You, Me, & 650cc’s: The Best Starter Bikes for Two-Up Riding
You, Me, & 650cc’s: The Best Starter Bikes for Two-Up Riding So you’ve mastered the basics of riding alone on a motorcycle, and now you find yourself bringing along a partner. Riding two-up, colloquially known as having a Pillion, brings its own unique set of challenges. Not only are you responsible for your passengers safety, …
Starter Motorcycles for Heavier People
Three Great Starter Motorcycles for Heavier People So you’ve been bitten by the bug I call motorcyclus riderus and as a result have come down with a serious case of the bike fever, eh? It infects all different kinds of people, from many different walks of life and body types. The joy of riding knows …
A Beginner’s Guide to a Motorcycle Road Trip
Even if you’ve been on a hundred car road trips in your life you should realize that a long road trip on a motorcycle is much more demanding. You’ll get a lot more out of it and a motorcycle road trip gives you a much better sense of freedom than any car road trip could …
5 Motorcycle Maintenance Tasks You Didn’t Know You Could Undertake Yourself
Let’s face it, taking your beloved motorbike to a garage and asking a bunch of strangers to fix or service it is never desirable. Unless you’re confident in the garage’s abilities and know they have a track record of awesome care and service, you’ll always be taking something of a gamble. This is particularly frustrating …
Suzuki GS500 Review
Suzuki GS500 Review The Suzuki GS500 is probably the perfect beginner motorcycle for someone who is confident in their ability to quickly grasp the basic motorcycle concepts. It’s a pretty small motorcycle, but it’s also powerful enough to lug around some of the bigger guys (250 lbs+!!) with relative ease. It gets great gas mileage …
Suzuki DRZ 400 SM Review
Words by Jim Pruner, photos by Nathan Guinn Suzuki DRZ-400SM Review A bulletproof, fun, and approachable bike, the DRZ-400SM is the epitome of the “Jack of all trades”, where it does all things well but no things exceptionally well. Should that deter you? Absolutely not. The DRZ is an example of a timeless and well-considered …
Suzuki DR200SE Review
Suzuki DR200SE Review The Suzuki DR200SE is a smaller displacement dual-sport that would make a great beginner motorcycle. It feels at home on the surface streets, or in the dirt with a robust engine with enough torque to get you over the hills or out of dangerous traffic! Suzuki DR200SE Has the Ideal Engine and …
KTM Duke 390 Review
KTM Duke 390 Review The KTM Duke 390 is a beast of a motorcycle. It’s lightweight, easy to handle, yet it has the torque you need to make it fun on the streets and safe on the freeway. It might just be in the top 5 best beginner motorcycles out there. Duke 390 Is a …
Kawasaki Z300 Review
Kawasaki Z300 Review Being naked has its advantages. It’s very fashionable to be naked these days, especially when it comes to motorcycles. That’s where the Kawasaki z300 comes in. Based on the rock solid platform of the Ninja 300, the Z300 adds a few things and takes away a lot more to come up with …
Kawasaki Vulcan S Review
Kawasaki Vulcan S Review Words by Jim Pruner, Photos by Nathan Guinn | Updated August, 2017 Enigmatic Yet Endearing Here is a motorcycle I have found to be widely misunderstood and certainly underestimated by those who haven’t swung a leg over it to lay some tracks down a sheet of asphalt. Only owners really seem …
Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD Review
Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD Review The Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD is one beginner motorcycle that can hang with the big boys. It’s rugged styling is outfitted with a decent amount of chrome bits to accent its already classic look. Warm Blooded Fun The Vulcan 500 is powered is powered by a parallel twin, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled …
Kawasaki Ninja 300 Review
Kawasaki Ninja 300 Review For decades Kawasaki has been one of the steadfast manufacturers that build smaller motorcycles aimed at new riders. The Ninja 250 is an iconic bike that got a serious facelift in 2008. A few years later, Kawasaki released the next evolution of that bike: The Ninja 300. It’s an improvement on …
Kawasaki KLX250S Review
Kawasaki KLX250S Review The Kawasaki KLX250S is a dual sport that does everything well, and if you decide to add a couple modifications it does everything exceptionally well! If you want more of the street look, you can check out the KLX250SF or do your own mods to turn this great bike into a supermoto. …
