Good Beginner Motorcycles

those new sporties are nice and should fit you well. One of the best motors harley has.
harley has some new street bikes in the 500-750 cc range and under 7 g's brand new

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/street-500.html

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/street-750.html

I've always considered the Yamaha 650's a great starter bike for adults. Got enough power to be safe on freeways, very dependable, a very comfortable ride, and reasonably priced- especially used.

dannyboy602 said:

My first bike was a Ninja 650. I liked it cuz it was quiet but quick. I cut a small fortune off gas costs to and from work. I do miss it. It was light and fast.
Just bought a Suzuki 800 Boulevard. Its also light, important for me, and relatively quiet.
I got my motorcycle endorsement in PA where you can use their bikes, little 250 cruisers that if you fall over, and some guys did you won't get all banged up.
I guess my advice is to buy a used sport bike and ride it around for a year until you get used to handling it. If you outgrow it sell it on CL where there's always a market for starter bikes.
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So do you think someone with no riding experience should start out on a 600 or would they be better off starting on a Ninja 300 and then upgrading when they're comfortable with riding? I can get Ninjas all day long for 2-3000 on Craigslist

chuck estevez said:

those new sporties are nice and should fit you well. One of the best motors harley has.
harley has some new street bikes in the 500-750 cc range and under 7 g's brand new

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Yea a coworker has one parked right out front and another coworker had suggested I look into those as well.

I'm finding a lot of those Honda Rebels in my area for 1500-3000 and they look pretty cool as a bobber.

I still have my honda rebel 250. Great bike, but after a few years you want something much bigger. Harley has a smaller frame bike now out I've seen around. Not sure what it is, but it's a similar frame to the rebel 250 but packs a bit more cc's.

BDOGKush said:

So do you think someone with no riding experience should start out on a 600 or would they be better off starting on a Ninja 300 and then upgrading when they're comfortable with riding? I can get Ninjas all day long for 2-3000 on Craigslist



Yea a coworker has one parked right out front and another coworker had suggested I look into those as well.

I'm finding a lot of those Honda Rebels in my area for 1500-3000 and they look pretty cool as a bobber.

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A 600 in a sport or 750 in a street is fine for a starter. The most important factor is your mind set. You can go act silly and kill yourself on a 100 or you can ride smart and be safe on 1100.

There are two types of bike riders. Those that have wrecked and those that are going to wreck. Lol.

Be safe and don't ride outside your limits and ride any size bike you want.

My first bike was an 89 goldwing. Completely stripped down and redone. Nobody believed it was a goldwing. Only original parts were the engine and frame. 1100cc. Mother fucker would scoot but still comfy as hell. I rode quads and dirt bikes forever so I was comfortable with it. Honestly I would recommend a rebel or something similar as a first bike tho.

I'd get a cheap one I dropped my first bike a couple times really need to get a feel for dirt roads sand over tar is the worst I almost dumped hard and don't put your damn feet down. Once you get the hang of it you can ride anything just got to watch cars and trucks like a bastard one pushed me into the yellow line I could have reached out and smashed his fucking window.

bluntmassa1 said:

I'd get a cheap one I dropped my first bike a couple times really need to get a feel for dirt roads sand over tar is the worst I almost dumped hard and don't put your damn feet down. Once you get the hang of it you can ride anything just got to watch cars and trucks like a bastard one pushed me into the yellow line I could have reached out and smashed his fucking window.

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I had a guy in a BMW try running me off the road once..he got a 3/4" wrench smashed through the drivers window at around 65mph before he took off...my old shovel couldn't keep up with him..

HD sportster or a Buell for beginners....
rule #1: dont forget to put your feet down

I started with a 650 Ninja...didnt know anything...never been on a bike before...but bc it was so light I had no problem with it...in fact I outgrew it in a month and I think if you start with 250 you'll find you've outgrown it just as fast....don't regret what you buy..you'll beat the learning curve pretty quick.

dannyboy602 said:

I started with a 650 Ninja...didnt know anything...never been on a bike before...but bc it was so light I had no problem with it...in fact I outgrew it in a month and I think if you start with 250 you'll find you've outgrown it just as fast....don't regret what you buy..you'll beat the learning curve pretty quick.

