Tall Git needing bike advice...

[VIDAR]

Hi Guy's and Girls,

First time post, been reading the forums for a few days and thought now would be good to pop my cherry.

Basically I'm 6ft 8, aged 28 and have not done my CBT yet never mind my DAS though I'm getting a cash injection fairly soon so am looking to get riding as quickly as possible.

For my bike I will have a budget with a maximum ceiling of between £2,500.00 and £3,000.00. I do like the look of Sports bikes and it will mainly be used for commuting to work/college about 30 miles, pleasure riding, with maybe two or three 7-8Hr journeys a year...

So what would you guy's recommend?

[Bendy]

I'd recommend you get yourself to a shop with a decent selection of second hand bikes and do some sitting on things. It'll at least give you a benchmark on what you think you could be comfy on and what you won't be.

[Teflon-Mike]

I'd reccomend you put the cart before the horse, as'twer, and start by doing your CBT, maybe on a school bike, to see if you like it.
I'd then suggest a Yamaha YBR125 as a training tool for three months.
Book thoery.
Book weekly riding lessons.
When you are ready for Mod 1. book a single DAS 'conversion' lesson. See how you get on with the bigger bike.
If comfy, do Mod 1 on DAS bike
Then you can choose whther to continue lessons on 125, to keep costs down, or do them on school DAS bike.
Mod 2.... you get licence.
At which point you can flog the YBR pretty much for what you paid for it, it's job done. Getting you trained up, and riding safe from the word go, and taking it in, and getting a chance to practice between lessons, rather than 'cramming' in an intensive DAS course, that really only teaches you how to pass a test.
So, depending on how quick you progress, you get a licence.
If you pushed hard, could be done in a month, more realistically six to eight weeks, but you can stretch it a bit longer if needs be.
Its fast enough to get your licence, and gives you plenty of chance to do your wobbling and falling off on a 'cheap' commuter that only weights about as much as a fat bloke (125Kg, 275Lb, 19 1/2 stone!) And that's a 'light weight'!
Then you can move up to a bigger bike, like you may have used for DAS.
For what you suggest, you want me to say, "Yeah, go for it, go get an R6......." I'm not, DAS to pure sports 600 is a quick way to kill yourself and miss out on an AWFUL lot more of what biking has to offer.... all them bikes do is go fast and flatter riders ego's....
I's advice a twin, an ER6 or SV650, for something in your budget, sporty looking and nice an newby freindly, without being too 'boring' or single minded.
Plenty of 'bigger' newbie freindly bikes, or in line fours, but not so many 'sporty' ones.
Least single minded of the bunch you might consider would be a VFR750/800, a nice flexible newbie freindly street bike, with sporting pretensions, rather than a racer tamed for the road. CBR600'F' NOT the 'RR', has similar manners. YZF600 Thundercat, is under budget, similar road manners to the CBR, if a bit more pure sport orientated, a 'poor mans' R1, its a good substitute for a newbie. Though personally, I'd steer you away from anything with four cylinders. Twins have a little bit of a raw edge, that gives you more feed back and sensation of what the bikes up to, where fours are just so smooth you wont get the same idea of 'ragging it'.
To wit, going for a 'naked' first big bike, has similar merit in providing 'sensation' faired machines dont offer, opens the door to a lot more more suitable bikes too.
Thing is...... you haven't even put your foot on the ladder yet, let alone started to climb it.
But your implying you are looking for a 'forever' bike, to do all you'll ever want RIGHT NOW!
Biking is ALL about the journey, NOT the destination....... get with the spirtit of it.... follow the road, dont look for short cuts..... you want to take the long way round and get as much out of it as possible, NOT just get to the end as quick as possible!
So start with CBT, and a YBR... get a sense and apreciation of it all... then progress to a 'Newbie Big Bike' preferably an unfaired twin, that has some rough edges and lacks a bit of capability but is easy and rewarding to ride.... enjoy it... get experience on it, have fun.... THEN having got that far up the ladder, its NOT the end of the journey, just the junction, where you can take any number of different routes, and come back, and try different ones again..... so, after newbie twin, then maybe a VFR..... after that, maybe an R6.... might be all you expected, and you want more, and go for an R1, or maybe its not, and you go for an Pan Euro..... or a Fazer 1000... I dont know.... point is.... its an adventure...... start at the beginning and enjoy every bit of it.
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Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'