I told the wife that I would never get a motorcycle...

I had a CSC RX3 and it was a good bike. Not a lot of power, but good for under 3 AMU fully farkled and I enjoyed it while I had it. The RX4 (450cc single) is more powerful and probably worth a look, but at 5 AMU, I'd probably have you look at the BMW G310GS with the 1K discount BMW is throwing on that bike.

Problem is that with small displacement, you'll be looking for more power at some time. I went from a CBR 600 (very enjoyable, but peaky power) to a Ducati ST3 (lots of power all the time, great riding position, great tourer). Then I had a child and those toys went away. I then went to a Yamaha Vino 125 scooter thinking it would be safer. Nope - same risk, and I ended up farkling that with windshield, upgraded variator, and big bore cylinder kit to get more power out of it. I sold that for a Yamaha TMax scooter which was fun to ride, but way too heavy. Then the aforementioned CSC RX3 which was fun, good riding position, good around town, but not a lot of power for any kind of freeway/highway riding.

Here's a video of my RX3 with Akrapovic muffler:

If I had to do it all over again, a small displacement bike is fine, just know that you're not going to do a lot of highway riding with it. Especially if you have hills nearby. I'd go back to a 400 to 450 cc bike as a start (300cc+ scooter possibly, like a PIaggio BV350), and then move up from there.

As stated above and in my earlier post, All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT). Yeah, it's like pre-flighting and you'll spend 15 minutes suiting up and putting on protective footgear, head sock and helmet, but you won't regret it when you're sliding down the highway (which has the consistency of 80 grit sandpaper) on your body armor at 45 mph. Sure beats sliding down the same highway on your skin or a t-shirt which will last 0.0001 second on the tarmac. Aerostitch is the gold standard for a riding suit with body armor. Get it if you can.
 
One other thing - TAKE THE COURSE.

When I got my first bike I worked weekends and the MSF course was always on weekends so I had to self teach and then go take the written test / get road permit / take riding test. The riding test is designed to be overly difficult, and this is coming from the mouth of the DMV. At least in IL they want you to take the course. Years later one of my buddies was stepping up from a 750 to a 1300 and his insurance company wanted him to take a rider's course so he asked me if I'd do the advanced course with him. I said sure and it was one of the best riding experiences I've ever had. I thought I could ride pretty well but by the end of the course they had me comfortable dragging a knee and almost locking my brakes up.

That being said I will be a dissenter and argue against ABS. It won't help you stop faster. It'll help keep you from locking a brake up. You can stop faster if you have ABS disabled or don't have it at all and are good at modulating your brakes. My first CFI rode motorcycles and so he would often put airplane maneuvers into biking terms for me, and when I took the advanced riding course the instructor described things like practicing locking up your brakes and skidding the rear tire like we talk about stalls. He advised us to find big empty parking lots and practicing locking one of both brakes at moderate speeds. Same thing with getting too aggressive in a turn and breaking the rear loose. He said that those are things you don't want to do on the street, and that we don't practice those techniques so that we will lock up our brakes out on the road. We practice them so that we know what the bike feels like when it's about to disagree with our control inputs, and how to correct for what happens if we don't listen to it and continue applying those inputs.

Sound familiar?
 
Not a big fan of ABS myself. I've had it on my convertible for the last 20 years and don't think it's ever engaged without me knowing it was going to beforehand, and even then fewer instances than I can count on the fingers of one hand. I won't own a bike with it. Part of riding a motorcycle well (and flying an airplane well) is energy management. Part of energy management is braking. I don't think I've ever locked up a tire on the bike, at least not on the street.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
That is hands down the worst advice I've ever heard to a new rider. Are you trying to get him killed, Michael?

I remember watching Missa ride her FJR1300 she bought as her first bike. Her statement: "I don't have testosterone so I won't have problems with it." All of us who were experienced motorcyclists at work (not to mention her friends who cared about her) told her it was a stupid idea and she'd either kill herself or come close to it. She bought the thing and I rode it back home to her from New England. I wasn't complaining about doing that, it was a fun motorcycle other than the 4-cylinder sewing machine boring engine. She damn near killed herself at least a dozen times riding the 1 mile from her house to the Lycoming parking lot to practice riding.

Eventually she gave up and I bought it from her, rode it for a while longer, resold it.

