Motorcycle Guys?

[Skyblu]

Originally Posted by TFord

Hey I'm contemplating getting my first bike...but I don't have any experience with them. So I don't know what's user friendly (for noobs), reliable.

I'm a cruiser type, so I'd be wanting to get something like a new Harley Fat Bob, Wide Glide or M109 R2 in the future

I've found a few heavily modded Harley's (sportster) and one modded C50 SE Limited Edition that Im considering. Any advise is would be appreciatied, Like I said I'm thinking about it... or buying a shortblock.

Also is there a site like cardomain for motorcycles anywhere?

Do not buy a sportster, if you do you will be kicking yourself in a year after you get the hang of riding you will wish you had a bigger bike then you will have to try and sell it and probably take a loss. I am female 5' 2 and I got the fat boy right off, I had it lowered to fit me and it is perfect. I think you would be happy with either the Fat Bob,Fat Boy or the wide glide.

[masterofpuppets]

How tall are you? The Sportster is a great bike, I've owned 2 and loved them. If you're just starting out or been riding a while they're great. But, if you're really any taller then 5'11'' they aren't the best bikes unless you get forward controls put on.

Whatever you do, I advise doing an MSF course. I did the riders edge course that they offer at pretty much all harley dealers. Half of it is one big harley commercial, the other half the standard MSF class. Also did the advanced class which helped a lot since I was riding my big honking VROD at the time - really helped me with low speed handling.

This is my current ride:

[Moriartii]

I am a motorcycle guy, I ride a Zx-14 currently. I learned how to ride in 93 by taking a MSF course in order to get my tag to get on the Naval base. I have also taken it two more times, once with a friend and again when I needed to get my endorsement when I got the 14. I HIGHLY recommend the course.

Also if this is your first bike I would recommend a used one as you WILL drop it. Whether is be you put your foot down in oil and slip or you forget to take your disc lock off or you hit some gravel at low speed, you will drop it and it will suck. With a used one a drop will not hurt as bad financially or emotionally (since you learned how to ride right it will be a very low speed and stupid drop so you wont get hurt). Also do NOT get a sportster. A 883 is half a harley and a 1200 is just a little bit bigger than my lawn mower. Seriously these are very entry level bikes and while they have low frame heights you will outgrow them VERY quickly. This is strictly my opinion and based upon what I have seen.

I am more of a crotch rocket/hyper sport guy but the bikes I would suggest you look at are Honda. Also the Suzuki bandits are not bad, although this is more of a standard than a cruiser. Also the SV as mentioned are very good bikes. As your first bike I would recommend you do not get a Harley. The reason being is, whether new or used, Harley's are expensive bikes. You can find a nice used one at a reasonalbe price. However, remember the "gonna drop it" I mentioned earlier? Harley's are heavy and usually big along with the expensive piece........see where I am going? Get a nice used bike you can refine your skills on then get the beautiful Harley would be my suggestion.

Good luck and no matter what you decide, take the course and keep the rubber side down.

Edited to add, if you are looking for gear, a place out of Texas that I use mainly cause of their customer service is www.newenough.com. Also when you go for a helmet, look around on the net as it is usually cheaper than at the dealer. Finally when you decide on what you want or even what you like, join a forum. I belong to zx14.com as well as cbr1100xx.org. Much like this place they are a huge source of mechanical, upgrade and bs knowledge.
Cheers
K

[BlackSunsine]

I finally started riding in 04. I have Never ridden a real motorcycle, and was a little tentative. But, since I had ordered a 04 Road King, I was determined to learn.

I started by teaching my self how to ride, or at least how to get used to it.

After a few months (it was winter), I was able to ride on the road near cars.

Then I took a class - It was the BEST thing I did. They taught me the proper way to handle the bike, turns, accelerate, brake, etc.
And it dropped the insurance rate.

But get the bike you like, you can start a little smaller if you want, until you feel comfortable on a bigger scoot. But really, get what you want.

Have fun!!

[Russell James]

Another reason I like the big twin Harleys instead of the Sportsters - weight. On highway cruisers weight is your friend. Kind of just the opposite of how everyone wants to make Camaros as light as possible, a big fat heavy Harley is perfect for highway cruising. A lighter Sportster can be fun for bar hopping, but on the highway you get blown all over the place. Much more comfortable with the heft of a 700 lb cruiser with tons of torque, just whack the throttle and point it down the highway. On a lighter bike, you will have a death grip on the bars fighting the wind.

