I say GO FOR IT! My current and first bike is an 84 Honda Shadow VT700, its about 500lb, has 62hp, 45lb of torque. Ive been told its the torque on a bike you need to look at, not so much the HP, due to higher torque, higher chances of launching yourself.

Personally, I find starting from a stand still to be the most difficult part, once you get going its more comfortable. I got the bike 2 weeks after I took the MSF, that being my only experience on a bike, and I rode it about 22 miles home, hit 65, and it felt GREAT. Like I said, starting from a standstill is the hardpart (well for me), but once you get going its not bad at all. Goodluck!

 

I would rule out the Virago 535 due to it's poor gas mileage and limited range. IMHO any bike that requires you to go to reserve after only 70 miles, is just too limited to be practical. The Marauder 800 is a beautiful bike and one of the coolest looking cruisers I have seen. That said to me the bike is a bit heavy for a beginner and reviews I have read on them do state that they are not the best for commuting around town/doing tight turns, especially for a newbie as the weight gets in the way. My recommendation at this point would still be the Savage for you. Yes, it might feel a bit light, but for what you are primarily going to be using your bike for, the Savage would do quite well. As a compromise though, the 500 Vulcan would be excellent (and in fact would out perform the marauder due to it's 6th gear and it weighs about 100lbs less fully loaded).

 

Unless the specs I'm seeing are wrong, the VZ800 only weighs 456# dry, which is slightly heavier than the Vulcan. Of course I found specs for a 2010 Vulcan 500, so the specs I'm finding may not be reliable

 

The problem is that you really have to watch the wet weight and the dry weight. One place quotes dry the other quotes wet. The Vulcan fully fueled weighs just over 470lbs. the Suzuki on the other hand weighs well over 500lbs fully fueled. Prioritize your needs and then purchase the bike based on that. If you were planning on primarily using the bike for road trips then the Marauder would be a little bit better of a choice, but where your primary riding is going to be around town with the occasional trip on the interstate then the Savage or the Vulcan 500 are much better choices. That and the MPG will not be as good on an 800. Once again, don't get me wrong, I think that VZ800 is an absolutely gorgeous looking bike, and I had a similar offer available in my area a couple of months back that I was sorely tempted to buy but after thinking about what I use the bike for (using backroads at 60MPH or less and running errands around town, backing in and out of the garage, moving between the cars in the garage, backing in and out of parking spaces and winding through residential subdivisions) and the 800 Marauder just isn't a very practical choice, or good bike for that situation. I strongly recommend you try the Marauder 800, the Savage and the Vulcan 500 and try moving the bike around without it being on and backing up, turning around, etc. and I think you will be surprised at how much a little bit of extra weight can make a difference in those situations.

 

I had a 2004 Marauder and the bike was easy to handle and very docile. All the makings of a good learner bike.

 

I bought this bike! Well, I agreed to buy this bike. I'll rob, err..I mean visit my bank tomorrow for the cash and the owner will deliver the bike Sunday. Maybe sooner if I take possession of my garage before then. Won't be able to ride it until I get it insured and registered, probably Monday.