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Bikers....Recommendations

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Neskah:
Hi.

With the cost of travel going up, I've convinced my partner we need to get motorcycles.

He's always been meaning to get his licence and I've wanted a bike since I was 5.

On a learners licence we can only ride up to 250cc, although since most 125cc offer a top speed of 100kph, that would suit me just fine.

So we went researching this weekend past and the consenus seems to be to buy your bike first and learn on that, as not all bikes are created equal, and the one you learn on may be totally different then the one you buy. And I figure why fork out $ to hire whe you'll only buy one later any way. I tried a few 125s and 250s. I tried a 250 Samurai, and the height was ok (I'm only 5 foot tall), weight towards the heavy side but managable. I tried some Yamaha (can't remember the model), and couldn't even get my feet on the floor. Then the guys at one of the shops took us out back to check out the Kawasaki Eliminator 125 they just got in. I loved the look, and the height was perfect (Even as short as I am i could get both feet on the floor). The weight was too light if anything, though I'd have no worries picking it up if needed.

What Makes and models have you learnt on and how did you find it? My main purpose is to commute to work and back which would be a 30-40 min trip along the motor way. Suggestions? Any stories horrendous and amusing are also welcome.

Gurkburk:
When you said the cost of travel was going up I thought you meant vacational travels and that you and your partner were taking a road trip on motorcycles and then I pictured you two riding down the american highway on said motorcycles passing truck drivers and making them honk at you and sleeping outside at an open fireplace while one of you play an acoustic guitar and one of you may or may not have been wearing a cape that looked like the american flag and was flapping in the wind as you drove and all the while born to be wild with steppenwolf was playing in the background.

Boro_Bandito:
You know you want a chopper, I'm just saying.

redglasscurls:
I have a lot of scorn for both crotch-rocket street bikes and big growly harleys.
Bikes like this are the respectable kind.



(the last one is the one I ride on the back of lots, so I'm biased)

bicostp:
For someone your size, you'll probably want to look at 150-200cc maximum. Any more is unnecessary and potentially dangerous. (More on that later). Make sure that when you're sitting on it, you can put both feet almost flat on the ground at the same time. It's not like fitting a bicycle, where you want to be on your toes. You want as much of the bike's weight on its wheels as possible when you're stopped, and you're only working to keep it upright.

One of my former neighbors had a 1000+cc cruiser, but the frame sat too tall. She stopped at a light one time, the bike tilted past its tipping point, and she dumped it. It shattered her ankle and broke her lower leg in 3 places.

Those Kawasakis redglasscurls posted and the Honda CL/CB line are pretty fun. (We have a mid 70s CB360 and it's a fun bike. It gets squirrelly if you try to go faster than 50 MPH, though.) Don't be afraid of buying a 20+ year old bike, those little Honda motors last forever. At the most you might want to get the cylinders honed and new piston rings installed.

The real question is, how long of a commute are you looking at and what kind of roads will you be taking to get there? Are you sure you won't be better off with a Corolla or Civic?

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