Motorcycle for New Rider

[Angry Chicken]

Again.  Thanks very much to all the posters!

Hey mod...how about a sticky?!  Lots of good advice here.   

[rrocket]

Again.  Thanks very much to all the posters!

Hey mod...how about a sticky?!  Lots of good advice here.   

Done!

[No H2O]

Is there such a thing as a good, safe bet for a beginner rider?

There is. A single cylinder dual-purpose or dual-sport motorcycle.

They are easy to maintain, get great gas mileage, are cheap to insure and aren't as hot an item in the eyes of thieves.

A 350 cc will get you going comfortably at highway speeds. A 600 or 650 cc single can tour anywhere. They are great to learn on and the rider can also do some trail/dirt riding which is where they'll learn a lot more about riding than on the street.

The last thing you want is a fully faired sport bike for a beginner. Riders, even experienced ones drop them either in a parking lot or underway. Price out some of the plastic and ask yourself if you want to spend the money to replace the damaged items.

After a year or two, they can move onto something else if they wish.

[neil]

Late to the thread:  Sorry missed it.

My wife wanted to learn to ride back in '07.  Found an '06 Reflex



250 cc ABS.  80 mpg, cheap insurance and lots of underseat storage.  120km/hr.

No shifting, light and nimble. 

A bit underpowered:  Found an '07 Burgman 400 at salvage for $2200.



A few new parts, good as almost new

[rrocket]

^^COOL!!!

[ktm525]

Tried a Kawasaki KLR650 out in the woods last week. Seems the rider got into an area (down a steep hill)  that he couldn't get back out of. Rode it to the top for him. Heavy beast in the dirt (400 lbs + or felt like it). The bars turned very tight and the tires had little grip. Bad combo in the dirt as the front seemed very easy to wash out.

[TrackAddict]

I just picked up a cbr125 for my kid.   I know this bike isn't for everyone though.

[Angry Chicken]

How old's the kid?

[Apok]

Hey guys,

I'm planning on completing a safety course next month and getting my motorcycle license. I've been looking around at motorcycles, my only concern is I don't want something hugely powerful for my first bike but I'm pretty tall (about 6'4 and 220lbs). Triumph Bonneville's are hands down my favorite motorcycles, but there's no dealer here and I'm a bit concerned about reliability and parts.

So I'm thinking Dual-Sport since it would allow me to get to the cabin on weekends without too much fuss over the gravel roads (and give me a bit of fun on the logging roads). My only issue is with the size of the bike; what would be a good size to start out on?

[rrocket]

You're a big dude.  Hmmmm....maybe a Kawasaki KLR650?

[vdk]

Hey guys,

I'm planning on completing a safety course next month and getting my motorcycle license. I've been looking around at motorcycles, my only concern is I don't want something hugely powerful for my first bike but I'm pretty tall (about 6'4 and 220lbs). Triumph Bonneville's are hands down my favorite motorcycles, but there's no dealer here and I'm a bit concerned about reliability and parts.

So I'm thinking Dual-Sport since it would allow me to get to the cabin on weekends without too much fuss over the gravel roads (and give me a bit of fun on the logging roads). My only issue is with the size of the bike; what would be a good size to start out on?

How old are you? Insurance might be a problem.

[Guy]

I second the suggestion for a KLR 650. Good bike with a great range thank to the 25 litre tank. Quite rare these days.

[blur911]

I second the suggestion for a KLR 650. Good bike with a great range thank to the 25 litre tank. Quite rare these days.

Yup, very practical bike. Bigger tank is nice too, range on my DRZ is only about 200km.

[safristi]

 200KM....NUMB BUM sets in sooner........................didn't we hash out this thread idea a few weeks back..............!!!!!    maybe i'm slightly OFF-ROAD here...well here's MUD IN YER EYE nonetheless.............


 the lil Honda 125 with all it's perks woild be an ideal starting point till you find your FEET.....maybe that will be enuf.....maybe NOT...and U can progress UP the CHAIN/BELT/AUTO
  eroticism that is BIKING.....

