I posted a motorcycle forum about 6-7 months ago to talk about a getting some sort of bike. Well ultimately I decided on a Vespa GTV 250cc (Click to see). Now that was a great bike/scooter to start on it helped me figure what its like to be on a bike although I was very comfortable with it already.

Now about 3 months ago that Vespa got stolen.... I know completely lame but whatever I got a solid insurance check out of it to pay off the loan and all that. Ended up about 200 dollars over breaking even which was nice. I did get the money back. I am now looking into motorcycles again. This time however I think I think I will go with a real motorcycle(as in not a scooter.)

I am thinking about a Ducati Sport Classic GT1000 (Click if you wanna see). Has anyone riden this bike or maybe have some pointers for searching for a bike? The other bike I was looking at was the Triumph Bonneville (Click if you wanna see.) I like European things (as I'm sure you can figure out considering I own a Mini)

Any tips would be really great. Thanks so much!

 

There is a huge difference between a automatic 250cc scooter and a real motorcycle with 1000cc and manual shift.

If you don't have significant seat time on a real motorcycle with manual transmission, I suggest you buy a used beater of a smaller displacement. The reasons are several. You won't be as upset with yourself if you drop it, ding it, or scratch up the chrome. If you don't already have your endorsement, a smaller displacement bike will be easier to handle the endorsement course. With a 1000cc motor in a light weight bike, you can get yourself in a jam very fast should you have little experience.

Consider a motorcycle safety foundation course.


'05 Harley-Davidson Road King (FLHR)

 

Yes, definitely consider a used bike first.

Any two wheeled vehicle with a motor can be dangerous. More power generally equals more speed (available) and more potential for more trouble. Do you see a pattern here?

There are lots of mid-sized motorcycles for sale out there, especially with the recession. People are selling stuff. I would postpone my desire for the exact bike I want and buy something smaller and cheaper to learn on.

You seem to be looking at 'standards.' Although not a small bike, a Honda Nighthawk 750 could be a decent bike to cut your teeth on. Or better yet, a Nighthawk 250. There's lots of them around, they're both easy to ride, and they're not terribly expensive. I know there are other possibilities, but these just popped into my head.

 

I hear both of you loud and clear on this. I will for sure be taking the endorsement course. I wouldn't think of getting on a real motorcycle without it. Now that you are saying these things it does kinda make me wanna kick myself in the head and say what the hell were you thinking hot shot? mr. 1000cc. I do still however feel like I could handle that triumph. Sitting on that bike I felt extremely comfortable.

The sales person was telling me that it has a very gradual start and isn't really made for highway driving. I wouldnt ever want to go on the highway to be honest. So we shall see. The triumph is most def. cheaper too.

 

Get a used low priced bike, so when you dump it (and it's not IF you will drop the bike, it's WHEN) you are not an emotional "wreck." Assuming you escape injury, damaging a new, expensive bike will bug you for a long time.

It's also good to go from a scooter to a small CC bike, say about 600 CC or thereabouts. Like others said, there is a big difference between a scooter and even a small motorcycle. And there's an even bigger difference between the small CC bikes (500 to 600) and the big bikes, 1000 and above.

I have had bikes and scooters all my life, so take if from me, don't get a 1000 cc bike, especially new. The learning curve would be daunting.

You can look at my bikes and scooters on the below page. Click any of the pics to see movies and sound files I have made.

The Ducati that says "Max Racing" is for sale. I have not tried to sell it, but I plan to. It has 16,900 miles on it, has a low seat height and is easy to ride. You might want to consider it.

http://www.heartinsanfrancisco.com/bikestuff.htm

And remember, you can always move up on a bike, simply sell the smaller one, get a bigger model. If you get the small bike at a good price you can ride it for a year or two then get most of your money back.

 

Go to a MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation Course) and learn to ride properly (countersteering, evasive maneuvers, scanning, etc.) They will train you on a 450cc, and then you'll be ready to ride any size bike you want if you have decent coordination. I learned to ride on a Virago 1100 before I moved on to heavy iron (Wideglide, UltraClassic, etc.) My wife learned on a Rebel 600 before she moved to a 900 Triumph Thunderbird. Her Thunderbird is so top heavy, that it is more challenging to ride than the Harleys weighing 150-250 lbs more. I think the bonneville is quite top heavy as well. For some cool euro-rides, look at the Guzzis.

 

Definitely do the MSF course. Then, If you can talk yourself out of buying a "new" bike I would suggest a used Suzuki SV 650...one of the best all round bikes for the price, good handling, has good power 'but not to much" great bike for confidence building!
I think you also need to ask yourself how you will be using it. Freeway/ Commuting? Twisties/Canyon carving? or just around town?

I know how hard it is to talk yourself out of buying "new"(and is totally understandable) So with that being said, out of the two you listed I would suggest the Bonnie.

