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New rider shopping for first bike in need of advice

2K views 23 replies 8 participants last post by  Boulevardier 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,
I got my M1 license about a year ago after taking the motorcycle safety course. While shopping for my first bike, I've come across three Suzukis:

2003 GSF 600 S Bandit $1995,
2004 GS 500 F $2395, and
2001 SV 650 S $3299.

The three bikes seem to be in comparable shape and have between 12k and 15K miles. So, of the three bikes, which bike do you think would be the best first bike for a newbie in order to gain some skill and confidence, but not outgrow within 6 months? Secondly, which of these three bikes sounds like the best deal for the money? Any input that you could provide would be greatly appreciated because I don't really know any other motorcyclists in order to get this type of advice.

Thanks for your time. I would really value your opinions.
 
#2 ·
Check NADA and KBB for book values, that will give you a general idea of what the bike is worth. If they can prove it's been well maintained and it looks it, you can decide for yourself whether to pay a bit extra. Accessories aren't generally worth much extra, unless they are something you would have bought anyway. Except for the SV 650, those prices look reasonably close. Almost everyone prices their bike a bit high to leave room for negotiation.
All those bikes are a bit sporty for a beginner, but if that's what you want, I wouldn't try to talk you out of it. Just go easy on the throttle until you've learned how it behaves. You won't outgrow any of these bikes in 6 months. If you think you have outgrown it, that's just your ego getting the best of you.

Before you buy a bike, think carefully on the kind of riding you plan to do most. Every bike is a tradeoff of one kind or another. Cruisers are more comfortable and their extra weight makes them more stable on the highway, and they tend to last longer. If you plan on doing long commutes or such, you should look at some cruisers. They aren't very fast or fuel efficient though. Sportbikes are light and nimble, but tend to have a high center of gravity and short people will most likely not be able to stand flat flooted at the stoplight. Sit on a few to make sure you will feel comfortable on them.

Don't be in a rush. Do NOT buy a used bike without a test ride. You aren't really going to know if a bike fits you well until you actually ride it. Take your time and research the bikes you're interested in for known problems and if you start thinking seriously about a particular bike, join forums that cater to enthusiasts of that particular bike. You will learn a lot from people who actually own and ride the bike you want and can tell you all about it's quirks and how to deal with them. EVERY bike has it's quirks. :)
 
#3 · (Edited)
What he said.
And....I think the SV is over-priced.
And I think that the two 600's are too much for a new rider, partly because plastic body work is expensive to repair.......and you are likely to tip it over at least once.

I think something in the 250 to 400 CC range is more appropriate for a brand new rider......and you should keep it for at least a year of actual riding.

Doing a search here for "new rider" or "first bike" should give you some good stuff to read.
 
#4 ·
I agree with everything Easyrider says there are lots of posts regarding "new/first bike".

I had a low mileage 2009 GS500F and sold it last year for $2,000. Their asking price is HIGH.

Although I have a of of riding experience, and have had bigger bikes, I found that this model was a dream to ride. It was very controllable, knew how to get out of trouble better than I did, and really let you feel that you knew you were doing. Pardon the cliche, but "I really felt one with the bike". It accelerated slowly, which is good, and only got aggressive after 4,500 RPM and that was real good, but also very controllable.

Yes, it has a lot plastic to get hurt in an unscheduled pit stop, but if you are careful... It is identified a good "learning" bike.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Thanks to everyone for the helpful comments and advice.

I was leaning toward the sportbikes because those seems to be the most common/available in SF. I definitely don't "have a need for speed." I read in several forums that most 250s tend to struggle at highway speeds. Is that true? I wouldn't mind owning a 400cc bike, but I've never seen one for sale here in the Bay Area. I guess I'm pretty boring. I basically want to get from point A to point B in a safe and efficient manner (and be able to park at point B LOL). I also would like to do some roadtrips (300+mi) eventually when I get a lot more experience under my belt. Therefore, I would prefer something with a more upright riding position that is relatively comfortable over a long distance. I'm very practical when it comes to my reasons for riding so I'm not trying to impress anyone with the bike that I get. First and foremost, I want something that is low maintenance and dependable. My preference would be for a standard, all around bike or maybe a dualsport, but I just don't see that many (at least in my $2000-$3000 price range).

