[davis90celica]

Good evening and thanks for having me. Currently out here in good old NH.
I am complete newbie when it comes to riding, but I have had experience with dirt bikes and ATV's.

I am scheduled for my BRC and am currently shopping around for my first beginner bike. What would be the best fit for a man of my size? I am 6ft a little over 200 pounds, I have sat on a 250 before and it just seems like it will be to small for me. I am a quick learner when it comes to anything motorized.

Thanks for any guidance and I am happy to be a new member to motorcycleforum.com

 

[MONI]

Welcome to the Forum. The BRC is the best place to start your riding career. You will have more of an idea about a bike after you complete the course. Like most members will tell you, go to lots of dealers and sit on all kinds of bikes. You will find one or two that just feel right.

Given your size you will probably want to start with a larger bike. What style you want and what you want to do with it means a lot when looking for a bike. Good Luck in your search and remember to have fun with it.

 

[Calculon]

Those 250cc bikes seemed tiny before taking the BRC, but just right afterwards. You'd help your cause if you said what you wanted spend for a bike, but I wouldn't get too serious about it until you've complete the BRC. Your outlook may change.

 

[billo]

Welcome from Texas

 

[hogcowboy]

 

[Porky]

Welcome from the state of Misery!

With dirt bike experience and taking into consideration your size and weight, I'd go with at least a 650 to 750cc bike, otherwise if you get something smaller you will out grow it and probably get bored with it.

There is a lot of difference between the type of bikes available, like cruisers, Standards, Adventure/ dualsport bikes and Supersport bikes. The power of the same size engine in a Supersort bike can be easily twice as much as in the typical size cruiser.

Give us an idea of what kind of a bike you are thinking about and I'm sure a LOT of us will give ya some ideas---we're good at that!

Sam:biggrin:

 

[davis90celica]

Thank you everyone for the input!

I know for my age almost 30 and married I am looking for just a cruiser. I am willing to spend "for my first bike" anywhere from $1000 to $3000 given that I will most likely drop the bike.

I have been doing my research on mostly older Goldwings, Honda Shadows keeping away from my dream of a Harley till I have lots more experience.

Chris

 

[Porky]

You can't beat a good Honda Shadow cruiser for the money. Craigslist and cycletrader always has lots of them at great prices.

The 750's are nice but even the 1100's are still really tame so as not to intimidate riders.

I believe one of the Guys on the forum here, Soupy, is his posting name and he is thinking about selling his Honda cruiser and it's a beauty.

Sam:biggrin:

 

[davis90celica]

From what I have looked at so far Honda cruisers seem to be the way to go for reliability.

I have been searching craigslist constantly for new bikes. Lots of good bikes out there!

Thanks for the input!!!

 

[Steele11b]

Honda's are shadows 750 are a good bike. Yamaha Viragos 750 are also a good cruiser to start on.

 

[Philo]

Welcome

Welcome! When I was asking about bikes, someone gave me some good advice:

Spend some time sitting and riding different ones. You'll know when you find it!

Best, philo

 

[ThreeG]

Welcome to the forum from southwestern PA!

I prefer the Vulcan for a great mid-sized cruiser, especially a new rider. Just my two cents - very low maintenance costs also.

3G

 

[cmonSTART]

Welcome fellow New Hampshireite!

 

[cmonSTART]

Thank you everyone for the input!

I know for my age almost 30 and married I am looking for just a cruiser. I am willing to spend "for my first bike" anywhere from $1000 to $3000 given that I will most likely drop the bike.

I have been doing my research on mostly older Goldwings, Honda Shadows keeping away from my dream of a Harley till I have lots more experience.

Chris

If you have any questions about older Goldwings, I know a fair amount about them. Enjoy your BRC!

 

[TennesseeZ]

Welcome from East Tennessee!
Ed

 

[Stablefull]

Welcome from Seattle! You are getting great advice from these guys

 

[CrazyNinja650R]

Shhhhhhhhh......someone will hear u...
.
.
.
.
.

 

[davis90celica]

Thank you for all the advice, 1 more question!
Once I get comfortable I will of course want to bring my wife for some rides, will Shadows and other metric cruisers be a comfortable ride for both of us? She is a twig so I would think there would be plenty of room. Thoughts?

 

[Dodsfall]

Thank you for all the advice, 1 more question!
Once I get comfortable I will of course want to bring my wife for some rides, will Shadows and other metric cruisers be a comfortable ride for both of us? She is a twig so I would think there would be plenty of room. Thoughts?

That is going to depend on the passenger seat. Some motorcycles have better pillion seats than others. If it is a narrow seat without much padding, expect it to be uncomfortable for a longer ride.

 

[cmonSTART]

Aftermarket pads or seat covers can help with passenger comfort if it is an issue.