What is the best motorcycle for a beginner?

Question

I weigh 150 pounds and I'm 5'9". I don't i'm not interested in racing. I just want a daily commuter

Answer 1

The Honda nighthawk has two drum brakes, the kawasaki has two disks. The others have 1 disk and 1 drum.  Kawasaki has the biggest tank in the class too.

Answer 2

The best way to start out riding a motorcycle is on a dirtbike. If you want to go right out on the street I wouldn't suggest anything less than 500cc, you may only be thinking about commuting now but anything less than a 500 isn't going to make it on the freeway. I have a GS500F Suzuki and its a good bike to start on. The Ninja EX500 has a little more kick but for commuting the GS500 is fine. Keep in mind also the Ninja is more of a lean over the tank kind of bike while the GS is more of a standard riding position. I'm 6-2 170 the bike is fine for just me but it starts to gag a little with passengers

Answer 3

There would be a hunded good answers.  Here is a nice website for helping you sort it out.

http://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/

Answer 4

a good used Honda like the Shadow 500cc would be great at the distance's you'll be traveling check cycletrader .com it is a good place to start looking

Answer 5

If you want something commuter wise I'd go with a Honda Rebel, Nightshadow, Suzuki M80, something like that.

If you want a more 'sport' styled bike, go for a Kawasaki Ninja 500, Suzuki GSX500F. (Mind you, NONE of these are R class sportbikes, GSX-R, CBR, R6, etc. Those are TERRIBLE beginner bikes)

Answer 6

if you guys  don't know the answer to these questions, you really are putting your life in other's hands.

If one rides a motorcycle, one doe's so because one has a need to ride a bike.

It's NOT about economy, or commuting...it's about that feeling that one gets riding a bike properly.

YOU should NOT get a motorcycle. You are NOT suited to it whatsoever!You're NOT a beginner, you're a  cager ON A BUDGET!

Answer 7

Not enough information.  Is your commute through a city at low speed?  Any high-speed highway mileage?  If you have to go 10 miles on the freeway, a 250 is not a good choice.  You'd want something at least 500cc.  Kawasaki Ninja is good.  Or Honda 599 Hornet or Yamaha YZF650 or Suzuki SV-650.  These aren't real sportbikes but 'sporty' and general purpose.  If it's mostly in town with only short stretches of freeway a Rebel or Ninja 250 is fine.

I wouldn't recommend going out and buying a shiny new bike.  Learn on an older bike, maybe one that already has a few scuffs and bruises, because it's a good bet you're going to be hard on your first bike until you get the hang of it.  After 6 months or a year you can sell it for about what you paid for it, and then you'll know better what you really want.

At 5'9" you shouldn't have a problem, but make sure you can sit on a bike with both feet flat on the ground.  Very important.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Visit some dealers,sit on some bikes and see what feels comfortable and you like the look of.

Answer 9

When everyone says "YOU MUST START ON 250!!!!" don't listen.  I'm not saying a 600cc sport bike is acceptable, but there are other bikes out there that are tame enough that you can learn on with patience and practice.  Ninja 500/Vulcan 500, GS500, SV650.  Just practice in parking lots where you have alot of room for error, and you'll come out ok.

Answer 10

Ok, contrary to what at least one other person has advised, do not get a bike that is bigger than 300cc. You will die. Or at least you will be really sorry when you wreck your bike. Honestly, you probably won't die.

Follow the advice of the other people recommending things like the Honda Rebel or stuff like that. Actually, the best motorcycle to get as a beginner is a scooter. They have several big advantages over other motorcycles, though they may not be as "cool" looking.

Benefits of scooters: first off, the smaller wheels give you better handling, which makes you a safer driver, and less likely to crash. Also, they normally don't require you to manually shift gears, so that's one less distraction, plus it makes driving a little more fun. You also can easily put your feet on the ground when you come to a stop (which is how every beginner learns the hard lesson that Everyone Crashes). Scooters are also a little lighter in weight, so that makes them easier to handle as well.

I started with a scooter, and then moved up through a few bikes and now have a 4cyl 750cc cruiser that is awesome. I am an extremely RARE biker in that I have NEVER dumped my bike or crashed. I believe it is because I started with 3 years of experience with that scooter. Also, even with my big bike now, I would prefer a scooter. They are just so much more convenient and fun! The only reason I have a big bike is because I need to go long long distances on the freeway at high speeds. As soon as I move back to a city, I am going to buy a little scooter again.

The disadvantage of scooters is that if they are too small of an engine they will not be allowed on the freeway, or if they are, they won't want to go too fast. Check the laws in your state. I think the usual cutoff point is 125cc. Buy one that has enough CCs to legally be allowed on the freeway.

One thing that people will tell you is that you should get a bike that is comfortable going fast on the freeway, but that is not true as a beginner. Don't go out and get a 500 or 600cc bike as your first bike... you really really need to start out small for so many reasons. Because ultimately you won't be truly comfortable on the freeway until you have at LEAST 1000cc 2cyl engine or 600cc @ 4 cylinders. But a bike that big really WILL kill a beginner. So do the wise thing and work your way up. Use the suggestions that people gave of smaller bikes. Less than 300cc.