rob@osiris.UUCP (Robert St. Amant) (05/24/85)
I'd like some recommendations on what kind of motorcycle to buy for a first bike. I've never ridden before, except a few times on a Honda scooter. I hope to be riding in pretty much flat country, outside the city. Thanks. Rob St. Amant
todds@orca.UUCP (Todd Stewart) (05/30/85)
>I'd like some recommendations on what kind of motorcycle to buy for a >first bike... > Rob St. Amant I bought my first bike last summer, a used Suzuki GS1000 sportbike. Not everyone would recommend a liter bike for starters, but I would. The bigger engine has plenty of power at any rpm, which allowed me to concentrate on other things. The heavier chassis rolls right through pavement seams and cross winds that upset smaller bikes. On the open road the engine turns slower with less vibration (3500 @ 60mph) which produces less fatigue and easier concentration over longer distances. Starting with a big bike leaves you room to grow into it. A year and 14,000 miles later I'm just now approaching the bike's limits. If you want a pocket-racer to thrash around in your first season, get a small one. If you've got a bit more self-control get a big one and grow into it. Any of these old sportbikes would make a good first ride: Honda CB750*, CB900, CB1100 Suzuki GS750, GS850, GS1000, GS1100 Kawasaki KZ750, KZ900, KZ1000 Yamaha Seca 750, Seca 900 any BMW -- ------- Todd Stewart (503) 685 2508 { ucbcad,decvax,hplabs,uw-beaver }!tektronix!orca!todds
neal@fear.UUCP (Neal Bedard) (05/31/85)
In article <346@osiris.UUCP>, rob@osiris.UUCP (Robert St. Amant) writes: > I'd like some recommendations on what kind of motorcycle to buy ... > > Rob St. Amant This may sound strange, but I recommend *not* getting a bike smaller than 500cc. Why? Because surely as your ability and confidence improves you'll be hankering for a larger bike if you get a small one, say 250cc. The extra horsepower is nice to overcome wind resistance at freeway speeds, and is almost a must if you're riding two-up. I like the Honda Ascots (VT500 V-twin and FT500 Single.) Unfortunately these are both discontinued models, but may be in stock at your local Honda shop. They are light, quite reliable, and handle *very* well. Yamaha makes some good 500 Singles, too. Honda Hawks are for Quiche Eaters - learn to shift. Do you have a good helmet? Leathers (at least a jacket)? Get 'em and wear 'em. And be careful out there. -Neal B.
hall@ittral.UUCP (Doug Hall) (06/01/85)
Look at the want-ads and find yourself a good used Honda CX500 or a CX650. These bikes are great. Quiet, smooth, and nearly maintenance free. (Well, you do have to adjust the valves once in a while, and you have the added task of keeping your eye on the coolant level.) What you get in return is a bike that runs cool in the hottest weather, yet is reliable in the winter. My 82 CX500 has never failed to start on the first spin of the starter, summer or winter. I understand the early models (78-79) had some water coolant leak problems, so you might want to avoid them. Water cooled, shaft-drive bikes are great... Doug Hall ITT, Raleigh NC
chip@vaxwaller.UUCP (06/04/85)
> > I'd like some recommendations on what kind of motorcycle to buy ... > > > > Rob St. Amant *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** My wife and I got into motorcycling just recently (past 6 mos.), and ride an '83 Suzuki GS450L. The bike is light enough so that my wife can pick it up (dropped in garage), and yet heavy enough to remain fairly immune to freeway hazards (trucks, wind, etc.). We're VERY happy with it and would advise anyone looking to give this series serious consideration. Things to consider: What kind of riding will you do (commute, weekend, touring, etc)? Your physical size (one deciding factor in our choice was that both my wife and I are fairly short, and can reach the ground with ease on the 450L). How much experience with things mechanical (most riders do their own maintainence. If you are not sure of the condition of the bike, and really don't want to mess with it, buy a new one). How much $$$ do you want to spend? Hope this short dissertation helps. Happiness; Chip P.S. I couldn't agree more...Get a good helmet and leathers... AND WEAR THEM!!! -- Chip Kozy (415) 939-2400 x-2048 Varian Inst. Grp. 2700 Mitchell Dr. Walnut Creek, Calif. 94598 {zehntel,amd,fortune,resonex,rtech}!varian!chip
stuart@rochester.UUCP (Stuart Friedberg) (06/04/85)
After seeing a couple of articles recommending large bikes for
beginners I think I should present an alternative view. The one
article reporting a liter bike as a first bike in particular really
irked me.
