I have little tono experience, so I'm looking for a good beginner bike. I'm already enrolled in the MSF course in two weeks and now I'm just trying to line up a good bike to have once I get my license. I was first looking at the 250s but my buddy told me that they are too light for me...I'm 6' around 200lbs. I know a few people who have started out on 650s and have been doing ok.
A friend of mine is selling his07 650r for $4500 w/ 5k miles. Is this a good deal? Also, since I'm a huge newb when it comes to bikes, are there any tips or recommendations I should consider before making any decisions? Thanks for the help, looking forward to sponging your brains for useful info. [sm=smiley20.gif]

 

I'm 5'11, 200# and don't feel that I'm too big for my 250. The bike suits me perfectly considering the purpose it serves (to and from work, errands, etc).

I don't think a 650 is a horrible choice, but can be a lot of bike for someone who's not ridden much in the past. If you take a mature attitude towards it and respect the bike, a bigger one can be the ticket for a new rider. I know myself and if I have the extra power on tap, I'll surely use it and rack up the speeding tickets, so I exercised some discipline and got the 250. It's a fun, tossable bike that you'd have to work harder at to get into trouble with.

If you have confidence in your abilities andaren't thetype of person to ridepast your ability, get the bigger bike. The upside is that it could alleviate the cost of upgrading later when/if you get bored with the 250. The downside is that it's not going to be as forgiving of boneheaded riding decisions that power sometimes causes people to make.

 

I think that the 650 is a great choice for a beginner bike. I had limited experience on a street bike before I bought mine last month. I almost have 1000 miles on the bike already. The power is very predictable. Low seat hight, upright seatting position, and with a wide power band you dont have to shift a whole lot. I love the way it handles. It is not to heavy so you shouldnt have much trouble with it. Good luck on whatever bike you get. Ride safe

 

I had pretty much no experience with bikes. I rode a dirt bike once so many years ago which doesn't really count.

I went with the 650R. I wanted a bike that I could handle during my intermim on learning to ride and one that I wouldn't be disappointedwith after a few months.

I think my choice was excellent. The 650R is an awesome bike and a load of fun. I only dropped it once and that was in the parking lot the first time I got on it!

If you know how to atleast drive a manual transmission and respect the responsibility of having a bike you will do fine. But if not I would suggest something lower in power. You can still get in trouble with this bike no doubt. It has been good for me but I have wanted a bike since I was sixteen but wasn't able to get one til now, I'm 24. So, my opinion is my maturity is allowing me to start with this bike. I know when I was 18 and if I had this bike bad things would have come!

Good luck on the decision and safe riding!