Quote from: hooter on December 15, 2010, 08:55:00 PMQuote from: Snake Doc on December 15, 2010, 05:46:57 PMQuote from: jarubio on December 15, 2010, 02:56:48 PMMy advice is get the biggest bike that you can afford. Yes, at the beginning it will be intimidating, but you will grow in to the bike. I agree with your friends that wish they bought the bigger bike. It happened to me when I bought my first bike, which was a Kawasaki Vulcan 700. I was able to afford bigger, but was intimidated. Taking the ridding courses is an excellent idea. I have taken the beginner and the advanced courses. It is worth the money.In 2005 I decided to buy a bike. I had sold my last bike in the late '70's (a Suzuki RE-5, yep the rotary engine). At age 55, 225 lbs and 5' 12" I looked around and bought an 03 1800 S. I was surprised how quickly I got comfortable with it and was very glad I had not bought a 750 or 900. I'm sure a 1300 would have been just fine but the 1800 is a blast.Just my $0.02 worth.Good luck to you. Humm! Did you go to school in Houston or Dallas? Hooter, my bad. I went to night school and can't do math during the day.
Quote from: Snake Doc on December 15, 2010, 05:46:57 PMQuote from: jarubio on December 15, 2010, 02:56:48 PMMy advice is get the biggest bike that you can afford. Yes, at the beginning it will be intimidating, but you will grow in to the bike. I agree with your friends that wish they bought the bigger bike. It happened to me when I bought my first bike, which was a Kawasaki Vulcan 700. I was able to afford bigger, but was intimidated. Taking the ridding courses is an excellent idea. I have taken the beginner and the advanced courses. It is worth the money.In 2005 I decided to buy a bike. I had sold my last bike in the late '70's (a Suzuki RE-5, yep the rotary engine). At age 55, 225 lbs and 5' 12" I looked around and bought an 03 1800 S. I was surprised how quickly I got comfortable with it and was very glad I had not bought a 750 or 900. I'm sure a 1300 would have been just fine but the 1800 is a blast.Just my $0.02 worth.Good luck to you. Humm! Did you go to school in Houston or Dallas?
Quote from: jarubio on December 15, 2010, 02:56:48 PMMy advice is get the biggest bike that you can afford. Yes, at the beginning it will be intimidating, but you will grow in to the bike. I agree with your friends that wish they bought the bigger bike. It happened to me when I bought my first bike, which was a Kawasaki Vulcan 700. I was able to afford bigger, but was intimidated. Taking the ridding courses is an excellent idea. I have taken the beginner and the advanced courses. It is worth the money.In 2005 I decided to buy a bike. I had sold my last bike in the late '70's (a Suzuki RE-5, yep the rotary engine). At age 55, 225 lbs and 5' 12" I looked around and bought an 03 1800 S. I was surprised how quickly I got comfortable with it and was very glad I had not bought a 750 or 900. I'm sure a 1300 would have been just fine but the 1800 is a blast.Just my $0.02 worth.Good luck to you.
My advice is get the biggest bike that you can afford. Yes, at the beginning it will be intimidating, but you will grow in to the bike. I agree with your friends that wish they bought the bigger bike. It happened to me when I bought my first bike, which was a Kawasaki Vulcan 700. I was able to afford bigger, but was intimidated. Taking the ridding courses is an excellent idea. I have taken the beginner and the advanced courses. It is worth the money.
I appreciate everyone's advice. Between this thread and the similar thread I posted on VTXOA.com I have received many opinions. Many have been very helpful in my determining how to proceed. And I am definitely planning on taking the Motorcycle Safety course. A good friend suggested that some time ago and stated it was not a suggestion but a mandatory bit of advice. I am leaning toward starting no smaller than the 1300, but still considering the 1800. I have heard the 1800's are a little more top heavy, but will need to test ride it to see how it feels when in the saddle. Other than the obvious power, dual disc breaks, etc, would I see any difference if the wife decides to eventually double-up with me? or will the 1300 handle it just fine?Snake. I understood you just wanting to say you were a "short" 6 foot tall guy, and therefore wanted to emphasize the 5' reference. But, hey, I am from Michigan so may have misunderstood your meaning.My buddies have strongly suggested getting a used bike for my first one, over a new bike. Mainly due to the previous owner has likely put all the extras on already. When i have decided on the model I want, is there any features that I should look for as a definite plus? I know this is a wide open question, but curious if I am deciding between 2-3 bikes, what should be the determining factor (otherthan the obvious color). - As I see it, the seat is a personal opinion and some will feel better than others. I have heard Ultimate seats are some of the best.- I have been told not to worry about aftermarket grips as I may not like thefeel.
