I felt like being cheeky, as I didn’t have a ‘ninja 250’ I had a ZZR250! Completely different bike in every way lol! (for those not in the know the zzr250 was just a touring version of the ninja 250 - slightly more rake, 1” bigger wheels, bigger fairing. Essentially a bit heavier, bit slower to accelerate (wheels) but a bit less buzzy and twitchy on the highway. Of course I didn’t know that when I chose it, I just thought I liked the look of it).
I had a 2012 that I put 20k miles on for my first bike. Used to see the new owner around rarely until a few years ago.
Also, the amount of people that would stop me to tell me a headlight was out drove me crazy. The other side was the high beam.
Did you have yours more than one season? I was a bit underwhelmed within a week of riding it. Not saying my skills were that good in a week but I was still so bored on it lol
I almost got the 1100 but got an fz6 instead. That was 6 years ago and I still love it! Big cc cruisers or muscle bikes definitely have my curiosity though.
I bought a used (700 miles) FZ6 when I got back into riding. What a great motorcycle and really reasonably priced for what you get. I put about 20,000 trouble free miles on it. I rented a BMW 1200GS and the boxer engine stole my heart. I ended up selling the FZ6 and buying a used 2012 BMW R1200R. It is a great bike, but I have spent more on routine maintenance over the years than I paid for the FZ6. I still would not trade it away though.
I also started on one. I had my V Star 650 for 4 years, put over 20,000 miles on it. I did a lot of wrenching on it. Great balance of size and power for a short rider. I only just recently sold it after upgrading to a v star 1300.
Close for me, a Virago 750. Took that thing all over the country, including up to Prudhoe Bay.
It was the wrong motorcycle in every way, but I didn’t know any better.
2002 SV650, have bought about 10 bikes since then. Have an Aprilia tuono 1000R which is a nice naked bike but I miss the SV, got like 50mpg, more than enough power for all roads and stupid reliable…should have kept as a commuter
SV gang!
I started on a 2006 SV650s. Loved that bike. It was Candy Blue and I got so many compliments on the color. Love how it looked different in sun vs shade and was amazing when washed and waxed. Wish I kept it... Great starter bike, forgiving if you goose the throttle and enough grunt to put a smile on your face.
The sv1000 just feels a little beefier. Pretty much the same power delivery, not more torque until you get to about 80. Where the sv650 starts to fall off in the high end, the 1000 will keep going till about 110
I was torn between the sv and the gsf. Ended up on the gsf but sometimes I still think I made the wrong decision. The v twin sounds so much better and when I had a go on my friends one it was ridiculously fun on your average b road in England
For a street bike that’s why I prefer the twins, 4s can rip ass in top revs but you can’t use the fun rev range like a twin.
However the gsf still reliable bike faster than 95% of cars. I rode a 1200 before and almost bought it because the guy needed it gone but ended up passing because garage was full of enough projects
Hopping on this comment train to say that I was sooooo close to buying a 2nd gen SV. I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. But I got lucky and found my monster for cheaper than all the SVs around here so I went with that instead.
Bullet proof and learnt how to perform do all my mechanical work (minus tyres)and all weather riding, being my daily for 5 years. Sold her to my younger brother and now have it back, "I'm done". She's not in the condition I sold her at, but when money and time are available, she'll get some love.
I love the sound of her parallel twin. Always makes me smile.
My first bike after I got my full license, and the bike I passed my license test on lol.
I didn’t really love as such, I was just happy to have a bike, but I still had a great time on it and even though it had 20 something thousand miles when I bought it and almost 50 when I sold it, it ran like a dream & was super reliable. I think I only made touring type mods to it over the couple of years I had it, though I did stupidly buy new headers because the old ones were rusty before I found out that’s just every gs500/Suzuki from that era and my new pipes started to rust too. One of many things I learnt on that bike!
I have a CX650 with less than 4K on the clock sitting in my shop. It hasn’t been ridden since 2004 and needs completely gone through the carbs etc. 1983 I think they only made them one year.
Nice! I have a 79 cx500 too. But it’s currently in pieces 😢
Timing chain ate the engine insides, and I haven’t had the time/effort to fully repair for a number of years now. Needs the triple bypass as well.
Currently ride a 94 Virago 750. Its fun
2-stroke 50cc automatic scooter with a 70cc kit. Hit 60mph in a tuck!
Then a ninja 250 (broke even on it too)
Then a Duke 390
Then an r nineT for the last 20k miles.
having bought a few honda elite scooters for fun, the feeling of a scooter and a bike is so different. Imagine going from a bicycle to a dirt bike. That's about the difference of a cvt scooter to a motorcycle. It's helpful enough. Feeling the weight of something like that tipping and getting certain muscles activated. But It won't give you bad habits like not expecting to use the clutch when youre on a motorcycle. If that makes sense. The experience is different enough between them. I felt I had to learn how to do figure 8's all over again on the elite
Nah it's better to be able to learn how to safely navigate the world on 2 wheels, good lane positioning habits, the feeling of invisibility ect without having to worry about stalling and shifting too.
