Beginner bikes

[NzBrakelathes]

Wow ok righto

[culcune]

I recall several years ago (probably closer to 10), there was a Canadian member who took one of the motorcycle safety courses. He relayed how his fellow new riders dropped the class bikes left and right. I had a theory that since the winters are generally longer in Canada, and most people other than extreme diehards (I have seen youtube videos) won't get out in the snow, Canadians wouldn't be as practiced when it comes to bikes due to limited riding season. From time to time, I thought about the member's post, and realized I was probably wrong in the lack of practice, but rather he was part of a generation of riders who didn't have practice as kids on little bike--and that would apply to both Canada and the US (I apologize for offending Canadians with mentioning my theory from years ago )

More recently, with the proliferation of low-cost Chinese pit bikes available and numerous parents buying them for their kids, there must be some surge in more experienced 'new' riders who actually have experience like those of us in our 40s, 50s and beyond. However, no matter how much experience people are getting as kids on pitbikes, I still cannot see jumping on a 805cc cruiser or a 650cc Ninja, or even 500cc standards as 'beginner' bikes, other than the low cost UNLESS a rider graduated up the pitbike food chain to the larger 200+cc pitbikes or full-size dirt bikes.

Also, depending on geography, 'low-cost' bikes are not as easy to come by. I recall a member from the past named 'Fastdoc'. He would find all kinds of deals on bikes in the eastern Washington state area like few year old $1500 XT250s (not an exact example, but similar cases) whereas that same bike would be $3500 to $4000 in the L.A. or Phoenix area. There were other members, probably in the same general region, wondering why they, or us, were even considering Chinese dual sports when they could buy a year-old CRF250L from the little old lady down the street all day long for $400 (okay, really exaggerating here ).

I believe in Chinese bikes, as they have come up in quality even since my TMEC 200 Enduro, so I do think they offer a good beginner bike experience without the guilt (such as dropping the sucker numerous times). The Lifan KP/KPR200s, when on sale, offer a great brand-new bike in the low-$2000 range for beginners, not to mention minimalists who like the idea of a cheap, 'disposable' bike. They have been teasing their café-style KPM200 that uses the same sweet 200cc engine as the KP/KPR200 which I would be proud to commute on, or for a beginner.

The reason that I think most any current Chinese dual-sport would be the ULTIMATE beginner bike? Hands on maintenance/troubleshooting/repairs/modifying.

[duck9191]

My first road bike was a 1300cc cruiser lol. But i also had many dirt bikes as a kid and now the storm.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by duck9191

My first road bike was a 1300cc cruiser lol. But i also had many dirt bikes as a kid and now the storm.

You definitely fell into the experienced beginner territory!

[duck9191]

Originally Posted by culcune

You definitely fell into the experienced beginner territory!

It was still a hell of a adjustment curve. Riding a 700lb bike with fat tires takes some work to get it to do what you want. Storm is like a bicycle.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by culcune

However, no matter how much experience people are getting as kids on pitbikes, I still cannot see jumping on a 805cc cruiser or a 650cc Ninja, or even 500cc standards as 'beginner' bikes, other than the low cost UNLESS a rider graduated up the pitbike food chain to the larger 200+cc pitbikes or full-size dirt bikes.

My first bike was a CB750 Nighthawk, and the only experience I had prior to that was a couple of times on an old SL350

I think what a good beginner bike is for someone comes down to that individual. Giants like me are a bit less affected by the engine size/power, and more prone to having to buy a larger engine bike just to have something that fits us with some form of comfort. Even that 750 was a bit small for me, but it was manageable, and the 75hp from that little motor never felt over powered trying to haul my big butt around (240lbs at the time).

Even if size/weight isn't a factor, the individuals personality also plays a big role. A person like myself who respects the machine and slowly eases into learning it's traits, flaws, etc. is going to have a much better time starting on a larger machine. An ego driven impulsive risk taker with no real feel for a machine on the other hand....

I am not saying I don't agree with starting on a smaller machine is a good idea, but to be a practical starter bike in the U.S. outside of major Urban areas, a 400-500cc bike is a far more ideal machine to start with. Having the power to be able to keep up with 70-80 mph traffic has its benefits, and that 40-50hp isn't really enough to get you into too much trouble. It's possible sure, but you would have to try REALLY hard to get into serious trouble.

