Advice for broke first-timer

[KoalaPhoenix]

Howdy all!

I'm a first-timer looking for advice on what bike to start on. To start with my situation - I live in a smaller city (115k people) about 2-3 hours from any other city larger than 10k. My local options are a bit limited, and since I lost my job, my options are limited more. I'm selling a car to make up some money, and I'll still have (most of) another car for emergency purposes. I'm looking at a bike that's good for commuting for a beginner primarily, with a bit of light fun riding on weekends.

I'm 5'11, 290lbs. I grew up around quad bikes and bicycles, but I've never actually ridden a motorcycle before. I'd consider myself above-average mechanically - I used to work on bits of my ATVs, but there's stuff outside my ability. I don't mind learning, I have slightly better than a basic understanding of tools and trouble shooting. I just got my motorcycle permit, but can't test for full license without a bike. There's also no real safety courses available locally. I'm focusing on bikes with more classic looks (I adore the old 1970s Honda CB350), and don't need much speed beyond going 55mph comfortably.

Since I'm short on cash and options are limited, I've been looking at Chinese bikes that could be shipped. I've basically narrowed it down to 3 - 2 of which I can get shipped, 1 of which I have a dealer for locally:

1. CSC SG250 - This has been the one I've been leaning toward most consistently. It seems to have the best support of the shipped-bikes, all the parts are readily available through them, and they're simple to work on. I appreciate the simplicity of a carb and air-cooler. Plus they're the cheapest options, even with their shipping being highest to my state of Indiana. I like the styling, and the small size is a plus since it still has enough power to get me moving. The downside is that it seems to be barely able to go 55 with someone my size on it, and tires are seemingly a bit rare. Looks like it'll be $3400 shipped, plus tax and such.

2. Lifan/Venom KPM200 - This was my secondary choice once I saw it on Amazon, but research led me to Venom. It seems to be the best built of the three, and it has the most advanced design, with liquid-cooling and EFI. It's apparently faster than the CSC as well. Downsides are difficulty to work on, because it seems like it's awfully complicated, the gauge cluster is in a bad spot, and I really struggle to find parts for it online. If something goes wrong with it, it seems like it'll be difficult to fix even if I can find the parts for it. That being said, it seems least likely to go wrong. Looks like $3500 shipped assembled, plus tax, from Venom.

3. Genuine Motorcycles G400c - I actually have a Genuine dealer in my city, although I don't know for certain if they'd work on the bike. They do offer service for motorcycles, so I would assume so. The G400c appeals because it's the most appealing visually, and has more grunt. What little info i can find indicates it's not very powerful - which is good for me being a beginner - but can still easily cruise at 55. It's by far the most expensive of the three, which makes it a harder sell, but the dealer support, larger size, and more appealing style make up for that IF I can afford it. I've read that these are notorious for shifting issues and transmission failures - namely that they'll start getting stuck in first, or false neutrals, and it requires a rebuild. Under warranty that's alright, but I would rather not buy something that has a high failure rate immediately. Honestly, I'm also uncomfortable with the lack of information on this one. The CSC and Lifan both have tons of info and videos about them, but the Genuine seems like it barely exists. The dealer has it on their site, but they don't carry it in their store. Even info on the Mash 500 (what I understand to be the Euro counterpart) and the Shineray XY400 (Asian counterpart) feels thin. My heart wants this one the most, but my head isn't sure. Is the warranty and local dealer support worth the much higher price and the risk of failures? Would the dealer be able to source the parts for it if it does go wrong? Estimated $4500 plus tax from dealership.

What do you think? I've tried to budget $5500 total, including gear. I don't really want a sportbike because they don't fit me very well, and anything under 15hp seems like it won't be fast enough. Ordinarily in this situation I'd be trying to buy a car, honestly, but there just aren't any cars around in my price range that aren't just... shot. And buying a used bike here in the sizes I'm looking at is nearly impossible - everything under 450cc is either worn out, too big, too small, or a dirtbike. Warranty makes a difference for me too.

I appreciate the advice. This has been eating at me for weeks, and I don't know anyone who knows enough about bikes to give me an answer besides "buy Japanese."

[JerryHawk250]

Welcome aboard! The Lifan KPM would be the best choice.

[TominMO]

+1 for the Lifan. Great bang for buck.

