Any educated bikers out there?

[Ramjo]

I am very green to motorcycles and need some advice. I know I want a cruiser of some type. I will say I want something comparable to a Harley Sportster, but I want to buy a used, well maintained, cheap bike.

So would it be best to go with Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, or the actual Harley? I am on a limited budget. Unfortunately, the cheapest sportsters I have found are at the cap of my funds, 3k.

I know as a new rider that I should stick with smaller engine sizes and work my way up. I was advised not to go over 800cc. Should I know of any model years to stay away from?

Any and all input would be appreciated. I am in no hurry. Just please try to stay away from the brand name wars or made in usa, not in usa arguments.

[M4sherman]

Well first I would say stick with an inline engine as they seem be more reliable than any V-twin I have had the pleasue of working on. My Yamaha is dead reliable but being air-cooled it is a bit of a pain around town.. Stay away from Saki's (Double so on the VN750) but Hondas are always good strong,reliable bikes but they are pricy

I would Stay away from any 80's model V-twin jap bikes except for the V-45 magna, which if you buy you will need to install a $200 oilier kit. The XS series of Yamaha's are friggen sweet but the XS11 is know to cause many speeding tickets

I have pleanty of advice like STAY AWAY FROM VN750s

[pitt2magic]

I can honestly say that I know nothing about cruiser bikes but have owned several Japanese sport bikes. 4 Suzukis, 2 Yamahas and a Kawi. Every bike has run flawlessly. I would think that to find a reliable bike in your price range a Japanese bike is the way to go. Hope you find what you are looking for.

[klamb5]

First off do you have a MC endorsment if not go to a local Honda/Yamaha/Harley dealer or lookup on line for a riders safety course it will teach you good riding habit's so you wont have to unlearn bad ones and you get your endorsment thur them. Now I'm a harley man thru and thru but rode others till I could afford what I wanted ,I'm now on my fifth and other than routine maintenance no major issues all name bikes have good and bad things.

Get out there sit on some see what fits you and what you like,you may not be able to afford what you like but get close till you can and have enough experience to to know what you want. To me the only thing worse than not riding a Harley is not riding at all and remember to keep looking around dont get tunnel vision most cage drivers dont see us, you need to see them and watch what they doing and be ready to react. Ride Safe

Edited September 15, 2011 by klamb5

[Guest WingMan380]

I personally am not a "Harley" fan however I do not trash harley owners/riders. Right now I have a 1982 Honda Goldwing that I got 3 years ago for $2,000 with only 60,000 miles on it at the time. That bike has been totally reliable with no issues what so ever. Yes the goldwing is a touring bike and not a cruiser per se but if you take the time to look around and dont jump on the first thing you see (like a buddy of mind did and is totally regreting it now) you will be ok.

[analog_kidd]

In the 800cc or less size bike, you should be able to find something used in a decent price range. My first bike was a 500cc, and it was OK when I lived in Florida where it was flat, but once I moved to East TN, it couldn't cut it on the hills, especially with a passenger. The bike was also a bit too small with an adult passenger. If you are going to regularly have a passenger, make sure you both fit. I suspect that you may move up to a larger bike pretty quickly once you get the hang of it. For me, an 1100cc Cruiser is just right.

[peejman]

There's so many choices it's hard to know where to start. Bikes tend to be fairly narrowly focused, and as a result somewhat idiosyncratic. It's those little idiosyncrasies that make people love, or hate, a particular bike. That said, what do you intend to do with said bike? Commute? Day trips into the mountains? Disappear for a weekend? Ride to Alaska? RTW?

First of all, have you ridden before? If not, get some training. This is the best and cheapest way to get started that I know of... Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Second, does your $3k budget include and allowance for appropriate gear? [safety nazi] Prepare yourself for spending several hundred $$ on protective gear [/safety nazi]. I can't claim to be ATGATT, but I do wear most of it most of the time. When I commute to work, I wear .... boots $200 + helmet $300 + jacket $200 + gloves $50. I also have a leather suit, another jacket, separate pants, cold weather gloves, neck warmer, ... Think that stuff is expensive? See what skin grafts cost.