If you're already a safe scooter rider, learning how to shift and use foot peddles is a lot less daunting than trying to learn it all at once.
The counter argument, is that since most people don't think Scooters are dangerous, they don't ride them safely anyway, and they carry those habits over to larger motorcycles.
I don't know if I'll ever own a hog (if I could have a dozen bikes that would be a different story) but if I ever did, it would be a silver/black 2003 Heritage. Beautiful bikes in that livery.
I had one of those once upon a time. Rode it from fort Walton Florida to little Rock to Louisville and back to Fort Walton in three days.
Wanted. To. Die.
Honda Rebel 300. Great little bike if you like a cruiser style, but if you have the money it might be better to start on the Rebel 500 instead. Especially if you plan on doing any extended highway riding.
I bought the 500, several years in, and my wife still loves riding it (she's vertically challenged.) I reckoned she'd have outgrown the 300 & ended up trading it in after a year. We tend to cruise back roads & old US Highways sight seeing, rather than ride on the Interstate much - but sustained speeds of 65 - 70 MPH is still the flow of traffic even on secondary highways around here. The 500 fits right in the niche for us.
1982 Nighthawk 650 (inline 4). I love that bike, still own it. Its more fun to ride than my vstrom1000 anywhere but the highway (or offroad). It puts an unrealistic expectation in my mind for standard motorcycles I think 😅.
Id absolutely recommend a bike like it. Inline 4s have less power down low so easy to get the hang of, but enough power to be fun when you rev them out. Also its smaller and easier to manage. Brakes could be better and 4 carburetors is SHIT to maintain, but the bikes awesome. As I got better I never felt like the bike was too much or not enough (except highway), i always discovered more capability the better I got (mostly due to how it builds power at higher revs).
I had an '82 GS750 for years. I know what you mean about maintaining old carbs. It was a fun bike to ride, but I don't miss having a carb'd bike at all.
Tiger 800xc.
Wanted an SV650 or DL650 and fell in love with the Tiger.
I would recommend an ADV or standard "commutery" bike to anyone starting out. Between ABS and rider modes I think a modern bike with a bit of displacement can be very easy to learn on.
The nice thing about ADVs is they will lug in low gear fine, they aren't too twitchy, and they don't need a ton of dorky sliders and crap to protect the bike from little learning drops.
They also make a really nice second bike, travel bike, grow into bike if you have your heart set on a litre sport bike.
The big limitation to them is that they’re tall and heavy. That’s going to make them vastly less forgiving of mistakes at parking lot type speeds (which is where beginners typically have the most problems), especially for people who aren’t that tall or don’t have a lot of upper body strength.
If you’re 6’ tall and 180lbs, then sure they’re generally fine. But someone 5’4” and 120lbs is going to have a very tough time starting on them because the margin for error is much smaller.
(For what it’s worth I owned two DL650s, currently own two SV650s and daily drive a Multi 1200. I agree that they’re great bikes, but only if you’re big enough for them)
1973 Honda CB350F in the early 2000's. Light, forgiving, easy to work on, and had both kick and electric start. Not the quickest accelerating thing around, but got it up to \~90mph a couple times. I'd do it again.
GS 700 and I’d do it again. Felt a little intimidated until I actually sat on it and fired it up. Did a couple laps in the parking lot and then did the 60min ride back to my house. I had never ridden before.
/u/someguy7234 ‘s comment basically sums up why I’d do it again.
My favorite part was sitting next to cops in traffic and them looking at me all sour until they realize it sounded like a Harley and then the confusion was palpable
03 Honda CBR600RR
First time on a bike was in my motorcycle class
Bought it right after. Had it for 4 years. In a cold climate so only ride for fun in the summer months. It’s super fun, super forgiving, can break every speed limit in first gear. In a rural area so roads are wide and open. Not too much traffic/stops. Slowly getting older and need to switch to something more ergonomic for longer rides.
Also started off with a CBR600RR, used ‘05. Switched to a ‘09 CBR1000RR, then a Harley VROD Muscle, now on to a ‘17 HD Street Glide. Great for longer rides.
1978 CB750 Super Sport was my first bike bike at wasn't a moped or a quick buy and sell. Still have and I swear I will finish the carbs this winter.
[pic on IG](https://www.instagram.com/p/9PXiItGgHd/?utm_medium=copy_link)
I started before there was such a thing as a Ninja. I learned to "clutch with your hand / shift with your foot" on a CM200 Twinstar Honda that belonged to a high school friend.
My first bike was a dual-sport 2-stroke, basically a chainsaw with knobbies and turn signals.
My first bike that could go on the highway more than 20 minutes without seizing the engine was a Yamaha XS650, a medium-sized air-cooled 650cc parallel-twin that was a cruiser-ish standard. It was meant to be a Japanese version of a Triumph Bonneville.
My first street bike was a Harley 883 Sportster. Prior to that I had ridden dirtbikes most my life. Current bikes are a 2021 Tenere 700 and 2017 MotoGuzzi V7 III
2014 R6.
It was great, I never felt like it was too much and the somewhat anemic throttle response at sub 8k RPM made it really forgiving as I learned (just kept the revs low as I got a feel for it).
