JUMPING IN HEAD FIRST

[MR. ED]

I've been contemplating getting a motorcycle for years now. Grew up lusting after the Dakars in all their exotic locations around the world. Has anyone here gone straight to the top and bought a big bike right off the bat? I've never owned a motorcycle in my life, but have ridden a lot. I don't want to buy a 650 and wish I had gotten a bigger bike in a year or two. Buy once, cry once! So who just went for it? I commute 120 miles a day on a 2 lane HWY and there are numerous forest service roads and trails between here and there. Would love to shoot up to a high mountain meadow on my way home every once in a while. Any thoughts? Advice? Thanks.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I think it's very possible to go straight for a big bike depending on your general intrinsic abilities. Some people simply take to things quicker than others, and in that no one here can accurately answer this question for you. The attributes of a big bike that will typically be challenging for new adventure riders is getting comfortable with power management and the general weight of the bike. It takes a certain degree of learned nuance to allow a rider to maneuver a bike that has a 500 pound advantage. It's also a little intimidating to get in the dirt with a machine with 100+ horses on tap.

At the OJ office we have frequently discussed how you can fake it with four wheels, you can even fake it a bit on pavement with two wheels, but dirt is the ultimate truth serum. If you don't have it, that bike is going down. It also is heavily influenced by the level of dirt you hope to traverse. A new rider on a big bike in technical terrain? That's recipe for a hosed bike and a bummed, if not broken, rider.

There's another x-factor here. Some people just like learning new skills. I'm that way. I will never turn down advice from those whom I can learn from, and in that, hone my skills quicker than those who just hope to figger'it'out on their own. You will have to aspire to learn how to pilot a big bike, and likely have to solicit that instruction from someone. It won't just come with time. It's a learned skill.

 

[Christophe Noel]

By the way, I like playing on big bikes off-road, but after a few hours, my 175 pounds is no match for some of those beasts. I have to resort to technique to even the odds, and that's been a long, ongoing process. Once the big bike starts to win the battle, it's super tough on me. I'm good for one or two drops, then I'm headed for broken bones. Riding a 650 in the dirt, for me...way more fun.

 

[peneumbra]

Two words: TRAINING WHEELS.

And be careful with the shooting up business. That stuff can be addictive...

 

[MR. ED]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I just noticed the "getting started" area. I think I'll spend some time in there. Thanks again.

 

[MarcFJ60]

I think CN hit it on the head - it really depends on you. I know lots of guys who bought 700lb Harleys as their first bike and they have been fine (mostly). Adventure bikes, while not as heavy, carry their weight higher and have higher seat heights, so it isn't an apples to apples comparison.

If you plan to do mainly road and groomed fire roads, it really is all about how much self control and self awareness you have. But if you plan to do more ambitious offroad, a big bike is not for a beginner and, frankly, is the wrong choice for almost everybody. Very few riders can manage a 500+ bike offroad. I had a V-Strom 1000 that I used mainly as a sport tourer. It did fine on gravel roads, but I never would have taken it on anything beyond that.

I'm not sure what 650s you're looking at, but in my mind a 650 thumper is the ultimate do everything bike. Will cruise down the interstate and can handle single track, albeit at a much more controlled pace. I've gone through numerous 750cc-1000cc bikes over the last several years, but the 650 thumper is the one constant.

 

[BADDANDY]

I had the big bike fear when I bought my first bike; a 550cc sport touring v-twin. It was perfect for me at the time. I bought it at flight school in OK, rode it back to CA, then up to WA and back to CA in a 3 month period. During my 30 years of riding, I've gone thru a few 600/1000/1200cc sport touring/sport bikes to a GS 1200 and now to a 800 Tiger XC. If the Tiger was my second bike, it could've been my only bike during this time. The 800 triple is to me the perfect sized motor for the power vs the weight. I just changed from a 2 year 150 mile round trip commute job that I rode year-round putting 20,000 miles on the bike to one nearby, and this bike is a joy to ride for each one. It's had knobbies since I bought it that I get 10,000 miles on the rear tire and over 15,000 miles on the front, weather and road conditions being no factor with this bike.
IMO, Buy the bike you've researched, you want, and feel comfortable in your head that you can handle. If you get one too small, you may over ride it or rue that it's not big, comfortable or powerful enough. Take a riding course, or a few.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Trying to find the 'perfect' bike is never going to happen. The 650-to-800 is really the right first bike, you won't outgrow it anytime soon but you are unlikely to ever get in a situation where you can't control it as you gain experience.

I really love my KLR. Maybe on long highway stretches I wish it was a little lower & sleeker and had a bit more power, but otherwise I don't feel the urge for more. The only time I want for something smaller is super technical trails but really anything other than a true dirt bike wouldn't be right anyway. It's right at the limit of weight for a day of picking it up, though.

For your use I would think you'd love it. The KLR really handles pretty good on pavement but has the heart of a big dirt bike. Jack of all trades, master of none I guess. Best part: reliable, easy on the budget (actually it's rivals my mountain bike for the cost for two tires) and ubiquitous. There's someone who has figured out everything and anything about them.

I generally get ~200 miles of commuting between fueling stops, which takes about 4 gallons of gas. Not as good as a 250 but the KLR holds it own up to about 70 MPH and usually scares me less in traffic than my 22R-E Toyota to be honest. I've only had it a couple of years but I still smile every time I park it, even going to work or a beer run, just a fun bike all around.

