hi, i am looking at starting to ride. i will be taking a course in the spring and hope to buy a bike then.
not sure which bike but i think i like the Honda 750 Cruisers.
Looking for advice on starter bike that would suit me. i am 52 years young,never owned and only rode as a passenger a few time.
i am 5'11' and just under 200 lb.

is the Honda 750 a good starter for me ?

thanks  

I'm the same height and weight but ten years older and just bought my first bike a month ago.  It's a Yamaha V-Star 650. It's low, really comfortable, and is not so powerful or heavy that I can't handle it even though I'm a beginner. You may want to consider that model as well as the Honda.  

Just starting riding myself this past August.  Took the MSF course and bought my first bike the next week.  Ended up with the Honda Shadow 750.  It is a great first bike.  Easy to handle.  Put on 4000 miles so far.  Wouldn't want one any smaller than this.  I'm 5'8" and about 165lbs.  Ride two up on occasion.  Will probably upgrade to an 1100 or 1300 next year  

another two cents: the suzuki c50 blvd, aka the 800 intruder volusia. very low seat height ergo low center-of-gravity, and the smoothest fuel injection and shifting i've ever experienced in a cruiser (as of today i've ridden 148 different motorcycles). low c-o-g means the bike feels lighter, and the smooth throttle is great while you're getting used to gassing with your right hand. the 750 shadow is great too (i've ridden several & own a 750 magna myself, my fourth honda), but the suzuki is better. plus you're less likely to outgrow it, especially if you can find the touring model - which should be under $7000 for an '05-06.  

I'm 55 and riding for the first time. Took some private lessons on the street first and then MSF(that was grueling)this November. Bought a 07 Vstar 1300T last week and put it in storage today. Very comfortable ride and for a relatively big bike (compared to the 250's I was learing on) it seems OK and not intimidating as I thought it would be. I'm 5'8" and weigh about 230 (all muscle of course!)Looking forward to the spring and really get my feet wet on this beautiful baby.

Ken from NYC...

P.S. Nice to hear that there are other 50+ people getting nto it.  

Hey, thanks all for your replys. it seems i am on the right track, oops i mean ride.
any other comments welcome.
thanks & hope to wave to ya soon.  

Hi
Start with a lighter machine
Think, enjoy and ride defensively
Live to ride - ride to live
As i tell my son - you know what your going to do but
you never really know what the 4000 lb car or truck is going to do
I've been riding for 41 years but not without the scars (should've quit drinkin earlier)
Good Luck - Good Riding  

I bought a suzuki boulevard c-50T the first week of October and have 3200 miles on it.  I love it.  I can get on the highway with no problem and it's good for commuting.  My wife rides with me in warmer weather without any problems (but she is tiny).  It's not as maneuverable as a sport or standard bike, but it's very comfortable.  It's a 800, so it's in your size range.  I did meet a guy on a Honda 750 a month ago.  His bike was 5 years old and he had 72,000 on his without anything but regular maintenance and a few minor modifications.  He still loved his bike.  I don't think you can go wrong with either bike.  

Returned to riding after 25 year hiatus in Nov '07 at age 55. Picked the Honda Shadow Aero 750 for what I wanted in overall price/performance. Three weeks later, I am completely delighted. I'm 5'10" 180 lbs., and the low seat and good balance make for very easy and quick handling when you need it. You can thread the needle on a series of traffic cones (or unexpected obstacles in the road) all day long. Very maneuverable machine for person my size. Shaft drive means no more chain maintenance, ever, and makes for some smooth shifting. And for what its worth, looks are killer, on top of everything else. Take your time, check them all out, make list of what features you want and what you'll pay for them, and match a motorcycle to that. Aero 750 just happened to fit my bill perfectly.  

thanks again for the replys, great comments that gives me good to go info.
cheers  

If a Honda is what you are looking for the VTX 1300
is a good bike nice looks and handles very well, good for two up on short runs also.
Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT is a nice model also.
Handles real well.
They all make good bikes just pick one you can live with. Honda Shadows seem to me to be a bit neck heavy, meaning they feel like they want to fall over in slow tight turns. So do older Sporsters.

Harleys Rule anything else is just a clone.....DW    

I'm 54 and have been riding off and on since I was 15 years old.... I took a 15-year break while my kids were growing up, and have been back in the saddle since 2001. I have ridden quite a few different bikes (but fewer than 20). This past June I moved up from a 1986 Virago 700 to a 2000 Honda Valkyrie - but I would NOT recommend anything like that for you at this time.

