the savage or s40 is a good starter bike right?

Well,, that depends. Some people whove never ridden a motorcycle on the road have years of bicycle experience & have a feel for 2 wheels. Some have dirt bike experience, &, its been shown that they fall less, because theyve got experience in unsure traction & how a bike feels when it starts to slide & they have learned to reflexively DO what needs done to get it straightened out.,
How tall are you? What do you weigh? Are you physically fit? Have you ever sat on a bike & leaned it over to see how heavy it feels when its not straight up & down?

These make a good starter bike for people who make good candidates for riding w/o them needing to learn some of the very first, almost intangible "Little" things, as long as theyre able to handle the weight. The UPside is, its lowslung. Short legs like mine reach the ground easily.

If I had never ridden a bike, I wouldnt get a street bike. Id look for some old , small, Cheap dirt bike & go play in the dirt a while. Learn to shift & clutch & use the gas & not be dodging cars whilke ya learn,.
Once you learn to operate a bike w/o having to think about how to shift or when & you learn how to use both brakes, then get on the street.

My 2 cents worth,,

yeah i know a 650 isnt best to learn on but was just trying to skip scooter or 250 because i just dont have the money to go from those to a 650 as quickly as i would like lol i can afford to save for a savage not a savage and others but good point.  Im a tad over 5 foot 9 but not all the way 5 10 about 190 pounds i was thinking a savage or a rebel because with either my intentions are hardtailing and bobbing as $$$ permits just scared i would "outgrow" the rebel before my money would allow to upgrade. thanks for advice!

Blinky-FSO wrote on 09/06/12 at 14:29:31:



+1  take the course..... you'll learn properly, get your endorsement and have a great time too!!  

Here's another vote for taking the course.
I don't think the S40 is a bad choice for a first bike, but in general think something smaller is a better idea.  You can always trade up later.

Never ridden? No its NOT a good starter bike. Its got enough low and mid level torque to hurt you. And it will run fast enough to kill you.
Most of these guys are prejudiced about their LITTLE bikes(LOL) and have probably forgot the sheer terror just just starting out on a road bike.

Take the MSF course. Buy a good beater 250 rebel or Ninja at the end of the riding season when their cheaper. Ride when you can during the winter and all next season.
Decide if its what you like and if so THEN move up to a Savage, Kawa 500, V-Star 650 ect. Ride a couple more seasons then move up again if you feel the need.
Take your time, practice practice practice. Get used to haveing your head on a swivel being super aware of your surroundings.
Cages don't care, your invisible...at best nothing more then a nuisance on the road THEY own.

By then your survival instincts will be better honed and you'll have a better idea if you want sport, cruiser or touring as your long term ride and what size you NEED.
Throw down to much torque or ponies too soon and figure on spending that upgrade money on hospital bills or fixing your ride so you can JUST get back on the road. Or a tombstone.

Your biggest threat besides idiot cagers is too much bike and lack of experience. Road conditions plays a close third, ice, oil, antifreeze, mud, tar snakes, ect. Keep in mind the 650 thumper is what used to be years ago the BIG road bikes. Just because theres 600 super-sports and 2000cc cruisers out there now don't make a 650 a GOOD starter bike for the inexperienced.

Theres a ton of rebels out there for good prices and they make nice lil bobbers pretty CHEAP. And they are funner then SNOT around town.
They pretty well hold their resale value as stock bikes to so you basically end up only loseing gas money, insurance(CHEAP) licensing and title fees.
Thats money saved for a bigger nicer bike when your ready.

At 5'9" & 190 pounds, youll be able to handle it fine. Yea, its torquey, but its not gonna wheelie out from under ya or hit a power band in a corner & toss ya in a ditch. Youll be fine. Take the course, get a full coverage helmet & wear stuff for fallin down in, Wouldnt recommend a new one, cuz you can pretty much bet gravity will have its way with you one day..

I wondered how long it would take Bill to jump in. He has never taken the MSF course, but knows beyond doubt it is worse than useless.

Whatever you do, do not let your spouse/parent/relative/buddy try to teach you to drive anything. They know your "hot buttons" just as you know theirs, and that only makes a stressful situation worse.