Third, get insurance quotes. Premiums might influence your decision (or shock you beyond reason).

You need to figure out what suits you best. That may involve buying and selling a time or two. My best advice is to start with something small, light, and docile and ride it for at least a season. The newer Harley's are far more reliable than those of 15 years ago (and that's coming from a CBR owner...). For me, the HD's just vibrate too much. That said, the Sportster is the only Harley I'd consider. I'm generally not a big fan of most "cruiser" type bikes mainly due to lack of ground clearance.

Here's a list of bikes you might consider...

Honda Nighthawk 750

599 (aka Hornet)

VFR 750/800

Shadow 750

VF750 Magna

Yamaha XJ650/750 Maxim

FZ6

Suzuki SV650

DL650 V-strom (wee-strom)

Bandit 600

GSX650 (new Bandit)

GS500

Kawasaki ZR7

Z750

Ninja 650R

Versys

Triumph Street Triple

Speed 4

Ducati Monster 620

BMW F650S

F800GS

[1gewehr]

For a first bike, I would recommend that you keep it light and inexpensive. There always seem to be a bunch of Kawasaki Ninja 250s for sale on Craigslist. You can usually find a decent one for about $2K. It's not a cruiser, but it is very easy to ride and surprisingly powerful. Honda makes a Rebel 250 which is a cruiser. I see those for sale pretty often as well, but have no personal experience with them. Honda makes good bikes and I'd guess they are reliable. The Hyosung GV250 cruiser gets surprisingly good reviews, but again, I have no personal experience with them.

Vehicle Reviews for 2006 Hyosung GV250

The little 250s are a good first bike for several reasons. First, you won't have much in it, so if it gets dropped or scratched, you won't cry. Second, they are very easy to ride and you will learn more quickly on a bike that is easy to ride. Third, you can usually get about what you paid for it when you are ready to move up. Last, they are simple and easy to fix if something goes wrong.

[LagerHead]

In the 800cc or less size bike, you should be able to find something used in a decent price range. My first bike was a 500cc, and it was OK when I lived in Florida where it was flat, but once I moved to East TN, it couldn't cut it on the hills, especially with a passenger. The bike was also a bit too small with an adult passenger. If you are going to regularly have a passenger, make sure you both fit. I suspect that you may move up to a larger bike pretty quickly once you get the hang of it. For me, an 1100cc Cruiser is just right.

If you're going to do much interstate riding I would recommend nothing smaller than an 1100cc bike. You want something that can get out of its own way if it has to and an 800cc bike is just barely going to be able to that. But of course that may be a budget buster depending on what you can find. Just because your bike will run circles around others doesn't mean you have to drive it that way.

For a first bike, I would recommend that you keep it light and inexpensive. There always seem to be a bunch of Kawasaki Ninja 250s for sale on Craigslist. You can usually find a decent one for about $2K. It's not a cruiser, but it is very easy to ride and surprisingly powerful. Honda makes a Rebel 250 which is a cruiser. I see those for sale pretty often as well, but have no personal experience with them. Honda makes good bikes and I'd guess they are reliable. The Hyosung GV250 cruiser gets surprisingly good reviews, but again, I have no personal experience with them.

Vehicle Reviews for 2006 Hyosung GV250

The little 250s are a good first bike for several reasons. First, you won't have much in it, so if it gets dropped or scratched, you won't cry. Second, they are very easy to ride and you will learn more quickly on a bike that is easy to ride. Third, you can usually get about what you paid for it when you are ready to move up. Last, they are simple and easy to fix if something goes wrong.

With what I said above in mind, a good small "throw away" starter bike is not a half bad idea. They are cheap to begin with and tend to retain their value because there's not a lot to lose to begin with. Whatever you buy, buy used and get someone to go with you that can take it for a test drive. Buying a cheap bike to start with means less remorse when you drop it. Notice I didn't say if!

