A good starter bike/cruiser?

I am in the process of learning to ride a motorcycle (Im 20 yrs old, and I drive stick shift cars) and I am looking around at different brands, and I would like some opinions ona good light bike..It doesnt have to be too wimpy (LOL) Im not a tiny girl (I am 5'8" and pretty stong) BUt i dont want a monster..Suggestions

Thnks to all so far..And I do want a light bike since its my first time riding, something not too expensive so if i wreck it, I wont be devastated

Hope this helps :-)

If you're into cruisers, I'd suggest the Kawasaki Vulcan 500. It's a great bike, not too big and pretty powerful (easy to take on freeways).

I personally think anything below 500ccs is too small for the freeway and one would grow out of it pretty fast. Anything larger than 750ccs would be too much for a beginner to handle (heck, even the 750 is a tad too big) in terms of size and power.

With this in mind, look for a late-model, used bike (craigslist, dealers...) so that if you do drop the bike, it won't be as bad. Also budget for some gear along with the bike.

More importantly, plan to attend the MSF (http://www.msf-usa.org/) basic rider course. It helps you with your riding skills, also saves some money on insurance :-)

Most importantly, whatever bike you get, take it slow in the beginning and ALWAYS wear appropriate gear...

V-Max

First off, if someone tells you "Harley sportster" they don't know what they're talking about. Sportsters are fun bikes but because they are smaller than a regular Harley they have gotten the wrong reputation of being a good starter/girl bike. Wrong-o. Very torquey, high center of gravity. Fun to ride and if that's what you want, go for it. Just don't believe the people who say that should be your choice.

Being a long-time Harley rider I point you to a Dyna LowRider. Lowered so good for someone with a shorter inseam and not a "monster" though it has the same engine as the bigger cruisers. Very stable and fun to ride. But pricey, as with all Harleys.

Honda has a nice line-up of cruisers at very reasonable prices. So do all the Metric manufacturers, actually, but I've always preferred Hondas (except for bikes, but everything else). Damn things are bullet-proof.

BMW has some exceptionally wonderful bikes but, again, pricey.

If cost is not a problem, BMW or Harley. If cost is an issue, Honda.

A honda shadow 250 would be a great starter bike/cruiser to learn on. It's light, and just plain fun to ride. It handles pretty good and you can do a lot to them to customize if you like doing that. You can find them for pretty cheap too!

Don't buy a Harley you will need to keep a bag of zip ties on you to hold it together. For a starter bike you should go with something small first, Honda shadow, Suzuki Vulcan i would say no more than 500cc should be fine.. and whoever put V-max up there should be arrested for attempted manslaughter, what are you crazy!!!

Get a Honda Shadow Aero 750. It is a nice bike.

At your size, you don't really need a light bike. You'll be able to handle anything short of a Kawasaki Police 1000 or some of the taller dual sports. (I'm 5'9"; the police bike was too big for me, but I had a lot of fun with it anyway).

Anyway, check into, say, the Kawasaki Vulcan 500.

KLR650 of course

Everything depends on what ou want to do .... . Is the bike to simply let you determine if you like the sport ? If so, and wanting to save you from outlaying a lot of money, try a small (500cc for example) bike that is not going to cost a lot and that is powerful enough to let you experiment. Then you must determine if a "crotch rocket" type of machine or a "cruiser (i.e. Harley-look) bike is for you. Try a "naked" bike (i.e. no frills, no fairing etc.) with an upright seating position and try that. In terms of safety and comfort, try the BMW F650 - used or new - you are tall enough to use it and it is a dream to drive for a first timer ... Good luck !

I would be inclined to go more with a standard,naked bike.They handle better then a cruiser,cornering,stoping,e.t.c. So i would look at yamaha,FZ6 $6849.,ducati monster 800$8995.,or the 1000cc vershion$9995.,Hyosung gt650 $4999.,kawazaki ninja 650 $6399.,kawazaki ninja 500r $5049.,suzuki sv650$5999.,triumph street triple 675,triumph bonneville$7499.buell lighting xb9 $8895. bmw 650$7525-8625.Cruisers,,,,harley sportster $8695.,honda shadow 750 $6499.,kawazaki vulcan900 $7400.,suzuki boulevard s83 $8495.,yamaha v star650 $5999.There are other models but these should be enough to get you started. Good luck in your search,,,Dave.

Take a good look at Yamaha Virago 250cc. Its a v-twin cruiser style. Starting in 2007 they call them v-star 250, but its identical to Virago. I got back into rideing after a 7 way bypas heart op. Started 4 weeks after surgery an had no problem with weight. It's roughly 340 lbs,had mine over 80 mpg. get 85 mpg on the road from 55 to 75 miles per hr. Have 5.500 miles on it never 1 problem My wife at 5ft 4 can handle it.
Jim

finaly a first timer who sounds like she has some sence
cruisers are much better first time bikes but dont cut your self short you can handle a bit larger bike
Ide look around a 800 maybe shadow or blvd. or vulcan
take some advise no harleys too much money for too little bike

For easy to ride and inexpensive, I'd say start with one of the Japanese cruisers in the 250 cc to 650 cc range. They're pretty easy to handle, and can keep up with traffic (a 250 will be running flat out to keep up with freeway traffic, while larger ones are a bit more relaxed).

If you want a cruiser bike get the Yamaha 650 V Star, or the Honda 750 Shadow
: DO NOT BUY:
HD 883 junk and expensive to buy and maintain
Suzuki C, M, or S50 junk, slow, electrical problems