What bike is right for me?

Seeing lots of bikes for sale in the Boston area and am finally in a financial situation to learn how to ride/get my M-license. I'm not really interested in racing, popping wheelies, appearing on Tosh.O or getting into brawls with the yakuza The R6 isn't my style but a scooter isn't really an option since I'd want to go 70+ mph and don't live in SFO. I liked the look of the Suzuki Boulevard but have read some pretty bad reviews of it online.

Any recommendations on what kind of bike would work for me?

 

what style do you like? lets start there

 

I like the style of the Suzuki Boulevard, I think that's considered a cruiser but not sure.

 

There's lots of cruiser style bikes available. Check out the websites of H-D, Victory, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, & Yamaha. You're bound to find one that appeals to you. I suggest taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course. Good luck.

 

hyabusa

 

Get a used, light-weight cruiser you don't mind breaking just until you feel comfortable. Something too heavy will cause problems, something with too much power may scare you, something with too little power won't get you out of jams. Don't just think about the cost of the bike, either. You now have to think of the cost of all the gear, locks, insurance, etc. All well-worth it in the end.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, especially the MSF Course. Since this will be my first bike I'm going to stick with Used (maybe off craigslist) and drive that around for a couple years.

What do you think is a good bike weight to start with? I'm 6 ft, just under 200lbs if that makes a difference. And what are locks? This has been great advice from all as I'm trying to figure out what to budget cost-wise. And never ridden a bike, most of my friends are married and the wives aren't down with 2-wheels.

Definitely the route to consider. I keep a level head... been into sports my whole life and never broke an arm/leg cause I know my limits. One of the reasons I don't think the ninja-style of bike suits my personality. Any particular makes/models you guys recommend? Looking for something relatively hassle-free to maintain.

 

Vulcan 900 would be a great first bike.
It gets good mileage, can hold it's own on the freeway, is lightweight has great handling, and it's well under $10k new.

I have a Vulcan 1600 and rode from Downey Idaho back to Los Angeles in one day with a guy riding a 900LT.

 

For less maintenance, especially since it sounds like you want a cruiser, look for something that has shaft drive. Also, look for something mid sized, don't go for any 1000 cc or above. Yamaha star 650 is a good bike, so are any of the Honda shadow variations (lots of different versions of those). If you want a Harley get one with rubber mounting, the sportsters before I think 2007 shook pretty badly because they had solid engine mounts.

 

Sportbike thinking doesn't always translate to cruisers.

The V*650 is extremely anemic on the freeway.
My club had a couple of members that had them and they were always fighting to keep up with the group. One member upgraded to a V*1300, the other left the club.

I would not go smaller than a 750-800 class in a cruiser.

 

Rich is right when it comes to cruisers......way more weight. A 800 would be a good bike to learn on and still be powerful enough to ride for awhile before you want more.

I used to ride jap bikes...........but I am loving the new Triumph Bonnevilles. Great looking bike that offers plenty of fun and comfort.

 

Gal in our club had a Bonneville America.
She had no trouble keeping up except when we were returning from Arizona and bucking heavy headwinds, but even my Vulcan 1600 had trouble.

 

Guys, this is awesome and exactly what I was looking for! There are a few Vulcan 900's selling used around me (1,2,3) and am also looking at a Bonneville. From reading, both of these bikes are belt drive rather than shaft drive... no idea what that means yet, just curious if that's a good/bad thing?

Any other bikes/items you'd recommend? My to-do list also includes MSF Course, gear and of course insurance.

 

Belt drive is more traditional. It's quieter than chain.
As far as maintenance, honestly belt is not bad at all compared to shaft drive.
My 1600 is a shaft drive and it's a bit of a pain to reinstall the rear wheel after changing the tire, and the shaft slip fittings and universal need lubrication just like any driveshaft.
The shaft lube, as well as swingarm bearings, are just things that I do when I change the rear tire (every 10-15k).

Belt is better than chain for sure.

 

I agree with pretty much everything Rich said in regards to starter cruisers. My dad used to have a Suzuki Maurader 800 that was a nice little bike. He's about your size and ran that bike for about 5 years before upgrading to a bigger cruiser. That bike has good power and was comfortable.

Also, take the MSF, it's a great idea for beginners. They also generally have cruisers, dual sports and sometimes a small 250cc sport bike that you can try out while taking the course.

 

I kinda forgot about belt drive, yeah that's a pretty good maintenance free thing to have. the other thing I forgot about was liquid cooling vs air cooled. air cooled will be less weight and parts and maintenance but won't be as good if you are driving in stop and go traffic often. those kawi 900's are liquid cooled I think, all the ones you listed looked good.

what do you think you'll use the bike for? that would help narrow down the types of bikes .

 

Even though my "#1" is my Vulcan 1600 (that I converted to a bagger), I'd love me a Marauder as a commuter bike!
95 miles a day isn't bad in the Taco, but sometimes when I'm in heavy traffic it'd be nice to be on 2 wheels, but the Vulcan's MPG is only about 8 better than the taco.

 

There are both Pros and cons to each shaft or belt driven options.

shaft:

Pros: Virtually Maintenance free with the exception changing the gear oil occasionally.

Cons: You loose more torque with this option, if there is a failure it will be a very expensive repair. and from my personal experience with my chain driven ninja and my shaft driven vtx the rims and tires are harder to remove for tire replacement and other such tasks on the shaft driven option.

Belt:

Pros: Less Torque loss (especially a pro for sub 1k cruiser motors) if a belt brakes all you do is lose power to the rear wheel. replace the belt and your on your on your way.

I have heard that their have been advancements in belt technology that are allowing belts to last up to 100k.

cons: belts stretch and loose teeth. which require replacing. this means you need to constantly monitor belt tension and tooth health.

 

Ya... All of the imported cruisers are liquid cooled. Yamaha was the last to switch over. Kawi and Suzuki have been liquid for over 10 years now.
It can be a maintenance headache if you don't stay on top of it.
If the dealer does a proper PDI you'll be okay, but I would still pull the tank and snug the hose clamps down.

With EPA regs, it's only a matter of time before Harley and Victory are forced to go to liquid cooling.

 

Ya... belts are pretty solid now.
I used to hang on the Beartooth and Delphi forums and never heard of a belt failure. It's just another maintenance item, same as a chain.
When you change your rear tire, fully inspect the belt just as you would a serpentine belt.