Thinking about getting a motorcycle...
billwill
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all, I'm really curious as to using a motorcycle as my main form of transportation, mainly because it seems fun and would be great for how many miles per gallon I would get.
So what would you all suggest? Go try and test drive one? Maybe some specific courses I should take? How about what kinds of motorcycle I should be considering?
I am 6'3, and 280 (pretty much all muscle, so it's not like I can get much lighter), so please take that into consideration. I'm guessing I would be needing one of the bigger motorcycles. As for the type, I would love to stick with BMW. I've owned two of their cars, and they are just fantastic, which leads me to believe that same kind of quality is carried over into their two-wheeled transports. Thanks!
So what would you all suggest? Go try and test drive one? Maybe some specific courses I should take? How about what kinds of motorcycle I should be considering?
I am 6'3, and 280 (pretty much all muscle, so it's not like I can get much lighter), so please take that into consideration. I'm guessing I would be needing one of the bigger motorcycles. As for the type, I would love to stick with BMW. I've owned two of their cars, and they are just fantastic, which leads me to believe that same kind of quality is carried over into their two-wheeled transports. Thanks!
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If you don't really have much experience on motorcycles, your best bet is to find a friend with something cheap like a dirt bike they're willing to lend you, or better yet find an MSF or similar beginners motorcycle course. They supply the bikes, it's probably the best way to get started into motorcycling, and you usually get cheaper insurance from it to boot.
For someone your size, a larger motorcycle would definitely be better. But don't fall into the typical trap of thinking you need a huge engine; when you're starting out, smaller is better till you get comfortable and skilled. I started on an older 500cc bike and still haven't felt the need to upgrade after 3 years, and that includes a 5k mile road trip with the bike loaded up with 300lbs of gear.
Oh, and I'm sure others will echo this, but I'll say it here first. Set aside a good grand or two for solid, well-fitting equipment. At the very least, a helmet. If you've felt road rash or try putting a belt sander against your arm, you'll understand why proper gloves, jacket, pants and boots are also equally important.
A new 600 will kill you, but a 90's model 600 would be ideal for you. Id recommend looking in the paper for a scratched up older 600 for you to learn on. These bikes are cheap and awesome, and weigh enough to be great on the highway without being destructive over a mistaken wrist motion.
A safety course is ideal for a virgin rider to learn how to ride PROPERLY. Highly recommend a safety course!
I'd say start small and cheap and work your way up, but because you are a bigger fellow, start smallish and cheap, and work you way up. Get something with enough power to get you around (will you be riding on highways?) but not something that will cost you a fortune or quickly get you to lethal speeds. 500cc would be my pick, but you might want something a little bigger. Try to find a good used deal, and plan on seeing the bike hit pavement at some point. Once you get better at riding (might be a few months or a year+), wait on a good deal and trade up to something bigger/better, but by all means--do not start with your dream bike.
BMWs are expensive, but I haven't met a BMW rider who didn't like his bike. Asia makes some cheaper things that are also fantastic. If a BMW is your goal bike, sit on a few to see how they feel, and then try to find a bike with a similar riding position. I had a Kawasaki Ninja, so I can tell you a Ninja will not sit like most BMWs.
Keep a car for winter and bad weather.
Get good gear, and wear it all the time.
You might want to try something with d3o in it. It sounds really cool, and I've only seen good impressions.
We have a pretty good thread in D&D for it. I REALLY like the VStrom I posted pictures of in the OP of that thread. It's a 650 displacement, but on a big frame (I'm 6'6" and you can see how it fits me). Cycle World said it "may just be the most shockingly competent machine in the world today." I very rarely want more power out of it.
You don't need a large motorcycle, if you want one that's fine but it's not necessary. I know someone who is 350+ pounds and he takes a 150cc out on the highway all the time, it's not optimal and I would recommend something more like 250-500cc, but you definitely don't need 1000cc or anything like that. There is a strong correlation to the engine size and your chances of getting in an accident and that accident being fatal, especially in the first year.
I would get something used, small engined and cheap since there's a good chance you'll at least lay it down at some point in the learning process. After a year or so you'll have the ability to select a larger bike that's a good fit for yourself and be able to handle it safely.
If you are going to be doing highway riding, its terribly unsafe to be on a small motorcycle. Something to consider.
If your responsible you should be able to handle it unless something out of your control happens, which if its out of your control would happen regardless what bike u get. id say get what you want. and get frame sliders better to re place a 20 dollar puck then a 200+ fairing
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Why? Its not like a larger motorcycle protects you any better in a crash. Honestly, 350 pounds on a 150cc is a little bit much, but really the only danger would be getting up to highway speed. A normal sized person on that bike wouldnt have any issues.
As to the OP, if you live somewhere you can do it, go for it. I would do it in an instant, except i live in canada. As soon as the snow melts, my bike is my only form of transportation, my car stays parked until the snow flies again. Its way cheaper, especially if you learn how to do the maintenance yourself. I spend maybe 12 bucks a week on gas (Compared to 25-40 in my car), and about 15 minutes to an hour every other weekend maintaining the bike. Yes you will need to invest in some equipment, but the 1000-2000 dollar estimate above is a bit high imo.
