What do you guy's think regarding a starter bike for 18 y/o?

[jkelley]

Wow - I have a NC700X for sale. 78 miles per gallon, gas tank can hold helmet, hard matching OEM saddlebags.

Attachment 10797

Not a Sport bike red lines 6.5. Sit straight up. Just looks hot.

After my wife took the MSF basic and advanced, and a LONG line of bikes including almost every Harley made she now rides a NC700X and I am here to tell you she likes it more than any other bike she has been on. her highest mileage was two tanks at 84 MPG, and she is always high 70's.

I have also ridden the bike and other than being slightly small for me it run's surprisingly well, and is very comfortable. Plenty of power, and pulls very well, handling is great.

[Primo]

I'd buy a cheap Honda Rebel.

If he crashes it he can just leave it where it lays and walk away or when all goes well you can get pretty much get exactly what you bought it for in 6 months or so down the road when he might be ready for a bigger bike.

Less cc's = less chance to get into speed and power related trouble.

[motoman]

Lots of kids start out on dirt bikes/trail bikes. They get used to the rear wheel sliding, uneven terrain, anticipating obstacles.

After dirt, the street is a piece of cake. I think this is still a good approach.

[Big Jay]

DRZ400s is a good dual sport very capable off and on road, my boy put 12000 or so miles on his in a couple years, was his only mode of transportation for a while.

[Hornblower]

Don't know if it was mentioned earlier or not, but I would probably choose a Suzuki SV650. Those little bikes were extremely popular and I imagine they're fairly available on the used market. The SV650 had good power, good brakes, and good handling. Also, there are a lot of aftermarket bits available for that bike if the youngster wants to "make it his own".

[Ridlikhel]

One word: Grom.

I want one, to start my wife out on riding and for me while she's at work.

[JohnnyF6B]

Thank you everyone for your input. I let him read all of your responses and we looked (online or in person) at each and every bike you guys mentioned. It's his money, so I am going to let him decide (sport bikes are not an option due to nervous parents ). We'll see what he decides, but thanks again to all of you. We appreciate your wisdom

yes, I understand & had the same fear. My son drove dirt bike. I put him on a Husqvarna 510 SMR(my old one) for a street bike. Light 260 Lb motorcycle. Super good brakes, which could cause problems.
Its all in the wrist. My fear was putting him on a 600 + Lb motorcycle that will go 140 mile per/hr.
That NC700X looks like a decent starter bike.

[ff73148]

What bike does your kid want?

[racer]

My kid started on a CBR500R, which he still has, he added a race pipe. But for SOME reason, he keeps borrowing my VTX1800.

[Spanky]

One of my first bikes was a nice Savage 650, now called a Boulevard s40. ....try as i might, was not able to get it on 1 wheel. Until, that was a 16YO who had her licence 20 minutes brought the rear wheel up.

Its big enough to keep out of it's own way, and still last him a year, plus it has a little cool factor.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Boulevard_S40

here's a nice one 20 miles away:
http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2...-S40-113764339