your girlfriend (although I wouldn’t suggest riding two up until you have atleast a couple thousand miles under your belt…just a suggestion)…you will want her to be comfortable as well (mama not happy, ain’t nobody happy )

Later.

[madjak30]

You have already completed our usual first suggestion, training…to help you with some bike choice suggestions, what type of riding are you planning? Commuting, hiway, off road, just cruising?

Some bikes will combine a few of those…a dual sport would be my first suggestion for someone over 6ft, since they give decent leg room and offer the broadest range of riding capabilities (DR-Z 400S or the supermoto DR-Z 400sm)…but some don’t like the look of the bike…the next would probably be a standard style bike…(Ninja 250/500, Suzuki GS500, Honda Nighthawk 250)…then a cruiser, which also offer good leg room for pretty much everyone…you just have to go down to a dealer and sit on all the bikes to see what fits you and the type of riding you are planning…

Let us know what type of riding or what style of bike you prefer and we can try to help you out…but ultimately it will depend on how the bike fits you and how you feel riding the bike…

Later.

[madjak30]

Someone needs to support you easterners…it isn’t cheap to keep the “center of the universe” going…;-P

And really, if someone can afford to order an MV Agusta…glass houses man…lol

Later.

[madjak30]

The Ninja 500 has a little more power, but I think the GS500F is the nicer looking bike…both will do the speeds that you are after and be fairly comfortable. You will need to sit on the bikes though…one may be more comfortable than the other to you, and that should be the one you choose…don’t necessarily go for the faster one…

Anyway, good luck!!

Later.

[madjak30]

I’m literally like a kid in a candy store…I want one of everything, but have been told to pick one…

I have a hard time choosing between lustful bike (MT-01) to frugal and sensible (Bandit 600S)…then everything in between…you know, shades of gray…I want to pick one that I will be satisfied with for atleast two to three years (hence the Bandit 1200S) and be on a budget that I don’t have to stretch to get…

I said it before…I want to be like Gary and own four bikes at a time…

Later.

[madjak30]

They had a Hyosung booth at the bike show I went to on the weekend, and I found them a little tighter riding position than the SV650S which I find too tight already…I saw a comparison between the new GT650 vs Gladius vs ER6-n…the reviewer prefered the Hyosung for a fun toy since it felt more “raw” and sporty, but over all picked the Gladius because he found it more user friendly and comfortable, just barely edging out the ER6-n…

I’m actually leaning back toward the Bandit line of bikes…comfort and touring ability…just have to decide if a more than adequate 600S will come to my house or the “now that’s a blast” 1200S will come to me…I’m thinking the 600 (or newer 650) would be fine, it should be plenty fast considering what my point of reference is…GS500…45Hp, 25Ft/Lbs torque…to 70ish Hp, and 40ish TQ…more than 50% increase on both…

I’m thinking that the 600 will keep me happy for atleast a couple of seasons, since I was considering keeping the GS for another year while I decide…but the last ride I took reminded me of why I’m ready for the next step up…passing at hiway speeds needs to be planned, there is no twist and go left after 110kph (70mph)…wind and hills also will slow you to this speed unless you shift down to fourth to accellerate and fifth will hold the speed, but you are turning around 7500-8000rpm doing it…instead of 5500rpm in sixth…where the 1200S would keep me happy for a few years…100Hp and 70 TQ…there would be no problem with that bike…other than I might scare myself a couple of times getting used to it…it’s quite a big step up from where I am…

The other option that I am considering is the Katana 750…a little less leg room than the Bandit, but more than my bike has…and the power is between the two Bandits, plus a full faring to keep the wind/weather off…I just don’t know if I want to be leaned that far forward (although it is more upright than a VFR and lots of guys tour on them)…yes I know…I seem to be stuck on Suzuki, but I just find them more comfortable than the others…??

Decisions, decisions…

Later.

[madjak30]

Sounds like you are puting thought into your decision…at 6’4 your choices for bikes will be limited…cruisers are a good choice for the “lanky”, and a 250cc cruiser will move you pretty decently upto 50mph…then progress will slow down…if you are sticking in town for your commute, then this would be the recommended size of bike since they are lighter and easier to move around at a walking pace (which is the speed that usually catches people out)…if you are doing hiway commuting you may want to go to something with a little more oumph to it…upto a 650cc cruiser maybe…you may also want to check out the dual sport bikes like the Suzuki DR-Z 400 s…they have decent leg room, and enough power to hit 95mph…but if a cruiser is your preference, you shouldn’t have a shortage of choices…the only bikes that will be hard to find a fit may be the sport bikes, since their natural riding position is a little cramped for the long of leg…

Anyway, let us know what type of riding you are planning, or need to do so that we can help you out a little better…

By the way, the beginner rider courses are great…they usually give you a chance to try out a cruiser or a dual sport (most schools have both of them), some may even have a sport bike to try…they will also teach you the correct way of riding instead of learning bad habbits on your own and trying to break them later…

Since it is winter, I would hit the bike shops and start sitting on all the bikes that catch your eye just to see how they fit…have fun with it…

Later.

[madjak30]

First off, the Concourse is not your best choice for a commuter bike…it’s pretty heavy for stop and go traffic and obviously you understand that starting with a “liter” bike is not the best choice…as for touring on the smaller engined bikes, it just depends on the speed at which you want to tour…a Ninja 250 can hit 100mph, and they are more comfortable than you might think (yes, the connie is more comfortable…but that should be bike #2 or 3)…if you are planning lots of hiway riding a better choice might be a Ninja 500 or a GS500F which are also pretty “newbie” friendly bikes…both are older tech, but reliable and decently comfortable…they will go a little faster than the 250, but they don’t have to work so hard to cruise on the hiway while still being light enough to commute and learn on.

You don’t want you first bike to scare the crap out of you within your first month…the connie would have way more accelleration than you might be ready for in the beginning, and as I mentioned before, the weight of the bike will surprise you at the worst times…lots of plastic bits that will definately break if you drop it.

My last suggestion to you is get some training…take a basic riders course so that you understand the basics of the sport…don’t forget to wear protective gear…it’s not just the helmet…

Later.

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