Suzuki SV650 Review
Suzuki SV650 Review The Suzuki SV650 is a motorcycle that is hard to pin down. Most motorcycles that are great for the experienced rider are much too powerful for someone new to the hobby of motorcycling. On the other hand, most beginner motorcycles don’t have the power of 600cc’s or liter bikes, and that can …
Yamaha Virago 250 Review
Yamaha Virago 250 Review The Yamaha Virago 250 has the classic standard cruiser look without the unmanageable power and torque that a new motorcyclist doesn’t need while learning the basics of riding. Out of all of the standard style motorcycles I have to say that I really like the look of the Virago the best. …
Yamaha TW200 Review
Yamaha TW200 Review There are few bikes with as much personality as the Yamaha TW200. I normally ride street bikes, and the TW200 is actually the first dirt bike I ever had the chance to ride. It’s fun, bouncy (compared to a street bike), and a blast to ride on the street or the dirt. I got …
Yamaha SR400 Review
Yamaha SR400 Review You may not have ever heard of the Yamaha SR400, if not then that’s a shame. Yamaha has a strong history of 400cc motorcycles and this SR400 is like a trip back in time. That can be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. Read …
Yamaha R3 Review
Yamaha R3 Review Yamaha has been eerily silent in the beginner bike scene for the last couple decades. It has been dominated by Kawasaki, Suzuki, and now even Honda has entered into the fray with their CBR 300 and CBR 500. Yamaha’s new R3 has been worth the wait. This bike has a solid foundation …
Suzuki V-Strom 650 Review
Suzuki V-Strom 650 Review Probably one of the most forgettable motorcycles you have ever seen. Chances are you might not have even heard of this bike, much less considered it for purchase. If you haven’t though, you could be missing out on one of the best and more practical street bikes out there. This is …
Hyosung GT250R Review
Hyosung GT250R Review When it comes to beginner motorcycles, most of them have a general ‘look’ to them that gives them away as being not as powerful as their 600cc+ cousins. One company that is looking to change that in an amazing way is Hyosung with their sleek and modern looking 125cc and 250cc motorcycles. …
Honda Shadow VLX Review
Honda Shadow VLX Review The Honda Shadow is a motorcycle that has been around for decades. Between 1988 and 2008 Honda produced the VLX version of the Shadow (also known as the VT600c). It is a great introductory cruiser with enough power to make highway riding comfortable and easy. After all, that’s what cruisers do …
Honda Rebel 250 Review
Honda Rebel 250 Review The Honda Rebel 250 is one of the first motorcycles I ever got a chance to ride. This is because they are often times the bike you get to learn on while taking the MSF course. This isn’t just a motorcycle to learn on though, it’s a great bike that can …
Honda CBR 500R Review
Honda CBR 500R Review Many people looking to get into the hobby of motorcycling often smirk when it is suggested that they look into a fantastic bike like the CBR 250, Ninja 250, or the Ninja 300. This is most often the case when the soon-to-be motorcycle rider weighs over 200 lbs… “How will the …
Buell Blast Review
Buell Blast Review The Buell Blast is a very good beginner motorcycle, although it is a tad basic compared to other bikes in it’s class. Buell is a branch of the Harley Davidson company that makes sport bikes instead of cruisers. People are very passionate about the type of motorcycle they like, usually they either …
Best Starter Motorcycles for 2015
12 Best Starter Motorcycles for 2015 Every year there are brand new motorcycle released by the major manufacturers. Some of them are variations on classics, others are completely new designs. Lately there has been a trend of catering to the new rider, and those that like lower displacement motorcycles. Maybe people are starting to realize …
Best and Cheapest Beginner Motorcycle to Buy
Getting a Great Deal on a Motorcycle Plus Our List of the Cheapest Beginner Motorcycles You Can Buy Once that motorcycle bug hits you, it can be hard to shake. Many people don’t have a few thousand dollars of disposable income to just drop on a brand new toy on a whim. That means research, …
The 12 Best Starter Motorcycles in 2016 and 2017
12 Best Starter Motorcycles in 2016 and 2017 Every year I put out a list with some of the top beginner motorcycles that are available in the USA. Some of the other countries in the world have it easier as they often times have lower CC bikes available that the USA doesn’t have. Over the …
