I want a motorcycle.

Motorcycle riding sure is fun, and a very nice and efficient way to commute.
I personally picked up this Honda one month ago. Love it!

'08 Honda VFR 800

The 1st question you have to HONESTLY, without any HINT of self promotion is "Am I a dumbass?" The reason you have to ask yourself this question is whether you know what your limits are. Have you ever found yourself doing something and in the midst of it all go "WTF AM I DOING?" If you have, you should NOT get a motorcycle, cause likely you'll end up dead.

Whenever somebody says "People should start out on a 250, then goto a 600 for a couple years, then get whatever you want." And some say "Start on a 600...". All of it is BULL$HIT. It's a cliche statement, and you can easily kill yourself on either. On a 250, it likely doesn't have REALLY good tires and when trying to show off how "good of a rider you are and ready to move up", they'll slide out from under you. On a 600, you'll be going faster than you should be and the mistake will be more severe. A 1000 is just a 600 with balls, so the same trouble ensues, only with more speed/throttle use. Most likely, you'll give it too much gas and the rest is history.

Honestly, the people that say "start on a 600" have been saying that for years, and the 600's of today, are the 1000's of a couple years ago, and they were preaching the same thing back then. So it's a bit stupid isn't it? Sure, you have more room for error, but if you're not a moron, you'll be fine. The learning curve is a bit steeper going straight into the bigger bikes, but seriously, unless you're persuing it for trackdays and becoming a track-guy, it's useless if all you're doing it for is weekend cruising and nice weather riding. On the same note, why do you need all that power if that's all it's for?

Get what you want. Only YOU really know your limits and tendencies and limits, and if you're not a total moron, the idea of hitting the pavement SHOULD be enough to keep you responsible enough. Either through the financial damages, or damages to yourself and being in the ER. It did for me, and I wish I never wasted my time with smaller CC bikes and jumped straight to liter bikes.

The ex250 can hit 100mph, though you'll be pushing it.
Anyways, you should take the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation ). Don't forget to budget money for motorcycle clothing, they're specifically made to protect you in a crash.

Some good motorcycle forums:

Beginnerbikers.org - Powered by vBulletin
The Sportbike Network - Sportbikes.net

Make sure your health insurance policy has good coverage and look into a high six figure term life insurance policy, too. You don't want to bury your wife in medical debt if something happens.

Me? I love motorcycles. I'd love to ride one, but I won't. Saw a bloody accident last weekend and a friend was decapitated on one about three years ago. I've had a couple other friends killed, as well. Not trying to be a wet blanket, but they're dangerous.

Get one. You can be a safe rider, just like you can be a safe driver.


It's watching out for the dumb****s that shouldn't be driving anyway where it becomes important. You are invisible on a bike. You really are completely invisible. If you ride as such, you'll be fine. I've commuted daily on a GS500 (upgrading it as I see fit/have cash laying around) since I got it new in late 2000, and I've been in one accident where a girl was on a cell phone and hit the gas instead of holding the brake while we were both stopped at a light. I got pushed off, the bike was scratched on one side, but I was fine.

My dad has ridden street since he could get a license and he's been in one accident while weaving the dots back on ****ty tires in '86 or so. His fault. He's now put on well over 250K miles on bikes with that single incident. I've got over 100K with my single incident.

If you are doing wheelies and stoppies every time you ride, then you're asking for it.

Check out the GS500 for a bike that has enough power to get you into trouble, lightweight handling, and is cheap to run (65mpg if you are nice to it, really cheap to repair if you drop it in your driveway/garage) and low maintenance.

Check out the SV650 or Ninja 650 for a bit more power, something closer to what "a real bike" would feel like, and better freeway manners than the GS, which can be strained.

Here's me on my GS, dragging knee at Buttonwillow, CA. It's more fun to go fast on a slow bike than slow on a fast bike.

I strongly recommend a rider's safety course not only will it teach you
some things in the event of an emergency situation it will help you get
a lower insurance premium.

Yes, comfortable and protective riding gear is very important.

The Ninja 250 is a great starter bike and one of the best four-stroke 250s. If it is in good condition when you sell it you probably will not lose much money on resale. The EX250 "Ninja" was made for two decades so there should be plenty of spare parts should you need them. As far as power goes it's not pokey but... In the same price range you could get an old bike with a big engine, the trade-off being extra weight. So how fast/slow is it? At the 1/8 mile track my friend who owns the bike and weighs around 200 pounds ran a 10.9. With much less exprience with that bike and 50 less pounds I ran a sub 10.

Edit: The SV650 has a nice smooth V-twin with lots of low RPM grunt but the bike wobbles when you push it hard in corners.

Excellent advice all around, particularly the idea of taking a safety course. A lot of people go out, buy a bike, and have no clue what's out there. As Fixcinater pointed out .........you are invisible to the cagers out there. I've taken to wearing a yellow helmet and bright clothes recently for just that reason. I've made it to 60 years of age and have been riding since 1966, with a 20 year hiatus in between to raise a family. I currently have four bikes on the road and love riding each of them for different reasons.
For me, riding a motorcycle responsibly and carefully is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Do it.
Here's a few pics of the bikes I currently ride (gathered from the internet, but all are correct in year and color).

A safety course is MANDATORY. Well, not technically, but it would be STUPID not to. You get things like lower insurance rates, and some states don't require you to take the state test if you take the course (which is MUCH harder than the safety course test btw), you just pay to get the motorcycle endorsement put on your license and be on your merry way.

Definetly a safety course. Then get safety gear like boots, helmet, and gloves as a minimum. Good insurance plus health insurance is a must also.

I have owned 3 bikes, the last one a brand new 1981 GS750. However I started w/ a Yamaha RD250 (two stroke engine) and it was the most fun on a bike I ever had. People used to mod them with expansion chambers, upgraded reed valves, etc.

Keep in mind that daily conmuting on a bike is not a lot of fun. Geting hit by a bumble bee while doing 70 mph is painful even if you have a leather jacket. Do not smile while riding a bike unless you have a face shield, other wise you will be eating lots of nasty stuff. Range on a motorcycle may seem acceptable until you take it for a +600 mile trip, filing the tank every 250 miles or so gets old quick. Did I mention that riding at 70 mph in the rain is very dangerours plus that rain will hit you hard.

Now, if you want a bike just to pleasur cruise then go for it. But do think long and hard about owning one, it will kill you if you are not very careful.

Get one, and ride safely.
Here are my basic rules, which hopefully will keep me safe:
1. Always wear proper protection (clothing, shoes, back protector, helmet, glows).
2. Have in mind that nobody see you, and may turn straight in front of you...
3. Always have both wheels on the ground.
4. Know your limit and never (or at least very seldom) cross it.

Enjoy!