Don't go too big on the engine. Too big, you kill yourself. Too small, you probably get bored too fast. Somewhere in the middle is a good answer.
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My first true motorcycle was also the FJR1300, and I still ride it today. I learned to ride on a scooter first. Quite the jump in bikes, but I adapted well and still love my FJR.

As for the experience, there’s nothing like riding the twisties out there in the mountains and countryside, an amazing experience even better than our GA airplanes. I follow MotoGP too, and miss the days of riding out to Laguna Seca to watch the world champs Rossi and Hayden duking it out. I’ve done some track days, and highly recommend it. They’re fun and you learn a ton about what the bike can do.

Got to love them, bikes and planes!!
 
dxfile said:
My first true motorcycle was also the FJR1300, and I still ride it today. I learned to ride on a scooter first. Quite the jump in bikes, but I adapted well and still love my FJR.
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Even going from a scooter to an FJR, while a big jump, is better than zero motorcycle experience of any sort (just riding a bicycle). The way one friend put it to me was "Ride a good newbie bike for 6 months and then you can upgrade to whatever you want." I wouldn't advise that for anyone but that was more or less what I did - went from my '84 KZ700 to a Bandit 1200S.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Even going from a scooter to an FJR, while a big jump, is better than zero motorcycle experience of any sort (just riding a bicycle). The way one friend put it to me was "Ride a good newbie bike for 6 months and then you can upgrade to whatever you want." I wouldn't advise that for anyone but that was more or less what I did - went from my '84 KZ700 to a Bandit 1200S.
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I stayed with a Ninja 500 for several years. After it was stolen I upgraded to my Triumph Daytona.

The little Ninja was almost a perfect starter bike and it's too bad they quit making them. Plenty of power, but gentle at low revs, fast enough that I never got bored with it. With better tires (Pirelli Sport Demons) she handled great, to the point that I was dragging the footpegs going up Blood Mountain (N Georgia), and very flickable in tight twisties. I was able to hang with the 600s in the tight stuff. The stock brake pads fade badly, but upgrading to a good set of sintered pads helped tremendously; the bike could easily lift the rear tire under heavy braking.

But at the same time, the 500 had a less aggressive riding position, and it was lighter and thinner than the inline 4s. Very easily handled by a beginner. Only about 50hp, but the gearing was just about perfectly matched to the engine and 0-60 was just under 4 seconds, top speed somewhere between 125 and 130 mph. Plenty fast enough when desired, but easy to control, too. Overall a great bike to learn and progress with.

It was also easy to work on and I did most of my own maintenance, including valve adjustments.
 
The OP, (me) went and sat on a Honda CB500F and a Honda NC750X this morning. The CB500F is going to be physically too small long term. The NC750X is a better fit but I am concerned that its mere 50 HP will be unsatisfactory fun wise. The NC750 is a 2018 leftover which suggest to me that locally at least they are not very popular. But I like how they look.
 
Morgan3820 said:
The OP, (me) went and sat on a Honda CB500F and a Honda NC750X this morning. The CB500F is going to be physically too small long term. The NC750X is a better fit but I am concerned that its mere 50 HP will be unsatisfactory fun wise. The NC750 is a 2018 leftover which suggest to me that locally at least they are not very popular. But I like how they look.
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Most people seem to like the NC 700/750. It uses a car based engine so it doesn't rev super high, has the underseat gas tank so you get a ton of storage. They aren't crazy popular cause they are in a weird spot. Not adventure rider enough for the GS and tiger crowd not sport touring enough for the VFR, z1000 types. I looked at them, good value, the power isn't crazy high but the torque is good, still does a 0-60 in 4.6ish seconds or less which was exotic car territory 10-15 years ago.
 
Morgan3820 said:
The OP, (me) went and sat on a Honda CB500F and a Honda NC750X this morning. The CB500F is going to be physically too small long term. The NC750X is a better fit but I am concerned that its mere 50 HP will be unsatisfactory fun wise. The NC750 is a 2018 leftover which suggest to me that locally at least they are not very popular. But I like how they look.
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That bike does 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds and has a top speed over 130mph. Will that be insufficient for you to have fun?

Correction - checked a few other reviews and it looks like 4.5 seconds 0-60 is more accurate.
 