 

A used SV 650 is a great bit of advice.

Also see what you can rent.

I am in CA and just about any thing is avaliable as a rental.
Sport bikes, dual sports, ducati, HD

you need a licence but they can insure


I get asked the "whats best" almost weekly.

Where, how, are you going to ride make a big difference on whats "best"
Who are you going to ride with make a big bart of the decision as well.

 

That other post reminds me, IMHO you should NOT ride with a passenger until you have lots of experience riding. You have to be disciplined and say NO to anyone who wants a ride. And you have to swallow your pride and tell them why you can't. You don't have the experience.

It takes years to get good enough to where you can take passengers. A passenger on a motorcycle is a lot more dangerous than on a scooter. The entire bike physics changes when a passenger is on the back. And if the passenger is inexperienced being a passenger, that's an accident looking for a place to happen.

Get a single seat bike, that way you can tell people there is no seating for a passenger, so tough luck. That's a good way to save face.

Sidenote: That rental idea is not bad, if they have rentals in your area. But renting does not give you enough ride time to figure out if you like a particular bike.

You have to decide if you want a road bike, sport bike or super bike. It's really a matter of how you want to sit, upright or hunched over. I have seen many a bike for sale where the rider could not handle the superbike position. And I bought an R1 (pictured on my page) that someone rode for a few miles but it scared the hell out of him, so he covered it up and listed it for sale.

Take your time. They make bikes of all shapes, size and power in any model or style you want. For example, Kawasaki makes a 250 cc sport bike that sells for $4,000 new. That's a cool bike for a beginner. And you can get it with a solo seat!

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/product-details-features.aspx?autoplay=false&id=359&scid=6

 

I will for sure be driving around town maybe a commute during the summer but never on the highway.

I have a girlfriend and have ridden the scooter with her quite a few times. However it sounds like it may be different on a motorcycle vs a scooter. Not into driving like a mad man especially on something with no seat belts. I would drive the speed limit and conservatively. I wish there were rentals here I live in Charlotte NC and honestly there isnt much stuff like that here. It's like Charlotte is trying to be a real city but it just cant quite get there

Prides not an issue here. So I dont have a problem saying no. I am for sure not looking at super bikes though I know I would do something really stupid if I had one of those.

 

You have to be aware, even a smaller displacement bike will go fast enough to get you into real trouble, and you don't have to be riding over 35 mph to get totaled by some dumba$$ in a car who just didn't see you.......

I had a 550 Yamadog and I lost it on a gravel covered curve only going about 20 mph, went down an embankment and wound up in a mess of boulders the size of VW's - the bike got torn up good, me not so much - because I was wearing - for the very first time - a new helmet!

Lessons learned............

You can get hurt even going slow.

A small displacement bike will still go very fast, a large displacement bike can go very, very fast.........very quickly. Both can easily kill you.......

Take proper instruction..........

Wear the proper clothes and safety equipment, like a good helmet.

Pay attention!

And, have fun........

 

Central Piedmont comm college offeres a driver class for motorcycles (MIC 8785: Wkdy Motorcycle: Riding/Skl). It even counts as your skills portion of the NC motorcycle drivers test.

 

I learned to ride on a 1965 Vespa with a 180cc engine. I had used it for my motorcycle endorsement test. I could have bought a nice sport bike for the money I spent on that Vespa, however, I chose style over performance. I'd have ridden like a madman and killed myself. Besides, a sport bike would not have had less than 1% annual depretiation.

 

Lots of good advice here, from some obviously experienced riders - - take heed, they know what they're talking about!

Just a short story - -

I had a Suzuki X6 "Hustler" long ago when I was in high school. 250cc 2-stroke with a 6-speed gearbox. These bikes were famous back in the late '60s, very fast race winners. It made that classic 2-stroke "ring ding ding ding" noise when it was revved up, smoke pouring from the exhaust (what pollution controls?). The 6 speeds and extremely light weight made it accelerate very fast.

Anyway, I pictured myself as another Mike Hailwood, with my little Japanese 250cc crotch rocket. A buddy of mine had bought a Harley 900cc Sportster and we used to ride together sometimes. He wanted to trade rides one day, I was more than willing to take his big "cruiser" and let him have my little screamer for the day.

Well that Harley scared the sh*t outta me! It was like learning to ride all over. It weighed probably 3X what my bike did, it always felt like it was going to fall over. The seat was much higher off the ground. Cornering felt really awkward. And it had only a kickstart, no electric starter. Trying to kick over 900cc's while balancing that huge machine was torture. I had to lean it up against a tree and jump on the kickstarter with both feet at one point to start it. Riding it through traffic was terrifying, I just couldn't seem to find that balance point while going slowly (lots of weaving).

I was glad to give it back to him.