We recently had a young guy come to our training course talking about his R1 that he just got, and it is his first bike. Do I think he is going to crash it? Absolutely. Instead of trying to tell him to get a different bike, I really stressed good riding gear. Hopefully he listens.

[OneLeggedRider]

I agree with Dan, it has alot to do with the person buying the bike, and the 500cc class is a good beginner bike that you probably won't get bored with in the first 3 months. My friend Kerry started out with a Ninja 250 and within a couple months traded it in for a 600.

My first street bike was a Yamaha Seca which would s#*! and git, but I had years of previous experience on dirtbikes. And I firmly believe starting out on small dirtbikes is the way to go, because of that I'm not nervous about riding any bike on gravel.

As far as personality I should probably never have started riding street bikes, I love pushing the envelope which is great for dirtbikes and ATVs, but it's a recipe for disaster on a street bike.

And I'm jealous Dan, the Nighthawk 750 is one of my all time favorite bikes. We had a used one at SKY Powersports that I would sometimes take out on my lunch break. It was light and nimble, and had just enough power to be hella fun.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

As far as personality I should probably never have started riding street bikes, I love pushing the envelope which is great for dirtbikes and ATVs, but it's a recipe for disaster on a street bike.

And I'm jealous Dan, the Nighthawk 750 is one of my all time favorite bikes. We had a used one at SKY Powersports that I would sometimes take out on my lunch break. It was light and nimble, and had just enough power to be hella fun.

There is nothing wrong with pushing it a bit. The only way to improve is to go beyond your comfort zone. I just happen to be very German in my approach to such things with checklists and such. One of my favorite ways to teach people how to get comfortable with leaning a bike is to do a circle about the size of a typical roundabout and have them slowly increase their speed, which then forces them to lean over more. You can always tell when said person hits the limit of their comfort zone because they stop increasing said speed. I actually do this with every bike I get as it is a good way to learn the feel of the bike and how the chassis setup responds. It's also a good way to break in new tires lol.

As far as the CB750 I had. It was a great bike, although mine was a bit of a minger at first. I bought it for $450 (back in 2001) and then sank quite a lot of time into it, and gave it the best teenager spray can paint job on earth. I have always had a talent for finding the cheap lost broken Honda children in the world. In fact I am going today to look at a 1983 V45 Sabre that a guy is selling for $1000 that needs some clutch work, but looks nice otherwise. I am hoping to pick it up for a new project/custom build... plus I am just a sucker for V4 Hondas.

[OneLeggedRider]

Well as others will attest my comfort zone goes way past the norm and I think my reaction time has decreased in proportion to my advancing age. Now mind you I have never dumped a passenger and have always kept it within my skill level with someone on the back, I couldn't forgive myself if I did cause them harm. But you can ask my sister Reesa how it feels to pass folks on the highway at 70mph on the rear wheels of the Scrambler at night, and cousin Jay will tell you firsthand how far sideways I can take a KZ650 on gravel at 60mph curve after curve with him on the back.

And other than my little brother I've never met anyone that can keep up with me in the woods. But as many times as I've been seriously injured is that really something to brag about? I'm walking everyday now in hopes to enjoy the rest of the season on my Hawk, and I'm telling myself I will be more careful/responsible on it but old habits are hard to break.

Honda has and still makes the best bikes on the planet, and I also am a fan of their V-4s. I was riding bitch on the back of my buddy Tim's V65 when we hit a deer at 70mph. We were thrown about 30 yards into a cornfield and even though bruised and bleeding nothing was broken (again, leather jacket saved my a$$). The bike didn't fare too well but we still managed to ride it home with a bent front rim and Tim working the throttle cable by hand. Good times..

[pete]

I always thought a beginners bike was the one you were able..
to con someone letting you ride for the first time..

PS... Onelegged…. maybe we need to go for a ride in the woods..



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[OneLeggedRider]

Originally Posted by pete

I always thought a beginners bike was the one you were able..
to con someone letting you ride for the first time..

PS... Onelegged…. maybe we need to go for a ride in the woods..



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Haha! Pete we're old men but we've still got our pride lol. I know your racing background and mine is similar, and we're both Yamaha fans (YZ80, YZ250, XT500, and Seca), but I would love to take a spin in the woods with you and drink a cold one after.