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The most Danger for motorcycles riders are auto drivers on CELLPHONES !!! For trouble free riding, buy a Honda or Yamaha !!!

If you are late 30's and know nothing about motorcycles I suggest you reconsider buying one.

Just one thing you said that should change.. Never run ethanol - EVER... I won't put that crap in any bike (or other machine) I own; the exception is the wife's car - but that's another matter...

Every bike I've owned has never had ethanol gas in the tank.. Eff that chit..

I've had several bikes over the last 55+years; Suzuki (2, one trail bike of 125 ccs, the other a GS1100L), Kawasaki (2 Voyager 1300s), Harley's (7) all the way from Sportster to the Ultra Classic and now a Trike.. They've all been trouble-free... I think I replaced a $2 switch on the bars of one of the Voyagers once, but that's all.. My current '14 HD Ultra Classic just turned 55K on the odometer and I've changed one set of brakes, one drive belt and a couple of tires; just maintenance..

A lot of good advice on posts above..

Take a motorcycle safety course. Get the fundamentals down on a gutless 250, when you get to the point where you can easily dodge your evil attackers (they're everywhere) by good fundamentals in BRAKING and CORNERING, then it's time to think about power. Honestly, any idiot can twist the throttle and go fast, turning fast and STOPPING fast are much more difficult. So go gutless until you've gotten your reflexes wired in. Not before. Best option for fundamentals is to ride the crud out of a nice DIRT BIKE in gravel pits and on trails. Just no substitute for building muscle memory. And, once you get good, you won't CARE about the seat height because your body will tell you which foot to put down when you stop. It'll be easy and automatic to you.

Riding position: You're "secure" on a low-seat cruiser, but your butt (and arms) will hate you after about 45 minutes. The best riding position or set-up is "standard" -- and it's a standard for a reason. That's where I'd be to begin.
Your butt will also like a bench seat rather than a saddle or bucket seat. If you can squirm around, you'll be happier.
My preference is "superbike" with bars lower than "standard" for better wind compensation, but just as wide as standard for leverage when it counts. I have custom "mild rearsets" footpegs that are two inches back and an inch higher than "standard" and that puts my feet under my center of gravity. I could ride all darn day on some of the wildest crooked roads in the West, 300 miles and while I'd be tired, I was never "sore."

With that said, if you gotta have, get a standardish bike from 400 twin up to maybe 750 four. If you need to, find a bike shop that can set up your suspension front and rear with the right spring and gas settings, you don't want to ride bottomed out or topped out, but in the nice middle of your suspension travel.

Finally, don't ride naked, ever. Get a seriously good and comfy helmet, full face or dirt with chin and face protection, good flip visor (kept spotless) or quality goggles (spotless, you need to SEE). Wear the heaviest pants you can stand, or better yet, leather with suspenders. Or ballistic cloth. Real boots with ankle protection, something you could hike over rocks with. Evil attackers are everywhere, from every angle, any place. Oh, and don't EVER wear black gear. That's the stupidest thing about motorcycling, especially on a BLACK night on BLACK tarmac, in BLACK rain? Are you kidding me? A discreet amount of Scotchlight is your best friend.

Thanks guys, a lot of food for thought. One thing that keeps coming up that surprises me. Seems like a lot of people mentioned cars being an enemy. I get it as far as idiots on phones, but people mad simply for no reason other than you are on a bike? What am I missing? I have never had animosity towards someone just because they are riding a cycle

It's not that they hate you - it's that they simply don't "see" you and make stupid decisions that kill you. Like merge into you as you're next to them. Turn left in front of you (lady did that to me, I hit her passenger door doing 20mph - a week later the same exact lady ran me off the road 5 miles away).

It's not malicious but incompetent.

Got my first bike when I was 6. Had at least one ever since until 2 years ago or so. Jumped on my KLR 650 to run to walmart. Some teenage girl on her phone pulled out in front of me and never saw me. About got killed running to get some yogurt. Sold it maybe 2 weeks later. When I retire and move to the mountains I may get another, or may not. Don't miss it as much as I thought.

I rode for years with Motorcycle Cops, watched and learned, they drive aggressively, but smart too, they didn’t put them selves in stupid places, they saw every rock, board, brick, and worst of all sand on curves, I’m very aggressive by nature but I learned to temper it, they all drove Harley’s and loud as hell, they wanted all the loud radio crowd to know they were there.

Sold mine almost 2 years ago too. I don't miss it except for that first 70 degree day after winter/spring.

