What should my first motorcycle be?

Question

I'm so on the fence. I have $2500 I can spend. I'm thinking if I wait a bit I could do something really stupid and get an africa twin. But I also see these honda vfr 750's going really cheap... Or maybe I should get a tenere 700 and that will be more in line with my skill level.

I got to ride around on the Duke 390 and as fun as it was I'm more afraid of immediately getting complacent on it. (Even though I immediately wanted to dump the clutch on it😂)

I feel like being afraid of the bike is probably a good thing for someone like me... Because I will learn to drift it. It's not a matter of "if" it's more of a "does it have enough power to let me practice at low speed" kinda thing so I don't die.

ohsheeT · Accepted Answer

Hand eyes foot hearing brain coordination. When you say you're going to dump the clutch , listen to the motor fill the clutch in your hand as you're releasing it but what you need to do is go to a big parking lot. Put some codes up or something in practice because.
The things that you need to know are for your life because you have 310 fourtunate missiles coming at you. They do not pay attention because they don't see you. Or they don't hear you

Something else that is so very important is a good full face helmet.

Make sure it has the shoe sticker on the inside of it that says it is approved. Otherwise you're gonna buy some cheap thing. At the moment you drop it on the ground it's gonna crack like an egg

Never ride your bike without your helmet

If you have a passenger which you should not have a passenger until you know how to write it one hundred percent

And what I mean by that is, by being able to grab. Hole in the front brake. The back brake at the same time and stay up straight

You can feel it, you can feel the way your bike's gonna stop. You're not gonna grab the front brake and go over the handlebars.

HighValue · Accepted Answer

I'd say save a little more and get a Honda XR150L for close to $4,000 out the door new helmet included. It is dual sport so you can enjoy it on the street or off road on trails. Versatility and a lower price for a brand new bike with no mechanical problems would be my choice.

dustybiker2 · Accepted Answer

Go with your gut. You know what you want.

My biggest suggestion is practice practice practice. Especially quick stops and getting smooth and comfy with swerving on your new bike, so when you need those two things quickly (because your biggest threat is others on the road) they are second nature.