While I agree with Jeff on what the Bandit 1200 is capable of, which is being a touring/sports/hooligan bike, although I think the GSXR either 85-88 or 99-to date (not the "Slingshots" ) will corner better, for a novice it's a bit too much. The Suzuki SV650 sounds about the right place to start as it will work in the city or out on the freeway.

I started (a long time ago) on a Yamaha RD250..now have a Kawasaki ZRX1100

Something used, something light weight, and something with a friendly powerband. This way you can get a *starter* bike and turn it a year later for little to no loss.

Figure to spend $700+ on riding gear before you ever hit the start button. Helmet, jacket, boots, gloves, sturdy pants, and eye protection are requirements. If you balk at spending the money consider how long $1K lasts in the emergency room and how, if you suffer a misfortune, you wished you spent the money on good protective gear.

Thanks all for the help.

I compare riding a bike to a more risky version of taking my 930 to the track - where I have a suit, a full face Arai helmet, gloves, and a HANS device - !

1985 Ducati Mike Hailwood 1000 Mille!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just kidding. I seriously think a 1994-present Kawasaki EX500 or 89+ Suzuki GS500e (or F if you must have the 04+ fully faired version) is the way to go.

Cheap, ride the wheels off it, and sell it for what you paid.

Was following behind two harleys (in line) yesterday - giving them plenty of space. At a merge a large SUV came barreling over (most likey looking at the first one and me in his rearview) and almost creamed the second one. The rider revved it up and scared the truck away - but man, that was close... A bad mix, that was scary..:(

Alternatively, start with something old and cool which you can later modify into something even cooler. Start with something like an early '70s Honda CB 350 (a clean one on Craig's List for about $1500), and learn to ride it. Then install clip-ons (low handle bars), core out the mufflers, and get sticky tires. Now you have a very cool vintage cafe-racer that is fun to ride, cheap to maintain, rare and attractive, and less likely to get you killed. I'm about to do this to an extra CL 160 I have, just for kicking around.

Hmm, I hear ya. I live near Smellvue (Kirkland) and I see quite a few vintage bikes around anymore - early 70s

Craig

Did you ever get a bike? I'm in the same boat now, and the same bikes keep popping up. Curious to see your experience.

CB550 or SV650

I've on hold for a bit - just picked up a "motorcycle Operators Manual" from the DMV today however.....

Not that I'm an evangelist now, but budget $1200 for gear. Seriously. Way more important than what it says on the side of the tank.

Boots: get serious street boots. I like Sidi, Alpinestars makes good ones too. Figure about $200 plus or minus

Jacket: Leather with armor. Perforated is nice as it helps keep you cooler, and a zip out vest is a nice touch. I don't like a full zip out liner as it tends to make the arms loose when the liner is out, and loose means the armor can shift during a crash. About $350.

Pants: Leather is preferable, but if you are wearing jeans then a good over pant with tough mesh and padding should be good enough. But don't just do jeans. And I don't believe in the "Draggin Jeans" or other reinforced ones. You need toughness all over because you never know what part of your body my slide/hit. About $150 for textile, $250 for leather.

Gloves: good leather ones, specific for motorcycling. I like Alpinestars, and find their lower line ones (under $100) are just fine.

Helmet: goes without saying. I like Shoei because it fits my head well. Fit is critical. You do not want it too tight (causing pain that will distract you) or worse, too loose (so it can mover around on impact). The better brands have different size cheek pads that you can swap out to dial in the fit. I don't believe in cheap ($100) helmets. Just my bias. Figure $400 for a good Shoei or Arai.

If you're not wearing all of that, don't climb on the bike. If you take a passenger and they aren't wearing all of thatk don't take them on the bike.

oh, and as for the bike, I've got a low miles Ducati that might be available. Totally hot ride, and custom modded for ultra lightweight. I might be able to get some pics tomorrow...

A smoking deal?






....Sorry.

it's on fire, baby.

I've scraped the price way way down.

At least it won't cost you an arm and a leg (but maybe a hole in one)?

Sorry.

More then you are willing to spend but this bike has been good to me. Mechanically speaking. Also, I thought the yellow would help me stand out in traffic and be seen a little more then the rest of the bikes on the road. Let me know if you want more info on it.

http://www.ducsunlimited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4716

PM or Email me if you want more info or pics...

Don't bite craig - I hear it's coyote ugly.

Before Todd's little incident I was looking a SV650's and BMW twins on cycle trader... a little alarming how many of them were "damaged".

At forty nine I heal pretty slow so I think I will stick to four wheels for now on.