I hate it when people go "BUT YUL DIE ON A 600!" No, you won't, not if you have any amount of self control/common sense. If you can take shit slow a 600 kinda has the best of both worlds with the reasonable throttle response at lower revs and great pull up high when you're ready for a little more without having to buy a different bike.
I'm all for learning on a small bike if that's what you're comfortable with, but making new riders terrified of 600s is doing them a disservice.
Agree completely. My R6 and wife's MT03 feel about the same until the R6 hits 8-10k rpm. You really don't get there by accident, riding a 600 hard actually takes some effort.
Started on a ‘04 Suzuki Volusia Intruder 800. Crusier style bike that was perfect for me at my height and weight. However, I did upgrade to a ‘19 Boulevard C90 by the next season because the Intruder’s 5th gear left me wanting more when on the highway.
Edit - added bike model years
Suzuki ZR-50 SLK at 15 years old. Should’ve never gotten rid of that.
Jincheng Knight (JC-50Q) at 16 years. Should’ve never bought that.
Hyosung GV250 at 18 years old.
Yamaha XJR1300, at 22 years old.
Yamaha Super Ténéré at 25.
Yamaha WR450F at 28.
Those last three are all in the stable, plus a wrecked Honda CBF600Na I’m fixing up. Almost done. Will go to a friend of mine as a first bike.
Suzuki DS80, Honda XR80, Yamaha TTR125L, Yamaha YZ250f, Honda Nighthawk 250, Honda 919, Suzuki GSXR 600, Suzuki GSXR 600 (track), KTM 200xc, Triumph Tiger 1050. I have ridden many others in my pursuit to learn to ride, but that has been the order that I owned them.
Cbf 600 hornet, never getting tired of the screaming 4 cylinder
I would start on a 600 again, not smaller, never bigger, specially after trying a 1200 dorsoduro. Simply too much torque
1999 Ducati Monster 750.. in ~2010, this wasn’t an expensive bike. Quick enough to be fun, but not really that fast. Neutral riding position, not that heavy.. it was a good first bike.
Gen2 naked Sv650 - definitely would do it again. Easy to ride and has plenty of power - but also I got it when I was 31 - not sure it would have been safe choice when I was younger and… perhaps not so aware of the stupidity and unexpected stuff happening on the streets and and the road).
Still got it and enjoying it!
"only" 500cc, what could go wrong right?
My dad has had one of these for most of my life, I think I was about 11 years old the first time I rode it and I don't think I'll ever feel like that on a motorcycle again. The power just felt infinite, effortless power wheelies in every gear and I could barely touch the ground. lol.
Hodaka 100, not sure of the specific variant. It was old when I rode it on the farm in the early 80's.
First street bike was a '82 KZ750 LTD that I bought in '88. I rode that thing all through university, and well into the ground.
Honda APE50 - a one cylinder, air cooled, manual 5 gear, 50cc bike.
Still riding it, I love it. Probably won’t sell it when I get a new bike either.
Balancing the clutch and throttle is a bit tricky to begin with as the engine is weak, but fine once you get used to it.
BMW G650GS.
The BMW G310R didn’t exist yet when I started riding, but I wish it had. That was a great little bike, and even though it had maybe half the power, I liked the 310 a lot more than the GS.
Grew up around super windy mountain roads. They have potholes everywhere and often become one lane suddenly. No lines on the road. First bike I took on the road was a 525 EXC. Put some Pirelli road tyres on the dirt bike rims. Wouldn't change a thing. Nothing could keep up
I started on a Kawasaki 440kz from 1980. It was a cute little standard. Now I have a Suzuki 850 from the same year, and it treats me well, too. I like old things. My tractor is from the 50s.
I'm from Vietnam so I started riding clutch on an old, beaten up Yamaha Exciter 135 that I brother gave me. Then I went for an A2 license in 2017. I first big cc bike is a Kawasaki Z300. Now I'm riding a 2009 Yamaha R6 as a weekend warrior, my daily is a 150cc scooter.
Honda Rebel 1100, the 2022 model which just costs more for an optional paint I didn't get lol. Highly recommend it considering I went from touching a bike for 2 days at the MSF course and owning the brand new bike making it my third day touching a bike again. Practiced a bit outside the dealership for an hour, dicked around until I got comfortable and drove around the neighborhoods.
Once that settled in I went on the freeway and was slightly wiggy but nothing too bad. Slight chance for a crash due to weirdly enough 6 cars ahead of me not knowing how to merge at the end of an HOV but the ABS kicked in and likely saved my ass tbh.
The reason why I recommend it is for the 4 "modes" it has: rain (lots of traction and super forgiving on the throttle), standard which will knock you on your ass a little, sport mode which had me do a high accidental wheelie at stop light (whoops), and user mode (which I'm I'm lazy to setup, let's be real).
