Any input....son wants his first bike

[DJinNH]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I had a talk with my son last night since he wants to get his first bike. He has not had any experience with motorcycles. My son is in the U.S. Marines so he's plenty strong enough at 5'11" 195 lbs of mostly muscle but I told him he really needs experience before jumping up to the big bikes, ie: 750 or bigger.

My 1100SG is just about ready for me. I've started on my 1100SH and would love for him to be able to use it when he is home on leave but I told him that right now, it's way too much bike for him. "What do you mean by way too much for me Dad?" I told him, "Think about if your younger brother were to get his license and start out with a Dodge Viper." He said he understood now.

He's currently on a temporary (7 month) detail out at 29 Palms, CA and told me they have a motorcycle course out there. I told him, "TAKE IT!". He's usually based at Camp Lejeune, NC.

Now when I started out at 16 with my first bike, I had an XS400 and quickly found it was too small. I jumped up to the 850 at 17. He is 20 and a whole lot bigger than I was.

Do you pretty much agree with me when I told him to go with something around the size of a 600? I told him to try to get some experience on a 125 first.

You guys and gals have been there and done that so I thought you could add some good advice.

Oh yeah...he does have some experience with standard shift cars but not a whole lot. I told him if he can drive a standard, it would make learning to ride a bike a whole lot easier.

Don
Proud father of a U.S. Marine

[DJinNH]

Oh yeah.....he said, "Dad, the Marines made us watch safety films on motorcycles. I won't be doing any wheelies or anything."

I told him, "Yes you will, trust me....been there, done that."


My son, Donnie


Don

[Paintman]

First Bike

Good Logic Don i agree with you he can always go bigger once he gets some miles under his belt . and a 600 or a 650 is a great starter bike and the Millitary does a very good safety course. Tell your Son Thank you for his Service.
John
USAF Retired

[DiverRay]

Out here in California, the DRIVERS are the problem. Try and have him get a "dirt bike" to ride for the first few months. After about three months kicking up sand in the desert, he will be ready for the street. The bikes controls will be automatic, and he can spend his time on important stuff, like looking for the cars that are trying to kill him!
My son is 22, and just starting to drive. He is also trying to get into the Navy, as he wants to play with protons and neutrons.

[SiP]

My first bike was a z1300 and I hadn't got my licence - what a friggin idiot! My dad was 1200 miles away and had no idea what I was up to, he woulda killed me - I was pretty lucky not to kill myself to be honest.
You're thinking absolutely the right way, something that's worth riding but not so big he's gonna get in trouble.
My lad asked me about a bike a couple of weeks ago, he's 17 - I told him to just worry about driving for now, plus he doesn't have the money.

[HobbyMan]

I can only tell you what I went through. I started out 17 just working on the bike pretty much by myself. It was my Dad's 79F. I got it running and with some help from my dad, I pretty much taught myself how to ride. I took the MSF class and it was a big joke. Riding an 1100 as my first bike and getting tested on a little 250. It doesn't seem like it but if anything, starting on an xs1100 taught me some self control.

[prometheus578]

"Nothing wrong with an XS1100 for a first bike."

Like anything else.. depends on the maturity of the rider. (age, as well as mental stability)
People can still do stupid things and go fast on a 400cc machine...
Now.. something like an XS850... medium sized... not too heavy, would make a good starter bike.
Get something cheap... as people tend to drop them in their driveways a few times as they're learnin'.

[red bandit]

I started out on a Yami 400 dike bike at 18. TOO MUCH. Took me a couple months in the dirt to be able to handle it. Flipped it the 3rd day. Ya gotta learn to walk before ya can run.

[malber]

My 11 was (is) my first bike.

I took the NH MSF course. I feel more comfortable on the 11 than I did on those puny practice bikes. You don't have to "duck walk" to get started and you have power when you need it.

His first bike should be one that fits him comfortably. IMO, engine size matters not.

[HobbyMan]

If you don't want to go right into something with a large displacement, get something that isn't very expensive. Like Pro said, its gonna get dropped. Also, your both gonna want him to have a bigger bike soon after. It will be a lot more fun riding together if he doesn't have to struggle to keep up.

[Rundle]

I remember learning how to ride back when I was eighteen, and invincible. I thank my lucky stars that I could only afford to buy an old 250 cruiser to learn on. I rode the heck out of that thing. I consider myself to be of adequate common sense (who doesn't) and back then I was referred to as the "boy scout" of my group of buddies - intelligent and responsible. But if I'd been able to afford a more powerful bike, I'd probably be dead, or severely broken. To this day, I am a huge fan of starting on something small (underpowered, not undersized) and learn how to ride it well, and then move up to something bigger. I also realize that everybody is different. Some people are fine from the moment they learn to ride (or drive), and some people should never be allowed behind the wheel (or bars) of anything with an internal combustion engine.

When people ask what I'd recommend as a starter bike, I usually suggest a dual-purpose bike, ie XL350. Light, torquey, cheap, ok on gas , good on insurance, and when it falls over, minimal bodywork to replace. And they're easy to learn maintenance. For a guy the size/age/weight of your son, perhaps a KLR650/DR650/XL650 might suit him. More power, great fun to ride. You can plow 'em through the mud, and still wheelie them down the street. (On a closed course, with a professional driver at the controls, of course.)

Anyway, good luck to him. He'll have fun no matter what he chooses.

Cheers,
-chris

[SanDiegoMike]

I strongly agree with the "start small and work your way up" line of thinking. My daughter thought that she would START on a crotch-rocket 750. I told her that it wouldn't even be considered until she had a couple of years on the 450...and then she could move up to a bike that allowed her to be able to still have both feet on the ground at a stop. That was the deal, take it or leave it. She took it.

[SiP]

The answer is obvious. Under powered, Lack of real performance, Hyped up, Parts readily available - get him a Harley!

Of course he'll have to spend some money getting the Tshirt, headband, tassled leather with "harley" written on it, the leather riding chaps, the beanie helmet and the saddlebags.

[Wildkat]

I started on a 450 Nighthawk...

many moons ago... great starter bike and once I was ready for a larger bike (which wasn't too long)... I was able to get most of my money back when I sold the Honda...
The Nighthawk was good for me because of its height... but it was a little on the slow side...

Seems to me, that if he's 5'11"... he'd be able to handle something a little larger... but like someone said... even some of the newer 400cc zip splats are quite a handful... It's all going to depend on his maturity level and confidence...

Best of luck and pass on our thanks for his service as well

[gisleDK]

Like malber my first bike was the xs1100 I have now and I really don't regret that in any way!
A lot of the modern small displacement bikes are much harder for me to handle. Take for example the Kawasaki Ninja 600ccm one of my friends has. That bike is way faster and invites to aggressive riding.
I think these days displacement means a lot less than, in the lack of a better word, the construction.
My main vice with the XS as a starting bike is the weight.
Hope your son has a boring time if he is ever sent out (meant in the best possible way)