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Noob here.. First motorcycle should be a?

Is a 750 GS a good beginner bike?


  • Total voters
    42
lmao. No I just logged back in today and reading through all of the advice. I thought I would get an email when someone replied but I didn't.

You'll need to look for the thread subscription section in your settings...choose the option that works for you.
 
Welcome.:clap Tell us a little about yourself and type of riding you are interested in? What area are you near?

thank you. Im from North Jersey, about 20 mins outside of NYC. Im looking into the adv category because I love off road riding but I want to primarily ride in the streets. I know it's no dirtbike or even a dual sport but I'll probably only hit the trails 2 weekends a month realistically speaking anyway. Eventually I'd like to take a drive across the US and document it for my friends and family. Love to travel and I've always loved bikes. Just stood away from them because I didnt trust myself to respect the power a motorcycle could have. I've matured a lot since then. lol
 
It's a difficult question to answer w/o knowing much more about you. Here are some questions that might give enough insight:

1. Age, height, strength?
3. Ability to stay focused at all times while on the bike?
4. How dedicated are you to learning safe and smart riding practices? Provided #1 and #2 above are good this is probably the most important piece IMO.

I put maybe 12K miles on motorcycles as a younger fellow then never touched one until 28y later at at 61y, whereupon I bought as used F800GT. I had no trouble w/ it, and quite frankly I had no 'trouble' with riding the other bikes in my youth w/ no training, never dropped any of them, etc. I was lucky, more or less!

I think regardless of which bike you end up with it is very useful to attend a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider course which I would try to do before buying anything. This is not only useful for learning a couple of things that will help save you from disaster, but it's an opportunity to ride smaller displacement bikes and see just how that feels. Also, before buying ANY motorcycle pick up David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling which is chock full of very helpful information and guidance on so many aspects of riding.


1. 31, 5'11, strong I hope.
2. I think I can stay focused.
3. Very dedicated to staying safe actually. I've already taken the MSF. I've waited until I was 31 to get a motorcycle again because I was pretty reckless in my teens and very early 20s. I didnt think that I would respect a bike. The people around me are scared for me to get one because they know how much of a thrill seeker I am. Promised my mom I wouldnt do anything stupid, I'd take classes and that I wouldn't start on a sportsbike. lol

Thank you! Ill definitely check that out. I've been reading different blogs and watching videos on safety and safety equipment.
 
First of all, welcome to the sport and welcome to the forum! I wish you many happy years and miles ahead.

Everybody is different but my advice would be the following.

1. Don't get anything bigger than 500 cc for a first bike. More weight and more power is not your friend when starting out.

2. If you are of the type that enjoys learning by all means take the MSF beginners course. With your background I expect you will find some of it very elementary but there's plenty of good stuff to pick up in it. Also, one of the hidden secrets of the course is that it's fun. Riding through slalom cones on a somebody else's 250 is a hoot and a half.

3. Don't buy a first bike that's going to break your heart when you drop it for the first time. Also, a smaller bike is much easier to pick up on the (hopefully rare) times that it falls over.

4. Buy a used bike. For most of us, when you own your first bike you will come to find that there's something about it that isn't quite right for you, be it performance, wind protection, ergonomics or whatever. You'll be able to sell a used bike a season or two down the road for close to what you paid for it. If you buy new you'll get hammered on depreciation selling it two years later. The fact that the first bike is an "interim solution" doesn't mean you've wasted your time or won't have a load of fun with it.

5. MOST IMPORTANT: Have fun!

Funny you say that because it was pretty elementary but fun lol. We were on groms. Pretty neat little bikes. Your point about dropping a new bike is something I didn't put much thought into. But holy crap would I be pissed if I dropped a brand new bike lol Been looking at used also. I'll look a little more into that thanks for your input
 
My first bike in 2008 was a 2005 BMW R1200RT. All the nay sayers told me it was too much bike for my “first bike” that I would crash and die. 160,000 miles and 12 years later, I’m still accident free. I’m still waiting for the nay sayers to admit they were wrong, hadn’t happened yet. Regardless of displacement, weight, and size, lack of discipline and training will kill you every time. Buy the bike, get trained, wear proper gear and enjoy the hell out of it and connect with fellow BMW riders in the club, no regrets!

