Best bike for a Beginner

[stop4mallards]

hey guys I'm looking to buy my first bike. What do you reccommend? I'm looking for used around $5k. I've been looking at the honda shadows mainly. Are they a good used bike? Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks

[Redlantern]

I got a used shadow sitting in my dad's garage . Not looking to sell it because I'm waiting for my daughter to get old enough to ride it. Guess what I'm saying is I think it's a great beginners bike. Mine is an 86 500. Sits a little high for most folks but she's got long legs like her mama and the bike is really light. I think it'll be perfect for her. Just hope she doesn't outgrow it too quick and want my bike.

[machohorn]

Shadows are great bikes for beginners!, I would not go bigger then a 500cc to start with. You should be able to find one for about $2000.00 or less, ride it for a year and get some experience, if you dump it or take a spill ( and you will) it will not be too costly, Then sell it next spring for the same amount you paid for it. Always remember, There are only 2 kinds of bikers,, #1 Those that have been down, # Those that are going to go down. bUT AS LONG AS YOU RIDE DEFENSIVELY, CAREFULL ans Aware you will be fine, Going down is not the worse that can happen and if you are in control it will be very controled when you go down. Now trying to scare you away, just stating tyhe facts. Enjoy

[gunmunky]

My wife wanted to learn how to ride last year. So after she took the rider class and passed her test I ended up buying her a Suzuki Savage , the new models are labeled S40. It's a 650, single cylinder, air cooled bike. She finds it very easy to ride and I like the fact that it's easy to maintain. The best part of this bike is you can get the same year and mileage as some of the shadows and viragos for about half the price.

[Whoaru99]

Hard to go wrong with a Honda Nighhawk et al. for a starter bike.

[leech~~]

I would try and get something over a 250. If I remember right, if you take your test on a 250 or under, you have to take it again if you go to a bigger bike over a 250. Not sure if it is still that way, but that's what happened to me many years ago. I will never give up my bike lic, now until I die even if I quit riding for a while. It's a cheap fee to pay not to have to retest!

[Dave S]

I got my endorsement 22 years ago and finally purchased my first bike last year.

[leech~~]

I got my endorsement 22 years ago and finally purchased my first bike last year.

Geez LEP, that was a long 22 year plan!

[Dave S]

Yeah I know. It's almost embarassing.......Well, ok....IT IS EMBARASSING I always figured that some day I would have a bike, so I kept the endorsement.

[blakeb]

There is no better begginers bike than a BUELL BLAST, Hands down no contest, price used is a bargain, simple to work on should a problem occur, built in Wisconsin. great ergos, definatly a confidence boosting bike. Ohh yeah did i mention 65+ mpg

[CrappieAttitude]

Me personally wouldn't go with anything less than a 500cc. Shadows, nighthawks, magnas, would all be good choices My first bike I bought 15 years ago. I still ride it today. It is a 1985 Honda v65 Sabre. Although it was an 1100cc to start with, I have no regrets going with the bigger motor. I looked at nighhawks and really liked them, but I was looking to have a bike that I could grow into instead of thinking about selling it when I wanted something bigger. My dad was the one who convinced me on this.

Even though it is pushing 125 hp I have never been nervous thinking boy this is too much motorcycle for me. You will never regret having an extra boost of power when you may need it. You will in short time wish you had a little more gusto if you start too small. my 0.02.

CA

[Dave S]

Me personally wouldn't go with anything less than a 500cc. Shadows, nighthawks, magnas, would all be good choices My first bike I bought 15 years ago. I still ride it today. It is a 1985 Honda v65 Sabre. Although it was an 1100cc to start with, I have no regrets going with the bigger motor. I looked at nighhawks and really liked them, but I was looking to have a bike that I could grow into instead of thinking about selling it when I wanted something bigger. My dad was the one who convinced me on this.

Even though it is pushing 125 hp I have never been nervous thinking boy this is too much motorcycle for me. You will never regret having an extra boost of power when you may need it. You will in short time wish you had a little more gusto if you start too small. my 0.02.

CA

Just my 2 cents here, but I wouldn't recommend going with something over that kind of HP for a beginner bike. Unless of course the "beginner" has a good amount of motorsports experience. Whether it's dirt bikes or ATVs.

Granted my first bike is rated at 156 hp, but I have ridden other bikes over the years and have been around motorcycles (both dirt and street), ATVs and snowmobiles for 25+ years. For me it was a confidence level that played into my selection. With little or no experience, I would have opted for something in the 650 range just to get a less powerful feel for what I was getting into. Some may consider it a woman's bike, but that Suzuki Gladius (replaced the SV650) has some very nice ergonomics for a rider up to 5' 11" and 200 lbs.

[CrappieAttitude]

I agree with that comment. I have grown up around bikes and atv's so I probably did have knowledge and other experience that a true "beginner" may not have. My only point is that so many people get into too small of a bike as a beginner bike and find themselves in a few months wanting to go through the whole buying and selling phase again to upgrade. I personally was one who wanted to make a purchase that would last a while.

The most important thing is to get one that fits your frame physically. I have seen many people who are physically too small to ride a certain type of bike, or in some cases too large to be riding another type. If you are comfortable with the weight of the machine and you phycially fit the machine right go for it. Anything would give you more joy than nothing.

CA

[echo2010]

Husband and I are also looking at the shadows.

