you gusy might find this intresting, this weekend dan & I spent a few days out bike shopping.

Yesterday we stopped in at the Olympia honda dealership in the capital automall & found a 750 that he was intrested in (he cant ride a crouch rocket due to his back problems) they wanted 6k fo rthat bike ok not a problem.

today we headed up north & went to bent bike & he found a 84 honda 450 for 1600 that he likes.

REMEMBER Dan has NEVER ridden before & neither have I. So this is all new, We walked away from both as of right now, I am trying to get a hold of bent bike to see if they will take an offer on the one bike.

He is talking about taking classes to learn how to ride, & thats $125 on base, plus hes going to sweet talk his brother about teaching him a little bit more about riding.

Then it looks like I may get a 250 to ride around town.

 

if you're looking at the "Cruiser" bikes,

I would recomend not bothering with the 450cc
look more at the 600-700-750-800 ish bikes

the 450 won't be very comfortable out on the highway



the 250/450's are great "around town" bikes

 

btw,

the class is a great idea,
I've taken the class twice

it's even a great idea to take the class every time you get a new bike (or every 5 years or so)

people get complacent, it's good to go over the basics once and a while.




if you're looking for a "little city bike"
you may want to look at these.....

https://motorcycles-wholesale.com/


they are chinese (so, don't put it in your mouth)
this company makes replacement parts for honda's, mechanical parts are interchangable with honda's

they have a 200cc sport\standard bike for $1500 shipped
and a 250cc Cruiser
as well as some dirtbikes, scooters, ect.....

as well,
the bikes come with a 3 year warrenty
and 1/2 price parts thru this company

 

he will most likely never hit the freeway with the bike just 507 lol. You have to remember he has NEVER ridden before. & he only travels about 40 miles.

 

Hey Tammy,

How are you and Dan doing?

A nice bike is the Yamaha FZ6, sporty, upright position, and is a 600. You can probably get a used one for 5k out the door. Trust me you will end up on the freeway taking nice cruises. Before you know it you will belong to two club the other being a motorcycle club. I agree with KrautBurner, go a little bigger stay around the 600cc size.

I bought the larger FZ1 and love it, very comfortable, drive it to work every day there is no rain.




Here is a link to the home page.. http://http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelgallerylib/273/1/0/gallery.aspx

 

fz6 is a great, comfortable, all around bike

verry capable bike,
plenty of power, but not outrageous.



keep in mind,

"power corrupts"

 

Dont want to go out & spend much more than a grand or two on a bike that He may not want to ride after learning how to ride.

thats the whole point of this right now, Not only that the cheap price is also that hes not scared to dump it a few times & not cause alot of damage.

 

Once he learns how to ride, he'll be hooked. If you want to stay within your budget but have something comfortable, reliable and fairly powerful (for the inevitable road trips), try finding a mid to late '80s Honda V45 Sabre or Nighthawk 700 or Nighthawk S. Something along those lines will do everything you're looking for...at a great price. These are all 4 cylinder carbuerated bikes and you can pretty much bank on having the carbs adjusted and a basic tuneup done before any real riding is done. The older Hondas last forever, are very cheap and easy to maintain, have linear power curves, handle respectably and have pretty much lost all the value they ever will...perfect for a beginner.

If you just want to go all out, my 2000 Harley-Davidson Stage 2 1550cc Wide Glide is for sale...brand new gear driven cams, 10,100 miles, lots of tastefully done chrome goodies, and very loud...hehehe. $11K.

 

If he (and/or you) take the State course, they provide the bikes to ride during the training and it is just the cost of the 2.5 day session to find out if he enjoys it. That way you don't have to buy a bike to find this out.

http://www.motorcyclesafetycompany.com/

Classes fill up quick but it is a very good course to take and will get him his m/c license if he passes.

 

The bike is a great way to conserve fuel on the commute. And I too recommend the motorcycle safety course. You will learn A LOT. I have been riding for many years prior to buying the Harley, but after I did I took the course and was amazed at the control I had over the bike after I took the class.