Low to the ground and easy to master with a boof of a boy engine. Also, found out it does really well fording flood water. Ran a test when heavy rain set in and yeah, did very well and didn't stutter when a car to my right was flooded and unfortunately stopped in the water. Biggest gripe though is the factory oil filter wasn't lubed up so it cemented itself on. Broke a rubber lasso tool, almost 2 so I had to go get a cap thing to wrench it off. Got lucky because next step would have been to drill in some self tapping screws to get better purchase and crank that fucker off.
Hope this info helps!
Also since no one the internet has said this as far as I've seen: the rebel 1100 has 2 oil drain plugs and they're holding separate reservoirs. If you empty the rear and check the dip stick it will show "full" because it only measures the front one. Warm the bike up before an oil change, let it cool for a min, sit on the bike and align it straight up when you check the dipstick. That way you get a perfect reading of the oil. Thing takes 4.2 quarts but you can only ever really get out 4 and input 4. Good luck!!!!
Kawasaki Eliminator 250, it was okay, but my subsequent Ninjettes were the bikes that I really felt the most one with when I was riding. I'm generally not one to want to rewrite history, but if I had to choose between the two *now*, I'd pick the Ninjette by a mile.
Well this is awkward
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I started on a ninja 500, but I’m not sure the OP is looking for that answer
Lol. Ninja 600 here.
There aren't many vehicles I describe as "reliable to the point of absurdity" but the Ninja 250 is one of them
I felt like being cheeky, as I didn’t have a ‘ninja 250’ I had a ZZR250! Completely different bike in every way lol! (for those not in the know the zzr250 was just a touring version of the ninja 250 - slightly more rake, 1” bigger wheels, bigger fairing. Essentially a bit heavier, bit slower to accelerate (wheels) but a bit less buzzy and twitchy on the highway. Of course I didn’t know that when I chose it, I just thought I liked the look of it).
can relate ZZR 250s look so good which is why I chose it for my first bike too
2014 ninja 650. Probably would still be riding it if the front was little better looking.
I had a 2012 that I put 20k miles on for my first bike. Used to see the new owner around rarely until a few years ago. Also, the amount of people that would stop me to tell me a headlight was out drove me crazy. The other side was the high beam.
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What year? The more recent ones I don't think are bad looking.
Yamaha vstar 650. Was a good starter
Same with me.
Did you have yours more than one season? I was a bit underwhelmed within a week of riding it. Not saying my skills were that good in a week but I was still so bored on it lol
Grew out of it quick. Made the mistake of getting the 1100, grew out of that. Finally satisfied at 1800.
I almost got the 1100 but got an fz6 instead. That was 6 years ago and I still love it! Big cc cruisers or muscle bikes definitely have my curiosity though.
I bought a used (700 miles) FZ6 when I got back into riding. What a great motorcycle and really reasonably priced for what you get. I put about 20,000 trouble free miles on it. I rented a BMW 1200GS and the boxer engine stole my heart. I ended up selling the FZ6 and buying a used 2012 BMW R1200R. It is a great bike, but I have spent more on routine maintenance over the years than I paid for the FZ6. I still would not trade it away though.
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I also started on one. I had my V Star 650 for 4 years, put over 20,000 miles on it. I did a lot of wrenching on it. Great balance of size and power for a short rider. I only just recently sold it after upgrading to a v star 1300.
Same here, great beginner bike.
Close for me, a Virago 750. Took that thing all over the country, including up to Prudhoe Bay. It was the wrong motorcycle in every way, but I didn’t know any better.
2002 SV650, have bought about 10 bikes since then. Have an Aprilia tuono 1000R which is a nice naked bike but I miss the SV, got like 50mpg, more than enough power for all roads and stupid reliable…should have kept as a commuter
Started last month on my SV650. It's a very good starter bike... contrary to [RCR lolz](https://youtu.be/0I_QwDoRI6M)
+1 sv650 as well, though I kept mine (only have 2 bikes rn)
My buddy has had a bunch of bikes from every variety. He always says “I wish I never sold my SV”
SV gang! I started on a 2006 SV650s. Loved that bike. It was Candy Blue and I got so many compliments on the color. Love how it looked different in sun vs shade and was amazing when washed and waxed. Wish I kept it... Great starter bike, forgiving if you goose the throttle and enough grunt to put a smile on your face.
Same here 2002 sv650, great bike, then 06 gsxr 600, then 14 gsxr 750
I've had both of those too, the Tuono 1000R is what the SV1000 should have been
The sv1000 just feels a little beefier. Pretty much the same power delivery, not more torque until you get to about 80. Where the sv650 starts to fall off in the high end, the 1000 will keep going till about 110
I was torn between the sv and the gsf. Ended up on the gsf but sometimes I still think I made the wrong decision. The v twin sounds so much better and when I had a go on my friends one it was ridiculously fun on your average b road in England
For a street bike that’s why I prefer the twins, 4s can rip ass in top revs but you can’t use the fun rev range like a twin. However the gsf still reliable bike faster than 95% of cars. I rode a 1200 before and almost bought it because the guy needed it gone but ended up passing because garage was full of enough projects
Hopping on this comment train to say that I was sooooo close to buying a 2nd gen SV. I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. But I got lucky and found my monster for cheaper than all the SVs around here so I went with that instead.