First some background. (People may remember my comments along these
lines from a year or two ago) I consider a motorcycle real, practical,
transportation. I don't own a car. I have never owned a car. My
first drivers license was for motorcycles *only* (Maryland). I have
something over 30,000 motorcycle miles and probably less than 1,000
auto miles in six years of "adult" driving (ie, licensed). I routinely
make trips of 400 - 800 miles (limited to about 500 miles in a day by
common sense and endurance). I do *not* live in a all-year sunny
state: Indiana, New York and Maryland are the three I have been in
over the last 5 years. In Rochester, New York, I can only get in about
8 months (9 at best) of riding because of the snow. The cold can be
dressed for, but I won't attempt the snow.
Now then, my first bike was a 1975 Honda CL360. It required constant
maintenance and I learned a lot about small engine care from it. I
also put about 11,000 miles on it in a year and a half before an
unidentified electrical problem left me stranded 475 miles from home.
With a Plexifairing on the front, that $450 (very used) motorcycle was
MORE than ample for highway travel. It didn't accelerate in a very
exciting way, but it would cruise for eight or nine hours at 70 mph on
the superslab. No bullshit, we're talking history. Now this was NOT a
powerful bike. People with more experience tell me that its
predecessor (CB/CL350) had more umph. But it had enough to do REAL
work.
By the way, at 5' 5" I am not the largest rider around, but at 175 lbs
in wet weather gear I am not the lightest either, and I traveled with a
couple of small (carry on size) suitcases stacked on the luggage rack
in the rear.
I now have a 1981 Yamaha 550 Seca (XJ550RH). I am happy with this
bike. I have Krauser racks on it, so I can carry more, more easily. I
also am using only the stock "bikini" fairing, which *adds* turbulence
and doesn't make long rides any easier. Overall, though, I find this
MORE than enough bike for my needs. I use hard compound tires (for
mileage rather than race tracks) and am about to put on my third set.
I have gotten accustomed to using a fair amount of throttle (increases
adrenalin flow as well as gas flow) and even Conti SuperTwins won't
take that forever. I have *already* put the bike's third chain on.
(By the way, Tsubaki "normal" chain lasted longer than RK O-ring chain
for me, and the Tsubaki was half the price!)
Ok, so what do you want from a bike? If you want to set the county
quarter mile record, you don't want my Seca. But you've got no
business at the race track on your first bike. This "stuff" about
outgrowing a bike in a "hurry" and "wanting more" doesn't make sense to
me. I've got a half-liter bike that can get me into toe-curling
situations faster than I can think myself out of them. Excitement?
Endurance? Practicality? Cruising? Touring (yes, REALLY)? You can do
it all on a 500 - 550. I would say on a smaller bike, but no one would
take me seriously.
My personal recommendation is to get the best bargain in the 450 - 650
class you can find that looks nice to you and doesn't leak. Unless you
are a large person, bikes of this class (or classes) will provide more
than enough of what you want unless you just *have* to have raw
horsepower or room for two bodies, a jacuzzi and a wet bar. It's too
bad Harley doesn't make anything in this class, but the Japanese have
some H-D clones in the right range if you like boulevard cruisers.
Stu Friedberg {seismo, allegra}!rochester!stuart stuart@rochester
PS: I *do* plan to get a larger bike. In a couple of years I should
be able to afford a BMW K100RS and they should have some of the
glitches worked out by then. As you might have gathered, I think
sport touring is a large part of where it's at...
Oh yeah, I don't get along with two strokes (although I DID like
a friend's 750 Water Buffalo) and an SR500 I borrowed for a couple of
months was a sheer uninterruped delight!rsellens@watdcsu.UUCP (Rick Sellens - Mech. Eng.) (06/06/85)
In article <179@fear.UUCP> neal@fear.UUCP (Neal Bedard) writes: >In article <346@osiris.UUCP>, rob@osiris.UUCP (Robert St. Amant) writes: >> I'd like some recommendations on what kind of motorcycle to buy ... >> >> Rob St. Amant > >Honda Hawks are for Quiche >Eaters - learn to shift. I'm afraid you're confusing the Hawk model (a mildly sporting 400cc twin (now 450)) with the 400A model (same engine but (giggle) Hondamatic). The Hawk, and others in the same family, makes for a quite exciting basic solo mount. It has a five speed transmission (not an automatic) and makes a reasonable amount of *useful* power. I rode one for three years and found it quite adequate on the highway, and great in the city. For me it was a strictly solo machine (I'm six feet and 220lbs.), but it could handle two-up for short distances with smaller people. I moved up to a GS750 so I could take my wife with me, but I still remember my CB400T1 with great fondness. It was reliable, reasonably quick, and lots of fun. Rick Sellens UUCP: watmath!watdcsu!rsellens CSNET: rsellens%watdcsu@waterloo.csnet ARPA: rsellens%watdcsu%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
