Any Motorcycle Riders on here?

[Misunderestimated]

I've never owned one, but I'm on the fence about getting my first one. I like the cruisers, specifically the Honda Shadow. With gas also heading towards at least $4/gal, it wouldnt hurt to ride to work on occasion (I know that the initial costs of the bike and gear offset the gas savings for the first few years).

I was curious if there were any riders on here and if you would recommend and the 750 Shadow as a good starter.

[AtlBluRew]

I've never owned one, but I'm on the fence about getting my first one. I like the cruisers, specifically the Honda Shadow. With gas also heading towards at least $4/gal, it wouldnt hurt to ride to work on occasion (I know that the initial costs of the bike and gear offset the gas savings for the first few years).

I was curious if there were any riders on here and if you would recommend and the 750 Shadow as a good starter.

I'm starting out too and I think the 750 Shadow is a very good starter. I started first on a smaller bike, and when I first got on the 750 it seemed large. It was, by comparison, a little more difficult to handle at first and until I got up to speed, and then it was really easy. I also like the way it shifts, and neutral is pretty easy to find once you get the trick of the light touch it takes.

Sit on different bikes to find the one that's most comfortable for you. I liked the 750 Shadow, but I'm in the market for a bigger bike because I'm tall and more comfortable on something bigger. That said, I took the 750 on a 3 hour ride up into the mountains around Tucson just 2 weeks ago and was very comfortable.

Happy riding!

[alteran]

I've never owned one, but I'm on the fence about getting my first one. I like the cruisers, specifically the Honda Shadow. With gas also heading towards at least $4/gal, it wouldnt hurt to ride to work on occasion (I know that the initial costs of the bike and gear offset the gas savings for the first few years).

I was curious if there were any riders on here and if you would recommend and the 750 Shadow as a good starter.

Former rider here. I started on a Suzuki GS650. Mine looked like the one pictured here, although less sporty with the paintwork.

Glancing at the Shadow 750 images I've found, it looks like a standard cruiser design. If you're ruling out BMW urban bikes with gravitationally-correct peg placement (i.e., pegs under you, where God intended them to be) and choosing between sportsbike and cruiser riding styles, I'd recommend cruiser (which is what I did with my second bike, an Intruder 800).

I just think leaning forward with your legs curled under you like a horse jockey and supporting half your weight on your arms is overrated. My $.02. Some people really like it.

I think a 750 is a little large for a starter bike. If you lean too far over accidentally at a stoplight it's going to try harder to bring you down, especially if you have a passenger. I got a 650 but was really shooting for a 500, which I think is about right to start. Sometimes, though, you just get what you can.

My advice-- if you're starting out, don't buy new (or nearly new). You're not sure whether it's going to take yet, so why blow a lot of dough on a bike before you figure out what you like? Someone's ALWAYS trying to offload a japanese bike in the 450-650cc range for not very much money. And they're very dependable. Pick up one of those, figure out what you like and don't like, then blow the wad of cash later. You'll sell your starter bike for about what you paid for it, and you won't be stripping the gears on a pricey bike.

Don't know how much riding experience you've got, but if you don't have a lot (and maybe even if you do), TAKE THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE. It's available in North Carolina for almost nothing at the community college. Couldn't find a price online, but I'll bet it's about $100-$120. This gets you 6 hours of class time plus 16 hours of bike time. Plus lots of shooting the breeze during breaks with the teachers, who REALLY know bikes. It pays for itself in insurance deductions in less than a year, plus it gets you a waiver on the driving part of the license test. Oh, and once again, you're grinding gears on a bike that you don't have to keep.

Also, it almost triples your chances of avoiding motorcycle accidents.

Other advice: if you find you're serious about riding, buy the best helmet you can afford. New. I'm talking $300+ without artwork (no need for artwork). Full helmet, too-- don't fall for that "I can hear better with my Hitler helmet" stuff some of the Harley folks espouse-- most of them combine those helmets with the fiberglass pipes you can hear halfway to China anyway. They look cool, though.

