rich5665:
Newbie here,

I'll be taking the MSF Course in early October. I was looking at the Suzuki and Yamaha 650s and the Honda Aero 750 as a first ride , but I'm a little worried that they may not big enough. I'm 43 - 5'7" 180lbs. I'll mainly be commuting back and forth to work with the idea of upgrading to something bigger in two or three years. Of the three bikes the Honda felt the most comfortable, any input?

I was in your shoes last year at this time.  I ended up with the Shadow Spirit.  I am 43 5'8" and 175lbs.  I have put 9500 miles on my spirit since buying it.  It is a great bike to learn on.  Will probably upgrade to an 1100 or 1300 soon.  Ride safe and enjoy.  

There are lot of good nikes out there to chose from. All are dependable and have thier strong points.
Buy what feels and balnces best to you. You'll find most  any bike might need a seat upgrade of somesort after you've riden awhile. Get waht you are comfortable with. In the Mid sized bikes IMHO the C-50 and the Vulcan 900 are the top 2 for bang for your buck but don't count out Honda 750's and Yamaha's offerings although Yama is a bit pricer than everyone else.
BUY WHAT YOU LIKE and you will be satisfied don't be pressured.  

Really great posts, all!  At 60 years of age, I recently settled on a 2008 Triumph Bonneville America.  Like others here, I looked closely at the Boulevard and found those to be very nice.  When it was all said and done, however, it came down to the Bonneville or the America.  At 72" and 225 pounds (and a few hurts and bruises gained over a 24 year career in the Marine Corps) the America won out over the Bonnie because of the right "feel" to the bike. At just over 1200 miles on the O/D thus far, I have been completely satisfied with the comfort of the saddle and the performance of the 865 cc powerhouse. Being a "newbie" to riding, I'm not too saavy on the proper lingo; however, I know I'm very happy with my America! Good luck with your selection!  

Like others in this thread, I'm surprised by the number of us returning to riding.  I'm now 52 and it's been over 20 years since I was riding.

In my youth I was a rider from 12 years old to 26 years old.  But being so long since riding, I opted to take the MSF course just for the comfort.  After passing the MSF riding and written courses with perfect scores I had the confidence to move forward.

I've been renting Harley's to determine what bike I'll end up buying.  I'm not a Harley snob, but have found that Harley's are the easiest bikes to rent.  In fact, I'm in the Chicago suburbs and have not been able to find a place to rent a BMW or Honda, both of which I'd like to ride.

Anyway, I found this thread of interest and will be closely watching the responses, as I'm sure I will learn from it.

Thanks
Wade  

I'm a noob here but wanted to share my experience, I just completed the BRC and got me a 2008 C50T - Rode it yesterday for about 5 hours and I love it.. I'm still intimidated by it but I know I'll grow into it nice and easy.  I'm 45 and never rode before, still trying not to stall when I take off but hey, it's all good.  I love the classic look of the bike.

Before I bought this, I sat on every bike within a 50 mile radius.. this one just felt right.  

Hello, I am 53 years old and have just started looking for my first motorcycle. I need help making up my mind between the Yamaha V Star 1100 and the Kawasaki 900 classic LT. I was told by the Kawaski dealer that the 900 belt drive wuold be as powerful as the 1100 shaft drive, is this true and which bike should I get?  

Hello,
I'm a returing rider after 30 years out of the saddle. I recently purchased a Yamaha...er...(now) Star, V-Star 1300 tourer. The only reason I chose the 1300 ovet the 1100 is that the 1300 is water cooled.

Great bike for me; 5' 8" tall, 185 lbs. Handles very well if I don't forget to LOOK THROUGH THE TURNS and panic. All in all, a great bike. I just turned 1800 miles last night and love it.

Just getting comfortable riding again and plan to take the safety course next month.

Am thinking about buying a new Gold Wing a few years down the road. Does anyone who has a Gold Wing have any comments or useful information for someone interested in getting one?

Thanks and ride safe!  

I would not buy a bike until after taking the course,
with your size you need bigger than a 750, I am 5'4
130lb. and ride a 650 Suzuki Blvd. S40, it is a beginner bike but very light perfect for a woman, take the course then decide. Good Luck,
The course is great but u do not get enough riding time
to go out on the street.  

I am a new rider and purchased a 2007 Suzuki Blvd.650
S40, I am female 5'4 130lbs. this bike seems to fit me
perfect, the only issue I have with it is the throttle
seems very sensitive, I hardley touch it and the bike takes off, also it vibrates a lot, going around a corner i have to shift into 1st, I rode the 250 Honda at the MSF course and had no problem with the throttle or turns, did you have any of these issues, I had a bad fall and now have a case of the scares.  

Welcome, I own a Suzuki Blvd. 650 S40, very small,
perfect for me, 5'4 130 female, take the course then
decide, you will be practicing on a 250 and it will seem
like a bicycle, only problem will be Suzuki and Honda
will not let you try any bikes, Harley has rentals.
Look for used ones, ride them and see which you like the
best.
good luck  

Hi all, I'm soon going to be a new rider.  I have set myself up to take the BRC in Charlottesville, VA.  I'm very excited to get on 2 wheels and find myself in the same predicament as many on this board.  I'm 5'7" 210lbs athletic build and up until reading this board was gung-ho about a Honda 750.  I was under the impression that anything less than 750 wouldn't get me commuting on the highway comfortably w/o the bike shaking.  Now I'm wondering if I should step up to the C50 or Vulcan 900.  I know I have to sit on these to figure out which "fits" me best.  But 80% of my riding will be done commuting on 66E towards DC and I don't want to be left w/o enough power to get out of sticky situations.  Thoughts?

Nate  

janna5, a v twin is gonna vibrate more than a honda 250 which i believe is a parallel twin.
as far as the throttle being sensitive you can adjust the cable so it takes a little more wrist to work the throttle. there is an adjusting nut on the cable right below the the throttle. it's usually covered by a small rubber sleeve.  

I chose the Suzuki C50 for several reasons, it felt so much more comfortable to me than the Honda 750  It was cheaper plus it is fuel injected. I ride mine back and forth to work on I35 70 miles round trip. It handles real well even when passing or being passed by semis. It doesn't have any problem maintaining 70 m.p.h. I know several people who have purchased the honda 750 and the first thing they do is change the seat for a more comfortable ride. I have almost 2000 miles on my C50 and it feels great. No sore tail bones even after two-three hours in the saddle.
 I am 47 5'-8" 175 and had been away from riding for the last 25 years.
 I also liked the way the Vulcan 900 felt but I liked the shaft drive on the Suzuki instead of the belt drive.
 In the end to each their own I just wanted to add my two cents worth.  

I got back into riding this past April after a 30 year hiatus (I'm 62 now).  I looked at the same bikes...the 1100 Vstar and the 900LT Kaw.  The dealer where I bought sold both and both were in stock.  His words were that the 900 was their best selling bike.  I like the belt drive better than shaft, not to mention the price was better for the LT.  I get 51-52mpg out of it on regular.  Also, the insurance is cheaper by over $100/yr over the 1100.  One other item I really didn't like was the location of the oil filter on the VStar.  It may not bother others, but I just plain don't like it.  I'm totally satisfied with the 900LT.