The point is that I loved my small lightweight bike, and even though I was an experienced rider, that didn't prepare me for the different riding characteristics of a much bigger more powerful machine.

Get a slightly used bike in the 600cc class. One that has a bit of an upright riding position - the hunched over head-down butt-in-the-air position looks cool, but is a pain to live with day-to-day. Learn to ride that well, and if you want to move up to something bigger after a while, go for it. But you just might prefer the smaller, lighter machines like I did.


ps. love that Ducati you linked to in your post - very '70s - early '80s vibe, just my style (drool, drool). Oh well, back to reality....

 

I just thought of what I believe is a perfect beginner bike, and one you can keep after you pass beyond beginnership - a Kawasaki EX500, also known as the 500 Ninja. Vertical twin with good power, relatively upright, racy good looks, light, narrow, good handling, plenty of them out there, and relatively cheap. One caveat, though, is that many of them have been raced, as they have their own class. As with any bike, try to get as stock an example as you can, and the newest one you can afford.

 

If you're mechanically inclined and like the european look, you should think about a '70's Honda vertical twin and build a Cafe Racer. They are a dime a dozen and damn near bulletproof. This is my '72 CL175 cafe I've been building the last few years. 75 MPH and a ton of fun.




It doesn't leak oil....it marks it's spot

 

Well there's all kinds of info in here, can get confusing, eh?

Probably the best route is to get a USED sport bike, under 500 CC, that is from someone who is moving up to the next level.

These are commonly called "beginner bikes" because they are 1) light; 2) low power; 3) easy to operate; 4) easy to ride; 5) are forgiving WHEN you make mistakes; 6) don't make you cry when you dump it; and 7) hold their value when it's time to move to something bigger and faster.

The type of bikes I am talking about have a low seat height and a center of gravity that keeps the bike upright at red traffic lights and on inclines.

They have trouble cruising at anything above 80 MPH and are comfortable at 70 MPH. Low power = safe riding.

They shift easy, you don't have to work out your left hand so to operate the clutch.

Because of power and suspension limitations they are not good for two people. This deters you from taking passengers along for a ride.

As the other member posted, keep in mind that no two bikes are the same. Even a base Harley (883 CC Sportster Hugger) will be clunkier and heavier than a base model Yamaha or Honda.

Keep this in mind when moving up to a bigger bike, the change will be as dramatic as going from a scooter to a motorcycle, that is, where you have to learn to shift, etc.

Scooters are great in that you can concentrate on traffic, etc. A bike adds a significant new dimension, shifting, balance, braking, etc.

Bottom line: I'd look for a 2005 forward Yamaha or Honda with less than 7,000 miles, that appears to have been little used. There are many of those bikes around. I would not pay more than about $3,500 for the bike.

Use it for two years, then sell it for $3,000!

If there's a Craig's List near you, that's a great source for bikes. Be careful though. Some people dump their bikes, buff them up and then list on Craig's without telling you the case, for example, cracked in the spill.

Here is a sample of what is on Craig's. Use their search parameters, e.g., "list bikes for sale $2500, max $3500."

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/m...=3500&hasPic=1

And here is a Ninja that is the kind of bike you should be looking at, IMHO:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/mcy/1034207151.html

 

Well, got anything to tell us? Did you decide on what bike to get? If so give us an update and be sure to post pics !

 

Gorgeous bike! I have a '75 CB250 that i'm planning on turning into a rat cafe bike this year sometime.

 

As long as we're showing off our cool old bikes, here's my own home-grown buuby.

 

duuuuuuuuude thats so tuff.

 

As a very content owner of a Triumph Scrambler (Bonnevile w/ Steve McQueen pretensions), I can recommend the New Triumph Bonneville Forum
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mai...eville%2Fstart
I think a used Bonnie might be just the ticket. They are very reliable, and as they generally appeal to a more "mature" demographic, they are usually very well maintained. At 59bhp, they won't hand you the thrills a Ducati 1000 will, but then...

 

Thanks. She always seems to be a work in progress, but I love 'er nonetheless.

 

Here was mine...





I sold it last December.

 

Thanks for all the responses regarding the bike!! Here's what I have decided.....

I will not be getting a bike of any sort for a while. I decided to save the money I would buy a bike with and go ahead and pay off my car. Th less payments I have right now the better with the economy the way it is. However, I have also decided to wait till I am older to buy a real motorcycle. After I pay off the car may end up getting the same scooter I had previously. I loved it and I didn't have enough time with it to say I have enough experience to get a bigger, faster, 2 wheeled machine. I feel like this is the responsible thing to do rather than making an impulse decision to buy a beautiful bike that I don't have the skills to ride yet.

By the way,

@ erickvonzipper Sweet looking bike not so much my style but man I can appreciate it.

@nabeshin thats one stylish scooter! Why'd you sell it?