We looked at a Suzuki 900? i think and while it was comfortable , he felt every move I made.

We tried the 1100 shadow and it was much much better for him to drive if I was shifting around in my seat or something.

We are also new to riding but spent a lot of the summer on my Dads Harley 1800? Road King and it just seems like the bigger, the better if riding with a passenger

[slammer]

My wife started out with a Suzuki M50 (805 cc) and now rides a Victory Vegas. She had never rode a bike before and after 2 years on the Suzi, she wanted somthing bigger. She took the saftey course and it all came pretty natural to her. Everyone is different when it comes to handling a bike. You need to buy what fits you and what you feel comfortable on.

[vanhea20]

Another great starter bike is a Ninja 250. They are very easy to handle, can be picked up cheap, and have great resale value. I bought one for my wife last year for 2800 and sold it this year for 2700. Also the rule for getting an endorsement has changed. If you take your test on a 250 you can ride any size bike now. The reason I know this is because I took the MSF course on a 250, got my endorsement and then bought a Suzuki Savage. If I were you I wouldn't go with anything bigger than a 500/650 for your fist bike. If you buy a good starter bike you can ride it for roughly a year and then sell it the following with little to no loss on your investment. Good luck to you.

[leech~~]

hey guys I'm looking to buy my first bike. What do you reccommend? I'm looking for used around $5k. I've been looking at the honda shadows mainly. Are they a good used bike? Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks

There are also some of the newer Scooter type bikes that are 500cc or more that may work well for her. She wouldn't have to throw her leg over the top and they hit highway speeds. Yamaha makes a nice one now.

[Big A]

I , along with several others. Started out with a 750 Shadow Aero.

It is an incredible bike. Particularly for beginners. You can get very good used ones for around $4000 that already have lots of accessories.

Id recommend the Aero to anyone, anytime.

It sits low so its very comfortable for beginners and easy to balance. It has enough power to pull onto the highway with no worries, but not so much that you could panic and lose total control.

I rode it for a year and loved it. Only sold because I needed more power. So I switched up to a VTX1300

You just cant go wrong with a Honda. They are built to last and easy to ride.

[Dave S]

We had a Shadow in our group riding today. Awesome bike. Not sure if it was a 650 or 750. But the low seat height and manageable power make it a great bike for beginners.

[Jigging Bob]

I started out on a 1100 Vstar along with several of my buddies. Very nice bikes for your price range. I have a really nice one if your intersted?

[IceKing72]

Im 17 and the first motorcycle I ever rode was a 1998 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200. They are very easy to handle and have enough power when you want it. I got it for $4,000. It is reliable and sounds pretty good too.

[B.R.O.]

I

Id recommend the Aero to anyone, anytime.

You just cant go wrong with a Honda. They are built to last and easy to ride.

. Built to last, o .k. But anything mechanical has repairs needed at some point. And what then when you can't get parts or they are so hard to get they cost more than is worth it. A guy I know has a 10 year old Honda that had the shaft drive go out. The cost to fix for parts and labor are more than the bike is worth as the jap bikes drop in value fast and after 10 years is allmost nothing. A 20 year old h.d is still going for half Its retail price so the cost up front is more but when your ready to move up to a bigger bike you can usually get what you paid for it or at least close to it so they are actually cheaper to own. And parts are allways easy to get if needed and the bike will allways be worth fixing compared to junking because fix cost more than the bikes value. And the beginner ones are easy to drive too but sound way cooler with way more of a fun factor (which isn't what bikes are all about)

[IceKing72]

Very good point. Harleys depreciate very slowly. They might be a little more spendy, but they pay off when you want to sell it and you get almost what you paid for it.

[B.R.O.]

Im 17 and the first motorcycle I ever rode was a 1998 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200. They are very easy to handle and have enough power when you want it. I got it for $4,000. It is reliable and sounds pretty good too.

Iceking-- NICE Man, you must be the envy of all your bud's. I'm an old guy now (to you and my kids anyhow) in my 40's but if I had it to do over I would beg, borrow, or steal to get a Harley as soon as I could while I was still young and single. I cant remember how many times I've heard the little hotties saying "take me for a ride on your harley"...... no dissrespect to the others but I never heard "take me for a ride on your honda, shadow or Yamaha ,star etc" or even just "cruiser" or "bike" It had to be the look and sound of the Harley to be cool to them....Another BIG plus in the "fun factor" and probably explains why they cost so much more

[sparkyaber]

Iceking-- NICE Man, you must be the envy of all your bud's. I'm an old guy now (to you and my kids anyhow) in my 40's but if I had it to do over I would beg, borrow, or steal to get a Harley as soon as I could while I was still young and single. I cant remember how many times I've heard the little hotties saying "take me for a ride on your harley"...... no dissrespect to the others but I never heard "take me for a ride on your honda, shadow or Yamaha ,star etc" or even just "cruiser" or "bike" It had to be the look and sound of the Harley to be cool to them....Another BIG plus in the "fun factor" and probably explains why they cost so much more

Most non motorcycle riders call all cruisers harleys, not knowing the difference. I had an older guy (50's, maybe 60) pull up next to me and said "Sweet harley, where did you get that pipe?!!". I was on my warrior. Anyone who rides a scooter, buys a car, pair of jeans, sneakers, anything, just because of a name, is nuts, IMHO. Buy what you like and fits, not what others say is the best.