[GrnMchin]

Been riding 25 yrs mostly MX racing (for half that) have own several street bike mostly sport bike. Cruisers are a good way to go. They tend to turn better at slower speeds and can be more forgiving.. Yes you can learn on a sport bike, but the learning curve can be steeper. Suz, Hon, Yama, Kaw all build great cruisers and will not set you back a ton like a HD thats a plus for a first time bike, but if you want a HD buy a HD. I worked at a Suz-Kaw dealer for about 8 yrs and Suz makes a great bike. The M and C series had very little to no issues that I can think of and seeing that parts/service was the area I worked in we sold oil change stuff and accessories very few hard parts for the Suz cruisers. This is my opinion based of my years of experience in the industry.

[DESMO]

Lots of good advice here.

Without fail do the MSF courses.

You mentioned a modified bike as an option, just get it checked out by someone who you trust and knows their stuff. Poorly done powertrain mods will come back to haunt you, incorrect suspension mods can hurt you,or worse.

Have fun,be careful, enjoy the ride!!

[Banshee]

Never rode a bike before? I would buy something small and inexpensive first to practice on. A 650# Harley is something you DO NOT want to learn on. Buy a street legal 250-500 cc trail bike or cheap older 500-600 cc bike.

I have a Fat Boy and love it. I had a tough learning curve with a dresser as they are heavier in the nose and overall and even I at 6' 240 had issues at first.

[GrnMchin]

Originally Posted by Banshee

Never rode a bike before? I would buy something small and inexpensive first to practice on. A 650# Harley is something you DO NOT want to learn on. Buy a street legal 250-500 cc trail bike or cheap older 500-600 cc bike.

I have a Fat Boy and love it. I had a tough learning curve with a dresser as they are heavier in the nose and overall and even I at 6' 240 had issues at first.

+1
This is the best way to go for learning the basics.
In WA for a long time they limited your MC licence by cc. So you needed a 600 or better to be check off on all sizes with the exception of a three wheeled MC (changed a few years ago back to MC of any size) . Check OR regs not sure on what they require.

[BlackSunsine]

Just like the choices of motorcycles, the choices of opinions.

look forward to hearing what you choose and how well it goes.

It is a great time riding.

[TFord]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I've got every intention to take the motorcycle safety course, I think its money well spent! Yeah the only reasone I even was looking at the harley sportsters was because of how cheap they were going, but now I understand why. I never really cared for them, I've always liked (some of the) Dyna, Softail, and VRSC lines. I'm not trying to spend a lot on my first bike, like most of you said...it'll hit the ground at some point. These are the 3 bikes that have really caught my eye

2007 Suzuki Boulevard c50 se limited edition Cruiser

2001 Yamaha V-star 1100 custom Cruiser Motorcycle

1994 YAMAHA VIRAGO 1100

Based on looks I like the Suzuki the most...but I know the Yamaha's are great cruisers. Anything I should know about that model Boulevard?

[2ndgenz28]

Id just consider your final budget, your gonna wanna spend another $1000 +
on good accessories.

A good helmet can cost a $1000 easy, jacket, boots, gloves, chaps, 2nd helmet for a lady friend, cold weather gear, saddlebags to carry a jacket or run and get milk, saddlebag guards to keep the bags out of the wheel, ya might find the stock pipes not loud enough, or the ones on it to loud......

Just don't blow the whole budget on just the bike, the rest adds up quick.

Have you check insurence rates yet also?

Get some quick over the phone quotes.

[TFord]

Originally Posted by klatterblast

yamaha roadstar warrior is a great bike

I just found an 06 warrior for 6,000

[klatterblast]

Originally Posted by TFord

I just found an 06 warrior for 6,000

thats the year model i had you will love it, its bullet proof i mean very reliable and there are plenty of cool mods for it. they have the front end the same as the yamaha R1 sportbike so it handles very well and stops well and 100 ft lbs of torque is fun. check out the yamaha rswarrior forums they have done everything to these bikes you could learn alot about them just like this forum. heres a pic of warrior of the month also.
http://rswarrior.com/photos/terryeddy72/default.aspx