this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2024
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Motorcycles
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Hey guys I'm just about saved up for a motorcycle course so I can get my license and just ran across this thread while browsing Everything, and thought this might be a good time to ask what a good bike would be to get as someone new to riding?
How tall/big are you? It makes a difference.
What style bike do you like?
I'm 6'2" 170 lbs. Tall and skinny. I think crotch rockets look cool, but so do (pardon my ignorance) those Harley type of bikes that go badoombadoombadoom.
The former looks fun while the latter looks more comfortible for going down the highway to another city, and getting stuck in traffic along the way.
I'm embarassingly ill informed but have always wanted to get on a bike, and thought it was funny that a community named Motorcycles doesn't seem to like Harley Davidson. (Most people I know who ride own Harleys, so I just kinda thought that's the kind you get)
So please, change my mind, inform me on what ever the hell you want me to know
If you want both fun and comfort, try a naked bike! You get fairly upright ergonomics, but sporty street performance. Good beginner bikes would include the Yamaha MT-03 and Kawasaki Z400.
If you like crotch rockets, a beginner sport bike is a great choice. They're even sportier but still not very uncomfortable like the 600s. The Yamaha R3 and Kawasaki Ninja 400, or one of the older Ninja EX500's are my beginner recommendations.
If you like the big cruiser V-twins (that's Harley's thing) instead, something like a Honda Shadow 750 or Suzuki Boulevard C50 gets you that experience without paying Harley prices.
Speaking of prices, I highly suggest you buy a used bike as your first, because you may drop it while getting the hang of things and you avoid most of the depreciation of a new bike. Then, you can see what kind of riding you really want to do and upgrade from there!
Hell yeah, love the info. So if I understand it correctly now, cruisers are the sons of anarchy kind of bikes, and sport bikes are the leaned forward racing looking ones, and naked bikes look to be somewhere in between?
That being said I think I'm really excited about the cruisers
Yeah, although naked bikes usually look a bit more like sportbikes (they were originally sportbikes without fairings, hence the term naked bike) than cruisers.
Honda also makes the Rebel cruiser bike, but they look less like a "sons of anarchy" kind of bike than the Shadow or the Fury, although I wouldn't recommend starting on a bike as big as the Fury.
I just searched all 3 of those and I see what you mean about the Rebel.
I can see myself enjoying any of those 3 bikes, this is awesome
A Rebel 300 or 500 makes a great beginner bike!
Also, don't be afraid to look at the used market for other metric cruiser bikes, they're plentiful and cheap. The 4 main companies are Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. Heck, I started on a metric cruiser, the Suzuki GZ250. It was kinda slow though, I'd recommend something with a bit more power than that.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles are more of a brand than a bike, so they're not known for being reliable or comfortable to ride compared to a lot of other bikes. That being said, they're perfectly fine if that's what you want, and you understand that you'll have a higher likelihood of something like a persistent oil leak, or annoying electrical issue.
The local motorcycle school by us uses Yamaha dual sport bikes for taller riders, they're pretty inexpensive compared to other bikes, they can take a beating, and they're pretty easy to buy and sell used.
I have a tall buddy that got a Honda NC700X as his first bike and he's been riding it for years on pretty long road trips. It has an automatic transmission and ABS brakes, so compared to a lot of bikes, it has a surprising amount of safety features.
Of course, get what you like. The old saying is it's better to buy a bike you'll grow out of, then to buy a bike you'll grow into.
Fucking fantastic summary! I appreciate your warning about Harleys, as I had no idea.
Sounds like Yamahas and Hondas are the two main go to's at least in this thread, and I've even seen a Yamaha that looks like a Harley before! Just wasn't sure if that was the way to go, as the owner described it as a cheaper version of one. Definitely don't want to pay more for just a brand, if the thing if gonna fall apart like that.