Riding is a lot of fun. Try not to make it your primary transportation, that way you can avoid riding in adverse conditions. Like rain. Like when you're PO'd. Ignore/avoid competitive rednecks in cars.

And whatever you do, DON'T KICK AT DOGS THAT NIP AT YOU!!! Learned that one the hard way-- glad I had my leathers on.

[DevilAlumna]

My advice-- if you're starting out, don't buy new (or nearly new). You're not sure whether it's going to take yet, so why blow a lot of dough on a bike before you figure out what you like? Someone's ALWAYS trying to offload a japanese bike in the 450-650cc range for not very much money. And they're very dependable. Pick up one of those, figure out what you like and don't like, then blow the wad of cash later. You'll sell your starter bike for about what you paid for it, and you won't be stripping the gears on a pricey bike.

Don't know how much riding experience you've got, but if you don't have a lot (and maybe even if you do), TAKE THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE. It's available in North Carolina for almost nothing at the community college. Couldn't find a price online, but I'll bet it's about $100-$120. This gets you 6 hours of class time plus 16 hours of bike time. Plus lots of shooting the breeze during breaks with the teachers, who REALLY know bikes. It pays for itself in insurance deductions in less than a year, plus it gets you a waiver on the driving part of the license test. Oh, and once again, you're grinding gears on a bike that you don't have to keep.

Also, it almost triples your chances of avoiding motorcycle accidents.

Other advice: if you find you're serious about riding, buy the best helmet you can afford. New. I'm talking $300+ without artwork (no need for artwork). Full helmet, too-- don't fall for that "I can hear better with my Hitler helmet" stuff some of the Harley folks espouse-- most of them combine those helmets with the fiberglass pipes you can hear halfway to China anyway. They look cool, though.

Excellent advice, Alteran!

I'll go one further and say, not only buy the best helmet you can, but also get the full leathers and motorcycling boots - again, this is life-saving equipment here, so don't skimp! Set aside at least $500 out of your budget for this gear (not including the helmet; which you should try on, and wear around for at least 10 minutes if you can - a distracting helmet = a distracted rider.)

This is coming from the experiences of Mr. DA, who highsided on a poorly maintained mountain road (big, unmarked dip). His full-face helmet was wrecked, his brain and face are okay. His leather pants were skinned down to nothing; his legs are okay. His jacket was so road-rashed that the plastic zipper melted, and one of the elbow pad/cups cracked. He did break his left wrist and right collarbone; shattered a couple bones in his left foot, and sprained his right ankle.

Not to scare you off, just realize that safety equipment is available for a reason; a motorcycle crash is very likely, no matter how safely you drive, and with very serious consequences.

Last bits of advice -- it's not a question of whether you'll dump your bike but when; and ride like half the "cager" world doesn't see you, and the other half is trying to hit you.

[Misunderestimated]

Great Responses. Thank You. I was definitely not planning to go cheap on safety gear. Matter of fact, today when I was at the Honda dealership, I spent 2x as much time talking with the guys in the safety gear shop about all the different equipment and learning how it all works to save you, as I did talking with the guys about the bikes.

I'd say $500 is a conservative estimate. That will get you a good helmet and jacket.

Anyhow, next step is the Motorcycle Safety Class and I'll see if I'm completely hooked at that point.

[DevilAlumna]

Good online store -- I got my jacket here for about 50% less than the local Cycle Barn, and my Shoei helmet was $150 less here too.

http://www.newenough.com/

(Don't let the name fool you -- it's new gear, not used.)

[gus]

Not to scare you off, just realize that safety equipment is available for a reason; a motorcycle crash is very likely, no matter how safely you drive, and with very serious consequences.

Seriously... I have a number of friends who ride. Every single one of them has crashed. The crashes have ranged from a minor fall on a driveway, to a high-side on a highway, to another friend crashing in a ditch and being literally minutes away from dying.

They all, except the last, who is down a kidney and spleen, still ride.