YMMV

Whenever I am teaching newbies, one of my first stops is at a M/C junkyard.

75% of the really bad wrecks there are paper plates.

Bill's yellow Ducati.......ooooh man I like it.....

No pressure Craig, but if you are interested in it I'd work with you on it and shipping and so forth to make it a smooth transaction.

wow...if this were one week ago I would have bought your bike. I've lusted after yellow 748s for some time now.

Craig, I thought you said you had no riding experience? A 748 as a first bike?

Buy lots of gear and lots of insurance...

Bill you're making a poor man (me) cry.

That 748 is a beaut.

Yeah 748 for a first bike ? - I've seen a picture of your young daughter Craig - I'd think about that one for a little while.

I hear ya. I like the bike, but man.......I don't wanna be dumb.

that is a beautiful bike...one of my dream bikes. And I was close to pulling the trigger on a second more sporting bike before the accident, so I wasn't kidding when I said I would have bought it. That price for a clean 748 with both tails is great.

But Craig...that ain't no beginner bike. Less so because of power delivery, and more because if you drop it you're looking at serious money to fix the plastic. Well, and the power delivery and riding position.

I hope you're considering or have taken the Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginning rider course. It's nearly free, will lower your insurance premium by a good bit, and will genuinely make you a safer rider for at least the first, most dangerous, year.
http://www.msf-usa.org/index_new.cfm?spl=2&action=display&pagename=RiderC ourse%20Info

Thanks everyone for the nice comments about my Duc. It is gorgeous and I'm having a hard time parting with it and all those acc. But I'd like to get a new Duc S4R. So I gotta let something go.

Just to let everyone know, that this 748 was my first street bike. But I've had lots of experience with dirt bikes, 3 & 4 wheelers, etc. I even had an enduro for a while. I took the safety class, spent lots of time to KNOW the bike on back roads, off hours (early morning, Sunday eve, etc) of the day (less traffic)for quite a while. This was to get the feel for it. Then when I was comfy with it then I started venturing into a little more traffic until I was comfortable to ride it whenever and wherever.
I guess what I'm trying to say is just about any bike could be your first bike if you plan on a learning curve.

Bill, I'm not trying to blow your sale. It's just that as I recall Craig has very little 2 wheel experience. I ended up being ok with my first "returning" bike being a very fast 600cc I4. But I have thousands of hours riding/racing bicycles, being on dirt bikes as a young kid, etc. While a bicycle isn't a motorcycle, the physics on 2-wheels is pretty universal. And if your'e used to countersteering a road bicycle in a mountain turn at 40mph, odds are you'll get up to speed pretty quickly on the motorized version.

Your 748 is a beaut though. That would be a very fun weekend bike for SoCal...and I agree about bright colors. My triumph was orange and the Duc red. But yellow is my fav ;)

Nostatic - Don't worry about blowing the sale cause I'll even say it. If you have zero or little experience on motorcycles then THIS BIKE IS NOT FOR YOU Craig911.

I don't want you buying beyond your skills cause I don't want you hurt or worse killed.

Sorry Bill - I didn't mean to throw a wrench in there either - your 748 is beautiful.

Nah, don't worry about it you guys. Only Craig911 really knows his experience and skills. I don't know his experiences or skills, but I thought he was more familiar with motorcycles in general than what it sounds like he his. I didn't know, so no hard feelings you guys.

My bike isn't going to be a good fit for him, so be it. Lets see if we can find a bike that is a good fit for him.

So back to the topic.........

Howza bout an updated list of recommended bikes for me?
Thanks!

one more time
SV650
http://www.svrider.com/

Yep, everytime my wife lets me ride her's I'm simply amazed. Reminds me of my old FZR400 race bike.

And once again I will say: SV650!!!!!!!!!

Oh and Bill's statements about saying his bike is not a good fit for Craig just shows that Bill is a true motorcycle enthusiast! For me, I love my VFR, but I would never, ever recommend a VFR to a beginning rider.

Can you recommend some brands of overpants that you like?

First Gear make some first class overpants with good armor at a decent price. You can go to www.Newenough.com and check out pants, jackets, boots, etc. from First Gear, Vanson, Alpine, Joe Rocket. They have great prices and often have some smoking deals on last years models.

The list seems to start and stop there. I like BMW bikes. I think they're cool. What about the F650? Any thoughts on that?

Todd, could you pedal while countersteering, turning like that? I tried the other day on my cannondale but it was very awkward for me. Granted I wasn't going 40 either... No need to pedal then.