Here's a YTer giving it a good review:

[Emerikol]

The CSC SG250 would be a fantastic choice for a couple reasons. 1) It has a cheaper acquisition cost, which leaves more money in your pockets. 2) It's air cooled vs liquid cooling on the other two options. Simpler to maintain and less things to go wrong. 3) CSC has incredible after-sale support. If something goes wrong, you're not going to be left swinging in the breeze trying to figure out how to get whatever it is fixed. 3.5) CSC also has quite a few aftermarket parts available as well. That means you can do your upgrades with factory parts, and everything will work as advertised.

If I was in a situation where I needed an extra set of wheels, and was bent on getting a motorcycle, I would try to keep my finances as simple as possible, and make sure the bike would meet my needs until things turned around. Best of luck, and please let us know what you decide to do.

[TominMO]

Yeah, depending on what you want, either the CSC or the Lifan would do nicely. Don't think you can go wrong, plus saving about $1K over the 400.

[Emerikol]

UPDATE: I just re-read your post, and noticed that one thing you were concerned about with the SG-250 was top speed. I changed the sprockets on my Hawk 250 and I can do 65-ish comfortably. I can tuck in and get it up to 70 or so, but the bike is so light that things get squirrely that fast. As for the tires, you can get them from pretty much any online dealer (I actually buy most of my motorcycle tires from Amazon, believe it or not). They're really not as hard to find as you might think, you just need to be willing to use an online vendor and have them shipped to you. If you're not comfortable doing the tires yourself, any Cycle Gear location will mount and balance them for you. I still think the SG-250 would be a great choice for your situation.

[buzz]

Hi just a thought a TBR7 is what i got ,very happy with this bike. And very low priced.

[jesmy50]

Originally Posted by buzz

Hi just a thought a TBR7 is what i got ,very happy with this bike. And very low priced.

Yeah, I agree, I wanna buy this and I searched, the TaoTao TBR7 250 Enduro is a very cost-effective and highly capable machine for its price point.

[Wild Dog]

Losing the job sucks, but sadly that happens, but i'm sure you will find one soon.

In the meantime with limited resources my advice is to stick with engines that are clones of the CG, avoid water cooled
Yes those engines usually have a bit more power (no that much), the engines run cooler, but they also need more care.
If you, for some unlucky reason, warp the head of a water cooled engine it's chocolate milk time, you will have to fix ASAP
On a air cooled engine, it will suck, it may lose compression it may even leak a bit of oil until it gums up... But you will able to use it a bit tad longer until you can fix.

It may be tempting to get a water cooled engine with a bit more power, but if the cash is a bit short, it's best to have something that's a work horse.

[Sport Rider]

with that much budget, why are you limiting yourself to chinese bikes? the used market will have a lot of options in this price range. If it were me, I'd get the biggest motor I can afford. while these smaller bikes are fun and all, I have found that I always seem to be on the hunt for more power. I had a small bike for "fun" but bigger bikes for commuting. if on the interstate I find commuting problematic with smaller bikes. Have you considered the used 500 or 650 market?

here's one quick example in my area:
https://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcd...518893153.html

[wheelbender6]

The SG250 seems to be the happy medium, and has more torque then the KP200.
-The higher price of the faster G400C may leave you with no money left for commuting accessories, like a windshield and bags.
-I think all 3 are good bikes.

[KoalaPhoenix]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I ended up not buying Chinese at all. A local dealership had a practically new Suzuki TU250X that was about the same price as the CSC. I ended up buying it instead; the total cost was a bit higher, but still within budget. Thank you again, perhaps we'll meet again in the future!

[Falkon45]

Originally Posted by KoalaPhoenix

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I ended up not buying Chinese at all. A local dealership had a practically new Suzuki TU250X that was about the same price as the CSC. I ended up buying it instead; the total cost was a bit higher, but still within budget. Thank you again, perhaps we'll meet again in the future!

You'll be happy with that bike. And, it's fuel injected also. I wanted one of those, but it was out of my budget, so I went with the KPM.

[cheesy]

Hang around. I haven’t had a China bike since 2011 and they haven’t gotten rid of me yet.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Hang around. I haven’t had a China bike since 2011 and they haven’t gotten rid of me yet.

This is shocking news. The Council of Elders must be informed immediately.

We do have a Council of Elders, right?