Begining Motorcyclists: Start Slow or Get Right In It?

[specialist8]

I've been M class certified for 5+ years now. When I took my class through Motorcycle Safety Foundation, I never even straddled a bike before and was introduced to a whole new terrain of machines I had zero knowledge of. The class supplied me with a Rebel that was well-maintained and if it came down to it I could probably lift the thing off the ground if need be. It was a great bike to learn on as you could really feel in control given it's dimensions/lack of power, but I used it only for a total of 20 hours that had me leaving the class begging for more power already.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks later where I bought (for ~$400) an '83 KZ440 from a friend of my Dad's that was a total beater. This bike was on it's last 100mi, but the perpetual cry of "start small, don't get anything too big" was pounded into my head. I should say up front that my reasoning for getting a bike was beyond just for leisure as I was living in Chicago with no car and wanted to start commuting/having a bike for actual daily tasks. The ability to have a reliable bike should have been more forefront than trying to "earn my stripes" as most people will say. The KZ was a total mess and ended up putting about $400 additional into it for the carbs. The bike was very loud too, but I didn't want to put more money into it as I really didn't care for the bike much to begin with. It was an embarrassing ride whenever I took it on the streets and I soon sold it for a couple hundred dollars.

My next bike was a '79 CB750F. Got it on CL for $1100 as I was pressured again to not buy something new or that big. I was willing to put some money into the CB750 as I needed a reliable bike to get me places and really enjoyed the styling/speed of the bike. I ended up getting $900 worth of work done on the bike for various replacement hoses, brake line/brakes, fluids,etc. After all the BS fees Illinois/Chicago demands of titles/registration/taxes, I was looking at $2300 worth of money put into 750. The bike rode well during the summer months but once temps started dipping below 50, I had to start carrying starter fluid because the bike wouldn't start without it. Then if the rpm's dipped too low, the bike would sputter out. I had to keep the engine permanently revved at stops to prevent the bike from dying out. The hand fatigue alone from that was pretty bad. Then when the bike DID die out, it wouldn't have enough juice to start so it needed a battery charge. I bought a portable battery charger for those all-too-common instances. The CB750s were apparently prone to electrical issues. At that time I really didn't want to put more money into the bike because I pretty much put what could have been a down payment on a perfectly new bike into the 750. Eventually the annoyance and unreliability of the 750 would cause me to sell it for a mere $500.

I know everyone has different experiences with their bikes, and I did get the CB750 looked at by an auto shop before I bought it. The repairs for it seemed pretty normal for a bike that old and at that time of sale the bike did run well. Fuel injection is a god-send that I held out too long for when looking for a bike.

I bring up my experience because if you're serious about wanting to ride and are urged to toe the line of, "don't get anything too big right away", I can't say I agree with that statement. The difference between my 1100 and 750 didn't seem too different. The 750 felt much lighter, but there wasn't much difference I could tell beyond that in terms of normal city/highway driving. If I could do it over again, I wish I'd had bought the CB1100 way earlier. I'd have saved much more money and time instead of taking the bikes to repair shops for something that wouldn't even benefit me in the end.

What are your guys' thoughts on starting off riding? If you have the money and are serious about wanting to ride a lot, do you think that jumping the gun on something new and a larger engine size is naive? I think a disclaimer on sportbikes should be said though. If you're buying a sport bike just for the weekends, that could easily not end well for many newer riders.

I realize this opinion may be unpopular and it's only through my experiences I came to that conclusion.

[Cormanus]

It's a really good question, specialist, and one that's been discussed here on a number of occasions. I'd offer a couple of observations. First, when I (and many of us) started riding a 750cc motorcycle was just about as big as it got, so we tended to start out on smaller bikes and work our way up. The Kawasaki Z900 was a size revolution.

Secondly, both the starter motorcycles you had were elderly, carbureted bikes which may explain some of the problems you had rather than them just being smaller.