A KLR is something you keep in the stable even if you do get a Dakar or big street bike just 'cause. You'll spend a few grand on a decent one (heck, new our local dealer asks $5,600, which is an incredibly high dollar-fun ratio) and it won't bug you at all that it gets soaked and caked in mud, gets dumped and scratched or to run your booger welds on a frame fix. It's really freeing having a vehicle you just use. It can be diagnosed and fixed on the trail with the few tools and a photocopy of the wiring diagram you have stuffed away.

Plus, if you bolt liberated 20mm ammo cans on a KTM or BMW you'd be laughed out of the cafe. ;-)

 

[RHINO]

i say go for it.

120 mile daily commute is excellent for a big bike, the only real reason to start on a small bike is to develop handling skills, many of the big adventure bikes dont require much "skill" to just ride gingerly down a maintained forest rd.

you will figure out once you start riding if you want to hit more technical stuff, get into jeep trails ect. and then you'll have a better idea what bike (or bikes) will suit you. we never get the bike right the first time but since that hiway commute is gonna happen, go to the big bike and get in some easy seat time.

 

[agavelvr]

I've been contemplating getting a motorcycle for years now. Grew up lusting after the Dakars in all their exotic locations around the world. Has anyone here gone straight to the top and bought a big bike right off the bat? I've never owned a motorcycle in my life, but have ridden a lot. I don't want to buy a 650 and wish I had gotten a bigger bike in a year or two. Buy once, cry once! So who just went for it? I commute 120 miles a day on a 2 lane HWY and there are numerous forest service roads and trails between here and there. Would love to shoot up to a high mountain meadow on my way home every once in a while. Any thoughts? Advice? Thanks.

I meet a lot of 50+ year olds who have fallen in love with the notion of owning and riding a big adventure bike, and then buy one as their first motorcycle. Shortly thereafter, I see those same people selling their bikes on craigslist and suffering from minor injuries related from dropping those beasts on fairly easy graded forest roads with a few bumps in them. It is a shame that they didn't start with a 650 (or smaller), some training, and then got a decent amount of seat time. You can pick up a low milage KLR or DR in very good condition for +-$3K. Ride it till you want something else, sell it for near what you bought it for. After that experience, you will know if you like riding. If you do, you will have a good idea of what your next bike should be. If you didn't like it, you won't be out of pocket very much.

Case study: http://tucson.craigslist.org/mcy/4947834572.html
rode 6650 miles, if sold for ask price, owner is probably losing just over $7K! That's over $1 per mile for the experience of ownership. One could buy a lightly used KLR and fully farkle it for less than that. After riding it for 6K miles, you could dump it on craigslist for $3-5K, depending on condition and be money and experience ahead.

I tend to think in these kinds of terms when trying out a new activity, it's a little financial game I play. I usually buy used so it doesn't sting when my vehicle ADD strikes. Personally, I started with a KLR. I took it places my skill level wasn't ready for and learned I needed a more nimble bike...that or I needed to tone it down a bit. Continued to enjoy that bike till I crashed it bad and then upgraded to something more in line the terrain I was drawn to. Rode the snot out of the replacement for a year and sold that one. Now I'm on my 4th bike 15 months, 10K miles pounded out and have less than $5 grand into the whole experience due to some creative horse trading. If I cashed out today, I'd be money ahead. Bike wise I'm pretty upgraded from the KLR and happy. Skill wise, I've graduated to B/C rider. Had I bought a real big bike, I wouldn't have had as much fun and probably would be broke and broken in terms of motorcycle and body.

 

[RHINO]

but he doesnt want to do what most of us did, and that is get the bike that makes sense first,, then upgrade to the ridiculous,, and realize after a while the lesser bike did what you wanted just fine, except create a gathering of gawkers when you stopped for coffee.:bike_rider:

 

[agavelvr]

but he doesnt want to do what most of us did, and that is get the bike that makes sense first,, then upgrade to the ridiculous,, and realize after a while the lesser bike did what you wanted just fine, except create a gathering of gawkers when you stopped for coffee.:bike_rider:

You're right, what was I thinking, I'm undermining the used bike market I depend on
OP - Please buy a gently used, under 3K miles KTM 990 Adventure/baja, farkle appropriately, and do your own service when it comes time. Usually, I am not a fan of the aluminum boxes, but in this case, pop for the really nice Jesse Boxes. Ride for 3-6K miles and give me a call when you are ready to sell

 

[MR. ED]

Thanks. Keep it coming. The big GS is what started this whole mess. Since then I've really focused on the KLR. I'm concerned that it may not be ideal for the majority of its life spent on the road. Now i'm eyeballing the Tenere and V-strom. Used they are pretty affordable. I can't afford a fine German sports car but, I can maybe swing a fine German bike. This is almost as bad as Tacoma vs. Frontier....Too many decisions.

 

[RHINO]

tenere is a deceptively heavy beast,,, pretty sure its still the heaviest of them all at well over 500lbs dry.

if the vstrom is in your sights, get the 650 vs the 1k. dont be fooled into underpowered, its a great streetbike and still somewhat light and nimble for the odd FS jaunt

 

[BADDANDY]

I had a KLR 650 for only 2 months and the GS1200 for only 6 months, the 1200 was twice of everything the 650 was and I hated both of them.