I'm about to take the rider's edge class on a buell. i have never rode on or driven a motorcycle, any advice at not sucking terrible? i'm 5'4" and so far the only comfortable bike is the buell blast, any others out there for shorties? how does the blast handle? enjoyable to ride?
-linds
My wife loves hers. She took the class and got her endorsement about 3 months ago. Just follow the instructor's direction and you'll be fine. My wife could barely ride a bicycle and she's doing very well on the Blast now. (BTW, she's 5'2.)
Other-bike-wise, the Ninja 250 is also a decent learner's bike.
The 250's just dont have the power, and in my opinion are almost dangerous for street use. The blast will be fine for an around the towner. You will probably fit on an SCG as well. Good luck!, i'm sure you'll do fine :)
Ride her like you stole her!
lol! thanks for the advice guys
You can't go wrong with the Blast as a first bike. It is very low maintenance and you won't quickly outgrow it like other beginner bikes (250 rebel, 250 ninja, etc).
A 250 is a great bike to learn on. You can buy most of them for very cheap. They are light weight and easy to handle. Plus they don't have much power which is GOOD for a beginer. We bought a 2005 Ninja 250 for my wife a few years ago to learn on. We got it used with 400 miles on it for $2400.00. It was the perfect bike to learn on as she could touch the ground, it was light enough for her to be able to handle easy, and the low torque helped her to not become intimitaded that the bike was going to jump out of her hands. We sold it last fall for $2000 when she decided she wanted something bigger. She even laid it down once so it had minor damage. We only lost $400, which is'nt bad for a couple thousand miles of use and one minor crash.
A 250 will keep up with anytrhing out there as long as you ride with people who don't need to show off by leaving you in the dust when accelerating. It will cruise just fine at highway speeds. Brand new riders who go out and buy a 1000 cc + bike for their first one are just asking for it.
On a second note the Buell blast seems like a great first bike also, but I have never ridden on one. I advise you go to every brand shop you can and at least sit on every bike that interests you. Then if you got an endorsement take a few out for a test ride. If the shop won't let you ride anything, go somewhere else. To me it's just like a car. I am not going to buy a bike without riding it first.
Unlike car dealerships where they can sit in the car with you most places wont let you take a bike out unless your a very experienced rider, since they cant be on the bike with you at the same time.
okay a few more questions :) isn't a buell blast 492cc engine similar to a 250cc because it's a one cylinder engine? just kinda what it seemed like after reading a few things. also i've read a few places buell blasts older than 2002 had lots of problems like oil leaking??? any validation to this and why?
"I advise you go to every brand shop you can and at least sit on every bike that interests you."
yeah i think i've sat on just about everything out there at this point and have accepted the fact that i have to resign to owning a "girl bike" lol. nothing like falling off of big harley in the middle of a show room cause you're husband thought it'd be cute to see you on a huge bike. :) i'm glad i did cause the bikes i liked initially i hated the second i sat on them. the ninja was about the only other one that felt comfortable. seems as though buells are better quality. thanks for all the replies and advice :)
I won't buy a bike without riding it first, but thats my personal opinion. I understand the liability involved in test rides, but that is why Harley makes you sign a waiver. If a certain dealer does not normally allow test rides, just pay attention for the demo days. Just about every brand has a "demo" truck that goes from dealership to dealership with demo bikes for a week or two.
Just don't buy a bike just because it looks cool, especially when riding is new to you. Try lots of them out and get lots of seat time. Start small with somthing cheap with a low displacement and low seat hieght, then work your way up. Spend the time finding out exactly what you want before you put $10000-$20000 down on a bike that you may find out later its not right you.
And look into taking a MSF endorsed beginners class. I know the majority of the Harley dealers use Buell Blasts for the class. You would get a chance to practice in a controlled environment and get a free ride on a Buell.
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