I can't comment on most of those bikes but I can say that I've put 63k miles on my 650 vstrom so far and its been a blast for everything you've said above. Been on dozens of all day rides, a few multi week trips, and through the dragon a few times. Its super smooth and a decent beginner bike. On paper the power is not that much, but in the real world its fine. Now I just got a fjr and so I'm getting used to that, but its definitely not a beginner bike by any stretch of the imagination. Log at least 10-15k miles on other cheaper bikes to get your technique down. I would have dropped the fjr a few times, or worse had I attempted to start out on it. The strom never gave me one lick of trouble ever, and is very fun to ride in almost all conditions. I'm definitely keeping it to complement the fjr. Good luck!
Newbie question - Which bike to get?
- Thread starter Charles
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dbvolfan
Well-known member
I think you would be just fine starting out on a VTX1300. They are bullet proof, offer the mix of power, range and comfort you probably like and the low COG makes them very easy to ride.
I have seen a ton of VTX's for sale on craigslist for crazy low prices. Buy one, ride the snot out of it and then move on to the SST bike later if you want.
I personally started with a Shadow 600 and while it was an awesome bike that I put 22k miles on, I was like a newborn baby on it. Within a month, nothing on it fit me and I was ready for more. I think starting on a 600-750 cruiser is shooting too low IMO. I think with newer riders it's getting comfortable with the position and confidence in handling. You dont want to find yourself 3 months from now wanting more size.
Just my .02's
I have seen a ton of VTX's for sale on craigslist for crazy low prices. Buy one, ride the snot out of it and then move on to the SST bike later if you want.
I personally started with a Shadow 600 and while it was an awesome bike that I put 22k miles on, I was like a newborn baby on it. Within a month, nothing on it fit me and I was ready for more. I think starting on a 600-750 cruiser is shooting too low IMO. I think with newer riders it's getting comfortable with the position and confidence in handling. You dont want to find yourself 3 months from now wanting more size.
Just my .02's
fjr183
Well-known member
Start with the MSF course, if you haven't already.
This will give you help to make personal deceisions for type of cycle and the SO may be more at ease that you'll make It thru the first year.
If in the future you plan to ride two up and your passenger weights in on the large side, you'll need the larger seating room and better suspension.
This will give you help to make personal deceisions for type of cycle and the SO may be more at ease that you'll make It thru the first year.
If in the future you plan to ride two up and your passenger weights in on the large side, you'll need the larger seating room and better suspension.
kpm
Member
Buy the V-strom. 65 HP at 480 lbs. 50 - 55 mpg. It has a decent windshield and a rack. If you keep it a year or so and want the FJR they are easy to sell. I sold mine in a week. Kinda wish I still had it. They are tall bikes but at 6 foot tall it should not be a problem for you. They are great fun to ride and handle well. Lots of aftermarket stuff for them. Used ones are hard to find. New ones are around 6.5 K dollars but maybe cheaper in today's world.
When you sit on a cruiser your spine is perpendicular to the road. When the impact of bumps pushes the bike up, it compresses your spine - ouch. When leaned forward a bit, your hips/spine pivot as the bike moves up - comfy in the long run. If you spend 6 hours on a bike in a day, this plays a noticeable role. (yes, there are hundreds of variables to consider . . .)
Stick with a 500-650 to learn on. And, as someone said, buy a $1,000 bike and take the MSF course.
Stick with a 500-650 to learn on. And, as someone said, buy a $1,000 bike and take the MSF course.
I couldn't agree more with the comments above. I got back into bikes 3 years ago after a 17 year absence. My bike of choice was a 650 WeeStrom. Great bike, plenty of power for almost anyone. Toured with it, fun in the twisties (I feel handled better than my FJR - although most of this might have been stock POS tires), and really did anything I wanted with unbelievably resale 2 years later. So, if you've never ridden, take advice from those who advise against buying too big too soon. Start smaller, get comfortable, then really make sure what you want through experience. Some really like cruisers (I don't because I feel they don't handle or brake precise enough - My opinion only), some like big touring bikes, and some like flat-out sport bikes. Learn to ride well first, then decide what you are. Not the other way around otherwise you could have a major accident because you lack experience or lose a bunch of money because you bought too much bike and learn it's not for you.
P.S. I'm glad I gave the Wee 2 years. It made my decision to buy the FJR a good one and I was ready for the huge jump in power and weight.
Good luck and please, whatever you buy, take a MSF course. You'll never regret that and it will give you the edge in staying alive.
wheatonFJR
...
