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shawmutt · 02-28-2006, 01:26 PM

This site was recommended by a friend from another forum (fish related, not bike related). I'm getting an early start on a midlife crisis--I'm turning 30 in a month and want to get my first bike. I've always wanted one, but never had the space for one. That is changing with the purchase of my first house. I'm getting a bonus from my job soon, so I have a working budget of about $2000 (american dollars) for the bike and gear. A little personal history: I've ridden a dirtbike in my younger years, and was an auto mechanic for five years.

Got a couple questions for you pros:

Sport or cruiser? I know this is a personal preference, but the ride to work will be 40 minutes each way. I'll probably like the kick and handling I'll get from a sport bike, but doesn't it get uncomfortable being hunched over like that all the time? I can't choose whether I want a nice relaxed ride or a speedy one (the wife prefers the nice relaxed one).

I'll be using it on a major highway daily, constant speeds of 70+, what's the minimum engine size I should be looking for? (It will be at night so there won't be a lot of traffic, but a good deal of tractor trailers) Some people tell me 600cc, some say 1000cc. Then I see a bike like a Suzuki GZ250 and read up on it, and people love it and say it's fine on the highway. There's an '01 GZ250 being sold locally by a private owner for $2000.

I don't want to spend a lot on my first bike--if I dump it I don't want to feel too bad. What's a good ballpark amount to spend on a learner bike? What's a good place to look for a bike--dealership or classified ads? I'd feel more comfortable with a dealership to be honest, I wouldn't know what to look for in a bike and I like the comfort level of dealing with an actual place rather than some guy I don't know.

Thanks in advance.

02-28-2006, 01:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
shawmutt Newbie Joined: Feb 2006 Bike: '05 Kawasaki Concours Location: Hagerstown, MD soon to be Greencastle, PA Posts: 5	Howdy This site was recommended by a friend from another forum (fish related, not bike related). I'm getting an early start on a midlife crisis--I'm turning 30 in a month and want to get my first bike. I've always wanted one, but never had the space for one. That is changing with the purchase of my first house. I'm getting a bonus from my job soon, so I have a working budget of about $2000 (american dollars) for the bike and gear. A little personal history: I've ridden a dirtbike in my younger years, and was an auto mechanic for five years. Got a couple questions for you pros: Sport or cruiser? I know this is a personal preference, but the ride to work will be 40 minutes each way. I'll probably like the kick and handling I'll get from a sport bike, but doesn't it get uncomfortable being hunched over like that all the time? I can't choose whether I want a nice relaxed ride or a speedy one (the wife prefers the nice relaxed one). I'll be using it on a major highway daily, constant speeds of 70+, what's the minimum engine size I should be looking for? (It will be at night so there won't be a lot of traffic, but a good deal of tractor trailers) Some people tell me 600cc, some say 1000cc. Then I see a bike like a Suzuki GZ250 and read up on it, and people love it and say it's fine on the highway. There's an '01 GZ250 being sold locally by a private owner for $2000. I don't want to spend a lot on my first bike--if I dump it I don't want to feel too bad. What's a good ballpark amount to spend on a learner bike? What's a good place to look for a bike--dealership or classified ads? I'd feel more comfortable with a dealership to be honest, I wouldn't know what to look for in a bike and I like the comfort level of dealing with an actual place rather than some guy I don't know. Thanks in advance.