Starting on a CB1100 as a first bike

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I have to add my 2 cents and agree with getting a proper starter bike. I rode as a teen and was quite competent. It was a dirt bike but I had mastered it. In the dirt. Skip ahead 30 years and I realized I had given up a pass time I truly loved and wasn't sure why. So at 49 I got my license. I read all the advice in not going too big and I'm glad I heeded it. Because I considered myself a good rider from my youth it was tempting to think I could "skip a grade" and quickly get up to speed on a bike I would want to keep long term. I'm so glad I didn't go down that path. Riding on the street after so many years I really was starting over. There are so many skills that you must master simultaneously to ride safely in the road with traffic and people that are primarily looking for other cars and not motorcycles. It was a bit overwhelming at first. Having a light bike with anemic power took a couple of variables out of the complex equation. My first bike was a brand new Honda cb500x. Best decision I made. I had decided I also wanted to eliminate the variable if a used bike from the equation. The bike wasn't that difficult to master itself but the complete picture of negotiating traffic, learning how to negotiate curves at a speed I could safely handle, and even safely stopping was easier in a bike that wasn't too big, heavy, or unforgiving. I think because the bike was manageable I was able to progress rather quickly. Had I dropped the bike or had an accident in my learning phase I might have given up. And when I felt I was ready for something bigger it was clear to me. The great thing is that Honda has a great resale value and there were plenty of new riders looking for an entry level bike that it sold in a week. The Honda line of 500's were specifically designed to meet European staged licensing for new riders. You aren't allowed to ride anything bigger than a 500cc bike at first. I would get a bike 450 pounds or less and no more than 500cc's. either get a cheap used one or a new one that you can resell if taken care of.


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