[uspickle]

I have scheduled my state beginner rider course for October (first available time) and am beginning to look for a starter motorcycle. I really like the cafe racer style and will most likely end up with a Honda CB series, hopefully for less than $1,000 as posted on craigslist.com. Any other recommendations for a beginner bike?

My plan is to ride this bike for a year or so and then purchase a new bike, at this point either the RE Bullet Military or a Triumph Bonneville T100. I have absolutely no mechanical skills (at this point) and was wondering what the pros and cons were of these two bikes as far as maintenance? The Triumph dealer is about 40 miles away, if not closer, and the RE dealer is over 100 miles away which may sway my decision based on the warranty. I do have a few friends with bikes and they are decent with a wrench.

Any other tips/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Chris

[luoma]

Just take your time and ride the wheels off your second hand Honda, or whatever you end up with. Only time in the saddle will teach you what kind of ride you eventually want to invest real money into. So, don't worry about the brand, or the configuration (cafe, scrambler, cruiser), just make sure you get a solid and reliable machine for your money, and go have some fun.

[mikail gransee]

Just take your time and ride the wheels off your second hand Honda, or whatever you end up with.

I agree 100% also, if you have never ridden before get something that is not too expensive so you can "play" with it and not worry about breaking it!

[deeess42]

Hope you don't mind me jumping in from the other side of the Atlantic, guys. London, UK rider here. Been doing some serious looking at a Bullet 500, so was following the conversation with interest. Am not after speed, but is the trust 500 good for that 65 with two-up, as well.

[luoma]

An AVL will do two-up at 65 pretty easily. If modified with oerformance kit and 19-tooth sprocket, the bike actually prefers 65 as a mild cruising speed.

[Jon]

Given what you have told us about yourself I'd go find something like a Honda
CB250 and buy yourself a shop manual and a copy of "The Dummies Guide
to Motorcycling" ( most emphatically not a biker lifestyle book ) or something similar.
Fork out for a set of decent wrenches and sockets. Take a training course, join
the owners club for whatever bike you choose.Cruise the net looking for
sites like this.

Ride a bit ,dream a bit,save some money and go buy whatever style of bike you
like. You can even make a neat little cafe racer out of that old CB250.

Motorcycling is a great way to have fun go for it.

[meilaushi]

II'd chime in here that if you enjoy riding rather than eye-candy, a cafe racer isn't quite the way to go IMHO...  the riding position on any crotch rocket style bike is only good for impressing the girls within eyesight distance, but the back, wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and what-all will tell you in 20 or 30 minutes that you'd better quit, get off the bike, straighten out and relax for awhile.  Cafe racers, while they look neat, aren't the cat's meow for doing any distance riding.  You need a good standard seating position for that: i.e., comfort, not looks, is the key for going any sort of distance.  In fact, the only people for whom such things as clip-ons, bullet-fairings, and rear-sets are good for are professional GP racers... and those guys are in top-notch condition for handling the position they have to take to ride.

One of the reasons I LOVE my bullet is its comfortable upright riding position.  You can go miles and miles on this thing and the only tiring aspect to it is the 'heartbeat' of the engine if you run at speeds that make it a bit buzzy.  But like the fellows said above... ride your first bike for all it's worth and find out what you like and don't like about it, where it's comfortable for good distances, and what are problems about that.  Then go for a bike that answers the stuff you like.

But above all, ride safe and have fun!

[Bankerdanny]

I generally agree with meilaushi, but the upright position has its own negatives.

I have the ace cafe bars on my bike. In stop and go traffic it can be uncomfortable (although I rode to the office and back Mon-Wed this week in heavy city traffic and was fine), but once you hit 40 mph I think they are more comfortable than the standard bars that keep you upright and turn you into a sail to catch the wind.

[PhilJ]

Agree with Danny there. And on my cross country tours ala cafe style there was also a tank bag which was quite comfy. However, that being said, that was 35 years ago. Now, the standard Bullet bars are about right for me and I don;t go as far, but still go, and muuuuuch slower.

[Bankerdanny]

I have been considering a drag bar as a compromise. They are flat, so your torso will have a slight forward lean, but not as dramatic as the cafe bars.

[uspickle]

Thanks for all the help. I've been getting some practice on a friends bike as well as researching used bikes. Seems a decent Honda CB will cost about $2,000. Throw in some maintenance here and there and I may have well just bought a new Bullet Military. A few more questions on this bike:

1) My work commute is a total of 30 miles a day, non-highway - would this bike be ideal for that?

2) I see that the to speed is 75 mph - this is obviously highway speed, but at what speed does the bike begin to get uncomfortable or wobble?

3) A buddy of mine is getting a Triumph Bonneville at the same time I make a purchase. If we went on some cruises and needed to use a highway how long could the Bullet sustain its top cruising speed?

4) I've read a bunch of postings and many people mention that these bikes will need to be worked on due to the fact that they are basically built to standards from 50 years ago. What exactly does this mean? Are these bikes built differently then say a Honda from the 70's or, for that matter, other brands' new bikes on the road today?

Thanks again for all the responses