The only thing that really worries me is that in an emergency situation that I wont be able to work everything in sync, sinse you have to use both hands and feet to operate a bike.
I'll say; even experienced riders come unstuck when they get "overconfident". I used to ride, but i was never a "good" rider-i couldnt do a mono, had trouble doing a powerslide, couldnt do a cross-up on a jump, but i always rode within my limits, and could brake like a demon. Very handy, i'd be dead otherwise, many times over. I never thought i COULD lock up the back wheel on a gravel road, and controlled steer around an obstacle, skidding some 20 metres, until i actually HAD to . Everyone i know says (er, including me) categorically, dirt riding is compulsory to learn to ride well, you can have tonnes of road experience, but you need to know how the machine behaves with some some serious gravel/mud/ oil etc under the wheels. The bikes you mention are very, very powerful-and some of them, heavy, (important with braking) its up to you obviously, test riding is the only way to go. I started of on trail/dual purpose bikes, never had a road bike or a cruiser; i did some test riding on them, only to discover, with back/neck problems, a cruiser just wont let you take the weight on the pegs very well (potholes) leaving the spine very vulnerable, (and dont handle too well) and that the hunched forward posture of many sport bikes just kills my neck, wrists, shoulders and back after no distance at all. Consequently, i keep coming back to dual sports, off road tourers, were i to look at a bike now-they're far from sexy, but tonnes of fun. Just an opinion, like i said i was an aggresively conservative rider, i simply wouldnt contemplate a bike that can cruise at 60mph comfortably in first or second gear, or raise the front wheel in top gear with a twist of the throttle at highway speed, yet many of these things now can do that. Just a thought
I am sorry, but it is irrelevant to the subject, because we are discussing it from a cardriver's point of view. You obviously have no brainpower, because your examples are ridiculous. If you are a blind driver, it doesn't matter how big the bike is, true. If you are deaf, muffler or no muffler, doesn't make a difference. And we end the conversation here, because you are plain silly...
Agreed. I took the three day course offered up here in Oregon. Totally worth the time. You just go over basics and learn some tips and such. My turns got so much better. The stats that were most interesting to me were that nearly 50% of the riders killed in motorcycle crashes had been drinking and I can't find the actual quote, but that something like 75% of the accidents overall happen to people who have been riding a bike for 6 months or less. Which indicates to me, both rider experience, but familiarity with the machine.
You're difficult to recommend a bike for. 230 to 240 lbs is a lot for anything smaller than 600cc to haul around, yet the three bikes I would initially recommend are the Kawasaki Ninja250R, Ninja500R, and the Yamaha TW200 (laugh all you want it's a great bike). These are all arguably too small for your weight, but just right for your experience, comfort, and confidence level. Honestly the best bikes for you are not made anymore. The Yamaha Radian and the Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator. 4 cylinder, lots of power, low seat height, easy to ride. This is just my opinion, but there's little to choose from in the current market. The Yamaha FZ6 would do ya. So would the FZ1, but that's a lot of horsepower. What you won't like about them is maintaining the chain and adjusting the valves. Buy a can of chain lube and have the valves adjusted. You might like the Suzuki SV650S as someone previously mentioned. It's light and powerful, but that small of a twin with your weight might be unimpressive. The GSX600F has a more comfortable layout than a full on sport bike. Which begs the question,"How about a CBR600RR?" Nice bike, but the handlebar/footpeg position gets to a lot of people. Then there's the cruisers. All shaft drive (personally I detest the torque rise of all shaft drive bikes, even BMWs), and all have a comfortable seating position. The Vulcan is nice, just not very popular and not as asthetically pleasing as most would like. Note: I saw more problems from the factory with Kawi than I did for Yamaha. Quality control, leaks (centercases), and NVH (noise vibration and harshness). I prefer the V Star 1100 or 1300 for your particular situation, but the VTX1300 is also nice. Whatever you choose be careful. I know everyone has told you the same thing, but look at it like trading. You're just not very good at it until you've done it for awhile. Don't get too wrapped up in the clutch, brake, throttle, foot, hand conundrum. It'll come to you. Spend some time in a parking lot. Take the MSF course. And remember, if you feel like you're in trouble or you need a break just pull over. It's easier to do that on a bike than in a car. Good luck.