Best 1000cc Motorcycle

My First And Favorite Motorcycle

In a motorbike market where motorcycles for the street are more specialized than ever, there is section of motorbike that is strangely under represented compared to, say, forty years ago. That section is motorcycles best suited to the beginning rider.

When I started riding, there were lots of new and used street bikes in the 80-125cc and 150-250cc classes well suited to beginning riders. All of the giant Japanese manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki) offered such bikes new, as did several smaller Japanese and Italian makers. Triumph had their 200cc Cub, and even Harley-Davidson, through their Aermacchi subsidiary, offered little displacement motorcycles for the beginning rider.

This escalation toward bigger motorcycles has benefited older and more experienced riders, who now make up the largest share of the market, but it's left the beginning rider seeking to buy his or her first motorbike with fewer and fewer choices. An illustration of the issue is that the lightest weight and smallest displacement motorbike Harley-Davidson makes in 2010 is the (about) 550 pound, 883cc Sportster. It is bought by lots of entry level riders.

In the 1960's and 1970's, 50cc to 125cc motorcycles were thought about "small, " the 150-250cc motorcycles were intermediate, the 350cc to 500cc motorcycles were midsize bikes and 600cc and bigger motorcycles were "big" bikes. Today, a 250cc motorbike is thought about little and a 600cc motorbike mid-size. Even a liter bicycle (1000cc) is no longer thought about "big" in a world of 1250-2000cc heavyweight motorcycles. I have read articles in the motorbike press about the Yamaha V-Star 1100's, calling them "middleweight" cruisers!

There's still motorcycles that are suitable for the beginning rider and I am going to take a glance at some of them in this editorial. Cruisers and standards are usually a more sensible choice for the beginning rider than sport bikes. Modern sport bikes do what they do well (which is go around corners--or a racetrack--at high speed), but they are often not excellent for much else. Cruisers and standards are more versatile, at home on city streets, country lanes and the interstate. They are suitable for commuting, weekend rides, the occasional longer trip, are usually simpler to maneuver at low speed (where a tip-over is most likely) and are less likely to encourage excessively aggressive riding.

When I started riding, the 883cc Sportster was the hottest motorbike you could buy, the final ride for the experienced rider. This illustrates how skewed the market has become. While there's lots of faster and more powerful motorcycles today, I assure you that an inexperienced rider can get in to giant trouble quickly on an 883 Sportster. Recommending 600cc and bigger bikes to beginners is like sending children out to play on the freeway and the results are both predictable and (often) tragic.

My opinion is that small to medium displacement (125-250cc) motorcycles are most appropriate for new riders. They are generally lighter and easier to maneuver, easier to balance, cheaper to repair if damaged in a spill and less likely to get the beginning rider into trouble. It might be worthwhile to pay attention to the seat height figures given for the motorcycles below, as it is reassuring for most inexperienced (and also experienced!) riders to be able to put both feet on the ground when stopped. Light weight is an advantage, as is a low center of gravity, particularly for low speed maneuvering.