Motorcycle help

[Jack T.]

Occasional commute. Day rides just for fun.

Yeah, that changes things.

VFR, Concours, FJR. The Concours is pretty cheap now. If you want somebody to ride behind you, consider their comfort. . .else they won't want to ride behind you ;-)

 

[Cowboy2000]

250 is good size for running around town. I wouldn't mind having one just to go to work and back. I had a Suzuki Boulevard Touring 1400 cc bike last year. It was not the right bike for me. My legs were tad bit short for the bike. I had some scary moments when the bike was a complete stop. If I let the bike lean, it was all I could do to keep it from laying it down. I was safer when the bike was in motion than I was at a dead stop! I'm glad I sold it. Back to subject, I think 250 is perfect for an in-town bike.

 

[DaveG]

I would say start with a small used bike for a while and move up from there if it is something yo want to stick with.

 

[green_machine2]

I guess I'm not a fan of the 250. I got my wife one for a while. I rode it several times. but bike wasn't heavy enough. was unsafe on a windy day and going over railroad tracks. it was all over the place. we got rid of it. I told her if we get her another it will be a 600. and 600's and bigger have a shifter indicator(08' 250 dosnt not, 08' zx10 does.. but I don't know about newer 250's?)and having a shift indicater is also good for anyone riding.
and a Honda fury has a 26 or 27 inch seat height if I remember right. and comfy...

 

[bettingpython]

From a sportbike perspective 1000's are not fun to start on as a new rider, sure you only go as fast as you twist the throttle but a 1/8 of a turn of throttle on a 1000 produces a significantly different response than it does on a 600. With the 600's you can hamfist a throttle and not get spanked nearly as badly as you will with a 1000. Pulling the front wheel off the ground with my wife's 600 took a deliberate effort to do so, on my 954 the front end wanted to come up it was a conscious effort to keep it on the ground during with a "spirited" riding style. Her bike was actually more fun to ride I spent less time keeping it legal and more time enjoying the ride.

We sold our bikes but for a pricing example her 2006 CBR600F4i with 4200 miles in immaculate condition sold at full KBB retail for $4500, plus it has a more relaxed peg and bar geometry than the RR does. So if you decide to buy a 600 look for one of those would be my recommendation, also look at the FZ6 a more than capable machine for spirited riding but with the same more relaxed geometry that makes it a great all round bike.

The bike I miss the most is the 83 goldwing aspencade I used to own. I put over 100k miles on that bike which I bought used and never had a problem , unlike the current gold wings it was a good commuter, rode it daily for almost 3 years all year round. If you can find a good used GL1100 you might be really happy with that. The 1200's were OK but the 1500's were just not that great around town.

I can recommend listening to Garand's advice. I know Gary personally and know his riding history and he is more than qualified to offer great advice especially if you give truthful input about what you want to do.

Even at 41 years of age I have self control issues, whether it's a 250cc street legal dirt bike, a super motard, or a sport bike I have hooligan tendencies, and would find a way to get myself arrested on a 50cc moped. I miss having a street bike, but there are other things in life I want and paying $600 and $700 traffic tickets on a regular basis or going to jail because of my self control issues won't get me where I want to be. I know we are supposed to grow out of things like that as we get older but it just isn't happening for me.

 

[MLRyan]

Remember kids, every profesional rider started on a 250cc or smaller.

 

[Garand]

One of OSA own during the OKC Urban Assault (Dual sport ride) a few years ago.

These bikes are taking over, might as well jump on now :-)

 

[Phw]

I wouldn't consider anything less than a 500 or 650cc bike. It's always better to have more than you need. The larger cc bike is safer on the expressway. There are plenty choices on Craigslist. I would by a practice bike and ride for a few months and if everything works out you 'll have a better idea what suites you and you can buy the bike of your dreams. I did all of that in 2007. I'm glad I did not buy my dream bike first. I would needed another one.