After a 20 year absence from riding, I bought an FJR, sight unseen - without a test ride.
Fortunately??/Unfortunately??, I didn't check the online FJR boards for tips before my purchase.
Fortunately??/Unfortunately??, I didn't check the online FJR boards for tips before my purchase.
Burnspot
Who Me?
Hmm, you might also want to look at FZ6's. They are a great smaller bike (and cheap) that's considered extremely "versatile". A used FZ6 was my reintroduction to riding after coming back from a hiatus and I used it for town cruising, commuting, day rides, and multi-day tenting excursions. Plenty of power (when loaded down too), light, very flickable in twisties, reliable, comfortable seating stance (similar to FJR), and very easy to service.
+1 on the MSF course first of all.
+1 on the MSF course first of all.
cwa
Well-known member
Go with the sport/touring type of bike, whether it is a lighter smaller bike or the FJR. I sold an 08 Raider and bought the FJR. I have 3x more miles on the FJR in 8 months than I had on the Raider in 1.5yrs. The Raider has it's place but for me it is not near as comfy. The position on the Raider made me feel like a flag on a pole.
My comments above wouldn't preclude that I could have handled the FJR as my "come-back" bike. I'm just glad I used the smaller bike as a get acquainted period. Now, if one has never ridden a bike, with all one has to do to stay out of trouble and not get run over; most rational people would agree that the FJ or similar has a bit too much power and weight to be the safest choice. I certainly wouldn't want to be a brand new rider and use something so big/heavy in an MSF course.
But hey, if someone wants to be riskier I guess that's their prerogative.
Steel
Well-known member
Get the FJR and enjoy it.
Drew
Well-known member
Maybe ignorance is bliss but who knows. My first bike was a 1985 Suziki GS550E, rode it about 3K miles and then sold it. My next bike was a 1985 BMWK100RT, bought in 2008, put MAYBE 1500 miles on it, it's been parked in the garage for well over a year. My next bike was/is a 2007 FJR, bought in Jan'10. I had a break of roughly 25 years in riding and pretty much went to an FJR.
Currently I have all my appendages and the same brain function as before I bought the FJR, so I haven't killed myself yet (about 4500 miles so far). IMO, if you have some riding experience, you pay attention to how you ride, know your limitations and don't ride like you stole the thing, you'll get used to the bike and won't have to buy/sell/buy/sell unless you really want to do that.
I had very similar answers when I was looking for a bike over the winter but decided WTH. Like I said, maybe ignorance is bliss. I did drop the Beemer in the driveway, but have not had that experience with the FJR - I'm 6', about 175. I have yet to hit 100mph with the FJR so maybe I'm a conservative rider. I agree with the MSF course suggestion.
Currently I have all my appendages and the same brain function as before I bought the FJR, so I haven't killed myself yet (about 4500 miles so far). IMO, if you have some riding experience, you pay attention to how you ride, know your limitations and don't ride like you stole the thing, you'll get used to the bike and won't have to buy/sell/buy/sell unless you really want to do that.
I had very similar answers when I was looking for a bike over the winter but decided WTH. Like I said, maybe ignorance is bliss. I did drop the Beemer in the driveway, but have not had that experience with the FJR - I'm 6', about 175. I have yet to hit 100mph with the FJR so maybe I'm a conservative rider. I agree with the MSF course suggestion.
After riding cruisers with different displacements (700cc-1600cc) for 18 years, I recently purchased an '08 FJR. I've only ridden it for about 50 miles so far (had to wait for some paperwork from the bank), but I have to tell you - I don't think I'll ever go back to cruisers.
As far ST1300, this was a matter of personal style preference for me. I like the way FJR looks more than an ST, though both are great bikes.
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midlifeuturn
Well-known member
I really looked at the FZ6 and the Suzuki GSX650f for my first bike. I had a lot of experience off road over the years but not much with a larger street bike. I was looking for a bike for similar reasons as you and after driving a number of bikes I went with the GSX650F. It's a great little bike, and my son drives it now (I still hop on it now and then). Price is very reasonable and the fuel mileage was about 50+ MPG with a good deal of pep. I switched the front sprocket to 1 tooth larger and the thing is a great bike. I road it on some fairly long road trips and bought some Nelson Riggs soft bags for it. Great little first touring bike. My wife decided she would like to come along and so after about 1 1/2 years I got the FJR 1300 and haven't looked back. If you have a fair amount of bike experience skip it and get the FJR you won't be dissapointed. If not, try a smaller bike for a year or two and see what works for you. Test drive a GSX650F and see what you think.