Turboyoshi, in your reply, you mentioned cruisers. There are a few things that I'm curious about. Are they comfortable over longer distances? Does the position of the handlebars make your arms and hands fatigue quicker than on a standard? Do you think that it would be better to learn on a cruiser instead of a small sportbike like a Ninja 250? I know that cruisers have a lower center of gravity, but does the extra weight of the cruiser make it more difficult to handle while learning? Do you think that cruisers are more forgiving of newbie mistakes that inevitably happen? Lastly, do you think that the lower height of cruisers poses a greater risk for a beginner because they may not be as visible to cars as they would be if they were on a bike with a higher seat height? Conversely, would it be more difficult for the beginning rider to "read the road" and spot potential danger from the lower position? Hopefully these aren't stupid questions--just stuff that I've been wondering about.

Again, I would welcome any comments and/or advice from you or anyone else in the community.
 
#8 ·
Turboyoshi, in your reply, you mentioned cruisers. There are a few things that I'm curious about. Are they comfortable over longer distances? Does the position of the handlebars make your arms and hands fatigue quicker than on a standard? Do you think that it would be better to learn on a cruiser instead of a small sportbike like a Ninja 250? I know that cruisers have a lower center of gravity, but does the extra weight of the cruiser make it more difficult to handle while learning? Do you think that cruisers are more forgiving of newbie mistakes that inevitably happen? Lastly, do you think that the lower height of cruisers poses a greater risk for a beginner because they may not be as visible to cars as they would be if they were on a bike with a higher seat height? Conversely, would it be more difficult for the beginning rider to "read the road" and spot potential danger from the lower position? Hopefully these aren't stupid questions--just stuff that I've been wondering about.

Again, I would welcome any comments and/or advice from you or anyone else in the community.
I can see you're putting some thought into this, lots of good questions there.
Cruisers tend to have wider seats and a more comfortable seating position for longer rides, that's an important selling point for them. They're easy to learn on because in general, the throttle is a little more forgiving. You're gonna have a tough time doing a wheelie (accidentally of course) on a cruiser. One mistake beginners make is, when doing evasive or other panic maneuvers, their throttle hand twists down and you're suddenly heading into danger much faster than before. That happened to me once but I was able to recover easily enough. I was really glad I wasn't riding a ninja 600 like my brother had. If you stay very conscious of what your right hand is doing, then I don't think it'll matter what bike you ride, but cruisers are slower to respond and therefore easier to recover from those type of mistakes.

The extra weight gives you more stability on the highway, but is more intimidating during low speed maneuvers. This is one of those tradeoffs. If a 650 lb bike starts to fall over, you're not gonna stop it as easy as a 250 lb bike so you need to pay extra attention at slow speeds. It is a really good idea to spend extra time practicing low speed turns in an empty parking lot.

As far as being visible on the hwy, sport bikes are more brightly colored and that's probably their only advantage. You can easily counter that by wearing brighter colored gear, painting your bike, putting a flag on it (moving things attract attention easily) and so on. It's not a big enough issue for me to consider a sport bike. I doubt the extra couple inches of seat height makes you that much more noticeable to drivers. No matter what bike you're on, if they're texting, talking, jamming to the radio, they're not gonna notice you just cause you're sitting a few inches higher. Even if you're a gecko, the bike alone is big enough to be in their field of view, if they're paying any attention at all.

As a rider, yes you have somewhat better visibility on the road. To me, it's just not worth the extra discomfort I'd feel having to ride a bike that's too tall for me and too small in the seat. I maintain more following distance and ride on the edge of my lane to see the road.