Finally, while the Sportster and its copies may be nice to look at, especially with all the chrome, make sure you know what you want to get out of a motorcycle before settling on a particular style or brand. If you want to eventually really rock the corners, cruisers stink on ice. Cruisers also tend to be short on features and their suspension is usually bottom of the line. If you're more of an around town or just lay back and relax type, cruisers may be for you. If you think you might take your bike on a weekend trip, stay the heck away from sport bikes and cruisers. There are lots of great touring bikes out there made by every manufacturer. I like corners and long trips so I got a mutt, a sport touring bike. I can take a Corvette in a race and ride for hours on the same bike while packing clothes and a passenger.

Whatever you end up with, ride safe and treat cars like they are infected with the plague. Stay away from them and let them do all the stupid things they want.

[Tncobra]

How big are you and how do you plan to ride. Weekend toy, or daily interstate commute.

If your not a large human and want a weekender bike, there is nothing wrong with a 1200 sporty. I have one I use for the mountains/ bar hopping and it's a blast to ride. For the longer trips and straighter roads I'm on one of my a big twins like my old Shovelhead. I like the nostalgia of old bike riding.

The cookie cutter bikes are fun I'm sure but were never my cup of tea. I have only owned metric dirt bikes and will have another shortly.

Either way I wouldn't spend a lot on any first bike. You may end up hating riding. So if Harleys are what you like, get one. They do hold value pretty well. So if you want to move up or get out of riding, you won't lose much.

[jgradyc]

I've owned a 1500cc Kawasaki, 800cc Honda touring (Pacific Coast), a 750 Yamaha, and I've ridden a 2003 Sportster. Sportsters tend to be loud and shake. You either love it or hate it. How you plan to ride is really important, as Tncobra says, weekend toy or daily interstate commute can be two quite different bikes.

We're headed into colder weather when it should be easy to find a bargain on a bike. I suggest that you buy a bike with the intent of reselling it next spring when the demand for bikes will be much higher than it is now. Follow the other great suggestions in this thread and get a bike that needs no work done on it. In your price range, this is very important because motorcycle repair can be very expensive. If you do this, you should have no problem buying now and reselling for what you paid for it next spring. Asking price is always negotiable unless it says price is firm in the ad. Even that only means that the price is firm right now.

If you like the bike, you can keep it, but if you decide to upgrade or try something different, you won't lose a fortune. I have a 98 BMW F650 that's below your price range that I'll probably sell if I buy the bike I'm going to check out on Friday. Good luck.

Oh, one other idea. If you do an eBay advanced search, there is a check box for "Completed Listings." Enter the bike type you're looking for and you can get an idea of the real market value of these bikes. The various NADA, KBB guide market values are all over the place.

Another approach is to do a SearchTempest search (Craigslist) for Orlando and surrounding cities within 200 miles. Bikes are everywhere in Florida and the asking prices are more realistic. The bike I'm going to see Friday has an asking price of $3,000 but it can be bought all day long in Florida for $2,500. My plan is to try to get the price to $2,500. Don't fall in love with the first bike you see. You'll probably want something else in six months.

[jgradyc]

Oh, one other point, the best riding advice I've ever heard came from my first motorcycle course nearly 40 years ago. "Pretend you are invisible." Drivers just don't see motorcycles. Headlights, loud pipes... it just doesn't matter. Some drivers just won't see you, so always be ready to react. This is not a rare event. It happened to me just a few rides ago. I missed the pickup, but I don't think the driver ever knew that I existed.

[Smith]

The Yamaha Vstar 650 is what you are describing. I have one and love it. I can keep up with any cruiser on the interstate and it is very easy to get around town on with it's light weight and solid motor. Very easy to work on. The other benfit is that when you decide to move up the Vstar 650 is THE bobber project bike.

[KahrMan]

The Yamaha Vstar 650 is what you are describing. I have one and love it. I can keep up with any cruiser on the interstate and it is very easy to get around town on with it's light weight and solid motor. Very easy to work on. The other benfit is that when you decide to move up the Vstar 650 is THE bobber project bike.

Yeah but Lincoln Navigators can't see them very well....

[Smith]

Yeah but Lincoln Navigators can't see them very well....

Well, that was a Hyosung GV250 (an excellent bike for the $!) and it bought me the Vstar with louder pipes!