ramrezz425
Well-known member
HEY! We are the same size, XXXL Helmets, Leather jackets sewn together from 2 cows, Ect Ect., I am going to the Long Beach bike show in Dec. Its a great place to see and feel and test ride too. I would definatly do a rider safety course. Do not drink booze while bar hopping, Hold a club soda in your hand with a lime if you need to. I have ridden everything from Vespas to HD Softails to Moto Guzzi. One guy mentioned here that the FJR is a beast in disguise. HE's CORRECT!!. I am awestruck at the power of the FJR. Financially, they are good deals. I got my FJR for $6100 with 15k on the ODO. I just stiffened up the suspension since I wanna start riding out twords the rock store, I feel so much better with the stiffened suspension, Bike feels "Crisper". There are riders here on this forum with way more riding experience than me but I respectfully submit my opinion on your list below:
FJR1300- Best Choice for the seasoned rider
ST1300- Looks too "Concept bikish"
HD Softail, Its not SOFT, I bruised my spine riding that thing at the 2005 Love Ride, Could not find it amongst the 20,000 others that looks just like it.
HD Road Glide- My Favorite Harley, But at 30k its hard to buy. I dont think theirs any replacement parts <$100
Valkyrie- Never ridden, but I had a 400lb friend that rode one.
Star Raider- is that a star wars toy?
The way one sits on a FJR is simular to how a cop rides the BMW's, so there is more comfort. but when the FJR is on afterburner its easy to get in the attack position in order to handle the g forces.lol. dr
You're all over the map with these choices, and all are good bikes... not necessarily good first bikes. Can they be first bikes? Of course! Just buy one and it'll be your first bike. Tada! You wouldn't be the first person to start out on a bike that is fast / heavy / expensive / whatever. Did I go this same route? Yup. Would I go back and do it differently? Sure, but more for financial reasons than anything else - theres no substitue for riding experience to learn your style and what bike fits you, and unless you're independently wealthy.... well, that and 600+ pounds is heavy even without a banged up shoulder (which it was)... and then there's all the #*%#} that got broken, dented or simply sheared off... and the six months it took to get the shoulder back to full health... all at a low speed too! Ok, ok... there's more to it than just money.
My advice is to take the classes and get a bike. Any one. Cheap, expensive, whatever. Your view on riding will be drastically different after just a few days, and even more so after a season or two of dealing with the spine jarring jolts on a cruiser, fighting stop and go traffic in your shiny, blinged out top heavy tank-o-cycle (that some godless engineer gave a dry clutch), or waking up in cold sweats because your two wheeled cruise missile came into a corner hot, you rolled on hard and for just a split second swore you could see your house before skipping out of the ionosphere and into high earth orbit. Hell, you can get whacked by a Hummer on a "good" starter bike that doesn't have the dookie-dropping torque needed to immediately get you out of one bad scenario and into another (thus ensuring both Fruit of the Loom and Hanes remain profitable).
Weight and power add risk, independent of skill. Road, weather and traffic conditions, fatigue, hydration all modify risk... so reduce whatever risk you can, because you have no choice but to manage the rest. And then there's the unlearning of "bad" natural instincts while learning something entirely foreign...
Oh, and if money is an issue... skimp on the bike, not the gear! Ambulance / medivac will always set you back more than your gear, regardless of how sweet your ride just recently used to be.
oldryder
Well-known member
you're a big guy. you need a bike with a lot of space. I'm not as big as you are and still feel cramped with a passenger behind me on my FJR.
you're not considering a GL1800 and maybe you should. By all accounts it's a fun bike to ride fast even though it's not in the same league as an FJR in that respect.
personally I think harleys suck overall if you have any sporting desires and cruisers are not all day comfortable.
from your note you are not a new rider ("I fall in love with every bike I ride") but I'd still suggest you take a day of advanced rider instruction at a racetrack. I did it after 35 years of riding and learned a lot (also had a great time!)
you're not considering a GL1800 and maybe you should. By all accounts it's a fun bike to ride fast even though it's not in the same league as an FJR in that respect.
personally I think harleys suck overall if you have any sporting desires and cruisers are not all day comfortable.
from your note you are not a new rider ("I fall in love with every bike I ride") but I'd still suggest you take a day of advanced rider instruction at a racetrack. I did it after 35 years of riding and learned a lot (also had a great time!)
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