Motorcycles

[Betelgeuse]

Yup I agree with your friend, the size of the bike doesn't matter much. I would recommend you get the ABS and traction control rather than worrying about the CCs.

Indians are very good motorcycles. As a matter of fact, I would recommend against a Harley unless you already feel a strong admiration for the brand. If not, they are pretty much the worst bang for the buck that there is. You can get a lot better bike for a lot less money.

Also, why are you only looking at cruisers? I would widen my search into street bikes unless you are not tall enough to reach the ground comfortably during stops. I feel a cruiser may not be the best first bike if you want to really work on your riding skills.

Which ones are the street bikes? Hehe I’m new to this, so I don’t have a lot of knowledge.

 

[cross22]

Which ones are the street bikes? Hehe I’m new to this, so I don’t have a lot of knowledge.

Like a Triumph Street Twin, Yamaha MT-07, Kawasaki Z650, Honda CB650, etc.

 

[gnatty8]

Like a Triumph Street Twin, Yamaha MT-07, Kawasaki Z650, Honda CB650, etc.

I'm thinking if he was drawn to the look of the HD and Indian bikes, a street bike is not going to scratch the itch..

 

[gnatty8]

Looks good @gnatty8 !

I was talking the other day with a friend, he is a big Indian fan, and he was telling me two things or opinions about what I have in mind.
1. I was planning to buy a used bike, since this is the first one, it probable that I may fall a few times, so it wouldn’t hurt me the price of the bike. To which he told me that he would prefer a new one since you have the dealer guarantee.

2. I was considering an 883 or the 1200 from Indian — which we already established it might be too big for a beginner — and he told me that when he bought his first bike, it was a 1200 and that he traded ir two months later for a 1800. He told me to go for the big one since and I quote: after your first ride, you will not want to get down from the bike. Hehe

Thoughts?

Well it's all about how you ride and having a safe place to learn to handle a bigger bike. I thought your primary purpose for a bike was city commuting. If that is so, I would recommend just going with the Sportie, either 883 or 1200, but look for one that's 2 or 3 years old, under 5,000 miles and that doesn't require much after market modifying to suit what you like aesthetically..

 

[Betelgeuse]

Thanks @cross22 and @gnatty8

I was looking at the Triump Street Twin and certainly looks good. I mean, another option could be to buy something like that for daily/city traffic and then a bigger one for weekends.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Stick with a used smaller bike and learn to actually ride the thing. And by learning to ride I don't mean not stalling it, shifting gears and grabbing a handful of brakes

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

So another buddy of mine is thinking about getting another bike so of course he consulted me because I'm really good at helping people spend their money . He's a bigger dude (about 6' 3" 260 lbs) so he's not interested in something too tiny and he is has ridden for years. His last bike was a gixxer 1000 and he likes power.

After some thought I came up with this:

2008 Suzuki B-King. 1,340 cc engine taken from the 2nd gen Hayabusa which makes about 180 hp and 108 ft/lbs of asphalt shredding torque. It has polarizing looks, you either love or hate it. There is no middle ground. It was only brought to the US for a single year and didn't sell well so there aren't too many of them on the road

He loved it and started perusing cycletrader while we were still on the phone. Another satisfied customer

 

[otc]

I gotta say I am pretty ambivalent about that.

I don't love it, but I definitely don't hate it either.

 

[ShoeWho]

It's absurd to be considering a bike of that power for a new rider. Completely mad.

 

[otc]

It's absurd to be considering a bike of that power for a new rider. Completely mad.

So another buddy of mine is thinking about getting another bike so of course he consulted me because I'm really good at helping people spend their money . He's a bigger dude (about 6' 3" 260 lbs) so he's not interested in something too tiny and he is has ridden for years. His last bike was a gixxer 1000 and he likes power.

 

[ShoeWho]

In case Betelgeuse gets any ideas...

 

[KamoteJoe]

Hey all, been active on the streetwear side of this site for a while but just recently got into motorcycles. I'd been doing alot of research on what kind of bike I'd like and the viability of buying an older Honda which is very much what I set my heart on. I passed the MSC this weekend and immediately got what I was looking for while doing my research: the Honda CB450 "Nighthawk" from 1985. I'm incredibly pleased with its torque and the 450cc engine is not intimidating.

 

[John Doe]

Nice bike, congratulations! One of the first things you should do is install one of these horns on your bike. You'll soon find out about all the drivers out there with their heads up their asses who will casually run you off the road, cut in front of you, turn left in front of you from oncoming traffic; the leading cause of motorcycle accidents;
and basically try and kill you. Your bikes factory horn is about as loud as a flea fart and will not be heard. Any bike I've had I put one of these horns on and it has saved my hide on many occasions. When I blast someone with it they act like an eighteen wheeler is about to slam into them. I've seen drivers physically tense up and get out of my way when they hear it, it is very loud. Heed my words from someone with many years riding bikes. It
will save you from many potential disasters. I've seen them sold at Harbour Freight, Walmart, and auto parts stores as well as Amazon.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Hey all, been active on the streetwear side of this site for a while but just recently got into motorcycles. I'd been doing alot of research on what kind of bike I'd like and the viability of buying an older Honda which is very much what I set my heart on. I passed the MSC this weekend and immediately got what I was looking for while doing my research: the Honda CB450 "Nighthawk" from 1985. I'm incredibly pleased with its torque and the 450cc engine is not intimidating.

Congratulations!!!

How do you envision the style of your riding gear style? Word of warning: The price of your gear will quickly exceed the price of that bike. What kind of helmet did you get? Have you picked up a jacket yet? Fashion leather won't cut it. Gloves are super important as well. Used jackets are fine but used helmets are not. Used boots are safe to buy too but

good luck with that.

 

[KamoteJoe]

@Rumpelstiltskin thanks! I'm definitely investing in good gear for riding (dress for the crash, not for the ride is my guiding mantra). I got Biltwell gloves (armor around the knuckles), a Biltwell full-face helmet, and rock a waxed cowhide competition weight Vanson perfecto. My boots are currently blundstones but I might change those for some Chippewa engineer boots. What would you recommend for abrasion resistant pants?