What kind of motorcycle is best for a new rider?

I am 28 and just now getting the nerve to ride a motorcycle. I am looking at and drooling over a CF Freedom 250 cc Scooter to start out with but not sure if I should start out with something lighter and easier to handle. A friend suggested a basic motor scooter or moped type but I don't know about that..

Being that you are a girl and don't have much experience, I have a lady friend who has this bike and this is her third of the same kind, she's sold on it as the best bike for women.

Kawasaki Ninja 250cc. They don't cost much and will still run over 110 MPH. they carry enough gas to go 200+ miles. Easy to ride, they have a low seat height for girls and don't weigh much.

Remember this. Buy a HJC Full face helment and Mesh leather coat and carbon fiber gloves, all these items saved her life when she got T-Bone by a car, she flew into the windshield and the only injuries she had was one scratch on her chin and a broken ankle. Lucky, no. She was wearing the right gear.

Harley

I think the are all dangerous

Unless you're a mechanic, stay away from Harleys. Get a cruiser, Suzuki makes some good ones. Reliable, too.

250 CC bike it too much heavy and very difficult to control, You may start with some 100 CC bike

honda used to make a rebel it a good learning bike or just get a h.d. sportster there 883 cc and very light and easy to ride

a honda 250 rebel

something about the size of a 250 ninja will work nice. stay away from Harley's until you have ridden for a year or so. after that Harley's are a good choice, no other bike holds resale value better and in spite of their reputation they are not as poorly put together as some would have you think. when amc owned Harley they were junk but not now.

My wife started out on a Honda Rebel and still loves it. (I even like riding it from time to time.) It will run you about $4,300 out the door (with the helmet, boots and all of the other gear). It's a smaller bike (250cc) and can really hold it's own on the highway.

I wouldn't recommend it for interstate riding, but if you're just starting out you probably shouldn't be riding on the interstate for a few months at least any way.

By the way my wife is 26 and weighs just under 140 lbs. She handles the bike just fine.

Another thing you should do is try to take the Basic Rider Course through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. It's worth it's weight in gold for a new rider and would definately give you the skills and confidence you need to ride a motorcycle.

http://www.msf-usa.org/

Well, I'm 17 and I can handle a Honda Shadow wonderfully, and I just started riding a motorcycle, too. Check it out. Rev hard, have fun, don't crash. ;)

250 cc motorcycles are the easiest to learn on. That is what MSF approved courses use, ( the MSF approved Harley course uses small Buell motorcycles).

I will tell you what I got, I bought a new Yamaha vstar 650...custom. I will tell you why... they are lighter than some of the bigger bikes, but not light enough to be blown all over the road. You can also pick up a honda rebel...I think they are crap, but one of my friends started out and she loves it. If you get an older one.. you don't have to worry about dumping it. If you get a scooter, you might be very dissappointed with it. After awhile, you will want something bigger and faster. I am looking at a GSXR 1000 because I got tires of putting along behind the pack with my bike crying at 80mph. Whatever you do get... make sure that you will be satisfied with it for as long as it takes to afford a new one. If you will be riding it on the highway, I say a vstar, if in town go with a scooter, but let me tell you you won't be able to keep up with the bikes.... I hate to say it, but when I see someone on a scooter, I chuckle... go for the "I am woman hear me roar" with a real bike... louder the better.

Honda R1

My brother and I bought 2 new bikes for a summer vacation. His 1200 Bandit leaked gas and ruined the motor before it got 2000 miles. We asked Suzuki to replace the motor so we could go on vacation. They said it鈥檚 to expensive and would cost $3000. After 4 months and the vacation gone they got the motor rebuilt at a their cost of $3700. The dealer wanted to replace the motor but Suzuki squashed that. The gas stained cases and burnt exhaust pipes were not replaced. The bike got nicked and scratched all over from being apart for so long. The rep rode it and looked at it, then said it鈥?good as new. It ran like crap and looked worse. We called Japan for nothing, and even wrote the US CEO all for nothing. We spent $15,000 for the bikes to get Fd. We spent our vacation hassling with Suzuki, and not one person there gave a F! Beware Suzuki鈥檚 warranty is not worth the paper it鈥檚 printed on! Buy one of their lemons are get Fd like we did!

Well, what you're looking at isn't a motorcycle. It's a completely different animal. I can't help you with those.

I won't push you into getting an actual motorcycle if a scooter is what you want, but if you change your mind, I too would recommend something very small, like the Honda Rebel, and whatever else the others are mentioning. A 250.

Until the bug bites you - and it doesn't sound as if it has yet - the smaller the bike, the happier you will be.