2Wheeltips

I appologize for removing the previus form I deleated it by accident last night. Please respond to this for advice and information about this topic area. For those I appologize who infomed me of information it was very helpful. Please if you can please post your helpful information again. Thank You and have a great day.

Hi, willnew! Thanks for reposting your question. The bottom line is that you sould not even consider getting a sport bike with anything more powerful than 600cc as a first bike. I would not even recommend a sport bike as a first bike for most people. Also, keep in mind that the riding position of a sport bike can be miserably uncomfortable for many people and I know sport riders who don't want to ride anything farther than 100 miles because their backs start killing them. So, keep in mind: safety and comfort! Take an MSF basic rider course to get your license to help increase your education (if you already have your license) and watch the videos on 2wheeltips.com to help educate yourself as well. Click on the "Channels" tabe at the top of the screen and you will see a bunch of videos that we loaded that are geared to new riders who have yet to take a basic rider class. Watch them, learn as much as you can, and do NOT get too much bike as your first bike....you can always move up to a more powerful bike later!
I hope this helps!
Carol

Totally agree with you Carol, Maybe you should start about 250cc, until you can manage gear changing etc and get a general feel for riding a bigger type of bike.
definately stick with cruiser, I am 6ft and about the same weight as you and I can only ride a sport bike for a very short amount of time. For me it's all about comfort, safety, and looking and sounding good, not how fast I can go into and out of a corner.
good luck with your purchase and welcome to biking, you will love it!!
lungrocky

Some good advice from the people here.

But, based on my experience, a 250cc will be too small for your built and weight.
You'll probably get tired of it quickly once you start riding regularly.
You should consider maybe a 500 - 600cc as the maximum.

I agree with Carol with the MSF basic riding course but there's nothing that can beat riding
as often as you can to build your confidence, skill and knowing your limitations. Furthermore,
practice on a sports tourer, standard or even a cruiser before you consider a pocket rocket.

Hi, again, willnew!
Good advice from everyone! Just keep in mind that there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a used bike as your first bike (or second, third, or fourth bikes, for that matter!). Used bikes can save you a lot of money and, if you are not thrilled with your bike, at least you haven't spent a fortune on one. You can always sell your first bike to another newbie so, regardless of the bike you choose for your first bike, you aren't stuck with it forever. If you really really like the "sporty" look of a sport bike, perhaps you should consider, instead, a "standard." The "standard" seating position is more like a (non-racing) bicycle. You are sitting more upright and your feet are directly below you. There are some very nice, sporty-looking "standard" bikes out there on the roads and you just might find them to be not only fun to ride, easier to learn on than a sport bike, and well worth keeping for a long time. My first bike was/still is a Honda 599. It's not a very common bike in the US, but it's a great first bike for someone your size. The '06 model, the one I own, is a very nifty bike and one of the (don't laugh too hard) coolest features of my bike is the looks I get from people when I drive by..."what kind of bike is that??" is what I am sure they are asking themselves!! So, don't rush into anything right away....take a basic rider course and get a feel for the bikes that are available. There are some really nice bikes on the market, new and used, and I would strongly suggest going to dealerships and sitting on lots of different models to get a feel for each type of bike before deciding which one to buy. Keep us all posted on what you are looking at...we've all been there and done that!!
I hope this helps!!
Carol

Hey Willnew,

Greetings from the Heartland of Iowa. I am also, 6'2" and weigh about 185 with gear on. I rode quite a bit in my High School/College years but gave it up later do to other priorities. After taking an MSF course about 5 years ago I bought a Kawasaki Mean Streak 1600. This is usually not the recommend path as it is a sizable cruiser but I wanted to avoid buying something small and then selling it a year or so later and trading up.

This worked well for me as I found that a bike in the 500-650 lb range did not really make that much difference from a handling standpoint and a "felt" weight perspective. I was able to ride that bike for 4 years before I traded up to a Honda GoldWing. This might not be in your comfort range but wanted to give you anothr perspective for what it's worth. I would definitely start with a used bike versus new, purchased from a reputable dealer where you can get service. Establishing yourself with a good dealer can be of tremendous benefit when getting advice, service and when you want to trade-up to your next ride.

Reggie

I always wanted to ride a motorcyle and was so excited, that I did not care what size it was. I was afraid of the touring bikes. I had a scooter that I rode the wrong way for 20 years and did not realize it until I took the MSF course. I was going to purchase a 800cc or smaller and a friend of mines said, "Whatever you purchase make sure it is over 1200cc, if you don't you will find yourself wanting more power and will want to sell it for something with more power." I looked around for bikes and sat on a softail duece and it felt just right it was 1400cc (something like that). I did a lot of parking lot practice and going to the MSF course practice area when not in use and practice. I practice and could turn the bike at slow turn on a dime and had good friction control and stopping practice. Riding in Korea (for two years), I was not able to ride at Highway speed; it was not until I went to Hawaii that I could get up to 55mph and more. It was a frighten experience, for I had been use to slow speed and up to about 35mph riding, and splitting traffic and breaking. I was glad that I had the 1400cc for when I needed the power it was there and I did not have to sell a bike and purchase another bike. I wanted to tour and I purchased a touring bike, and I must say that the friction zone is very difficult at times for me to feel and this really affects my slow turning on a dime. Looking at the money flow and people are struggling to find and keep employment---it is better, I think to do a one shot one kill purchase for one might be stuck with the bike for a while. Oops did not mean to say, "one-shot-one-kill", for that just might be what it could be, when one ride beyond their limits regardless of the power of the bike.

With much practice and slow speed practice---riding in a control enviornment---is very important. It could be that I had been riding the 50cc scooter for 20 years that it helped in being able to ride the 1400cc as my first bike. I must be honest, there were many times that I felt that if I had a 400cc or 250cc that I could/would have learned a lot faster and felt a lot safer.

Thanks for your moment in time. By this time, I hope you have purchase your bike and is keeping the shining side up.

cruiser