My dad's first car was a very old fiat (500?)

Anyway, he left my grandmother to sell it and when they drove it away the story was there were bits left on the garage floor ;)

Yeah, but just don't marry her. My first wife was Italian. But now she lives on Vancouver Island, so she's now your problem. :-)

My last name rhymes with tortellini, so, I'm thinking we would probably get along great!

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Without going into any great detail, here in Ontario us older guys are the crash gurus. I'd suspect we're the same across N.A. The older guy getting back into it buys the biggest fucking Harley or litre crotch rocket, hasn't been on a bike for a zillion years and has no idea how its changed from the old days.

Insurance stats in Ontario confirm me. I'm on a spur of the moment right now but this was my first google hit. Don't have time right now but will get back to you if you're unconvinced.

http://ottawacitizen.com/...near-seven-year-high

Ha!!. One of her family names but not surname was Tonnelli. It rhymes. LOL!!

Cool chic. And still looks really good. The type of mom you wished you had. :-)

Triumph Bonneville
Best all round bike I’ve ever ridden
Easy to operate
And beautiful vintage look

I really can't tell you Why, but the whole retro bike thing really annoys me. Almost as much as hipsters, check shirts and top knots / man buns

It seems like people are trying too hard.......

Funny you mentioned a dual purpose bike. That is my first choice, for some reason, I really like the looks and the riding position of it.

Just not many used duals and street bikes around here, mainly cruisers. Cannot justify getting brand new for a first bike.

A surprisingly fun bike is the Honda Grom. That was one of the available bikes in the course and despite its looks, it's peppy to ride. And being a smaller guy, I don't look like a bear riding a tricycle on it.

I got passed by a gang of about a dozen Groms the other day. It looked like they were having a blast.

Would this fit the bill for a first time bike (used):

http://www.dudeshopping.com/bmw-g-650-gs/

Please don't

Just buy a used 800 with 5k dealer serviced and kept in garage on clock

The 650 has a stand over height for Dobby the house elf

The 800 is being replaced due to new emission standards so you can get a deal

But new motorcycles are so generic looking, just like modern cars. Can't tell one apart from the other if it wasn't for the badges. No charm or soul whatsoever. I'll personally only ride a retro look bike or a genuine old bike. Most new bikes are just plain fugly IMHO.

I know........

I like old

I don't like fake old.........

I'm a heathen

If you are thinking Grom, get a Kawasaki Z125 - better bike than a Grom.

I have a thing for Ducati as well. When I decided to start looking at bikes, I found a used Ducati STS4 sport/touring bike for sale at a decent price at a place not too far from home. Rode up there bitch on the back of my buddy's GS1200 to take a look and when I got there to test ride it, it happened to be up on the repair stand with the rear cylinder not firing. Took that as a bad omen and ended up falling in love with a Triumph Sprint ST that was on the floor & brought it home instead. Still love just looking at it and it's a hoot to ride. Just checked the inventory at the place I got it and they have this:

https://www.roadtrackandtrail.com/...r=xPreOwnedInventory

I could definitely not be trusted to have that bike - besides, I don't want to ride with my boys slammed against the tank, but damn I'd love to hear it run.

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"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa

http://www.litespeed.com

It depends on what kind of riding your planning on. If you are going to be on freeways (at 60 mph or higher), you should look at 500cc models and higher. Motorcycles with engines below that are generally geared to rev very high at those speeds and don't have the ability to accelerate at speed, which is dangerous if you find yourself in a freeway fur ball. I have had to accelerate out of trouble a number of times and I really appreciated my 750's ability to accelerate when it was already going 60-70 mph.

An other factor is the maintenance and style of the bike. Most bikes have chains which require lube and adjustments, but others have belts and drive shafts with less maintenance requirements. Others have liquid cooling which may affect maintenance issues. Sport bikes have a more aggressive seating position (picture riding a tri bike at speed), behind a fairing with your chest resting on the gas tank, which makes normal riding a pain. Cruiser riding is better but some people are not comfortable leaning back on a motorcycle. A standard is the most versatile, but there are not that many standards bikes around these days.

My choice in the past would be the Honda Nighthawk 750, which had a great engine (auto valve adjustment), good power but not too much, and a very standard riding position that was comfortable for all day rides and longer. That bike is discontinued and I haven't seen any other standards in that price range so it will come down to your budget and personal needs.

Thanks for the insight.

