Motorcycles on the brain

August 20th, 2002

The thought of motorcycling has been a constant in my mind. I've spent hours scouring the net, reading about the different bikes that are available. Brochures are showing up in my mailbox. Though I hate to admit I purchased such a book, I have found A Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles to be quite informative. I've also been to the dealerships several times.

First off, I have decided I want a street bike. Of these bikes, the least visually pleasing to me are the cruisers. I do not like the retro look. Touring bikes are alright, but way too big for me. "Standard" bikes like the Honda Nighthawk look pretty cool but are hard to find. Sport bikes look cool and are easy to find. I tend to think a mid-sized Nighthawk would be ideal for me, but all they make these days are a 250cc and a 750cc model. So, cruisers and standards are effectively out. That means I'm looking for a less aggressive sport bike.

Most dealers tell me that anything remotely sporty-looking (even some 250cc bikes) are deadly. Discussing it online with actual riders and reading from A Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles tell me otherwise. I'm beginning to distrust dealers around here. They've tried to sell me a used 1984 bike for double its value.

What size bike should I get? 250cc? 500cc? 600cc? I think anything above 600 might be a bit large for me, though I have never really ridden anything with an engine which displaces more than 250cc. People tell me that the 250s are too small for any real highway riding. So I'm thinking 500cc - small enough so I won't kill myself yet large enough I won't outgrow it and need to buy a larger bike later on.

I'm thinking Suzuki GS500E. Or, if it existed and were available here, a mid-sized Honda Nighthawk from a recent model year.

I sat on a GS500 today and it seemed comfortable. The bike felt lighter (though it is actually heavier) than the Suzuki 250 I rode in class and, while the seating position seemed a bit strange, it wasn't bad at all. This bike is recommended as a "best first bike" by the author of Idiot's Guide, as is the Nighthawk 750 (despite its bigger size).

Despite all my enthusiasm, September is almost here. The time to ride any bike I buy will be limited before the snow flies. I might wait until spring to make the big purchase. Or I might not.