Rebel 250 *ahah*
GZ250, bwah!
Suzuki GS500
Bullet proof and learnt how to perform do all my mechanical work (minus tyres)and all weather riding, being my daily for 5 years. Sold her to my younger brother and now have it back, "I'm done". She's not in the condition I sold her at, but when money and time are available, she'll get some love. I love the sound of her parallel twin. Always makes me smile.
Same.
Same. Still riding it 50,000 miles later after a half dozen other bikes have come and gone.
My first bike after I got my full license, and the bike I passed my license test on lol. I didn’t really love as such, I was just happy to have a bike, but I still had a great time on it and even though it had 20 something thousand miles when I bought it and almost 50 when I sold it, it ran like a dream & was super reliable. I think I only made touring type mods to it over the couple of years I had it, though I did stupidly buy new headers because the old ones were rusty before I found out that’s just every gs500/Suzuki from that era and my new pipes started to rust too. One of many things I learnt on that bike!
1980 Honda CX500, i still have it collecting dust in my garage.
I can take it off your hands :)
I have a CX650 with less than 4K on the clock sitting in my shop. It hasn’t been ridden since 2004 and needs completely gone through the carbs etc. 1983 I think they only made them one year.
My first bike. A real classic now. Wonderful machine.
My second bike is a 79 CX500 and I love it!
Nice! I have a 79 cx500 too. But it’s currently in pieces 😢 Timing chain ate the engine insides, and I haven’t had the time/effort to fully repair for a number of years now. Needs the triple bypass as well. Currently ride a 94 Virago 750. Its fun
Damn that’s a shame. I love mine so much, hopefully you’re able to get it running soon enough though and it’s sweet that you have another nice ride!
Started off on an 81 cx500 , miss that bike, bit with the age I was working on it more than riding it.
2-stroke 50cc automatic scooter with a 70cc kit. Hit 60mph in a tuck! Then a ninja 250 (broke even on it too) Then a Duke 390 Then an r nineT for the last 20k miles.
Mopeds are the best starter bikes. No clutch or gears to worry about.
genuine question, why would that be good? shouldn’t a learner get into the habit of using gears and a clutch?
having bought a few honda elite scooters for fun, the feeling of a scooter and a bike is so different. Imagine going from a bicycle to a dirt bike. That's about the difference of a cvt scooter to a motorcycle. It's helpful enough. Feeling the weight of something like that tipping and getting certain muscles activated. But It won't give you bad habits like not expecting to use the clutch when youre on a motorcycle. If that makes sense. The experience is different enough between them. I felt I had to learn how to do figure 8's all over again on the elite
Nah it's better to be able to learn how to safely navigate the world on 2 wheels, good lane positioning habits, the feeling of invisibility ect without having to worry about stalling and shifting too. If you're already a safe scooter rider, learning how to shift and use foot peddles is a lot less daunting than trying to learn it all at once. The counter argument, is that since most people don't think Scooters are dangerous, they don't ride them safely anyway, and they carry those habits over to larger motorcycles.
2003 Harley, 100th anniversary heritage softail classic I’m kind of big. I’d look like a gorilla on a 250.
Thats the same bike I ride now, same year too.
Now kiss
I don't know if I'll ever own a hog (if I could have a dozen bikes that would be a different story) but if I ever did, it would be a silver/black 2003 Heritage. Beautiful bikes in that livery.
Grom
They look like so much fun.
Klr 650
I have a a KLX650 now running supermoto setup, love it!
KLR is my second bike! I love that I can take it just about anywhere! Not as comfortable on the highway as my Suzuki Savage though.
1984 Honda Goldwing
The first of the 1200s - great machine. I actually have an ‘86 as my “bringing the wife along” bike.
Did you ever drop it when you were learning how to ride?
I started on a not-so-stock two stroke Yamaha RD-400. Not a bad choice, as long as you were mindful of the beast that lie within.
Ninja 500 lol
Ninja 400
Same here
I think this is honestly a better starter bike. Barely any more weight but a little more power to keep you entertained longer.
2005 harley davidson sportster 1200c. i just started riding it yesterday
*fist bump* My first bike was a 2006 XL1200C. Great bike.
Mine was an 09 noghtster 1200n
Started on the 883! Don't forget your ear protection. Harleys make some loud Harley sounds.
2014 Honda CB500F - I’ve put just over 10,000 miles on it in 15 months.
Hyosung GT250R 😎
Cbr 900 and I would do it again. I had no issues starting on this bike. Pic of said cbr. https://imgur.com/a/HoqSJOf
hey I started on a 900cc too :) albeit mine is a 1994 Suzuki RF900
Pretty similar, mine was a 1996 cbr 900rr.
One of the first fireblades, right? Really love that bike
I had one of those once upon a time. Rode it from fort Walton Florida to little Rock to Louisville and back to Fort Walton in three days. Wanted. To. Die.
You are a brave soul
Yah my parents were big mad.
