Hey everyone, finally took the MSF course and got my motorcycle endorsement.  I've been looking for a good cheap bike, doesn't really matter what kind, just something to drive.  I'm 6'1 250, so I'd like to get at least a 600 but less than a 1000.  

Besides cycletrader, ebay and craigslist, is there anywhere to look for good older bikes?  My bud picked one up at an auction for $900, and i'm going with him at the end of the month to see if I can grab something like that.  just thought I'd ask here.

nolo

Good luck!

I currently ride a Suzuki V-Strom DL1000, am have been very happy with it.  It has been a great all around bike.
Be wise and invest in good gear such as a jacket; helmet would be obvious.
As far as finding cheap bikes...my experience has been cheap bike equals lots of tool time.
I bought mine to ride not work on.  But if you find one cheap in good shape, go for it.

Watch out for the idiots behind the wheel and enjoy.

SMSP

After having a bike stolen from me and recovering it I decided to give motorcycles a rest until I had a decent place to store it (apartments just will not work).

$900 is really low for a bike, I'm not sure where you'd find one for that much (other than at an auction but you really don't know what you're getting with that).  My first bike was a Kawasaki EX500 that I got for $1800, good starter bike, lower power, beginner friendly.

Whatever you do try to keep your first bike around 60 horsepower or less...my 50 hp or so EX500 had roughly the 0-60 acceleration of a Porsche 911 Turbo.  Then I moved up to a Suzuki SV650S and the fun continued...the supersports are retardedly fast.

awesome!  The two bikes that I'm currently looking at (non-used) are the Versys and the Vstrom 650!  

If I can't get a bike under 1000k, I'll probably just end up buying a used Versys or Strom.  What part of MS you in?

Yeah, i definitely don't want to end up a red splatter on the road, but the guys at the MSF were adamant about learning throttle control, bikes are as fast as you make them, blah blah blah.... still think i'd be tempted to open her up though

i think a 600 would be fine.  i'm just worried about my size on something less than a 600.  i need to get out and ride some to see what works/doesn't work for me.  GotGear has volunteered to let me take out the er6-n and the versys for a few hours.  (didn't know they still did test drives, but oh well).... i'd just hate to take them up on the offer when I have no intention of buying a new one.

Everyone thinks a 600 "will be fine" and half of those people think they are "too big" to start on something smaller.  And 10% of those people are said red splatters on the ground...trust me, even a Ninja 250 will scoot you plenty fast.  The peaky I-4 nature of the 600's makes learning throttle control more difficult than on a V-twin or parallel twin.  Couple that with wicked acceleration and brakes that are roughly on part with Formula 1 brakes (which will happily throw you up and over the handlebars if you grab too much lever) and you've got a recipe for disaster.  Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic bikes, but wait until AFTER you've built your skills up on something more forgiving...

Read this.

damn.  i read that whole thread.  crazy stuff in there.  does open my eyes though.  

i've been driving around one of my friends 1983 honda shadow 800 i believe and it's a freaking heavy bike.  i'm defienitely not into the cbr/gsx route, and want a cruiser type or dual sport type.  i need to get some riding on the smaller bikes to see how they fit me.  thanks for the link.

I've had a 1999 Honda VT1100C Shadow 1100 Spirit, that I have not rode in a year :-( for a medical reason that I had surgey a couple weeks ago to correct.  So hopefuly I'll be able to ride again soon.  I've thought about selling it several times.  Only have about 13k miles on it too.

I need to get the battery charged up change the oil and get it running again here in the next month or so.

CC really doesn't matter.  You can make a 600cc bike with 120 horsepower or a 1500cc bike with 60 horsepower, it's all about how the bike is tuned.  Supersports are designed with a extremely oversquare engine revv to the sky.  The benefit is tons of power on top, and when you hit the meat of the powerband it's a missile.  Cruisers are designed to be much easier to ride, they are intentionally designed with much milder powerbands, you want them to be comfy for long distances.  Standard bikes like the EX500/SV650/etc are somewhere in between.

