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You can do either. Obviously be aware of your surrounding traffic, but I’ve found it easier to switch on the fly as I’m riding. As mentioned earlier, get a feel for knowing exactly where the switch is so that you can reach down and switch it without looking. When I first started riding, however, I was much more comfortable pulling over to the side of the road, so do whatever you are comfortable doing.
If you’re engine cuts off before you switch to your reserve, you might have to choke the engine while cranking it to get it started again.
Also, on your mileage, just figure out your MPG that you’re getting (based on your example of 100 miles for 1.8 gallon, it would be around 55 mpg), and multiply that times the size of the tank minus the reserve. So if your tank is a 3 gallon tank and your reserve is .7 gallons, then multiply the 55 mpg by 2.3 gallons to get a total of 126 miles average before needing the reserve. I’m not sure of the actual tank size and reserve amount on the Shadow 750, but it should be in you’re manual.

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We get around 65-68 mpg on average on our 2007 GV250… that being said, one of the only “negatives” of the bike that we’ve had is that the odometer is in kilometers instead on miles, so you have to a do little math to get your average. Once you get used to it though, it’s not so bad. Also, the speedometer is also in Km, but also has Mph on he inside circle. Not sure if they’ve changed this on the later models or not.

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I guess I should have said that she’s had it for 8 months and hasn’t had any problems with it. Sorry about the confusion.

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I’ve had good luck with them so far… my wife has one that she loves. No problems at all after about 8 months.

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I think alot of it has to with the distance that you are traveling at those speeds. On my wife’s 250, I can get on the freeway and keep up with traffic with no problem. However, if I’m riding more than 30 minutes at freeway speeds on the 250, it gets really uncomfortable because of the vibrations of the engine due to the high rpm’s. On my 500, I can make a a lot longer trip at the same speeds and still have feeling the lower half of my body when I’m done.
Also, I don’t think more power necessarily helps you to avoid trouble. It can, however, make your ride easier when passing, climbing hills, or changing lanes.

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It’s simple supply and demand… the demand of the smaller displacement bikes was much greater than the supply. As mentioned before, based on past performance, no one expected the huge jump in sales of “beginner” bikes. It’s certainly not an issue of them not wanting to sell the smaller bikes… I had one salesman tell me that he could make a fortune if he could have a showroom of Ninja 250’s. (Also had another offer me cash on the spot for my Vulcan 500.) I’ve heard that the manufactures are producing more smaller bikes this year, so you should be able to find some around October. Also, you’ll probably see ALOT more smaller cc used bikes for sale in the next year as the people who bought them last year move up to bigger bikes.

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I’m on the map now

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We’ve got a GV250 that my wife rides and we’ve been very happy with it. (Not saying it’s a girls bike… it was mine before I got a new one.) You’re right about it looking like a bigger bike… usually gets mistaken for a 650. Congrats on the new bike.

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I’d worry more about you than the bike on a 400 mile ride… it will probably get quite uncomfortable with the vibration of a 250 doing 80 that long. Just slow it down and enjoy the ride to make it a more enjoyable trip and to try to still be able to feel your backside when you arrive. Or if you’re going to be making that trip alot, you might check into an aftermarket seat.

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Would a dual-sport bike work for him? They tend to sit up higher than standard bikes.

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2008 Vulcan 500… mounted saddlebags, added luggage rack and passenger backrest, added engine guards, added throttle palm rest, added an aftermarket windshield, but don’t use it because the wind hits right on my forehead and causes my helmet to vibrate so much that it makes me sick.

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Generally speaking, I would say yes. That being said, a 650 cruiser is alot different than a 650 sportbike. The cruiser would be more beginner friendly, but personally I’d stay with something 500cc or less if it were me. There’s alot of good articles on the site here on that very subject… I’d recommend checking them out.

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I have a United Motors V2c-250T that my wife rides. UM bikes are Hyosung bikes licensed and distributed under the UM label. Hyosung is a Korean company that started out making engines for Suzuki, then started making their own bikes about 10 years ago.
UM includes a 3 year warranty on their bikes, which is really good, but they’re a stickler for making sure that you have proof of having your bike properly maintenced. They’re actually very sharp looking bikes IMHO… the 250 cruiser is probably the biggest 250 cruiser on the market & a v-twin (my wife’s gets mistaken for a 650 often), the ’08 650 cruiser has a nice v-rod look to it, and the sportbikes are sharp as well.
Reliability has been the big question mark with the Hyosung bikes since they are, relatively speaking, a new company to the american motorcycle market. I can say that we’ve had no problems with the bike in the year that I’ve had it, and have been very happy with it. However, we have one of the largest UM/Hyosung dealers & service centers in the area, so I won’t have a problem getting service if I ever have a problem.
A good site dedicated to hyosung/um bikes is http://www.alternativecruisers.com. You might check it out.

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I have both a 250 cruiser (Hyosung 250) and the Vulcan 500, and the Vulcan is by far the best “beginner” cruiser I’ve found. The 250 cruisers are fine, and if you are a total beginner and just want the smallest bike possible so that you’ll feel comfortable, I’d probably recommend the Vstar 250 among the 250 cruisers. But if your can find a Vulcan 500 and can afford a little extra money, I’d highly recommend the 500… it’s very forgiving with the throttle, not so much power that you’re going to kill yourself, but still has enough power to keep up with bigger bikes and to tackle the freeways. My wife was able to ride my 500 with no problem the first day I got it, so it’s not too big for a beginner to handle either.

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Also bear in mind that if you have good health insurance to cover any medical bills you might have in an accident, you may want to opt out of the medical coverage on your motorcycle insurance. That can drop your price considerably.
That being said, Progressive was the lowest quote for me, but I’m in a different class of bike & driver (small displacement cruiser, 35+ years old).

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