suggestions for buying a bike (beginner)
 

I can honestly say that I have never owned a good bike that was even close to being road-worthy. I do own a bicycle and ride it around the city but I've been hit twice in the past three months, (pretty low speed colisions where the car hit me) so I figured that the reason that I get hit on my bicycle is because I am A: on the sidewalk because it's a high speed street and B: cannot gain enough speed on the bicycle to feel safe on the streets of this metro area. I have decided to buy a (cheap) motorcycle to fix these problems. I have a good idea of what I should look for, but none of these ideas are really from experince. What kind of bike do you think will suit a beginner in a metro area well? I appreiciate the advice!!

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ht=buying+bike

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...eap+motorcycle

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ing+motorcycle

Search the threads already discussing the topic, then get back to us with more specifics.

If you want a small bike to start on, try a Honda Rebel or Honda Nighthawk. Both are rather inexpensive and are small enough to handle for a beginner. You can get a 250cc all the way up to a 750cc on the Nighthawk I believe.

i would suggest a 500cc, perfect for commuting. as far as a first bike, mine was a cbr 600 f2. then up to a 1000cc gixxer- which was a bit strong- although it was stolen. now i have a cbr 600 f4i-- perfect bike. strong motor, nice chassis, sweet lines.

its all what your want from your bike, commuting, sport riding, stunting?? get a bike accordingly. good luck! :thumbsup:

Get some training too...
 

As a long time street rider who started out on small bikes and graduated to touring machines, I would suggest that you do a search for Motorcycle Safety Foundation and take what they call the Beginners Riding Course.

All you need is a helmet, boots and gloves, they supply the bike and in about 24 hours combined classroom and riding range time, they can take a total beginner and teach them the skills necessary to survive street riding.

a cheep bike that keeps its value is the kawasaki ninja 250, its underpowered and small, but its also like 2K used and you gat get a decently new one for that price, also the gas mileage is close to 60mpg