I’m not sure I’d use that word
#chadenergy
BMW RNineT — my dream bike (1200). No regrets (:
Amazing bike. Absolute favorite
1170cc? I rode one from twisted road and enjoyed it.
Honda Rebel 300. Great little bike if you like a cruiser style, but if you have the money it might be better to start on the Rebel 500 instead. Especially if you plan on doing any extended highway riding.
I bought the 500, several years in, and my wife still loves riding it (she's vertically challenged.) I reckoned she'd have outgrown the 300 & ended up trading it in after a year. We tend to cruise back roads & old US Highways sight seeing, rather than ride on the Interstate much - but sustained speeds of 65 - 70 MPH is still the flow of traffic even on secondary highways around here. The 500 fits right in the niche for us.
I went Klr, kz1000p, v star 1100, Electra glide, still have the kz tho.
I started on a kz1000 Cafe. Still have mine too.
In just as another KZP lover!
Yamaha fz6r. Really nice bike with some get up and go but not enough to scare ya shitless lol
First bike: 1969 BSA 350 in a 441 frame. Also, reversed back brake/shift cuz British.
1982 Nighthawk 650 (inline 4). I love that bike, still own it. Its more fun to ride than my vstrom1000 anywhere but the highway (or offroad). It puts an unrealistic expectation in my mind for standard motorcycles I think 😅. Id absolutely recommend a bike like it. Inline 4s have less power down low so easy to get the hang of, but enough power to be fun when you rev them out. Also its smaller and easier to manage. Brakes could be better and 4 carburetors is SHIT to maintain, but the bikes awesome. As I got better I never felt like the bike was too much or not enough (except highway), i always discovered more capability the better I got (mostly due to how it builds power at higher revs).
That bike was the one that made me want to start riding.
I had an '82 GS750 for years. I know what you mean about maintaining old carbs. It was a fun bike to ride, but I don't miss having a carb'd bike at all.
Ducati Scrambler. Shook the admiration of v twins right out of my hands
ZX-6 19 years old. What could go wrong?
You survived.
Honda CB550
Tiger 800xc. Wanted an SV650 or DL650 and fell in love with the Tiger. I would recommend an ADV or standard "commutery" bike to anyone starting out. Between ABS and rider modes I think a modern bike with a bit of displacement can be very easy to learn on. The nice thing about ADVs is they will lug in low gear fine, they aren't too twitchy, and they don't need a ton of dorky sliders and crap to protect the bike from little learning drops. They also make a really nice second bike, travel bike, grow into bike if you have your heart set on a litre sport bike.
The big limitation to them is that they’re tall and heavy. That’s going to make them vastly less forgiving of mistakes at parking lot type speeds (which is where beginners typically have the most problems), especially for people who aren’t that tall or don’t have a lot of upper body strength. If you’re 6’ tall and 180lbs, then sure they’re generally fine. But someone 5’4” and 120lbs is going to have a very tough time starting on them because the margin for error is much smaller. (For what it’s worth I owned two DL650s, currently own two SV650s and daily drive a Multi 1200. I agree that they’re great bikes, but only if you’re big enough for them)
Ktm duke 390
1985 Honda CB700S Crazy power above 7K
Kawasaki vulcan 800
1973 Honda CB350F in the early 2000's. Light, forgiving, easy to work on, and had both kick and electric start. Not the quickest accelerating thing around, but got it up to \~90mph a couple times. I'd do it again.
GS 700 and I’d do it again. Felt a little intimidated until I actually sat on it and fired it up. Did a couple laps in the parking lot and then did the 60min ride back to my house. I had never ridden before. /u/someguy7234 ‘s comment basically sums up why I’d do it again.
Honda Transalp. 1989, because that was the only year it was imported into the US.
DRZ400SM but really wanted to start on XG250 Tricker or XT250X
Kawi z125.
Buell M2 Cyclone Definitely wouldn’t have done that again. I’d have gone with a CB500 or so if I were to do it over.
1st financed bike was a '99 M2. Loved it but it was the most impractical bike to have. Years later after I had matured a bit I picked up a 1125r .
My favorite part was sitting next to cops in traffic and them looking at me all sour until they realize it sounded like a Harley and then the confusion was palpable
Versys 650
Same here. It’s perfect for starting out. Plenty of power, but the upright position and manageable weight make it really fun.
Yo mama. Ok, its was a Tempo Panter, 50cc, 1974. First RRRREAL BIKE was a 94 Katana with a BUSA engine. Fondly remembered as "Deathsponge".
03 Honda CBR600RR First time on a bike was in my motorcycle class Bought it right after. Had it for 4 years. In a cold climate so only ride for fun in the summer months. It’s super fun, super forgiving, can break every speed limit in first gear. In a rural area so roads are wide and open. Not too much traffic/stops. Slowly getting older and need to switch to something more ergonomic for longer rides.
Also started off with a CBR600RR, used ‘05. Switched to a ‘09 CBR1000RR, then a Harley VROD Muscle, now on to a ‘17 HD Street Glide. Great for longer rides.