For a choice of bike, a nice BMW might not be the best choice for first bike ever. Its pretty likely that youre going to lay it down at least once, almost everyone does, whether its slipping out on some sand, forgetting to put the kickstand down, or bailing out of a turn because youre not confident. It'd be better to have a bike thats a little beat up as your first bike, so if you do make a mistake, youre not going to be pissed off that youve scuffed up the bike as well as being mad at yourself for making a mistake. Plus, if you decide riding a bike isnt for you, you havent spent a lot of money on something you dont really want anymore. Like someone else above mentioned, going for a cheaper japanese bike is usually the better choice. You can get some well built japanese cruiser bikes that are excellent learner bikes. If you decide later that you want to step up to a BMW, the resale on the japanese bike should be about the same as what you paid for it (unless youve destroyed it in the process of learning to ride).
I would stay away from sports bikes as a first bike as well. The best analogy i can think of is it would be like handing the keys to a ferrari to someone whos never driven a car before. Those bikes have a lot of power and arent really forgiving to newbie mistakes like a cruiser bike would be. For instance, ive seen someone panic because they took off in second gear, cracked the throttle because the bike was bogging out, suddenly pop a wheelie and proceed to mount a curb and crash. Also was with someone who someone panic braked, pulled an endo and flipped the bike ontop of themselves. Both of those mistakes probably would not have happened on a cruiser because the controls are way more forgiving.
Transporting stuff on your bike can be tough, but if you invest in a decent backpack or some saddle bags, you should be ok. I only have a backpack, but i dont have any issues, i go grocery shopping on my bike, i bought a new wii and some games, i can even carry a case of beer in there. Sure, sometimes you really need a car to get stuff around, but most of the time you can make due.
The biggest thing to get used to is thinking of yourself as invisible on the road. A lot of people just plain dont "see" bikes on the road. They dont see you occupying lanes beside them, they dont see you in their blind spot, they dont see you coming towards them and they dont see you passing through intersections. You really need to be 100x more aware then when driving a car, because you literally have almost no protection. If you get hit by a car, youre gonna get hurt, so if you dont drive defensively already it can be a big change. I cant count the number of times someones almost merged into me, or turned infront of me in an intersection, or pulled a uturn right infront of me.
But my favorite part, especially commuting, is being able to lanesplit so i dont end up sitting in traffic. Depending on your state/country, it may be illegal so check that first, but if youre allowed, its one of the biggest benefits. Driving home in my car during rush hour takes between 1.5-2 hours. On the bike i can be home in 30 minutes, because i can snake my way through the stopped traffic. Some people say its dangerous, but as long as youre not blasting your way through at 100mph, and stay focused on what everyone around you is doing, its not any more dangerous than driving in regular traffic.
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You accelerate out of trouble almost as often as you brake. If my top speed is 60mph and it takes a while to get there, I'd find myself in trouble a LOT more often.
You're confusing a sport bike with a super-sport. Regular sport bikes are generally very forgiving and usually aren't much more than a standard bike with a more aggressive riding posture (leaning forward vs. upright), fully fared, and more of what power they do have up in a higher RPM range compared to a standard (and that last part isn't always true). Super-sports also tend to have about twice as much horsepower as a regular sport bike.
That's not to say that they don't make sport bikes without faring (Suzuki SV650, Ducati Monster, all of Triumph's bikes that I've seen), but you're making them out to be something that they aren't.
For highway use I think lower displacement cruisers aimed for new riders are usually underpowered (say, 900cc and under). That's especially true if you need to suddenly accelerate since most of their power tops out at around 5,000-5,500 RPM and odds are if you're on the highway you're probably already in 5th gear (most entry level cruisers only have 5). If you have a passenger (most people I see with cruisers usually have one around here), have luggage loaded, or are just a really heavy guy it might not be optimal. Especially if you live in a hilly area. Even though they have a "bigger" engine most of them don't provide much more torque than a standard/sport bike and weigh 100+ lbs more than even a heavy sport bike.
@OP: For another bike to check out in addition to the V-Strom take a look at the Kawasaki Versys. It's big people friendly as well.
And for the love of all that you find sacred don't use anything other than a full face helmet. The area that an open face helmet leaves exposed is where the first head impact happens in most accidents (something like ~32% of the time) and it's going to be shitty if you're riding in the rain. Cosmetic leather jackets and pants aren't substitutes for proper leather/fabric outerwear designed to protect you in an accident, and the initial investment is one hell of a lot cheaper than getting treated for road rash (or worse).
Also, getting more bike than you need is another recipe for disaster. I've heard of too many stories of riders who felt that their 750 wasn't 'enough' bike, moved up to something over 1000 and then creamed themselves because the power simply got away from them.
Don't get a bike because somebody says you should, get it because you believe it's appropriate. Then respect the hell out of the danger you're putting yourself in whatever the size.
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