Recommended first bike for a big guy?

[Akzle]

Hi I'm about 3 months in on my learner. What I started was a CBR250R great bike easy to ride, did a few courses however runs out puff on the motorway. I have just brought a Honda CB500X WOW what a difference, can see over and through cars, great high rideing position. Makes traveling on the motorway from East Auckland to the Nth Shore a pleasent trip. As guys have said look around but one point you stuck on a LAMS for 18 odd months so think ahead.

Also look at some rideing courses.

eeeeeeeh.
.

[Log]

Thanks for all the information! Does anybody have day jobs here? I thought I was the only person in the world skiving off to look at bikes.

The overarching message that I'm getting is comfort > engine > other. Sounds like common sense, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I'm not committing to any particular bike yet, but now I know what I should be test riding.

I'll let you know again when I narrow down some options and have more of a bike vs bike dilemma. That's sure to get a good flame war started.

[James Deuce]

Hi I'm about 3 months in on my learner. What I started was a CBR250R great bike easy to ride, did a few courses however runs out puff on the motorway. I have just brought a Honda CB500X WOW what a difference, can see over and through cars, great high rideing position.

So you upgraded from a kid's bike to an old man's bike in two easy steps? I weep for the youth of today.

[xXGIBBOXx]

So you upgraded from a kid's bike to an old man's bike in two easy steps? I weep for the youth of today.

Lol , I have a cb500x ( bad back can't do the sport bike bend ) they are shit loads of fun in the back roads

[Phreak]

As much as some people don't like Hyosungs, I've been around a few and they are built quite well in my opinion, for your size I reckon any of the 650's would suit you down to a tee. All are LAMS approved, big bike frames, easy to ride and handle, fully faired, naked, or cruiser. I reckon the naked bike (GT650 Comet) with it's upright seating position would be perfect for a newbie of larger proportions. But don't take my word for it, go out to the dealer and try one on for size!

[unleashingpotential]

Agree with sil3nt

[Tazz]

If you're bigger you might find the higher foot pegs and lower bars on a sports bike pretty uncomfortable... It might be worth looking at more upright naked bikes or even motards, which are a bit more spread out in position.

Apart from that, yeah what everyone else said, get a bigger LAMS approved bike

I'm not gigantic but reasonably tall (1.87m) and I find a sports bike more comfy on a longer ride. Although you are tilted forwards it keeps your back straighter and you can share some of your body weight with your knees. Your lower legs get sore but less than a minute off the bike getting some blood flow back into them (or moving them on the pegs regularly) and you're all good again.

I also have a duel purpose and I would pick my sports bike over it for comfort.

I am however one 12 year old kid and a small dog lighter than the OP...

[Slorider]

DR 650=sorted-9k new and you can pass it on to yr grandkids and so on

[Banditbandit]

BIG BIKE FOR A BIG GUY

The one on the right ...

[MisterD]

DR 650=sorted-9k new and you can pass it on to yr grandkids and so on

Bit of a hijack but, hypothetically, if I was a scooterist who had finally decided "you know what, fuck it, I'm going to get a big-wheeled bike" and fancied a bit of dual-sport action, since there's a lot of unsealed roads in this fine country...

I can afford a G650GS if I want to, but should I?

[Ocean1]

Bit of a hijack but, hypothetically, if I was a scooterist who had finally decided "you know what, fuck it, I'm going to get a big-wheeled bike" and fancied a bit of dual-sport action, since there's a lot of unsealed roads in this fine country...

I can afford a G650GS if I want to, but should I?

No. Bland rotax mill, overweight, thirsty and not very crashproof.

Yes crashproof, it comes with teh territory. Even if you’re not planning on bulldoging it down creeks and picking it up dozens of times a day. At least it comes with the novice territory. Which means anything weighing much more than you do rapidly takes charge of the controls.

Anything with “Adventure” written on it is unsuited for learning to ride off road. The road bike manufacturer’s all got together one day and decided it was a wonderful idea to take some of their overweight bargain road machines, add features until they weighed twice what any conceivable dirt bike should and flog it off at a premium on the wave of “Adventure bike” sales.

Not to be outdone the dirt brigade took their larger dirt bikes and shackled them with, if anything even more heavy useless shit.

You can buy a GSA1200R when you’ve learned how not to fall off one more than once a fortnight or so, which you do on a proper dirt bike. Proper dirt bikes can be had in road legal flavours if that’s important for you, and they’re a far better compromise for anything outside of touring than any bloated adventure machine.

[mobileguy]

So you upgraded from a kid's bike to an old man's bike in two easy steps? I weep for the youth of today.

Lol I'm over 50 and the advice I got as a new rider don't go for bigger bikes learn on small and advance up as you go through your license

[MisterD]

I wasn't really thinking of any more "off road" than not turning around when the tar seal ends, but food for thought

[pete376403]

KLR650 - lams approved, adequate power but not intimidating, tall-ish (certainly plenty of room) comfortable as a road tourer and good
on back/gravel roads (not so happy as a trailbike, but it can be done). They've been around just about forever so the bugs have been worked out. Good fuel economy and a decent size tank. Less than $10K new.

Tis video shows they are a great commuter bike http://www.revzilla.com/commute

The late model ones do have fairly-expensive-to-replace fairings.

[Ocean1]

I wasn't really thinking of any more "off road" than not turning around when the tar seal ends, but food for thought

Why not?

I don't need much excuse to point out the folly of 200Kg dirt bikes. What really pisses me off is the couple of mates that make it look as easy as... riding a bike.

Arseholes.