[No H2O]

200KM....NUMB BUM sets in sooner...

200 Kms...numb bum? What kind of toy are you riding?

Cripes, I don't stop till its time to start looking for a gas station at the 500 km mark. 

[blur911]

200KM....NUMB BUM sets in sooner...

200 Kms...numb bum? What kind of toy are you riding?

Cripes, I don't stop till its time to start looking for a gas station at the 500 km mark. 

45 minutes on a  DRZ and you're looking for excuses to stop and get blood flow back to your butt.

[No H2O]

45 minutes on a  DRZ and you're looking for excuses to stop and get blood flow back to your butt.

I know.

I drove a mid 80s Yamaha XT 350 all the way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend the EAA annual fly-in convention. 1000 miles in two days on an oak plank for a seat; it might as well have been. I almost turned back after the first day. And then while at the EAA, it took a few days to walk normally again.

The following two years, I did that in a day on my BMW and never looked back.

[Apok]

Alright, I just finished my safety course, so it's time to go bike shopping.

I drove a CBR125R and absolutely hated it, the riding position just did not work. I was also on an old Kawasaki 250LTD and liked it except for the bars being a bit to swept back. The TW200's they had I loved, and I'd buy one in a heartbeat except they seem fairly rare.

The only dual purposes I would be able to afford would be something like the DR200, XT225 etc. I've seen alot of reasonably priced late 80's/ early 90's standard bikes like Honda Shadow's and Magna's, Suzuki Temptor's, etc. What's the parts availability on bikes like this, or do they ever really break down?

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Alright, I just finished my safety course, so it's time to go bike shopping.

I drove a CBR125R and absolutely hated it, the riding position just did not work. I was also on an old Kawasaki 250LTD and liked it except for the bars being a bit to swept back. The TW200's they had I loved, and I'd buy one in a heartbeat except they seem fairly rare.

The only dual purposes I would be able to afford would be something like the DR200, XT225 etc. I've seen alot of reasonably priced late 80's/ early 90's standard bikes like Honda Shadow's and Magna's, Suzuki Temptor's, etc. What's the parts availability on bikes like this, or do they ever really break down?

Everything breaks down given enough time. 20-30 year old bikes can be a challenge depending on what kind of life they've lead.

Electrical issues and corrosion are usually the biggest problems, but some bikes, like the V4 Hondas, had design flaws that were only addressed in later versions. Then you get into the regular wear items like chains, sprockets, fork seals, swing arm bushings, steering head bearings, cush drives etc.  Old bikes get neglected and all these little parts can really add up. I wouldn't recommend getting a bike that old unless you knew your way around a shop manual and a toolbox or, at the very least, had a lot of patience and a willingness to learn.

 As far as parts, it's the same as everything else, the more popular the bike, the better chance of finding parts. Parts for a CB750 aren't usually a real problem, but I've had to send away as far as Australia to get parts for my (now gone) 1975 Suzuki GT550, and it wasn’t really a rare bike, just few survivors.

As a noob, I’m guessing you’d be more interested in spending time on the road than in the garage, so I’d recommend getting a bike in the best condition possible. I think your prospects would be better too if you looked in the Maritimes. You should be able to find a DRZ400 or 350 for reasonable bucks.

[PlanB]

To the OP,

As someone who has owned and maintained my own bikes since I was a teenager, I can say without a doubt that the single best thing you can do for your daughter is to get her into a reputable rider safety training course in your(her) area.  This is what I tell all of my friends who are now on the bandwagon 'bike' buying stage of their lives.  I don't know how they never learned about bikes by being around me and my house because that is ALL I ever was into and talked about when I was younger but now when they ask me, I'll tell them to take the couse and then we can talk:).   

Enroll your daughter into a rider safety course - it is the best thing you can do for her (and for your own peace of mind too).  Many courses where I live will supply the bikes and allow you to use them for the road portion of the drivers test also.  This way, your daughter can sample some different bikes (the companies where I live all offer a variety of bikes for their students to learn on) before she invests into one.

Good luck to you and your daughter and ride safely.