The way I look at it, the danger of messing up at slow speed means your pretty bike gets a scratch on it, but the danger of messing up in a panic situation will hurt you much more. so, overall, I give cruisers an advantage to the new rider. Now a ninja 250, is easy enough to learn on for anyone. I wouldn't want to take it on the hwy but it would be a great around town or city bike.

Don't spend a lot of money on your first bike. Nothing you buy now will be your dream bike, you need lots more experience, both with bikes and on the road, before you're gonna know what qualities you really want in a bike. Get an inexpensive bike that's not beat up and get riding and build up good riding habits.
 
#7 ·
A 250 will get old quick on the highway and could be dangerous when folks start trying to run over you. You are way over thinking the cruiser situation. you are talking inches in height not feet.You are not sitting on the ground.Height matters for riding position and if short folks can touch the ground flat footed.You need to go to a dealer and sit on a few to see how they feel to you. A heavier bike will be harder to handle but it depends on how strong you are. The larger the motor the less forgiving it is.:cool:
 
#9 ·
AloRaptor, I saw from your bike ownership that you would have a good bit of knowledge about Touring bikes. Recently a 1990 Honda PC800I was put up for sale for $2000. It has 49K miles, no visible damage and clean title--being sold by second owner. I know that it's a much heavier bike, but will that make learning a lot harder? I'm 5'10, 200lbs and stronger than average (I go to the gym, but I'm no Ronnie Coleman). Everything that I've read indicates that it's smooth and easy to ride, bordering on boring. Even though it's a 800cc, I think that the top speed is only 105mph. Given that I'm so new, am I crazy to even consider buying this bike?

I would love to hear what you think.
 
#11 ·
Turbo made a lot of good points read it twice.:bluethum:To answer your last question first yea buying a 1990 would not be wise. If you want one later and don't mind doing the mechanicing go for it. Just how fast are you wanting to go?My M50 is rated to do 105MPH. I normally stay to the speed limit or pretty close but I have had it up to 95 indicated which is about 90 and had plenty of throttle left but that is plenty fast enough for me once in a blue moon. Right now you need to be riding not working on it. I own those old bikes because I don't put wrenches to them. I got a tire changer from Harbor Freight so I can do my own tires.:D We are close to the same size I'm 5'11" and wish I was 200:shock:. so the weight is not a problem and I would guess that you are stronger than me so you should have a problem with that size bike you just need to go a bit newer. Remember every car you see is trying to kill you and everybody selling you a bike is a liar. :lol4:
 
#19 ·
I remember when my son got into biking, he wanted to ride my cruisers, but no way. I actually got him a solid street / trail to learn on (he had dirt bikes when he was younger) so he was more familiar and didn't have to learn the road and the bike at the same time. The S/T's are easy handlers and forgiving, but you learn how to control a clutch quick. They are also tough, so if you drop it (mostly plastic), no biggy!

After a season, it was time to graduate to a real street bike, but he thanked me for that fist season suggestion and the lessons, because he felt more comfortable upgrading. He is 30 now, driving for 14yrs and has two HD's in his garage, and always had cruisers after that first season. But getting a beater for the first year was a good move.

Food for thought.
 
#21 ·
I just thought that I would give an update: Based on your advice, I've widened my search to include cruisers. Hopefully, this weekend I'll get to check out a 2003 Kawi Vulcan VN750 and a 2001 Suzuki VL800. Do you guys have any insights regarding the pros and cons of those two bikes? Because I will need to take the bike on the highway quite a bit, I'm trying to stay around the 500cc to 650cc range, but there simply aren't very many bikes to choose from--in my price range (up to $2500) and within my ability to travel via public transportation. Is this a bad/slow time of the year to be looking for a bike? I've been looking on Craigslist, Cycletrader, Ebay, Offerup, and Letgo. Do you guys have any suggestions of other places to look?