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Very true. Once you figure it out it's on. You'll get tired of a small bike pretty quick. Like @whitebb2727 said any bike can be unsafe if you're an ass about it. Buy what you like and be safe.

BDOGKush said:

So I know there are a few motorcycle riders on RIU and I was hoping to get some opinions from experienced riders on what bikes are good for new riders.

I've seen a lot of people suggest starting out with something like the Ninja 300 and to hold off on the 600+cc bikes.
So what did you start out on and what would you suggest for someone with no riding experience?

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If you have no experience using a clutch & gear shifter then a starter bike can be any bike where you are flat footed at a stop ,powerplant size is irrelevant , having control over weight at a stop is , once the bikes moving weight & height are irrelevant .

I taught my wife to ride on a little kawasaki 400 cc & she was ready to move up within a week , next she got my 1974 1,000 cc XLCH iron head sporty with right foot shifter & she rode that for a few seasons then wanted to move up again , i let her ride my fathers 72 FX stroker he left me ,she only weighs 110 lbs & stands 5 ft 4 inches , she rode that big shovel head over 10 yrs until i got her an EVO .

I bought her a 93 Evoloution Fatboy new in 94 & that bike is 1,340 cc , she rode it stock the 1st yr tippy toed at a stop so i lowered it for her using the same kit that you'd use on your pop's softail ,i then put a saddle seat off a 93 softail on it for her lowering it even further , EVO softails can be lowered 7 full inches at the crotch with bolt on parts ,it was the 1st bike she had both feet on the ground with any knee bend , the more knee bend you have at a stop the more control you have over the weight but its not a must , she got by about 15 yrs with one foot planted .

Her little ass could ride my Buell Lightning X1 which is a 1,203 cc Harley crotch rocket , she rode the shit out of that big ass bike & its the fastest scooter we own , she has to one leg stop the X1 but could ride the shit out of it, she wanted a Buell of her own so i got her a Buell blast she lost interest in quick & went back to her fatboy .

The only bikes we own she has real problems with is the 1,550 cc Road King , its way too high & not set up for a small person so she cant handle the bike safely , she cant ride my Panhead either but she can hold it up no problem , the rocker clutch ( Foot clutch ) & tank shifter confuse the hell out of her but thats the only reason she cant ride it .

If you know how to drive a stick shift car then standard foot shift hand clutch bikes shouldnt be hard to learn to operate safely , my advice is this , if your after an HD dont go out & buy an 883 sporty ,everybody who buys an 883 allways upgrades to a big twin .

I ran down the evolution of my wifes upgrade in bikes to show you one thing , buy the bike you want to start with ,ive been riding my fathers panhead over 40 yrs since he bought his shovel in 72 & still love that old pan, if there is something about the bike you truly want thats not comfortable as is then change it , examples are foot pegs to floor boards , seat height , frame height ect , all easy mods .

This is what you dont want with a little bike .

Jimmyjonestoo said:

My first bike was an 89 goldwing. Completely stripped down and redone. Nobody believed it was a goldwing. Only original parts were the engine and frame. 1100cc. Mother fucker would scoot but still comfy as hell. I rode quads and dirt bikes forever so I was comfortable with it. Honestly I would recommend a rebel or something similar as a first bike tho.

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Ive been thinking seriuosly about buying a Goldwing Trike , since my wifes health wont allow her to ride her own bikes she likes to ride on the back of my panhead but i worry about her falling off .

With the Goldwing Trike theres arm rests , huge back rests & optional passenger seat belt , plus its got heat for both or just one rider & she'd like the heat vents alot .

Then i see the $50k price & sticker shock brings me back to my senses , probably end up mounting the side car on the panhead , my father ordered it in 53 & its never been put on the bike , the old pan will be a snail with the side car attached but it would give her someplace safe incase she has a seizure while were scooting round town .