Motorcycle Classes
WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD first motorcycle? Will I have to take motorcycle classes?
I have never wanted something more in my life. I want one to just cruise on warm days. I want a (used) Yamaha R6. I turn 18 later this year. I have a 2005 Yamaha YZ125 (fast), I have been riding dirtbikes for 5+ years. So when could I get one and will I have to take classes?
I am 6′0 tall, I can handle it.
If you ride dirtbikes you should know all too well that your height shouldn’t be a factor with as tall as some of those suckers are.
Street and dirt are a bit different in handling… I always recommend starting small and movng up. You can get and start on whatever you would like, a lot of people start out with either 250cc Ninjas or will go for some of the midyear 600 series bikes. Most of the mid 90s 600 series bikes aren’t horribly insanely powerful and have a good balance between weight and power. The newer ones on the other hand are making around 110+hp if not more nowadays.
The biggest factor here is self preservation. I have friends who started small who have a led foot and got themselves in trouble and i have friends who started on litre bikes who are wonderful riders. It comes down to self control. It WILL be easier to start on something small due to the amount of error you leave yourself with throttle control.
I only ride sportbikes so i’m coming from a sportbike perspective, cruisers on the other hand are a tad heavier, but once you’re going it won’t really matter until you get into lowspeed maneuvering lol.
Your age will be the biggest factor on taking a class. If you’re under 21 some states require you to take a class. Others it’s under 18, it varies from state to state with motorcycle endorsements. Otherwise your DMV should have the tests necessary. Even if they do I still highly recommend taking a motorcycle safety class just for the factor of the defensive techniques you will learn on the road that could someday save your life.
Welcome to the addiction and be safe. I’m not going to name brands, only ideas, suggestions and thought process for you because the same bikes I might enjoy you might hate. I could go say “Get a ninja 250!” and you might not like it. I could go say “Get a Ducati SS” and you might not like the way it rides. Pick your own bike, enjoy it, love it, learn it and most importantly…
WELCOME TO THE ADDICTION!
Ride safe my friend.
Happily logging 10k+ miles a year,
-Derek
PS: I’m going to link you a “new riders” link from the ninja250 boards, it isn’t pertaining direclty to the bikes, just new riders for new info. Enjoy 
Robert Scott on DCTC Motorcycle Safety Classes.mov
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