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WeaponZeroParticipant
If you’re willing to settle for older bikes from the 1980s you can get good bikes that run great as-is for about the price you’d be willing to pay. Honda Nighthawk 650/700 and Yamaha Maxim are real gems you should be searching for because they can be had DIRT cheap, are beginner friendly, and are shaft driven which means low maintenance. I’ve seen them sell for anywhere between $1k-$2k for models in fantastic shape for the age. The Honda Magna 500/V30 is also a good choice, bullet proof reliability though parts can be hard to find in the unlikely event that anything were to go wrong with it. Suzuki Katana 600s can also be had for your price range and are good bikes as well.
WeaponZeroParticipantWelcome to the site! The reviews on the Buell Blast say it’s pretty crappy, and that because of the fact that it rides more like a scooter than a motorcycle it doesn’t really teach you the things you need to know about bikes. Ninja 250 is an excellent bike but it’s important to bear in mind that unless you’re vertically challenged individual that you don’t need to go down to a 250 to start. 500s and some 650s on the market will do you just fine. In fact, the Kawasaki Ninja 500R and Suzuki GS500F are regarded as the best beginner motorcycles on the market today.
WeaponZeroParticipantWelcome to the site I’m new myself. Just bought my 2000 Suzuki SV650 a couple weeks ago and have been riding the hell out of it after spending a weekend learning to ride in a parking lot. Still waiting on the MSF course. Big waiting list for it here because its free and only held in the summer/early autumn months.
WeaponZeroParticipantUsed Ninja 500s are pretty hard to come by it seems. I know that before 1995 (the year they changed the name from EX500 to 500R) they were notorious for engine problems, so a likely explanation as to why you can’t find ones older than 1995 are simply because they couldn’t hold up due to the engine problems. After 1995 they became bullet proof but people began modding them for racing mostly or just wrecking them I would guess. If you really are having trouble finding one perhaps you should consider buying other bikes as well. The Suzuki GS500F is just as good (and much more stylish because it recently received a styling update). Older model Suzuki Katana 600s are good as well, as is the Suzuki SV650. There is an article on this site about good beginner bikes and the Ninja 500R is definately near the top of that list, but if availability really is that much of an issue perhaps you should consider other bikes from it.
WeaponZeroParticipantI think he’s referring to the new for 2008 Suzuki GSX650F, the replacement for the old Katana 600. I don’t know much about it, only that in reviews they say it still isn’t quite as good as an SV650S for sporty riding but has a more upright (tour-worthy) riding position and is more highway-stable. As far as its status as a beginner bike is concerned, I know quite a few people who started out on old Katana 600s (the bike it replaced). Understand that it is NOT a GSXR or in any way shape or form a racebike. ALL suzuki four-cylinder motorcycles begin with the “GSX” nomenclature. If anything it is more like a GS500F with (slightly) better suspension and 150ccs more of motor. Take that as you will.
Suzuki designed the GSX650F as an alternative to people who were considering purchasing an SV650SF (the new fully faired SV650 that is probably the single best budget sportbike on the market) but wanted something more sport touring oriented, but simply want a more sport touring oriented ride. It almost seems as if Suzuki is trying to reposition the SV as a more track oriented bike in their lineup… Why else would they come out with a fully faired version of it the same year they finally released a replacement for the Katana 600 (which was still being built using the same parts it was in the 80s)?
My only concern is that this doesn’t lead to a discontinuation of the unfaired/standard SV because there aren’t enough bikes like it on the market. Suzuki discontinued the Bandit 600 because the Katana 600 was essentially the same bike underneath its fairing and there wasn’t a reason for them both to exist. Let’s hope they dont start to see the SV650/SV650SF the same way when SF sales start taking off…
WeaponZeroParticipantQuestion #1 regarding titles: The fuss about titles mostly comes from whether or not it was an R-title bike. For some people this is a deal breaker. In years past you didnt need to go through the same lengths to register a bike that you did a car, so it was possible to register a stolen bike without getting caught. This isn’t the case in modern times anymore, and whoever posted the ad saying BIKE IS NOT STOLEN isn’t aware of that.
Starter Bikes: Suzuki GS500F, Kawasaki Ninja 500R, Suzuki SV650, Kawasaki Ninja 650R for sporty type bikes, Kawasaki Vulcan 500 and Yamaha Virago 535 for a cruiser. Anything smaller and you may end up wishing youd gotten something bigger, and anything bigger and you’re liable to kill yourself. The Ninja 250 is a good choice, in fact it’s the best 250 class motorcycle on the market. But you don’t need to go that small for your first bike. If you want something older that you can work on yourself, look into old Honda V30 Magnas from the 80s (500cc v-four cruiser), or Honda Nighthawk 650 (back when they were shaft driven). Most motorcycles were still using carburetors until within the past 10 years when all but the most budget oriented bikes went EFI.