The suggestions for taking a basic riding course are very good ones. I’m 50 and have ridden since I was big enough. I took a class with one of my kids a couple of years back. I learned several things I didn’t know, and it definitely made me a better and more comfortable rider. It’s also fun riding those little bikes around a track and through the little figure 8s. Definitely worth the time and money!

If you do have to run ethanol blend, Startron is a lifesaver. It'll save you the usual ethanol small engine headaches; worth every penny.

There's not a straight gas pump within 40 miles of my place, so everything except the work beater gets dosed with ST religiously.

Jevyod, If I had to write a letter to my 30 year old self, it would say don't keep buying all those ever larger, faster, more expensive motorcycles. I have driven motorcycles since the 60's and has been mentioned, had way too many close calls with cars, dogs, cows, deer, rain on oil slick roads, black ice, gravel and wet leaves. Honestly I'd been money ahead to have driven an economy car and been a heck of a lot safer and more comfortable on the road with a heater, ac and a radio plus I could actually take stuff or a person or two with me. People haven't seen a motorcycle up here in the north since October and they aren't expecting to see one now either. Bikes are dangerous enough during daylight and a deathtrap after dark. People judge distance by the distance between the headlights and make that one headlight coming fast and they pull out in front of you. Nope, 70 degrees feels nice when you are out walking, but at 70 mph wind chill happens. You will catch every cold that comes along to say nothing about hitting bugs, birds and getting sand blasted when the car or truck in front of you hits the gravel. They arrest people here for going over 70 mph so there is no reason to get a huge motorcycle. In fact I had way more fun zipping around town on my old Honda CB160 or 305 Super Hawk than I ever did out out on the highway with my larger Triumph or Harley. If you must get one, some good advice earlier about getting a dual sport medium size bike that you can license for the street around town and ride on the trails too. Depending on what kind of job you have, riding a motorcycle into work won't be as socially acceptable as arriving in a car. Bosses look at that kind of stuff and rightly or wrongly motorcycle riders do not project the best image.

As to being mad at a biker, yup it happens and I am/was a biker. The street where we'd winter was 35 mph with a stop light. On any day or night you could hear those big bikes leave that light and go through the gears with those engines just screaming up to at least 2x the speed limit. Or driving between two lanes of cars to get up to the head of the line. Or passing you on the interstate at three numbers. That does not endear one to the general populous.

Yep. Do a safety course, and California Super bike as well….

Saving money… 🤣

Ride with a friend or two or by yourself but always look out for the cagers (car drivers).

I sold my BMW K1300S not long before Christmas, after I get my knees done I will get an adventure bike of some sort.

Loved the K bike but my joints don’t anymore.

Most of all. Have fun.

I'll add to look into the can am ryker. It's that 3 wheeled deal for around $12K and you can't fall off it.

The only real motorcycles are Harleys, but inferring from your post you are on a budget, the Japanese machines can be very nice. Any bike 500cc or more will achieve the speed you want. All newer Harleys are fuel injected, but if you buy a cheaper brand, you will have to ask. In the "old" days, I ran carbureted machines 1000cc and 1100cc for years with very good reliability. But you can't let them sit or the carburetors will gum up.

Other divers do not look for or see motorcycles, and dont think twice about pulling out in front of one. Probably the most car / bike accidents are from that alone.

Changing lanes is another one, stay out of the blind spot.

Defensive driving is the key, eye contact, which ways the wheels pointing are that quickly looking back and forth and edging forward.

Defensive driving is always important, it will keep you alive on a bike, my mantra for the last 50 years has been "ride as if you are invisible" it has worked for me so far.

haha, whatta jokester.... laffin

Harley Davidson is a Chinese bike now. Just saying.

LOL. Okay Boomer.

That reminds me, as part of the Rider's Education you'll need to learn The Wave and who to wave to.

Don't wave to scooter riders, it confuses them.

You can wave to sport/super sport riders, adventure bike riders, commuters and old guys on Gold Wings with their wives/girlfriends on the back. On the Gold Wings generally the female passenger will be the one to wave back.

You can wave to someone hard over in a corner or accelerating hard but don't be offended if they don't wave back, it generally takes both hands and both feet to operate a motorcycle so their left hand may be occupied with the clutch.

You can wave to Harley riders if you want to but very few if any will wave back, their disdain for everybody else is too great.


Besides the wave which can come in many forms, if a passing rider pats the top of his helmet it means there is a radar cop ahead.