You do not want to start off on a high horsepower bike, I-4, V-twin, whatever.  You do want to learn throttle control but on an EX500 a 1/4 turn of the throttle is easy to learn, on a YZF-R6 that same 1/4 turn is an enormous leap.

Yes, it is possible to learn on them and be fine, but like anything you want the odds of learning to ride stacked in your favor as much as possible.  I guarantee you beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you spend your first year on a little Ninja 250 vs. a 600cc supersport you will be a MUCH better ride at the end of that year.

Yes there is, but I'm saying you can't just say "500cc's+" as that covers a HUGE scale of power levels.

went and testdrove the suzuki gs500.  great feeling bike.  still can't decide if i want a cruiser or a sport-type bike.  i think my budget just increased :)

The GS500 is a fantastic first bike.  Very similar in power/handling to my EX500, but alot prettier!!!  It's got some power but the powerband is forgiving enough that if you hit a pot hole and yank some throttle you won't be thrown off like a bucking bronco.

Keep us posted!

Yeah, nothing is quite as...fun?? as being buffeted around on the interstate by passing semi's...

Ninja 250 is a bit small, although I love the new redesign.  VERY sharp bike.

It's only 26 or so horsepower, nothing blistering.  But on a 350 lb bike that's a good bit.  It's a blast as a race bike too.  I've got a friend who joined in the newly formed WERA Ninja 250 class.

well it's not going to be an interstate bike for me.... yet... . had to promise the wife I wouldn't ride on the interstate until I was a better rider.

there is a bike in pensacola that is the more 'naked' gs500 that i want, and it's only 2900 bucks.   i wish i could go check it out but would have no way to get it home other than rent a truck!  i am heading to the coast monday night, and might just have to rent a truck to come get this bike.

http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/photos/94917573/

is anyone near pensacola?

Interstate is boring as can be, but (overall) it's safe-ish.  You've got to pay more attention to people changing lanes, less to the road itself.

Absolute safest place to ride is a race track.  Seriously, get the bike, get some gear, and go do a track day at lil' Talladega or Barber you'll learn SO much.

If you're in to that sort of thing that is.

she thinks it's unsafe means it's unsafe....

i'm heading to the coast monday night in a truck, so maybe i'll luck up and find a bike on the way there or back

I used to own a Yamaha YZF-R6.  The bike weighed around 365 lbs and had 126 horsepower.  It was insane.  Going full throttle the front wheel would come off the ground in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear.  It was way too much bike for me.  Plus riding on the interstate, on long rides, and on cruises with friends were not much fun because it was an uncomfortable position to ride in.  Getting stuck in traffic was pure misery.  Hind site is 20/20.... and in retrospect I should have started out with a smaller cruiser or sport touring.  Anything without a chain drive!  Sport bikes are made for the track......not the public roads.

Like a lot of people will tell you.  get a good leather motorcycle jacket, gloves, Helmet, boots, pants, etc.  I went down twice on my bike.  Once with leathers, boots, good gloves on.  The other time I went down with a T-shirt, jeans, good gloves, and and running shoes on.  I was maybe doing 25 miles per hour both times.  The time I went down with the T-shirt and Sneakers on........................The asphalt went right through the side of my shoe, the knees on my jeans, halfway through my gloves, ate up one side of my left forearm, etc. etc.  Road Rash is painful.  It burns for months.

Motorcycles can be really fun and efficient modes of transportation.  I had a lot of fun on mine.

I just got tired of dodging soccer mom's in SUV's on Cell phones.

IMHO when riding on a motorcycle its not IF your going to wreck............its WHEN and how serious your injuries are.

that motorcycle in pensacola was terrible.  pissed that i drove all that way from biloxi when the guy said "the bike is in great shape".

pfft.

This is why you get pics before you ever head over there...

yes. i had pics.  

now i know what pics to specifically ask for.