Morgan3820 said:
The OP, (me) went and sat on a Honda CB500F and a Honda NC750X this morning. The CB500F is going to be physically too small long term. The NC750X is a better fit but I am concerned that its mere 50 HP will be unsatisfactory fun wise. The NC750 is a 2018 leftover which suggest to me that locally at least they are not very popular. But I like how they look.
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It’s not unusual to have one or two year old new stock at dealerships. Plus 50 hp is plenty for a bike, especially for a first bike. Bike engine specs look puny until you ride them. A 50-60 hp bike can be fast. Most reviews I have read about those have been positive. Like others here said they are sort of in the sport touring side of things with a bit of adventure bike DNA thrown in. “Jack of all trades” bikes don’t often have the rabid following that purpose built bikes have within their communities, but a do-everything machine is a perfect first motorcycle because it allows you to explore a lot of different types of riding and find where you want to be as a rider. And that can surprise you. When I started riding I never thought that I’d come to love twisty carving and urban style riding but I think both of those are awesome. Found I’m not so much on touring and cruising even though I do take the occasional road trip.
 
 
Morgan3820 said:
The OP, (me) went and sat on a Honda CB500F and a Honda NC750X this morning. The CB500F is going to be physically too small long term. The NC750X is a better fit but I am concerned that its mere 50 HP will be unsatisfactory fun wise. The NC750 is a 2018 leftover which suggest to me that locally at least they are not very popular. But I like how they look.
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50 HP is a fine place to start as a new rider and it is plenty fun. My Moto Guzzi has 50 HP, 750cc, and is probably the most enjoyable bike I’ve owned. Sure it’s not as fast but I really enjoy it. I think you’ll be fine.
 
For a while I owned a CBR1100XX Blackbird, 136hp at the crank, and pretty darned fast at the time. Like a GPS confirmed 153kts fast.

I followed that bike with an SV650, a ~65hp bike, and had a blast. Used it as my only bike for four years, including long distance trips. 65hp can be a lot of fun, especially if the bike is light and corners well.
 
I found a really good deal on a used Triumph. I'm thinking about picking it up to flip if I go check it out and it's mechanically sound. I also told the wife I would never get another on-road motorcycle, and I don't really want to ride on pavement, but she's cool with me trying to flip one for profit.

I want to go to the bank for the cash and pick it up Monday, but it's in a city dealing with some rioting. Might be a risky trip.
 
Suzuki V-Strom 650. First and second bike, I think. I like the idea of the V-twin, not sure why. But long wheelbase for the bigger me. ABS standard. Plenty have been built.
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The V-Strom is a good option. I know a lot of people who’ve gotten them as a first bike and just kept riding them.
 
Morgan3820 said:
That is what I am hoping.
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The V-twin is also a very good engine configuration or a motorcycle. Compact and also provides good visceral characteristics and torque.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Suzuki V-Strom 650. First and second bike, I think. I like the idea of the V-twin, not sure why. But long wheelbase for the bigger me. ABS standard. Plenty have been built.
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Excellent choice, SV650 engine in a larger adventure bike style chassis. For a great many, this is all the bike they need and they have an almost cult like following. Get one with hard bags and you can start doing some trips as well.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Suzuki V-Strom 650. First and second bike, I think. I like the idea of the V-twin, not sure why. But long wheelbase for the bigger me. ABS standard. Plenty have been built.
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Good bike. Might well be all you ever need.

But it probably won’t be all you ever want! :)

Did you sign up for MSF training yet?
 
Half Fast said:
Good bike. Might well be all you ever need.

But it probably won’t be all you ever want! :)

Did you sign up for MSF training yet?
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Not yet but the local CC offers the course so soon.
My Wife has come around. She just wants some house things done first. I get it. Better than a no. Even asked if there is room for two!
 
Morgan3820 said:
My Wife has come around.
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Be careful. She may have ulterior motives.

When I got my first bike, I noticed that my wife began listing herself as "widow in waiting" when filling out forms. Then I found a rough draft of an obituary in her handwriting: "Recent widow, cute, seeks attractive male escort for brief funeral service followed by dinner, dancing, maybe more."
 
Bill Jennings said:
Excellent choice, SV650 engine in a larger adventure bike style chassis. For a great many, this is all the bike they need and they have an almost cult like following. Get one with hard bags and you can start doing some trips as well.
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Bill Jennings said:
Excellent choice, SV650 engine in a larger adventure bike style chassis. For a great many, this is all the bike they need and they have an almost cult like following. Get one with hard bags and you can start doing some trips as well.
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So it is settled. I want to thank y’all for the thoughtful support and helping me work through the process. It may be a few months as I need to get somethings out of the way first. I will be certain to resurrect the thread as developments occur.
 