Please don't let anyone (including yourself) talk you into buying a bike that you are not ready for. I know it's pretty exciting thinking about some of those new machines out there; but don't overdo it. Besides, there's a pretty good chance you will drop your first bike, even if it's just in the driveway. I'd be looking at used machines

If you feel comfortable with the 250 CC training bikes (i.e., they are not too small for your frame), then find a used 250 AFTER you've taken the course - they can be had for a reasonable price if you look hard enough - try Craig's List. (In the class I took in 2001, there was a gentleman your age preparing to go with his brothers to buy a full-dress HD some 500 miles away the next weekend. After the riding exercises, he dropped out of class...)

If the 250's are just too uncomfortable (small) for you, then look at the 650-800 CC class. There are lots of bikes out there worth buying (Yamaha Virago/Star - I like the Virago; Honda Shadow series, but NOT the 750 Magna - too fast, weak brakes ; Suzuki Volusia - bigger than most in that class; etc....) Read all the old reviews on the MotorcycleCruiser web site - they are very helpful. Think more about functionality and handling rather than appearance.

Don't even think about the 1200 CC or larger machines unti lafter you've got at least a few thousand miles under your belt, and hopefully some riding in adverse conditions so you know what that's really like. It's relatively easy to ride in a straight line - but if you ever have to do an emergency manuever, you'll really feel the difference the weight of the bike makes.

After you have some real riding experience, then you can better understand what you are looking for and/or need; and then you can move up to whatever feels right for you. Good Luck, and welcome to the biking world!  

Howdy!  I'm also 54 and have been riding for about 7 years now.  I highly recommend the MSF rider safety  course -- I've taken it twice with my son.  You learn something new each time.  You'll be glad you took it.  In regard to good first bikes, you might want to check out the book "Idiots Guide to Motorcycles".  It has a lot of good info for the beginner and has a write-up on just about every bike out there in regards to suitability as a "first bike".  

I'm fairly short (5'4") and started out with a 2001 Suzuki Intruder 800 (now S-50) because it just fit me perfectly.  However, it was not very comfortable for the passenger.  About a year ago I moved up to a Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic, which is a considerably larger bike which rides a lot smoother than the Intruder.  It is fairly large (about 600+ lbs.), but I would think that if you can handle the Honda 750 size bike, you could probably handle the 1100.  I would also agree with one of the earlier replies and also recommend the Suzuki C-50 (Volusia 800).  My son has one.  It is a very good bike and would be an excellent first bike.  Sorry, I don't know much about the Honda 750's, but I do know that Honda makes a very good bike.  

My main recommendation would be that you sit on, and if possible, ride the bikes that you are interested in, to see if it fits you and if you feel comfortable on it.  Good luck in your choice.  Be safe out there.  As the other guy said--- "Live to ride - Ride to live".  My motto is-- "don't trust any of the other drivers out there."    Steve  

Hi, I am a MSF instructor and students often ask about first time rides.  I usually recommend the middleweights.  Personally, I have a 2002 Suzuki LC1500 and love it.  I've ridden the Volusia (now, C50) and it is alot of bang for the buck.  Also, the Kawasaki 900 is rated very high in that class.  Motorcyle Cruiser did an article on the middleweights and rated the Volusia, as it was called before, the best of them. If you buy the smaller bikes, you will probably be looking for larger ones soon.  

No disrespect intended to oldman2, but do NOT buy a 250! Not that you're likely to find one you can fit comfortably on, but even if you could (the Chinese make a full-size 250 I hear, not that I recommend the Chinese/Korean makes - yet), it wouldn't have enough power to accelerate you out of trouble! The smallest cruiser I ever recommend is the Suzuki S40 aka LS650 Savage (under 400 lbs wet). Sure the grips turn into sex toys at freeway rpm, but at least it can keep up with traffic and get out of its own way in an emergency. Plus I think they look cool. I met a lady in Phoenix who'd ridden hers all the way from AZ to Vancouver and back on the PCH - she'd've been a hood ornament on a 250! Or if I worked at a Kawasaki dealership I'd say the 500 Vulcan, and for Honda the VLX600 Shadow. The only rider I've ever met who was long-term happy with her 250 was an 80 lb Korean girl named Suzi, but even she didn't have any illusions about taking her Rebel on the freeway...