I appreciate your advice! I plan on taking as many courses as I can and I already know what equipment I want. Yes, that's why I'm here! So far the community is awesome, on the forums at least lol
 
I am basically one year ahead of you. I took MSF in June 2019 and bought first moto in July 2019. First time rider. I went with a Honda 250, not brand new, but very low miles and still under warranty. I wanted a small bike for learning skills, but did not want to have to tinker with it mechanically. I wanted to focus on riding skills.

My plan was to ride that bike for a year. I stuck to my plan.

Almost exactly a year later, I purchased a used but low miles F700GS. I’ve had the bike for a little over a week now. It is a very nice ride, but boy am I glad it’s not my first bike.

If I had space in my garage I would keep the Honda. In many respects, it is much better suited for the local riding I do in the urban environment where I live. And it is a fantastic learning/practicing bike. It is confidence inspiring and has never been dropped. By contrast, the F700GS is much more of a handful. Haven’t dropped it, but won’t be surprised if I do someday (soon!?)

However, I can’t store two bikes, and the Honda won’t take me on the trips we have planned. So it is for sale now.

This is all by way of saying, like many others here, I would encourage you to consider a used “starter” bike. It’s a good way to get into riding without putting down huge money and without potentially damaging a nice new expensive bike. Put some time in, read the recommended Hough book(s), build your skills. Meanwhile, start giving thought to what your “next” bike should be.
 
I'm 5'11" about 210 and I'm pretty fit. 310gs is mid 350lbs and the 750gs is in the high 400, I believe.

The Suzuki TU250 they use in a number of safety courses would be excellent for you. It's a good size match and the engine is FI so there's no fussing with carbs.
 
Funny you say that because it was pretty elementary but fun lol. We were on groms. Pretty neat little bikes. Your point about dropping a new bike is something I didn't put much thought into. But holy crap would I be pissed if I dropped a brand new bike lol Been looking at used also. I'll look a little more into that thanks for your input

Gotta love the Groms. Great city bike, in my opinion.

The only downside to the Grom, is they make the basic rider course too easy for people that want to ride bigger and cruiser style bikes.
 
I totally agree with you.

Here's one for total heresy on this website.............having riden both the TU250 and the G310, I would choose the TU250 as the more user friendly bike. That's after, I've given the G310 a billion bonus points for ABS............
 
Here's one for total heresy on this website.............having riden both the TU250 and the G310, I would choose the TU250 as the more user friendly bike. That's after, I've given the G310 a billion bonus points for ABS............

I rode a TU250 in my basic skills motorcycle course. I've sat on a G310 at the local dealer. Having ridden the TU250 for an afternoon I would agree that when it comes to user friendliness it would be very hard to beat.
 
I rode a TU250 in my basic skills motorcycle course. I've sat on a G310 at the local dealer. Having ridden the TU250 for an afternoon I would agree that when it comes to user friendliness it would be very hard to beat.

Yeah, but.......................I'm pulling on that Asbestos suit for when Mr. Glaves, the "Patron Saint of all things G310" flames me.
 
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Yeah, but.......................I'm pulling on that Asbestos suit for when Mr. Glaves, the "Patron Saint of all things G310" flames me.

No. We love our 310s. But with our combined 2,000,000 miles we do understand that some motorcycles are better suited to experienced riders qualified to be able to handle the astounding performance and amazing handling. :)
 
No. We love our 310s. But with our combined 2,000,000 miles we do understand that some motorcycles are better suited to experienced riders qualified to be able to handle the astounding performance and amazing handling. :)

Paul - don't say things like this when a I have a mouth full of coffee! :laugh
 
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