I actually went bike shopping today in the Southbay which has the greatest number of bike dealers and available bikes. Unfortunately it takes me 1 1/2 hours (one way) to get to the Southbay and then another half and hour to 45min waiting/riding on local buses in order to get to the dealer.

Today, I sat on the GS500F, but no test ride. I don't know if it's the same in other places, but out here, you have to essentially buy the bike (or put down a huge chunk of the price for more expensive bikes) to take a test ride regardless of whether it's a dealer or private party. I put a $500 deposit down on the GS500 just to keep the option open and not let it get away. In an effort to minimize any potential damage, what do you guys think of the idea of taking the fairings off of the GS500 and storing them while I'm building up my skill level and then putting them back on once I'm more comfortable with the bike? Just a thought...

Oh, also I checked out that Honda PC800. I actually got to ride that around in the parking lot a little bit. You guys were right!! WAY to heavy for my comfort level!
 
#22 ·
You can get a solid bike for $2500. Don't pay the asking price though. Do your research and talk 'em down a bit. I paid $2800 for a 2005 m50 in 2014, and that was still slightly high but it was my first bike and I was impatient to get riding. :)
He was asking $3200 for it and IIRC, book value was around $2750 to $3100. I look at pretty much every cruiser (except harley) in the 750 cc to the 1100 cc range.

If you go with the gs500, don't take the fairings off. It's just plastic, you're not getting a high end bike that needs to be babied to keep it's value, and you're not gonna get a great ROI when you sell/trade it. Plus, they're probably there to protect the bike as much as for looks so keep them on.

Any private seller should let you test ride the bike if you have cash in hand, if they won't, walk away because they're being jerks. At least around here, dealers, especially harley dealers, will have demo days once a month or so, when you can ride demo bikes of certain models. You're getting a used bike, there is no excuse for someone not letting you test it first.

Prices usually come down a little bit in the colder months, if you're in the north. If you're in an area where people can ride pretty much year round, prices won't fluctuate much.

I used cl for my first bike, prices there are a usually bit better than cycletrader, and ebay, but no matter where you look, it will take time and patience to get a good deal. Everyone prices their bikes optimistically. Keep your eye on the bikes you like, if they're still for sale 2-3 months later, you know the asking price is unreasonable and the seller will probably be more willing to negotiate with you. This research will also give you a better idea of what the market value of a bike really is. I look for a bike within $500 of what I can actually afford because most people usually leave that much wiggle room in their price. I stayed away from bikes older than 10 years because, if it needs work, parts are gonna be harder to find and you will pay a premium when you do find them.
 
#23 ·
Good advice above.

NEVER buy a used bike without someone getting a test ride; if not you, then a trusted friend with the necessary license and experience.

ALWAYS ask point blank if the bike has been wrecked and if it has any known problems.
Most people won't outright lie but they "forget" to mention stuff.

Don't buy a bike that has ANY know mechanical or electrical problems.
If the problem is easy to fix, it should have BEEN fixed already.
 
#24 ·
Haul your ass around the bike dealerships, sit on as many different types and makes as possible.

Yeah sports bikes are sexier but taller and someone like me (short legs) has trouble flat footing it so feel uncomfortable when stopping. But sports bikes are not as comfortable on longer rides, your weight seems to fall on your forearms and your back aches. Cruisers aren't so sexy and are slower, more an arm chair on two wheels, but soooo comfortable with a wider seat, you sit more upright with no weight on your arms, you sit behind the engine so the centre of gravity is lower and you can flat foot when you stop. I trained on a 250 cc cruiser when I started riding at 60. Now 8 years later I ride a mid-size cruiser, 800 cc, maybe 520 lbs/250 kg. The choice is yours, thats why you should tramp around the dealerships and sit on as many bikes as possible.

And DO take the MSF course (have I got my initials right?) you can't do too many training courses. Ride safe and have fun.
 
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