davidk@dartvax.UUCP (David C. Kovar) (06/06/85)
> . > . > . > > Ok, so what do you want from a bike? If you want to set the county > quarter mile record, you don't want my Seca. But you've got no > business at the race track on your first bike. This "stuff" about > outgrowing a bike in a "hurry" and "wanting more" doesn't make sense to > me. I've got a half-liter bike that can get me into toe-curling > situations faster than I can think myself out of them. Excitement? > Endurance? Practicality? Cruising? Touring (yes, REALLY)? You can do > it all on a 500 - 550. I would say on a smaller bike, but no one would > take me seriously. > > My personal recommendation is to get the best bargain in the 450 - 650 > class you can find that looks nice to you and doesn't leak. Unless you > are a large person, bikes of this class (or classes) will provide more > than enough of what you want unless you just *have* to have raw > horsepower or room for two bodies, a jacuzzi and a wet bar. It's too > bad Harley doesn't make anything in this class, but the Japanese have > some H-D clones in the right range if you like boulevard cruisers. For my money, this man know's what he's talking about. I started off with a Honda V45 Sabre which 750cc (748, actually, I think) cycle. Far more than I could ever practically use, particularly for a beginner. It had enough power to get me into nasty situations before I had the experience to get out of them. (This is also partly due to driver stupidity.) I had to sell it a year and a half after I bought it because I needed the money, just about at the time when I was really comfortable with using all the power it had, and even then, it was probably illegal/dangerous in some cases. Now that I am looking for a new cycle, I'm considering something more around the 500's. Plenty of power and less insurance costs. The only reason I would consider getting a larger cycle would be for touring, larger sport cycles belong on the track and that is not where I want to be. -- David C. Kovar USNET: {linus|decvax|cornell|astrovax}!dartvax!davidk%amber ARPA: davidk%amber%dartmouth@csnet-relay CSNET: davidk%amber@dartmouth "I felt like a punk who'd gone out for a switchblade and come back with a tactical nuke. 'Shit', I thought. 'Screwed again. What good's a tactical nuke in a street fight?'" "Burning Chrome" by William Gibson
kehoe@reed.UUCP (Dave Kehoe) (06/06/85)
My $0.02 worth: 1) Big bikes are better than small bikes because big bikes are more stable. 125's get thrown on railroad tracks that a 450 won't even notice. 2) I'm not sure whether big bikes are more dangerous than mid-size bikes (because of the speeds involved). For example, one friend with a Suzuki GS1000E lost his license and then got ticketed at 147mph. But he had lost his license for riding his Honda 500-4 at 130mph. So I think that whether you'll do dumb things at high speeds depends on the rider, not the bike. 3) Quick-handling bikes (RZ350, Ninja 600, Interceptor) can be scary for a few days if you've never ridden a bike before. 4) If you don't like working on bikes, buy a new shaft-drive liquid-cooled machine. 5) If you're not sure whether you like working on bikes, you probably won't like working on bikes. 6) If you'd love to learn about the insides of bikes, and look forward to getting on a first-name basis with everyone in the parts department of your local Honda dealer, you can get great deals on great old bikes (I love my 1972 Honda CB450, which cost me $100).
chris@nrcvax.UUCP (Chris Grevstad) (06/07/85)
neal@fear.UUCP (Neal Bedard) says: >In article <346@osiris.UUCP>, rob@osiris.UUCP (Robert St. Amant) writes: >> I'd like some recommendations on what kind of motorcycle to buy ... >> >> Rob St. Amant > >This may sound strange, but I recommend *not* getting a bike smaller than >500cc. Why? Because surely as your ability and confidence improves you'll >be hankering for a larger bike if you get a small one, say 250cc. The extra >horsepower is nice to overcome wind resistance at freeway speeds, and is >almost a must if you're riding two-up. > >-Neal B. I agree wholeheartedly. I started out with a Honda 175 and it was a mere few months that I was hankering for a bigger bike. A small bike is OK if you only do a little street driving but if you ever want to really travel on the highway any great distance, then by all means you ought to get a large bike. My next bike was a 1973 BMW R60 (fond memories) which was almost not big enough for my tastes. -- Chris Grevstad {sdcsvax,hplabs}!sdcrdcf!psivax!nrcvax!chris ucbvax!calma!nrcvax!chris ... you see, we are only a computer software programming order of monks...