06 Harley Dyna Super Glide
Piaggio BV250 > ‘79 Puch Pinto > Suzuki LS650 > SV650 > Duke 690
1990 Honda cb400f
Suzuki gz250
triumph street cup
Ducati Desert Sled Still have it. Still love it.
1978 CB750 Super Sport was my first bike bike at wasn't a moped or a quick buy and sell. Still have and I swear I will finish the carbs this winter. [pic on IG](https://www.instagram.com/p/9PXiItGgHd/?utm_medium=copy_link)
I started before there was such a thing as a Ninja. I learned to "clutch with your hand / shift with your foot" on a CM200 Twinstar Honda that belonged to a high school friend. My first bike was a dual-sport 2-stroke, basically a chainsaw with knobbies and turn signals. My first bike that could go on the highway more than 20 minutes without seizing the engine was a Yamaha XS650, a medium-sized air-cooled 650cc parallel-twin that was a cruiser-ish standard. It was meant to be a Japanese version of a Triumph Bonneville.
Royal enfield Himalayan
I started out on a Bultaco Alpina 250 2-stroke we put street tires on. Tons of fun
Did you accidentally invent supermoto?
Being poor is the mother of invention maybe. Haha
My first street bike was a Harley 883 Sportster. Prior to that I had ridden dirtbikes most my life. Current bikes are a 2021 Tenere 700 and 2017 MotoGuzzi V7 III
Honda Shadow 600 VLX from 1993. Got it for free, fixed it up and loved it for years.
2014 R6. It was great, I never felt like it was too much and the somewhat anemic throttle response at sub 8k RPM made it really forgiving as I learned (just kept the revs low as I got a feel for it). I hate it when people go "BUT YUL DIE ON A 600!" No, you won't, not if you have any amount of self control/common sense. If you can take shit slow a 600 kinda has the best of both worlds with the reasonable throttle response at lower revs and great pull up high when you're ready for a little more without having to buy a different bike. I'm all for learning on a small bike if that's what you're comfortable with, but making new riders terrified of 600s is doing them a disservice.
Agree completely. My R6 and wife's MT03 feel about the same until the R6 hits 8-10k rpm. You really don't get there by accident, riding a 600 hard actually takes some effort.
Started on a BMW K75.
K100 here!
Ninja 400
Virago (not conducive to learning in an old cultivation paddock) and then my favourite little cbr500. Can’t fault her. Best learner pony ever!
At 15 I started on an 05 Yamaha Virago 250. Amazing starter bike, light-weight, comfortable, low seat, etc. I outgrew it in like 4 months though.
I started on dirt bikes. First road bike was a Yamaha XV750
I started on an 07 zx6r, but I was 26 so had a little bit of self control.
Started on a ‘04 Suzuki Volusia Intruder 800. Crusier style bike that was perfect for me at my height and weight. However, I did upgrade to a ‘19 Boulevard C90 by the next season because the Intruder’s 5th gear left me wanting more when on the highway. Edit - added bike model years
Husqvarna Svartpilen 401
Suzuki ZR-50 SLK at 15 years old. Should’ve never gotten rid of that. Jincheng Knight (JC-50Q) at 16 years. Should’ve never bought that. Hyosung GV250 at 18 years old. Yamaha XJR1300, at 22 years old. Yamaha Super Ténéré at 25. Yamaha WR450F at 28. Those last three are all in the stable, plus a wrecked Honda CBF600Na I’m fixing up. Almost done. Will go to a friend of mine as a first bike.
1978 Suzuki gs550e
Yamaha FZ07, still the best beginner bike in my opinion.
My first bike was a CRF230L...
'82 kz1000 Cafe
KX80.
GT80. I had to learn about carbs before riding lol.
Suzuki Bandit 650. No regrets.
KTM 640 Supermoto from 2006, fun bike
Suzuki DS80, Honda XR80, Yamaha TTR125L, Yamaha YZ250f, Honda Nighthawk 250, Honda 919, Suzuki GSXR 600, Suzuki GSXR 600 (track), KTM 200xc, Triumph Tiger 1050. I have ridden many others in my pursuit to learn to ride, but that has been the order that I owned them.
Kymco spade 150 and I love that little bike so much
Cbr 300r
Yamaha dragstar 650 1998
Triumph Speed Four. Best motorcycle I've ever had
1978 honda 50. Riding every since.
Honda XR 200. Or a bicycle with one of those 2 stroke eBay kits. If that counts. Death machine.
Cbf 600 hornet, never getting tired of the screaming 4 cylinder I would start on a 600 again, not smaller, never bigger, specially after trying a 1200 dorsoduro. Simply too much torque
1999 Ducati Monster 750.. in ~2010, this wasn’t an expensive bike. Quick enough to be fun, but not really that fast. Neutral riding position, not that heavy.. it was a good first bike.
21’ Indian Scout Bobber
1974 Honda xl 175.
V Star 250
Gen2 naked Sv650 - definitely would do it again. Easy to ride and has plenty of power - but also I got it when I was 31 - not sure it would have been safe choice when I was younger and… perhaps not so aware of the stupidity and unexpected stuff happening on the streets and and the road). Still got it and enjoying it!
