I'm against getting anything more than 250cc for a first bike. I blame the current majority of opinion on a very small sample size of motorcyclists on a basketball forum. If you make a decent living, your first (trainer) bike will be quickly replaced by a better machine. A friend and I were both hesitant about motorcycles and their safety when first learning to ride. Yet, our decision on which motorcycle to buy and train on first was a significant factor in ultimately making me a better rider than him. He chose a 600c bike; I chose a 250cc. In our first year, I rode in all sorts of conditions to give me a great feel for my bike. He did no such thing because he was smart enough to avoid doing risky maneuvers on a 600cc. His inability to really master his trainer bike for fear of his own safety created a weak foundation of skills which prevent him today from enjoying his current 1000cc BMW. Chuck Hawks has a great blog for beginners.
My 883 sportster was the least favorite of the bikes I've owned. I'm currently thinking about a 125 or 250ish dual sport or dirt bike and getting my son (9) and daughter (11) a 75/85ccish so we can ride trails together.
i'd humbly rep NewRoxFan, Weslinder & dmc89 if i could. Their advice is sounder. Though if you're of a certain age & are just beginning, there will be a cap on how comfortable you'll ever be on a bike. But then again, i know some pretty reckless 40 & 50yr olds.
Outlaw motorcycle culture is effectively dead or at least in a hospice, drowsing away in memories of glory years until it expires. There are still some holdouts, like those guys in the 1990s still wearing Members Only jackets, but it's just a matter of attrition now. Hipsters don't count.
Odd this was necrobumped. Is @Daedalus still around? He was so right about Triumph's and especially Bonnevilles. Such beautiful bikes... the perfect riding position, and now bumped up in power it has plenty of freeway cruising get up and go.
Bought my first motorized cycle at 54 years of age. Not sure it’s cool enough to be called a motorcycle.
I drove by a Harley/outlaw bike type (empty) repair shop yesterday and was thinking how very, very few Harley rebel types I see anymore. I did a search and lo and behold I posted about it a decade ago. Yet another prediction I nailed.
10 years gone. My daughter rode the dirt bike a bit. My wife (ex-now) was in my son's head and he was always scared. when learning he had a small spill (I blame it on the "you'll put your eye out" syndrome) and didn't ride again for a long time. Just last summer he decided to try again on my Yamaha TW200 I use to ride forest trails and zip around town. Now he enjoys riding from time to time and is considering getting his motor cycle endorsement for riding around where we live.
You've got to have some guts to drive around some cities on a motorcycle nowadays with the lunatic driving going on. Also, you could always get a Harley e-bike. Maybe scream out random stuff at the top of your lungs to take the place of the obnoxious exhaust pipes. lol.
I completely forgot about that South Park scene. lol! I gotta admit, some of the modern and old school bikes do look cool, though. It's just... the... exhausts ...
Seems like RVs have gotten a lot more popular the last several years. Higher gas prices may put a stop to that.
Doubtful. Pent up demand for vacations combined with soaring costs for travel and lodging is increasing RV demand. We've also seen a surge in 'van life' from the insane cost of housing. When you couple that with remote work, a single person or couple or even small family can live in an RV fairly comfortably.. Supply will take a while to catch up. I'll ask my wife. She's from Indiana, and she's an expert in corn, RVs and pole barns.
Saw a really sweet looking Triumph at the gas station recently. Guy said he loves it and one of the main selling points was that it is *not* a Harley.
I just turned 50 and I still prefer dirt bikes if I'm going to have fun on a bike. Brother just got 3 of these to have fun with, as well.
