Yesterday I went to the Community College of RI to sign my son up for drivers ed. While there I noticed the registration form for getting a motorcycle license. In the past they've been booked as far out as 6 months. If I signed up now, I could take the class in September. I've wanted it for a longtime, and I'm going to go ahead and signup for it. Once I have the license, I'll start looking for an affordable starter bike. Something to get my feet wet, and get comfortable with on the road. Recommendations would be welcome for an affordable starter bike. Jason from RI
I've only had 2 bikes, and it was a LONG time ago. Not much help here, but there are usually bikes all over CL. Get something in at least the 500cc range, but that would depend on how big you are. First bike I ever rode was a Suzuki 400 3 cyl that was fast......seemed a little small, and I weighed about 50 lbs. less than now. Still have my license, but no bike. Lots of guys with bikes on here. I miss mine, except when I remember eating bugs.
My starter bike was a 87 honda shadow vt700 I think I paid about a grand for it and sold it 2 years later because I bought a welder and the misses wasn't happy! I've been wanting one again ever since. If you have 0 experience with motorcycles or dirt bikes or anything like that I'd say start in the 500cc range, some experience(even just a couple rides and feel comfortable) start in the 700cc range, as you will outgrow a500 pretty fast, my 700 was great and I might even go with that range again, it had plenty of get up and go when I wanted to rod on it but not so much that it would spin the tire out from underneath me. old ricers are cheap and great starters, I stay away from the Harleys because I don't need to spend that kind of money! Best of luck and be sure to pay attention to other drivers being as no-one sees you on a bike
Having ridden for close to 50 years now, my suggestion to you is start small and work up. Start around 500 to 650 cc. Insurance is cheaper and there is some resale once you start to move up. Decide what style of bike suits your taste. Try and stick with the jap metrics for ease of maintance and reliability. Above all, go and take a basic riders course to learn the ins and outs. Once your on the road always remember THAT EVERY CAGER IS OUT TO KILL YOU so drive defensively. Best of luck.
Size is 6' 2-1/2" weighing 290. I've ridden some dirt bikes when I was a kid. RI requires all people seeking a motorcycle license to take 8 hours of classroom time followed by two 4 hour riding sessions. Not sure if that is what you mean by basic riding course.
Yes, that is exactly what I was suggesting.................You and I are similar in size. I suggested the 650 as insurance, at least in Ontario, is costed based on CC's. You will have no trouble going into a bigger CC bike once you get started and comfortable.
Knowing that I'd go with a 700-1000cc bike, go to a dealership and take a ride on a couple different bikes and go from there
boettg33, what type of motorcycle are you wanting? Cruiser, sportbike, or a standard? Once you decide what you want, don't worry about looks, just get something that's mechanically sound. Personally I think the more beat up and scratched the better for a starter bike, because there's a good chance it'll get dropped somewhere. Could be at a stoplight, a parking lot, or even your garage (that's where I dropped mine first, I had been out riding for 6 hours, got home and pulled the bike in the garage and my legs were too tired and sore to hold up the weight of my bike once I let it lean over too far).
I don't want a sportbike like a Ninja. Probably start out with something basic. I like the idea of going to a local shop and testing out a few different bikes before settling on something.
Depending on the shop they may or may not let you ride them. Some are really picky and prefer that potential customers don't even sit on them. Look out for Demo Days when they'll let people ride them. I highly recommend just picking up something used off Craigslist though. My first bike was a Ninja 500 which is kind of in-between a sport bike and a standard. When I went to look at it I took a friend who was an experienced rider to look it over and test ride it for me since I wasn't comfortable enough riding a new-to-me bike, having only been on a motorcycle during the MSF course prior to that. After a year or riding it (and 1 drop and 1 minor crash) I sold it for $200 less than I bought it for and stepped up to a CBR600. I'm not very familiar with the non-sport bikes out there, but you should hit up some motorcycle forums. Most have a new rider or newb section where there will be lists of great bikes for new riders to research.