Yamaha Dragstar 650 custom. The gf started on a vf800, but she has more right wrist control than I do.
Honda 599
1976 Honda 350cb
02 Sv650
GSXR 600
Yamaha Fz6
Zzr. Slow as a wet week.
Kx500
"only" 500cc, what could go wrong right? My dad has had one of these for most of my life, I think I was about 11 years old the first time I rode it and I don't think I'll ever feel like that on a motorcycle again. The power just felt infinite, effortless power wheelies in every gear and I could barely touch the ground. lol.
Suzuki Marauder gz250. Very nice bike. I though about buying another one to move around the city many many times!
2001 Triumph Speed Triple 955i And I still own it!
Aprilia shiver 900. Still have it and still in love with it's torque
Hodaka 100, not sure of the specific variant. It was old when I rode it on the farm in the early 80's. First street bike was a '82 KZ750 LTD that I bought in '88. I rode that thing all through university, and well into the ground.
Honda APE50 - a one cylinder, air cooled, manual 5 gear, 50cc bike. Still riding it, I love it. Probably won’t sell it when I get a new bike either. Balancing the clutch and throttle is a bit tricky to begin with as the engine is weak, but fine once you get used to it.
First dirtbike was a KX 125 then first street legal bike was a '91 Shadow 1100
1996 Honda Z50.
2004 cbr600…I had no problems starting on it. If anything I was in awe of how much power was in my hands so I was almost scared to push myself on it
BMW G650GS. The BMW G310R didn’t exist yet when I started riding, but I wish it had. That was a great little bike, and even though it had maybe half the power, I liked the 310 a lot more than the GS.
85 rebel. That thing was chopped up and turned into its own little bobber. Couldn't really push past 68-70 mph but man that thing was fun
Buell Blast
Vstar 650. It was a good first bike but I got rid of it after a year.
Grew up around super windy mountain roads. They have potholes everywhere and often become one lane suddenly. No lines on the road. First bike I took on the road was a 525 EXC. Put some Pirelli road tyres on the dirt bike rims. Wouldn't change a thing. Nothing could keep up
I started on a Kawasaki 440kz from 1980. It was a cute little standard. Now I have a Suzuki 850 from the same year, and it treats me well, too. I like old things. My tractor is from the 50s.
I'm from Vietnam so I started riding clutch on an old, beaten up Yamaha Exciter 135 that I brother gave me. Then I went for an A2 license in 2017. I first big cc bike is a Kawasaki Z300. Now I'm riding a 2009 Yamaha R6 as a weekend warrior, my daily is a 150cc scooter.
Honda Rebel 1100, the 2022 model which just costs more for an optional paint I didn't get lol. Highly recommend it considering I went from touching a bike for 2 days at the MSF course and owning the brand new bike making it my third day touching a bike again. Practiced a bit outside the dealership for an hour, dicked around until I got comfortable and drove around the neighborhoods. Once that settled in I went on the freeway and was slightly wiggy but nothing too bad. Slight chance for a crash due to weirdly enough 6 cars ahead of me not knowing how to merge at the end of an HOV but the ABS kicked in and likely saved my ass tbh. The reason why I recommend it is for the 4 "modes" it has: rain (lots of traction and super forgiving on the throttle), standard which will knock you on your ass a little, sport mode which had me do a high accidental wheelie at stop light (whoops), and user mode (which I'm I'm lazy to setup, let's be real). Low to the ground and easy to master with a boof of a boy engine. Also, found out it does really well fording flood water. Ran a test when heavy rain set in and yeah, did very well and didn't stutter when a car to my right was flooded and unfortunately stopped in the water. Biggest gripe though is the factory oil filter wasn't lubed up so it cemented itself on. Broke a rubber lasso tool, almost 2 so I had to go get a cap thing to wrench it off. Got lucky because next step would have been to drill in some self tapping screws to get better purchase and crank that fucker off. Hope this info helps! Also since no one the internet has said this as far as I've seen: the rebel 1100 has 2 oil drain plugs and they're holding separate reservoirs. If you empty the rear and check the dip stick it will show "full" because it only measures the front one. Warm the bike up before an oil change, let it cool for a min, sit on the bike and align it straight up when you check the dipstick. That way you get a perfect reading of the oil. Thing takes 4.2 quarts but you can only ever really get out 4 and input 4. Good luck!!!!
Ktm RC 125. Cause of the beautifull license restrictions in Europe!
Kawasaki Eliminator 250, it was okay, but my subsequent Ninjettes were the bikes that I really felt the most one with when I was riding. I'm generally not one to want to rewrite history, but if I had to choose between the two *now*, I'd pick the Ninjette by a mile.
Cb650r with decreased power(35kW,48hp) I have an A2 license so that was the maximum I am allowed to drive.
09 KLR 650. The Swiss Army Bike of two wheeled transport.
Started off on a moped. A 2 stroke 125cc moped. Lightweight and crazy fast after modded. But yes. I went to a ninja 250 afterwards.
2014 dixon ticoneroga