Which motorcycle should I buy?

Question

I am 6'3", age 28, weigh 185 pounds and have years experience in riding off-road motorcycles but have NO street bike experience. I am looking for a bike that is comfortable enough to commute and go on weekend road trips and want something that it fun to ride, looks good and most importantly fits me. Right now I am looking at a fz1, fz6, GSXR-F 650, Boulevard c50, and the Vulcan 900. Any help would be great!

Answer 1

I recommend the Honda Shadow VLX - 600 ccs and it's got a lot of get-up-and-go.  The price is very affordable, and the gas mileage is around 60mpg, so it won't hurt your budget.  There are also a lot of add-ons and mods you can do to these bikes, so you can make it uniquely yours.

Here's a more detailed review:

http://tinyurl.com/5n9g5w

Good luck!

Answer 2

your looking at crotch rokets and cruisers, 2 diff markets, While both are fun, crotch rocket will get old and isnt good for long distance. The suzuki is a good bike, so is the 1300 yamaha, raider and for your size and weight, the roadstar with floor boards.

Answer 3

Bandit 600 ... very comftable bike...very good for long ride and can keep up with most things on the bends..... Not stupidly powerful but its got some good pace of you give it a fistful!

Bad points

Top heavy and clunky gear box

buy one...you wont regret it!  

Answer 4

FZ 1 - lots of power and comfortable to ride.

Answer 5

it sounds like you have the right attitude by considering sport bikes and cruisers,  you're not trying to use the bike to inflate a tiny ego like many people who would only ever want to ride either a cruiser or a sport bike exclusively.  I think the best bike for commuting is a dual-sport, which would feel familiar to you coming from dirt bikes, but make feel piggish and heavy.  Bikes like KLR650, DR650, DL650 vstrom, kawasaki versys, ninja 650 with some tweaks, buell ulysses, honda xr650l, bmw gs, drz400 all fit in this category.  I wouldn't want to do a weekend trip on a drz400 though.  and if you happen to come across a little single track path in the middle of a weekend ride, you can go exploring.  let others polish chrome, actually riding is where it is at.

Answer 6

I'm also 6'3" and I ride a honda shadow 1100C.  In fact, I just got back from a 400 mile trip and feel like a million dollars.

Pretty much everything you need to know about a bike will come from sitting on it.  If a dealer won't straddle the front tire for you to test out the placement of the controls, just go somewhere else.  That is exactly how I found out that my bike was a perfect fit.  It showed me that it had a comfortable seat, the handlebars were comfortably placed, the rear break was accessible without any problems, the riding position was great, etc.

The only thing I wish I had kept in mind was range of the bike... aka how far it can go before I need to stop for fuel.  I only have a 3 gal tank with .5 gal reserve, so I need to stop about every 100 miles unless I want to flip to reserve.  When your biking through rural areas and they have signs like "next exit 49 miles" it makes a 100 mile range feel like nothing.

Also consider storage.  If you plan on riding to weekend getaways, make sure you have a plan for where you are going to put "stuff."  Otherwise you are going to be like me and bungee cord a big ol bag to the sissy bar.  

If you have a good dealership around they will normally answer all these concerns.  If they don't just come right out and ask you what you want a bike for, then you can tell them and they normally can narrow out a few bikes and focus your search.

Good luck!

Answer 7

2008 Yamaha YZF R1!!! I've owned 7 different bikes and this one is by far my all time favorite!!! You will not regret

Answer 8

As somebody who spent time on a Honda XR650R when they were young and dumb(er), I can tell you for certain that transitioning right to a sportbike is going to feel odd to say the least, and while no doubt you're probably more responsible than any kid asking this question (and more literate apparently), offroad skills do not transition very well to sportbike riding.

If I many, Suzuki makes an excellent street-oriented dualsport, the DL650 V-Strom. Its geared toward on-road riding but capable off it, has plenty of low and midrange grunt, and is a comfy ride. If you're willing to spring a bit, you can get a newer Kawasaki Versys, which ive ridden and can tell you from experience is a joy to ride.

Answer 9

Go sit on some bikes and decide for yourself ! ! ! You can get a real good idea just by sitting on a bike for a few seconds.

Why do people come here and ask what bike they should get? It is a personal decision that can only be made by you.  

Answer 10

The fz1 is a good choice, depending on how comfortable you are on the street.  But, a 600 will have ample power to get you anywhere, and will be about right for your size.  The 1000 might get you up to 170 something mph, but the 600 will get 150 maybe.  So, if you don't care about going that extra 20 mph that you probably never will, the 600 will be cheaper, better on gas, cheaper insurance, etc.  Also, if you are 185 lbs, a 600 will be okay for 2up riding as well as long as your not carrying anyone over like 250lbs.  

The main advantage a 1000 has over a 600 is power, but not by a ton, and mostly in the extremes of speed and rpm's.  If you did not have dirt bike experience, I would recommend a 250, but since you have the experience, a 600 should be great.  If you do feel the need to upgrade anytime, it might be a good stratagy to ride a 600 or 750 for a whileand then upgrade.

But, another thing to consider, a lot of people start on 250s and then move up to a 600 or 750, and just stay there forever, because middleweight bikes do everything plus a little extra for almost any normal riding.

Answer 11

I would recommend the Suzuki SV650 here.

Or a nice used Ducati 748, or 749.

V-Twin versatility. Ducati and Suzuki makes a real V-Twin.