ardyk@fluke.UUCP (Ardy Kong) (06/07/85)
> > Look at the want-ads and find yourself a good used Honda CX500 or a > CX650. These bikes are great. Quiet, smooth, and nearly maintenance > free. (Well, you do have to adjust the valves once in a while, and > you have the added task of keeping your eye on the coolant level.) > What you get in return is a bike that runs cool in the hottest > weather, yet is reliable in the winter. My 82 CX500 has never failed > to start on the first spin of the starter, summer or winter. > > I understand the early models (78-79) had some water coolant leak > problems, so you might want to avoid them. > > Water cooled, shaft-drive bikes are great... > > Doug Hall > ITT, Raleigh NC *For sale Suzuki For Sale Suzuki 450GS New battery and back tire Runs well MUST SELL $499.00/BEST OFFER 206/821.1798
klmartin@watmath.UUCP (K.L. Martin, Hardware) (06/10/85)
Let me put in my $0.02 worth as well..... I started out on a Heathkit "BoonieBike" (anyone remember that little beastie) with a 5hp Brigs & Stranton engine. Once I removed the govener on the carb I could do 55mph on the back roads of northern Quebec. I learned more from that one little unstable kidney shaker than any other machine I have owned since. The basic skills learned from coming over dirt mounds and finding the other side missing or leaning too far in a corner and having the machine decide that the laws of physics do apply after all, has served me well. This was all done at speeds guaranteed to make the adrenalin surge, remove skin and yet leave the hide intact. I proceeded to buy bigger and bigger bikes over the years and agree that after a year or two the bike does get a little too tame if you have the urge to "boogie". As my experience increased so did my driving record, when I raced I did so on a track, when I want to be a nerd I did so on bushroads, when I wanted to drive I headed for the highway and always stayed 10-15 mph above the speed limit ( the cops never bothered anyone going that slow ). I now drive a rather mellow machine and have turned my attention to touring the open roads with my wife. I strongly recommend getting a small bike, sure you will grow out of it but the operative word is GROW, which implies life, which implies learning the basic survival rules on a machine that is forgiving. A mount that has the ability to tell you when you have made a mistake and will let you live to tell the tale is better than having a first bike that is your last.(literally) I don't want to sound fatalistic but I have lost a lot of friends who for the most part were drunk, stoned, doing warp 12, playing chicken, weaving through traffic at warp 12 and other irresponsible actions that cost them their lives. Everyone is mortal even the superbiker who has the same attitude as the cronic smoker with cancer of the lung "Ah I know the risks but it will never happen to me, I'm cautious." "Ride the wind, feel the air, avoid the pavement.' --Kim.
ibyf@ihlpa.UUCP (d. scott) (06/12/85)
HERE IS YET ANOTHER OPINION ON WHAT TO START ON. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO CLASSIFY BIKES INTO THREE CATAGORIES AND FOR A STARTER BIKE, MY OWN RECOMMENDATION IS THE MID- SIZE BIKE, 450 - 650. THIS COMES FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AS I HAD A YAMAHA 650 SPECIAL. I AM A 6' 2'', 250 LB. MALE (NOT FAT) AND ALL THE "BIKERS" I WORKED WITH WHEN I WAS CONSIDERING MY PURCHASE SAID THAT I WOULD "OUTGROW" IT IN NO TIME AT ALL. WELL, I GOT THE BIKE AND PROMPTLY TOOK A MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE, WHICH A 250 WAS FURNISHED. THIS PROVIDED A GOOD BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW A MOTORCYCLE ACTS, RUNS, AND WORKS IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS. WHEN I GOT OUT ON MY 650, I WAS CONFIDENT AND I KNEW HOW TO RIDE. EVEN WITH MY SIZE, I NEVER OUTGREW MY 650 TWIN AND EVEN TOOK A FEW LONG DISTANCE TRIPS WITH IT, (FOR WHICH I WISH I WOULD HAVE HAD A FAIRING) AND NEVER REGRETTED HAVING A QUOTE "SMALL" BIKE. FOR SOMEONE WHO IS JUST STARTING, MY RECOMMENDATION IS THIS. 1) GO OUT AND BUY SOME BIKE MAGAZINES, FIND A BIKE THAT YOU LIKE AND CAN AFFORD. 2) GO TO YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE AND SIGN UP FOR THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE (THEY'RE USUALLLY FREE) *BEFORE* YOU BUY YOUR BIKE. 3) ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "ENGINEERING... SCOTT HERE...."
alanj@orca.UUCP (Alan Jeddeloh) (06/20/85)
In article <316@ihlpa.UUCP> ibyf@ihlpa.UUCP (d. scott) writes: > 2) GO TO YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE AND SIGN UP FOR THE MOTORCYCLE > SAFETY COURSE (THEY'RE USUALLLY FREE) *BEFORE* YOU BUY YOUR BIKE. If your local college does not offer a motorcycle safety course, you can usually find one by calling the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's toll-free number: 1-800-447-4700 They will take your name and address, and give you the phone number(s) for the people or organizations in your area. The MSF has courses for both beginning *and* experienced riders. They also ask you where you got their number. Be sure to tell them you read it on USENET ... it's one I bet they haven't heard before! Alan Jeddeloh Tektronix Graphics Workstations Division tektronix!tekecs!alanj@orca (503) 685-2882