I am looking for a bike to use for practicing and commuting. I don't think I will be doing long road trips on it, which was why I thought about a 250cc bike. THAT being said, where I live, I do have to get on highways to get to some area of town.

But to be honest with myself, I think for the first little bit will just be on the parking lot.

I was brought up to learn that motorcycles are dangerous and should never get one or get on one, hence I have some mental anxieties and nervousness to get over.

Do people do a lot of their own bike maintenance?

Just don't do what I did when buying my first bike. I took the basic rider course to get my license too but never rode on public roads before besides some test rides in neighborhoods looking at used bikes.

So I bought the bike used about 120 miles from where I lived so planned on driving out there with my GF, buy the thing and ride it back. A couple of buddies who already have bikes were going to tag along by riding out there too and we'd all ride back together. Turns out the weather wasn't so cooperating (raining and cold...like mid 30s to low 40s). Buddies bailed because they didn't think it was a good idea to ride in those conditions especially for a new rider. I went anyways and let me tell you riding in that kind of weather back home was miserable. First time in traffic, first time above 30mph, first time on the highway, first time in the rain, first time experiencing the semi gust of wind (that was probably the scariest part of that ride) and so on. I eventually made it back ok with no incidents but nearly froze to death and had early signs of hypothermia because I wasn't adequately layered (the rain made sure of that part). My GF followed behind me just in case something happened (and to also protect my rear too...at least that's what I'd like to think asking her to tail me).

I started my first rides on my father's CB 350/360 (the one with the exhaust pipes right where they would burn the thighs of a passenger), riding in circles around a church parking lot, then onto suburban backstreets and then onto major roads. I was never comfortable on the freeway with my Dad's bike, it was too light and didn't have enough power to deal with the kind of traffic found on I-26 going into Charleston, SC. I bought my own bike after a month or so of practice, a CB-750K from 1979 and promptly rode it from SC to CA solo, enjoying every minute of that trip.

Yes, most people do a lot of their own maintenance, some more than others. Me, I lubed the chain, adjusted the rear wheel distance as the chain stretched out over its like and replaced the chain when it was due. I also removed the wheels, took them in to get new tires (it was usually a minor cost on top of buying the tire and better than buying my own tire mounting gear). I did other maintenance like replacing the exhaust in my Nighthawk after someone tried to steal and and bent the exhaust tube so badly it changed the tuning. I added an oil cooler to my CB-750K right after my cross country trip along with an oil temp gauge which was easier than I thought it would be. I also changed my own oil on all my bikes (3 total, all CB-750s), which is easy on an open engine bike more so than one with a full fairing, but having the right tools made that job much nicer as the bolts are small and love to seize up after a lot of hot conditions that are common on motorcycle engines.

Word.

I did searched for bikes out of my small city and then realised I would have to drive it back. Being chickenshit, I narrowed my search to just my city now. (Probably why I am not getting lots of options I am keen on.)

ETA: Currently trying to make an appointment to view two used bikes - CBR 500 and a Ninja 250. No used dualies around right now.

My husband commutes on a KTM Adventure bike and loves it. He has done a week in Baja and many other adventures on it. It was his first on road bike after years of just dirt biking.

He does all of the maintenance himself on that and his dirt bikes. (Well, once a year or so he will have a shop help with something). He started with an old dirt bike but now is his friends go to mechanic and often they are in our garage getting their bikes fixed. I am not sure what he prefers more- riding or fixing.

I started out on a Vespa 150cc (scooter) and moved on to a Honda CB1100. I'm glad I started out on an automatic, as it allowed me focus on some essential things like bike handling, emergency maneuvers, and coping with traffic.

That little Vespa beat the CB (and likely any other motorcycle) in the fun department by a mile. Well worth the price of a man card!!!!!!!!

As far as learning to ride, I was a serious student of the sport: reading, watching countless YouTube videos, practicing skills, and developing philosophies of riding. That approach keeps your mind sharp, makes you a better rider and driver, and develops humility.

Objectively it's way more dangerous than driving a car. But ultimately each person makes a subjective assessment of the risks to decide whether to ride. And what to wear and how to behave while riding. I rode ATGATT and conservatively, sometimes at the expense of enjoyment. But I would never judge a person who rides in jeans, a t-shirt, and their hair in the wind. I actually get those people.

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Why don't you rent/borrow a trailer to get it home?

" I would never judge a person who rides in jeans, a t-shirt, and their hair in the wind. I actually get those people. "

I think they're called organ donors. Its dumber than shit to ride squid, on a cruiser or a crotch rocket.