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Half Fast said:
Be careful. She may have ulterior motives.

When I got my first bike, I noticed that my wife began listing herself as "widow in waiting" when filling out forms. Then I found a rough draft of an obituary in her handwriting: "Recent widow, cute, seeks attractive male escort for brief funeral service followed by dinner, dancing, maybe more."
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I will keep that in mind. I think that her idea will be more can I get a camper that you can put your motorcycle in?
 
Someday we need to organize a POA ride. There are probably enough of us to form a gang, complete with leathers and a POA patch.
 
That's a good bike, man. I think you'll be very happy with it! And I'm with @Half Fast that we need to do a POA ride. Seeing as how I'm in STL, he's in FL, I know we have someone here from TN... Deal's Gap might be a great ride.
 
LoLPilot said:
That's a good bike, man. I think you'll be very happy with it! And I'm with @Half Fast that we need to do a POA ride. Seeing as how I'm in STL, he's in FL, I know we have someone here from TN... Deal's Gap might be a great ride.
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Deal's Gap would be a great meet-up spot. The Dragon is often too crowded unless it's early on a weekday morning. The Cherohala is great, and I also love 28 south of the Gap (aka Moonshiner).

But not for a new rider. Let @Morgan3820 get a few miles under his belt first.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Great responses. So take a safety course before buying. Makes sense. 250cc probably too small. Buy used.

Thanks everyone
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Best thing about the MFS course is you are using someone else's 250cc bike. My standard advise is to take the course, then go try on all the bikes for size. As far as the wife, my (then) took the MSF course when I took a refresher. It cost $5800 for her to take it. She went out the next week and purchased a Honda 750. Put 7500 miles on it the first summer. My current wife loves riding as much as I do. We have a small stable of bikes out back (5 and a can am Ryker) and ride every chance we get.
 
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Fiveslide said:
I found a really good deal on a used Triumph. I'm thinking about picking it up to flip if I go check it out and it's mechanically sound. I also told the wife I would never get another on-road motorcycle, and I don't really want to ride on pavement, but she's cool with me trying to flip one for profit.

I want to go to the bank for the cash and pick it up Monday, but it's in a city dealing with some rioting. Might be a risky trip.
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Which Triumph?
 
Fiveslide said:
The Sprint 955
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Nice bike! More sport tourer than hardcore sport bike, but it's still a touring bike that's good for sport rides. Does it have the hard bags? Hope it's red (red bikes are faster).

Don't ride it or you might end up keeping it instead of flipping it! :D
 
Half Fast said:
Deal's Gap would be a great meet-up spot. The Dragon is often too crowded unless it's early on a weekday morning. The Cherohala is great, and I also love 28 south of the Gap (aka Moonshiner).

But not for a new rider. Let @Morgan3820 get a few miles under his belt first.
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Half Fast said:
Nice bike! More sport tourer than hardcore sport bike, but it's still a touring bike that's good for sport rides. Does it have the hard bags? Hope it's red (red bikes are faster).

Don't ride it or you might end up keeping it instead of flipping it! :D
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No, it's the silver and no bags. Only 11k miles and I don't see any damage in any photos. I wouldn't keep it. I've had my fill of pavement riding and people pulling out in front of me, and I can only imagine it's gotten worse in the 15 years since I rode on a street. I don't think it could change my mind.
 
Half Fast said:
Nice bike! More sport tourer than hardcore sport bike, but it's still a touring bike that's good for sport rides. Does it have the hard bags? Hope it's red (red bikes are faster).

Don't ride it or you might end up keeping it instead of flipping it! :D
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After more thought, I think I'm going to pass on it for the reasons in bold. It is a bike that seems to have a smaller market, I think, because it isn't great at one or the other, it's a compromise bike.

And since I don't have childcare now, I'm not taking my son to a city experiencing protests, on an interstate during a time when people are blocking interstates in protest. I just won't take that chance with him, I saw a video in which child got pepper sprayed, not happening to my kid.

If anyone else is interested, guy says his rock rock bottom price is $2,400, which I think is a steal if it is mechanically sound. PM me for the marketplace link, it's in central Virginia.
 
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