[Guest]

First of all I'd like to say hello , and I would like to thank anyone who posts on this message board regularly, especially the users that developed the FAQ for beginners. It has all been very informative and helpful.

I'm looking into purchasing my first motorcycle, I'm 22 5'10 about 165lbs. I'm curious as to what the advantages of buying a smaller bike over a larger one are.

Assuming the following:

1. I'm just going to get bored with a bike that is smaller.

2. I can afford to buy a larger bike.

3. I don't exceed speeds that exceed my experience/skill level.


Why would I start out with a bike that was smaller? I would consider myself to have a substantial amount of self control for someone my age. I'm very open to reasonable suggestions, I'm just curious as to why people would do that sort of thing, buy a smaller bike that is?

I've been eye-balling an S4R, and I understand it

 

[Guest]

I tend to believe it is more psychological than anything...a mid-range bike can get away from you just as easily as a larger displacement one if you are unfamiliar with its characteristics.

and you can easily ride beyond your competency level or the machine's abilities on a scooter or a Hayabusa

some people also just like to have a more manageable/forgiving power band to flog around in

But then one must be mentally comfortable with what they are riding in order to ride properly

there are issues of the bike's weight and size in relation to the rider as well as power-to-weight ratios...

if I am 110 lbs. soaking wet, an S4r is going to be a heck of a ride...if I am a 400 lb. navel scratching slug...an S4r would probably be more appropriate from an aggregated power-to-weight basis than a Monster 400....well maybe an HD would be more appropriate just kidding

buy what you are happiest with and ride the wheels off of it

 

[Guest]

Motorcycles can give a person a false sense of security.Even thou an 620 Monster and an S4R feel almost the same when you sit on them, they are 2 completely different bikes.

 

[Gman86]

Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course first. It's a life saver! The Monsters are a great way to start. They are sporty, but not terribly so. You can ride them for longer periods than pure sport bikes. If this is your first bike, then you will quickly discover that bikes are MUCH faster than cars. You won't go wrong with any of the Monsters. All have enough horsepower. As a point of note, the most popular Monster is the 600/620.

 

[Guest]

RansOm,
Welcome to the board. You should purchase a motorcycle that you feel comfortable sitting on. It is very important that a beginner rider feels comfortable sitting on the motorcycle- regardless of displacement. At a stop, (flat-footed) can both feet touch the ground? Does the bike feel bulky or too heavy? If, you drop the bike you should be able to pick the bike up by yourself. At 5'10/165 lbs. you should be able to select (for a first bike) from the majority of the motorcycles on the market. Meaning: you are not limited to the low seat hieght of a cruiser type.
Motorcycles with the highest displacement are generally geared for the experienced rider or categorized as such. I would tend to believe that the majority of street rider's are unable to utilize the full potential of these bikes. So, what does that really mean?
Look at it like this- if you could drive a VW Beetle you could drive a Chevrolet Corvette. You could learn to drive a Corvette as easlily as you could a Beetle. However, you should respect both.

Best of luck with your decision.

Rich

 

[Guest]

I was in your position a few weeks ago. Except that I'm 4 years older. I had limited experience on a motorcycle and decided to buy an M800. However my dealer couldn't get one for me in a reasonable amount of time and he had an S4 in the showroom so I took it. I love it there is a lot of power there but if you realize the throttle works both ways then I think you should be fine. Take the MSF course. I don't have that option in Kuwait but if I did I would jump on it. You my want to look for the book "Proficient Motorcycling" on amazon.

 

[Guest]

I am not going to give you advice, but I'll tell you what I did. I had been out of motorcycling for a long time but I got the bug again after riding a friend's H*nda Silver Wing around Seattle (ugh! - no offense to any Silver Wing owners out there). I have always wanted a Ducati, but didn't know what model - Monster, ST2, ST4, superbike. But I wanted to ride right away, so I bought a cheap used S*z*ki re-entry bike to ride while I sorted it all out and refreshed some stale riding skills. That was just last year. Now I know it's time for a Monster - a used 900 sounds about right!

 

[Guest]

I wouldn't think an SR4 is where you want to start. It 's a handful for anybody. Lots of fun, great brakes and handling,but alsovery easy to get out of control.
I've had 50+ bikes in my life. When I started , a 305 Honda was considered small, when I moved up to 500 and 650 Triumphs, they were considered bikes of awesome power. ( 52 hp for a 2 carbed Bonneville. ) But they beat just about anything til Kawasaki came out with their 500 triples. We still couldn't even break a 12 second 1/4 mile either!
A 750 would be my choice, I have one and with a pipe and matching carbs, it has grunt , agility, light weight, plenty of brakes and handling.
It's actually too light though for highway comfort, an SR4 would be in the same category. It will do it , no problem, but on a windy day, or a longer ride, you'll want the weight for stability and ease.
I am also going to sell my 01 M750 , maybe $4,500 with 11k on it.