Topic: New Biker....ME!! Well kinda.....

[Gurgie]

For shits & giggles I decided to check Kijiji in Edmonton for bikes, put a max price of $4500 & 20k kms... found these:

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-street-cruisers-choppers/st-albert/2007-yamaha-vstar-250cc/1485432540?undefined

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-bikes/edmonton/2015-honda-cb300fa/1443838514?undefined

The 2nd one would be a good starter bike.

[Arthur Dent]

Not sure that Vstar would be great on secondary roads …


Also consider a Ninja 500 for the 90s.

https://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/kawasaki-ninja-500r-perfect-first-bike/

Here is one that could be cheap since the seller is dumb and did not include a photo. Go on a cold day in Feb and low ball the heck out of him.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-bikes/edmonton/2003-kawasaki-ninja/1481150058

[PJungnitsch]

For 5 grand this Vstrom looks pretty good:

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-touring/edmonton/2008-suzuki-vstrom-650cc/1483829718?undefined

Has your tank guards, handguards, luggage already, might even have a kouba

ABS not working but that could be an easy fix (ie corrosion)

Looks like there is a fairly easy way to diagnose: https://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php?topic=17583.0

[Fobroader]

This seems like a smoking good deal

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[blur911]

This seems like a smoking good deal

Yup, I was going to recommend the Versys, there's also the 650.
Similar to Vstroms

[Arthur Dent]

Looks like a nice bike for the price. I'd be very sad if I dropped my $6.5K bike though. You do have the training course which is a good idea. Better than my idea of bike a cheap bike and teach myself. Things like counter steering aren't necessarily intuitive. Although I have no dropped a bike yet but I understand that is unusual.

[Gurgie]

Looks like a nice bike for the price. I'd be very sad if I dropped my $6.5K bike though. You do have the training course which is a good idea. Better than my idea of bike a cheap bike and teach myself. Things like counter steering aren't necessarily intuitive. Although I have no dropped a bike yet but I understand that is unusual.

I never dropped any of my street bikes... came f'n close a couple of times, but never put one down. Now for dirt bikes... can't count the number of times I dropped those or crashed them   

My ex-wife dropped the Suzuki GS-500 on her way to work one morning, but that was coming to a stop, so no damage to the bike, or her... she was quite embarrassed she said so she picked it up pretty quick & got going again 

Fob - that is a pretty good deal, but I'd stay away from a brand new bike as your first one... I'd spend around $3k on something decent to learn on & then upgrade later down the line. Bikes seem to plateau on price and you don't loose too much, best bet is to buy in the fall (or winter) and then sell in the spring. My last bike I bought on Canada Day (dude was desperate for cash), it needed a front tire & that was it for the safety... eventually I had to change the rear tire, did some minimal maintenance, like oil changes, bleed the brakes... upgraded the clutch & brake lever and that was about it. It was carbureted and never gave me a hassle, would just make sure to run fuel stabiliser before storage, turn off the fuel to it & run the carbs outta gas. I ended up selling it a few years after I bought it for $600 more than I paid.

[Fobroader]

Hmmmm.....well that seems like the prudent thing to do, buy cheap and used and upgrade down the road

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[Gurgie]

Hmmmm.....well that seems like the prudent thing to do, buy cheap and used and upgrade down the road

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[blur911]

Hmmmm.....well that seems like the prudent thing to do, buy cheap and used and upgrade down the road

I've seen too many first time riders buy new bikes and then find out it's either not the bike for you, or that you never go biking.
Buy one of those, don't be one of those.

I bought my DRZ cheap from a guy who had bought it and relocated to the city.  Had 1300km on it IIRC.

[ktm525]

Looks like a nice bike for the price. I'd be very sad if I dropped my $6.5K bike though. You do have the training course which is a good idea. Better than my idea of bike a cheap bike and teach myself. Things like counter steering aren't necessarily intuitive. Although I have no dropped a bike yet but I understand that is unusual.

Never spend $15k on a "dirt bike" and then spend the day watching it slide down a gravel hill on a failed hill climb or ripping the plastic off in the trees. 

[Fobroader]

Yeah, I guess that would be the reasonable and responsible adult thing to do....but new bikes are so shiny 

[Fobroader]

Looks like a nice bike for the price. I'd be very sad if I dropped my $6.5K bike though. You do have the training course which is a good idea. Better than my idea of bike a cheap bike and teach myself. Things like counter steering aren't necessarily intuitive. Although I have no dropped a bike yet but I understand that is unusual.

Never spend $15k on a "dirt bike" and then spend the day watching it slide down a gravel hill on a failed hill climb or ripping the plastic off in the trees. 