[M4sherman]

Lots of good advice the the people who are saying are 800cc is minimum have never driven one of the old inline cruisers. my V-45 (750cc) could walk the line all the way through second gear and easily cruised a 90mph with out breaking a sweat (120 was the fasteset I ever ran and it scared the **** out of me).

But then again that bike would chew any harley I ever went up against.

Also the XS series Yamaha's where designed as an anymans bike thus are dead reliable and easy to fix. Keep in mind that alot of them are sitting around with a "bad" clutch when it is really just out of adjustment. I picked up my 1100 for a little better than 1k and it took less than a day to put her in tip top shape just to get a speeding ticket that night.

Also look on craigslist for your leathers as you can get a damn nice set from these idiots who decide it is to hot to use them. My jacket is a reinforced joe rocket I picked up for $20 and my pants are solid leather with complete padding and they only cost a bill. as for the (FULL FACE!!) Helmet you dont want to buy one used as they are only good for one good fall and a handful of half assed falls

Edited September 16, 2011 by M4sherman

[LagerHead]

Lots of good advice the the people who are saying are 800cc is minimum have never driven one of the old inline cruisers. my V-45 (750cc) could walk the line all the way through second gear and easily cruised a 90mph with out breaking a sweat (120 was the fasteset I ever ran and it scared the **** out of me).

But then again that bike would chew any harley I ever went up against.

The V45 may be wrapped in a cruiseresque package, but it was so much more. Kinda like the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon is much more than a station wagon. The Magnas were some sweet bikes.

[M4sherman]

Yea they where. That thing would jump up on the rear wheel so quick it would make your head spin

[1gewehr]

I love the Honda V-4s!! I had a 700 Sabre for several years before moving up to a 1100 Sabre. I'm off the bike until my knee heals. I got to ride one of the little 500 Magnas about ten years ago and was very pleasantly surprised at what an excellent little bike it is. The OP could probably get a nice one of those for within budget.

The V4s do like to have their carbs synched, though. And if you can't do it yourself, that could be expensive.

[Ramjo]

How big are you and how do you plan to ride. Weekend toy, or daily interstate commute.

If your not a large human and want a weekender bike, there is nothing wrong with a 1200 sporty. I have one I use for the mountains/ bar hopping and it's a blast to ride. For the longer trips and straighter roads I'm on one of my a big twins like my old Shovelhead. I like the nostalgia of old bike riding.

The cookie cutter bikes are fun I'm sure but were never my cup of tea. I have only owned metric dirt bikes and will have another shortly.

Either way I wouldn't spend a lot on any first bike. You may end up hating riding. So if Harleys are what you like, get one. They do hold value pretty well. So if you want to move up or get out of riding, you won't lose much.

Well I am about 6'3" and right now, the most I would want out of a bike is to have one to ride in good weather, and possibly commute 27 miles to ETSU campus. That's really all I would be about for now. No day long trips lol.

[Ramjo]

Thanks everyone for the input. Going back through I can say that I just need something to get into the riding business. I always have loved the loudest bikes on the road so no need worrying about that. If I were to end up in a Jap, I probably would change the pipes to make it how I like it. The longest distance I would be riding is possibly 27 miles one way to ETSU and back on the 11-E, so needing a "comfort" bike is not entirely necessary.

[hornett22]

Kawasaki 800 Vulcan classic

[M4sherman]

Ahh my brothers 800 has had more carb issues than I can count, one of which involved his pants catching fire when the breather lit up (wear your leather and use K&N filters)

[jgradyc]

At your age (21), insurance premiums will limit your choices. Be sure to go online and check out the premiums of any bike before you buy. Some similar size bikes will have huge premium differences, so you can't just assume that a 600cc and a 750cc will have similar premiums. It's based on claims experience by type and size of bike, I think.

[Guest TackleberryTom]

I dropped out in 9th grade. I do own a Goldwing 1500 though. I am not educated but I am very experienced. I am not a big proponent of buying a small first bike. I say buy what feels good for you to sit on and does not feel too heavy for you. They are all faster than most cars and can all get you killed or injured. It is best to find one that you feel comfortable with. The throttles don't go to wide open on their own, you control how fast you want to go.