As far as your driveway is concerned, that could be a real issue. If you can’t do it in a car that isn’t equipped with 4 wheel drive, then you won’t be doing it on a streetbike.
WeaponZeroParticipantI have no doubts that Hyosung quality will increase as the years go by. They are a (relatively) new company and they won’t be able to stay in business very long if things don’t get better. They are trying to be the Kia/Hyundai of motorcycles and if you recall, Kia and Hyundai products were horrible when those companies were new as well. Now look at their success
WeaponZeroParticipantFirst off, I would like to say that being an experienced dirtbike/atv rider with some road experience puts you in a good position. You don’t need to limit yourself to the small selection that those of us just starting out have to choose from. You can consider buying the bikes that we would be upgrading to from our first bikes.
Because you apparently want to go the cruiser route, I won’t be recommending any street-legal racebikes such as the R6 or GSXR600 to you (which might still be too much for you anyway despite your experience). Suzuki makes an 800cc “power cruiser” called the Boulevard M50 that is essentially a smaller version of the M109R, their competitor to the Harley V-Rod. It has been on the market for a few years now and can be had used for about $4k if you know where to look. It seems like a nice bike overall but most reviews say that it badly needs upgraded brakes for what it is. The Honda Shadow 750 is likely available in a trim that passes itself off as a smaller “street rod” as well, and those are fine bikes.
You should also consider looking into older Honda Magna 750s. It is a motorcycle Honda made from 1994 to 2001 that essentially combined the VFR750 sportbike engine with a cruiser frame. I do honestly believe that would be the perfect bike for you despite my limited experience as a rider due to what you say about what you want out of a motorcycle and what your past experience is. It is a sad shame they discontinued this bike in 2001, but if you’re willing to shell out money for a used bike that old (which most first time owners end up doing regardless), it would be worth the trouble.
EDIT: Though I myself am a new rider with limited experience, I have been following motorcycling for 10 years now as my father has ridden motorcycles since before I was born. When I speak as though I sound like I know what I’m talking about, I really don’t. I’m having him do the talking for me.
WeaponZeroParticipantWell, at least you’re not as bad as my neighbor who bought a CBR1000RR for his first bike and only owns a helmet as safety gear
As far as learning to ride on your R6 goes, just understand that as a race-bred 4-cylinder it is going to make most of its power in the upper end of the rev range and turn into a screaming, fire-breathing monster once you pass a certain (fairly high) RPM. If you want to try to keep it controllable and unintimidating for you, and be able to learn on it, don’t go into that zone! Also understand that in order to be able to corner your bike needs to lean over farther than what you as a beginner will feel comfortable doing. You’re going to be scared to lean over anymore for fear of losing control of the bike while your bike is saying “come on, mooooooooore, you havent even started yet”. Even my SV does that
July 21, 2008 at 4:52 pm in reply to: New guy from Alabama. Looking for a solid beginner bike. #8983WeaponZeroParticipantAvoid Hyosung. Not saying they’re bad, but they’ve gotten horrible reviews overseas where they’ve been available for years, and there’s no aftermarket. Also, finding a Hyosung repair center would be difficult.
The Suzuki GS500 and Kawasaki Ninja 500R are considered to be the end all be all of beginner bikes, but one thing I was told by people who recommended them to me is that you WILL want to upgrade to a bigger/better bike in less than a year. For that reason I chose the Suzuki SV650, which is a bike that is still beginner oriented, but can grow with me and has enough power and high tech components to ensure that no matter how good I get the bike will always be able to handle more than I can ever ask of it, acceleration or handling-wise.
WeaponZeroParticipantWelcome I am a new rider as well. Bought my first bike a little over a week ago. I bought a used 2000 Suzuki SV650. It is a bike I would STRONGLY advise you to consider. It is possibly the single best beginner bike on the market because it is unintimidating enough for new riders, but has enough sporting potential, power, and aftermarket to keep you happy without needing to upgrade once you get comfortable. One thing you will want to do on your first bike, regardless of what it is, will be to upgrade the rear shock. Motorcycle suspension components in general are made with 180 lb or less men in mind and being over 200 lbs will make the rear end seem somewhat harder to control in corners. Most higher end bikes have adjustable suspension components to allow you to compensate for this but beginner oriented bikes are generally non-adjustable. Stiffen up the rear end with an aftermarket rear shock in whatever bike you buy. My SV has a GSXR600 rear shock Happy riding!
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