If it was strictly a dirt bike, no way in all hell would I consider new

[rrocket]

So, after about 20 years of not shitting and not getting off the pot, I am finally planning to go for a motorcycle safety course this spring, get my class 6 and buy a motorcycle of sorts this spring/summer. Now I know asking "whats the best bike for a beginner" is like asking what the best beer is, so I won't be doing that. However, I have been looking around, watching some videos and the Suzuki Vstrom 650 seems to fit the bill for my wants/needs. Slap some more dual purpose tires on there and I can even do a bit of a dirt road every now and then. Thoughts, opinions?? Thank you

Woot, welcome to the club!

Ron is a great source of info on bikes as he is very experienced, but he also has what we call in work, 'strong opinions, strongly held'.  So don't be afraid to make your own mind up.

A dual sport is good if you want to do a little off roading, if not, I'd stick to something in the 300cc-650cc range like others have suggested.  Personally I like more modern bikes with fuel injection, especially Japanese as they are just more reliable.  And don't get anything too heavy, you'll be picking it up if you go off road.

KLRs are good but slightly heavy, the Honda CRF250L is good if you are doing lots of off road, and very reliable and light, just not great over 80kph. Get the newest you can, the technology and quality has gotten better over the years, and it will have less abuse.  If you buy new, do it now and you might get a killer deal on a 2019 with no PDI fees.

If you are going longer distances, more than one cylinder reduces vibration.  Singles can get a bit buzzy.

P.S. The SV650 is a great starter bike.
P.P.S. Don't get a cruiser or a scooter, both are terrible. 
P.P.P.S. Have a look at lightly used Yamaha MT-07's.

Yep...Bob is right.

There are indeed tradeoffs for whichever bike you decide.

But I've switched up bikes depending on what direction my interest was for that year even.

I've owned all types...wanted to try everything.

[ktm525]

I think in this situation my recommendation is back to a 400 DRZ. Ride, learn, try in dirt. In a year or two if you want to upgrade then go for it. Keep the DRZ for back road adventures. You really need a quiver of bikes..

[blur911]

I think in this situation my recommendation is back to a 400 DRZ. Ride, learn, try in dirt. In a year or two if you want to upgrade then go for it. Keep the DRZ for back road adventures. You really need a quiver of bikes..

Can't do this with a cruiser, or a sportbike...I'd like to see someone try with a Vstrom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuf-S9ccE14

I've run mine down the 1/4 mile, it was comparable to a fox-body 5.0

[Fobroader]

Will the 400DRZ run down the highway comfortably??

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[rrocket]

All this talk of first bikes has made me nostalgic.

I grabbed a couple of photos I had lying around with some "firsts".  I"ll move these to another thread if Fob is offended by the brief hijack.


First photo is my FIRST street bike.  RZ350.  This photo is just 1-2 weeks prior to it becoming my FIRST dedicated track bike. I had just put the bike together after my build. Street equipment is on, as I rode it on the street for 1-2 weeks to sort everything out prior to hitting the track.  I am 18 in that photo!     I bought it when I was 16-17.

Second photo is my FIRST prepped drag bike.  ZX-9R. ( in back and left)  Bike is lowered with dog bones and fork strap.  Kick stand needed to be cut down significantly. Note how close belly pan is to ground.  FIRST time into the 9s.  It was (allegedly) the fastest (at the time) pass for a stock ZX-9R in NA.  9.91  Could be launched at 10K RPM...and would do a 2" wheely for a good while down the track.  I've never had an easier pass down the track compared to this bike.  A guy who never rode my bike before did 10.20s his first pass with it.  Stupid, stupid easy to race.

Last photo....my FIRST custom made leather suit. FLASHY!!  Bike is a YZF750R.  I later bought a YZF750SP which became my FIRST manufacturer homologation factory special.  1 of 52 made for NA.

[blur911]

Will the 400DRZ run down the highway comfortably??

Depends on how far
It'll cruise all day at 100kph, it doesn't like going above 120kph for long, but a 10km jaunt below 120kph is fine.  I've seen an indicated 164kph IIRC
Your butt will get sore and numb with the stock seat after 1/2 hour of sitting,

Here's an example of typical highway speeds for a 10 minute ride.   I even run out of gas @1:40 in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gdWMRHRPS4

[rrocket]

Will the 400DRZ run down the highway comfortably??

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Yes....but no.

For a jaunt to wherever across the other side of the county?  Sure.  I've done it many times for about 45 minutes-1 hour highway ride.  You are at the mercy of the elements though!

For a long haul?  I'd say no.