Recommend a good "starter" motorcycle

[zerogspacecow]

ive used to ride for work (merchandiser for pepsi and had to travel between stores) and i was out in rush hour traffic dodging crazy drivers that never knew i was there. there were plenty of times where gettin in the throttle to scoot out of the way of someone swerving into my lane with a vehicle thats too close and big to slow down enough if i hit the brakes the dodge them. so blipping hte gas to scoot up was only option. i think in a very heavy traffic situation where people are easy to lose you, having something with grunt to get up and go is a good thing...

Oh, I agree that sometimes accelerating is the best way to avoid a bad situation. But, what I'm saying is that virtually all modern motorcycles will have the power you need to do so. Even a Ninja 250 will do 0-60 in under 6 seconds, which is far better than the vast majority of cars on the road.

 

[clean4drxj]

DRZ400SM, you can find them for a reasonable price will be ALOT cheap on insurance that a GSXR, CBR, or ZX. I've been riding bikes for a Loooong time so I have my fair share of experience with them.

 

[clean4drxj]

ive used to ride for work (merchandiser for pepsi and had to travel between stores) and i was out in rush hour traffic dodging crazy drivers that never knew i was there. there were plenty of times where gettin in the throttle to scoot out of the way of someone swerving into my lane with a vehicle thats too close and big to slow down enough if i hit the brakes the dodge them. so blipping hte gas to scoot up was only option. i think in a very heavy traffic situation where people are easy to lose you, having something with grunt to get up and go is a good thing...

I agree with this as well!

 

[IllianaXJ]

Just make sure you get your endorsement and take the ABATE class.

I've been thinking about doing the same thing this summer.

 

[bmyohn]

Let's take the ABATE class together Byron lol There's one in Seymour I think

 

[IllianaXJ]

Haha yeah we could.

Debating on picking up a motorcycle for $1500 or my boss' wife's ZJ for $1500. Probably end up with the ZJ.

 

[bmyohn]

A ZJ would certainly be nice for the family. A bike would save some money on gas though

 

[96XJ9705]

ninja 500. I've had one for about 18 months now. I picked it up for about 1500 and have put new tires on it, and soon it will need a new chain/sprocket set. The trade off is 42 mpg if I red line it a lot, or 50mpg if I take it easy. I've never been able to take it easy for a full tank so I don't know for sure what mileage you can achieve. BTW, tires are about 85.00/rear 65.00 front for decent tires and you'll need a rear every 5-10k and a front about every 10-20k. I may have that backwards, but with city driving you won't wear them out as much. In a year of 3.50/gallon gas I figure I save about 700.00 on my gas versus the jeep. And I plan to sell it someday for half of what I paid and either get another one or just put it back into the jeep.

There are little v-twins 250cc that suzuki and yamaha make that'll go about 65mph tops and get 60-70mpg. But they are little. And cheap.

 

[zerogspacecow]

ninja 500. I've had one for about 18 months now. I picked it up for about 1500 and have put new tires on it, and soon it will need a new chain/sprocket set. The trade off is 42 mpg if I red line it a lot, or 50mpg if I take it easy. I've never been able to take it easy for a full tank so I don't know for sure what mileage you can achieve. BTW, tires are about 85.00/rear 65.00 front for decent tires and you'll need a rear every 5-10k and a front about every 10-20k. I may have that backwards, but with city driving you won't wear them out as much. In a year of 3.50/gallon gas I figure I save about 700.00 on my gas versus the jeep. And I plan to sell it someday for half of what I paid and either get another one or just put it back into the jeep.

There are little v-twins 250cc that suzuki and yamaha make that'll go about 65mph tops and get 60-70mpg. But they are little. And cheap.

You'll be able to sell it for a lot more than half what you paid. Generally, bikes like that kind of stop depreciating for the most part. Most people I know ending up selling it for almost what the paid for it.

 

[Andy in Pa.]

I had a 96 Suzuki Bandit 600 for my first bike, and I would recommend it to anyone. Its a very stable bike, and has "enough" power for a beginner. It has the "crotch-rocket" style, but sits you up a little better for easy commuting/cruising. I could ride it for long periods of time and not be uncomfortable at all. Look at the 96-02 year range. Should be cheap enough to be affordable, and there should be plenty out there as they were popular back then.