New, need advice?

[BikerN00b]

So, I've done a lot of research and have been looking around the net a lot. I'm looking to get a bike mainly to save on gas back and forth to school, which is only a few miles, but that adds up in my truck. Also to keep from putting miles on my truck when the weather is nice and a way to get out and enjoy the nice weather. I want a small bike, I have never rode a motorcycle before and although I don't necessarily fear them, I do have a healthy respect for what they can do. I've skimmed through the "Why sportbikes aren't beginner bikes" article and was wondering what suggestions some of you can give me in looking for a bike. I read that some bikes aren't that great for larger people while others accommodate them better. I'm 6'3" and weight about 250-260. I did find a 07 GS 200 for about $800, but am not seriously going to start looking until I have taken a few rider safety courses to build on the basics and get some confidence. I'm also afraid I'll spend the money on the courses and the basic gear I'll need only to find out that I have no business being on a bike haha. Any suggestions would be great, thanks.

[Motorcycle Forum]

[slozomby]

they should probably append that saying to "Why 4 cylinder sports bikes arent for beginners"

do you want a sports styled bike? there are several i'd consider learners. go throw your leg over a ninja 250. if you can fit on it comfortably theres a bazillion of them on craigslist that people bought for the same reason you are looking for one. dont buy one new. you'll be looking to upgrade it in a year or 2 ( or keep it for insane mpg commuter) just stay off the highway for the 1st few of hundred miles. practice emergency stops. practice low speed turning. if it doesnt already have them buy some frame and swingarm spoolers for when you lay it down doing 5mph on a wet driveway ( i know im not the only one to have done that) so your plastics dont get torn up.

ride conservatively and its easy to break 70 mpg on one. not bad for a couple grand.

the ninja 650r is the next size up ( the 500 is just a bigger engine in the 250 frame). not a bad bike. behaves relatively well. the 636 and 600's are actually far more powerfull than the 650. its easy to tell them apart. basically if its a 4 cylinder sports bike. you shouldnt buy it as a learner. warning. the 650r will move if you twist the throttle even w/ 250 lbs of rider. sv650, gs500f also good. you can basically ride this forever. gas milage in the 50's and fast enough to get the lawyers involved.

my college bike was a yamaha xt125 ( model replaced by the XT250 when they switched to 4stroke). fast enough to get on the freeway if you have to. great mpg. and on the weekends we took it to woods and beat the snot out of it. should do ya just fine.

personally i stay away from the chinese knockoffs ( zongshen, hyosung...insert name of the week) not that i've had much experience w/ them. i'd rather spend the extra few hundred and get the original proven design.

theres a few others i could recommend but it would help if i knew what style ( cruiser, Dual sport(street legal dirt bike) , sports, standard( naked or faired)) you were looking for.

1 last thing. if you have a friend that rides. have him testride anything your looking at used.
1 more last thing. basic gear will run a few hundred. leather jacket and kevlar pants (250ish), gloves 50ish. dot approved full face 100. if you have a pair of decent non steeltoe workboots your all set. (i find the steeltoes get caught on the shifter which is no fun).

[BikerN00b]

Thanks for the info.

Mainly looking at sportbikes. You're right, I have found tons of ninja 250r's on craigslist and a nice GS 200. I just haven't had the oppurtunity to sit on any of them, also I'm not going to be getting one until after I have taken the proper safety courses and I'm hoping by then I'll be comfortable enough riding one cause I'd hate to buy one only to find out my legs are too long or something of that nature.

[Camp21178]

Here's a good website with lots of info on cycles and cycle safety.Introduction to Motorcycles

[BikerN00b]

Thanks a lot!

[alexJohnston]

I found that learning on a 636 ninja was perfect for me but im pretty conservative and safety minded. I kept getting told that I'd want to move up from a 250 in a year and wasn't keen on that but I ended up switching to a cruiser after 3 so I guess it happened anyway. The msf courses are worth far more than the investment.

[trenttheuncatchable]

With your height, you might want to look at a DP (dual purpose) bike. After you take the MSF BRC, check out the KLR 650.

[slozomby]

mmmmm klr. at 6'2 i have a hard time flatfooting one that hasnt been lowered. i'd kill to get my hands on the haynes version that runs on anything flammable. they wont sell em to civilians yet..

http://www.hdtusa.com/vehicle-m1030-m2.php

[inspiron]

At 6'2" you shouldn't have a problem to flat-foot most any bike! The issue that you will likely have is your weight. I'm 6'0" and weigh about 240 lbs right now - I can ride my bike (which has a fairly upright riding position) with no problems, but if I try to ride a race-replica, my belly gets in the way. Plus, at my age (46), riding in a race position gets painful (mostly in the knees) after about an hour.

If you're looking for a commuter bike, then look for a dual-sport or standard bike that you can load up with a top case and/or saddle bags. Putting luggage on a race-replica looks terrible, and the riding position is not very good for city riding either. In the city, you want to have your head up high so that you can look around and be seen by others -- if your head is down between your knees, you can't see anything and you can't be seen either.

[Easy Rider]

At 6'2" you shouldn't have a problem to flat-foot most any bike!

That depends on how much is LEGS and how much is torso, neck and head.
All 6'2"s are not created equal.

[BikerN00b]

Thanks for all the info guys. To reply to some of these...I'm 6'3" and have long legs, I wear a 32"-34" inseam, reaching the ground is not a problem I feel I'll have to face. My biggest worry is that my legs may be too long for some of the smaller bikes and I have read that it can be a problem. And I'm not worried about my belly not having room with the tank on a sportbike seeing as I really don't have one. Also, a lot of my riding will be on "back type" roads, not a whole lot of busy city stop and go, at least not right off the bat, nor will there be much highway driving in the beginning.

I really don't wanna spend more than $1500, maybe $2000 if I fell in love with something, but I'd rather spend $800-$1200

*Edit* By "back type" roads, I'm not meaning country roads, I'm just talking about smaller roads that aren't heavily traveled or have many stop lights/stop signs. While in college I'm living in a smaller town, although my hometown would be a lot of stop and go on busy streets.

[Easy Rider]

I really don't wanna spend more than $1500, maybe $2000 if I fell in love with something, but I'd rather spend $800-$1200

That is a good plan, regardless of the make and model.
Beware of going TOO cheap, however, and ending up with a maintenance nighrmare.

If most of your rides will be of the short variety, ~30 minutes or less, your first bike needs to be one that is not UN-comfortable.
It may not be perfect but something you can live with.

[BikerN00b]

If most of your rides will be of the short variety, ~30 minutes or less, your first bike needs to be one that is not UN-comfortable.
It may not be perfect but something you can live with.

Ya I understand that, even if I drove in town it'd be a 30-40 minute ride and if I went for joyrides that were any longer I'd just pull over and relax if I was getting uncomfortable. But on average, about 30 minutes or less would by my typical ride.

[eday_74]

Can we go back to the legs issue? I'm in the exact same boat as BikerNoob. Tall skinny guy, all legs. Looking in the same price too. I know we can't too picky but I also don't wanna look like a monkey humping a football either. Would something along the lines of a ninja 250 be good?

[Easy Rider]

Would something along the lines of a ninja 250 be good?

TRY IT AND SEE.

I suspect that the monkey/football will apply for most anything except a cruiser with highway pegs.

How you LOOK really isn't important; being comfortable and riding without cramps or legs burned on pipes IS VERY important.