[the Ferret]

I'm torn on the subject. I'm kind of the opinion of starting small and working your way up (actually there are people who prefer small bikes over larger bikes, but I am not one of those lol) but I started on a 50cc street bike, progressed thru 160, 305, 350, 450, 650, 750 , 1000 etc. There were maybe too many steps in that transition, but it did allow me to get used to the increased size and power of the next larger bike before moving on. There is a huge difference between a 250cc bike and a 1000cc bike in terms of size and power.I wish here in the USA there were steps like in other parts of the world where you are approved for a 250cc for so long, then maybe a 650 for so long, then get whatever CC you want. The mean streets are a tough place to learn how to survive on a motorcycle. Although a 250 can get you killed, a liter bike can get you killed much quicker imo. That, and some people should not ride motorcycles (or drive cars for that matter) no matter displacement.

[Guth_imp]

I'd say that your post/experience is leaving out a few key things that have little to do with the title. Namely do you start out with a new(ish) bike and do you learn to work on the bike yourself. My answer to either of those questions would be yes. If you decide not to buy a new(ish) bike, then that's all the more reason to learn to work on it yourself (there are plenty of other reasons beyond this one).


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[feralchimp_imp]

Smaller first, even understanding that a) some smaller bikes have crappy brakes (don't buy those) and b) there are situations where horsepower is a safety feature (avoid those situations for a while).

Edited to add: Once you're above 500cc, engine displacement becomes almost orthogonal to whether the bike is dangerous for your level of ability/maturity. E.g. my second bike was a Virago 1100, which made plenty of power for me to ride on the highway but pretty docile around town even if ham-fisted. A ZRX1100 or R6 at the same stage of my riding career would have been a huge mistake.

[aschem_imp]

My evolution started small and went: 125 dirt bikes age 13; CB125 at 16; KZ650 17; XR650 18; riding a CBX at 19. Dropped the dirt bikes all the time. I'm glad I didn't buy something big and new to start off. In fact, I was 16 and could not have afforded to in the 1st place. Everyone starts off at different stages in life and has a different pocket book.

[LongRanger_imp]

To me, it's the weight of the bike, not the engine size, that matters when you're first starting out. To Ferret's point, you can easily kill yourself on a 250, but if you can't hold the bike up at a stoplight or make a u-turn in a gas station, you're on too heavy a bike. I think the frustration you experienced by trying to nurse two 30-year old beaters biased your conclusion. A nicely running CBR250R or Ninja 300 is more than enough motorcycle for a first time rider and will allow them to improve their skills and confidence before buying something heavier (and more powerful). I wouldn't recommend a CB1100 to a newbie.

[ManInBlack_imp]

Lately, I have been going the other direction...
I had an 1800cc Triumph Thunderbird Storm, which had torque that could pull your arms out of their sockets, but it weighed a ton, and I never got completely confident making U turns on it.
I sold it and bought a Honda CTX1300, which was still super heavy. Eventually I sold that and bought a Yamaha FJ-09, which weighs about 500 pounds and has ergos that fit me perfectly so I always feel confident on it.
I don't think I'll get a Grom, but light bikes are a lot of fun.

[chync_imp]

I faced the same dilemma when I started riding. At first I was going down the path of looking for a reliable used bike but some little voice in the back of my head started asking me if I wanted to spend my time learning to ride or learning to repair the bike. So I started looking at new starter bikes and I'm glad I did. I financed a new cb 500. It was light enough to learn on and had enough power and speed to keep up in traffic. I kept it in great shape and when I sold it to another new rider a year later it had great resale value. I knew I was ready for something bigger when I had mastered the 500 in a range of conditions. One thing I did learn very quickly is that it would get up to highway speed but there was no more power for passing or a quick speed up to get out of the way of a car merging on top of me. So I just stayed off the interstates. If you get a good starter bike with good resale value it's no big deal to sell it when you are ready to go bigger in my opinion. There are always new riders looking for good used starter bikes.


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[rotor]

Size (total mass, engine displacement) are not all that important.

What is important is this:

With any bike you intend to ride in traffic, you must spend enough hours on an empty lot to be fully skilled in what I would call "the operation of the machine". This is not something to learn or practice while there are 2-20 ton vehicles around you, operated predominantly by idiots that have no regard for your life and limb.

I believe (I think) that when I see a new rider maneuver his bike in a closed parking lot for some short time, I can tell if he is ready to take the machine out in the traffic. So choose whatever bike you fancy and fits your circumstances, practice many, may, MANY, hours on an empty lot, then find someone that has been riding for a long time, give him a 15-minute demo of your skills and ask him a question:

Do you think I'm ready to take this bike into the traffic?