Good First Bike, Planning Ahead...

 

Hey.  I am currently a HS grad who will be attending RIT very shortly,
like in a few days.  Truth be told, I won’t being bringing a
motorcycle up to Rochester, NY let alone my own car, but I was
interested now in what a good first bike would be.  

More precisely, what kind.  I would love a sportbike like anyone else.
 For the same reasons too, though there are plenty of non-sport bikes
that have come to really like too.  I want a bike that’s fairly fast,
peppy than anything else, and that I can have a lot of fun on.  I am
talking about new here, or close to new, not a 1995 Blah Blah Blah.  
I really like the Buell Ulysses that was recently announced (I assume
it was, haven’t check their site in a long time.)  Pretty much any
bike in Buell’s Lighting line is cool.  Cruisers like every Harley
they make except the V-Rod is boring to me.  

Just not sure if anyone could suggest a good bike that’s more
interesting than a cruiser but not a sportbike.  Things to keep in
mind, this will be mostly if not all road use, I would like it to be
comfortable and something good to start off on that I could keep
riding.  For instance, getting a 90’s bike, learning on it, selling it
and getting something else.  If you think that’s that path is a better
one to take, then by all means suggest away.  I’d probably be getting
this in 3-5 years, would be(crossing my fingers) more mature than I am
now, though I can safely say I am by far more mature than many of my
HS classmates.  Though we can all use some more maturing, in my age
bracket at the least.

Thanks,
Aaron

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We should start a new newsgroup --
alt.motorcycle.firstbike-suggestions.  8^)

I just have a few suggestions.

If you're not getting a bike for 3-5 years, in that time the whole
motorcycling climate will be different!  You have a lot of time to
learn!  Maybe too much time.

When you get to RIT, talk to people with bikes.  You might even hang
around where they park the bikes and strike up conversations.  Bikers
LOVE to talk about their bikes, and they all have opinions.  Ask to
sit on bikes to see if they're comfortable and if you can put your
feet flat on the ground on both sides (I do this when I talk to other
bikers.  It's amazing how different different bikes feel!)   Ask about
the things you plan to do--take long rides?  Good on the freeway?
Good in the rain?  Gravel parking lots?  What kind of gas mileage?
(This last one may be much more important in 3 years than it is
today!)  Browse magazines and ask people 'What do you think of blah
blah?'

Sportbikes, 'standards' and cruisers are all for different purposes,
but of course there is considerable overlap.  Real sportbikes are
really awesome machines these days, the two-wheeled equivalent of an
F-18.  But I find them really uncomfortable, especially for long days
in the saddle.  Cruisers are more about a more relaxed riding
style--so they're probably safer just because of the way people ride
them.  Standards are a good compromise, they do everything pretty
well.  These days they're called 'naked bikes', and they're probably
sportier than a sport bike of ten years ago.  Just about -any- bike is
faster than most cars.

The standard advice is not to get a shiny new bike as your first bike.
You're going to be  hard on your first bike.  Get an old beater and in
six months you can sell it to some other newbie for what you paid for
it.  In the meantime you'll have a hell of a lot of fun, you'll learn
a lot about riding and you'll know more about what you want, and you
can look forward to that -nice- bike, whether new or only less-used.
Take the MSF course by all means but remember there's no substitute
for experience, and only one way to get experience.

Buells are very cool bikes. I think they look strange, but that's just
me.  It's really because they didn't copy anyone but designed them
from the ground up, which is good.  People I know who have them love
them.  You could probably do worse.  I haven't seen the Ulysses but I
understand it's a dual-sport (i.e. for on/off road use).  Not a dirt
bike but a street bike that can go on the occasional dirt road.  For
some reason this category is extremely popular these days.  I suspect
most of these bikes hardly ever see dirt, just as most SUVs don't,
people just want them for their style.

Harleys are okay but just too %^&* expensive for my tastes.  You have
to really want a Harley.  I think most Harley owners aren't interested
in a -motorcycle- they want a -Harley-.  There are some very beautiful
Japanese equivalents these days that you really have to look twice to
see it's not a Harley, and they're about half the price.

If you think you're going to be more mature in 3-5 years than you are
now, you're probably more mature now than you realize. 8^)  When I was
your age I thought I was the most mature I'd ever be.  (And in
retrospect, I was right. 8^<   But that's just me. )

Anyway, best of luck to you.  Keep us informed!


On 25 Aug 2005 00:38:42 -0400, Future_Bound

 


Check out the cost of insurance for a sport bike before you buy.

cheers

bob

 

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.motorcycles.] On 2005-08-25,
Future_Bound penned:

If you want a comfortable bike that isn't a cruiser or a sportbike, I
suggest looking at used BMWs.  (Used just because they are cheaper
than new.)  They have neither the extreme forward position of the sport
bike nor the extreme laid-back position of the cruiser.  Mine is
supremely comfortable.  A lot of people who do distance riding choose
them.

--
monique
newbie rider
'96 bmw r1100r

 

"" wrote:
 > ["Followup-To:" header set to alt.motorcycles.] On 2005-08-25,
 > Future_Bound penned:
 > > Just not sure if anyone could suggest a good bike that’s
 > more
 > > interesting than a cruiser but not a sportbike.  Things to
 > keep in
 > > mind, this will be mostly if not all road use, I would like
 > it to be
 > > comfortable and something good to start off on that I could
 > keep
 > > riding.
 >
 > If you want a comfortable bike that isn't a cruiser or a
 > sportbike, I
 > suggest looking at used BMWs.  (Used just because they are
 > cheaper
 > than new.)  They have neither the extreme forward position of
 > the sport
 > bike nor the extreme laid-back position of the cruiser.  Mine
 > is
 > supremely comfortable.  A lot of people who do distance riding
 > choose
 > them.
 >
 > --
 > monique
 > newbie rider
 > '96 bmw r1100r

Thanks for all the advice.   :o  My uncle has a BMW cruiser, something
along the lines of a Honda goldwing, can’t remember the model.  No
complaints there, except when he went on this Iron Butt trip to Alaska
from NJ, felt like selling it there and flying home.  Had some
non-bike related prolbems.  He also had a Honda sportbike, once again
I can’t remember the model.  Complained it wasn’t comfortable, it
seemed at all.  Sold that thing fairly quickly.  We shall see. Like I
mentioned, I have plenty of time, so who knows.  My tastes and living
arrangements can change significantly by the time I go to buy one.
Only thing I hope is that I am still interested in bikes, though I
doubt that would happen.  Thanks, Aaron

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