[wardog77]

My 18 year old little brother is looking to get his first bike. He wants to be able to ride with me and some of my friends that have power cruisers but I don’t think a warrior is a great first bike to learn on. He is 5’5” so he needs something with a lower seat height. I am worried that he will be bored with something like a vstar 650 or shadow 750 after a couple of weeks. He is looking to spend 5k or less. I am thinking magna, m50 or sabre if anyone has one of these bikes and can provide pros/cons or give an opinion on if it would be a good first bike that would be great. Any other insight would be appreciated.

 

[davidd]

The Magna makes good power for a 750...the seat may be a little high for a 5'5'' person.

 

[arcwelder]

My first bike was a v-star 650 and no matter how much i loved it i had to get something bigger. Honestly i think your best bet would be to find a used Kawasaki Vulcan 900 custom. They sit low, their light, their stylish, and the engine doesnt even feel like itsworking for it until you hit about 80. My friends 99 kawi 900 can pull pretty hard with me.. bouncing of the red line of course but pulls nonetheless. Theres a used 07 near me for 5,530 at columbia powersports so im sure you could find one near you or if you have a powersports near you they could truck it over to your area. Thats my 2c. Honestly im thinking about getting one myself as a secondary bike.. pretty mean lookin thing.

 

[Shawnzilla]

My girlfriend just sold her 1996 Kawasaki ZL 600 Eliminator, which was basically a mini-Vmax and I'd have to say that it was a very fun bike to ride and really allowed for a rider to learn and get confidant on a motorcycle within a pretty broad range of riding conditions. They're cheap and solid as can be and a lot of fun to ride.

 

[baclay9]

I think a V-Star 1100 is a great first bike. Easy to learn on but plenty of power to keep him happy for a while. Not to mention there are tons of aftermarket parts available for them. They make bad *** custom bikes too. My 20 year old brother rides one and he loves it.

 

[omhdan7]

Totally agree with the V Star 1100. Gotta be the Custom. I have the Midnight version...it was my first bike and I have had it for about a year with almost 2000 miles and am now ready to move up to the Midnight Warrior (FINALLY!!) Selling my 1100 Custom locally, and immediately getting the Midnight Warrior after. The V Star 1100 is really nice and I have been riding alongside my friend who's got the Raider. The V Star fits in well with the other bikes.

My Bike:

Here's one I saw listed on KSL located in Salt Lake for $5k with only 2000 miles:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=5810435&cat=144&lpid=

 

[wardog77]

Any thoughts on the sportster 1200 or 883

 

[Shawnzilla]

Any thoughts on the sportster 1200 or 883

I've ridden both models and my objective opinion is that they're a bit top heavy and frankly the V*1100 is a LOT more bang for the buck.

 

[omhdan7]

Any thoughts on the sportster 1200 or 883

I've ridden both models and my objective opinion is that they're a bit top heavy and frankly the V*1100 is a LOT more bang for the buck.

I was looking at the 1200 Nightster and V Star 1100 Custom when I was deciding on which bike to get...I decided that the V Star was the bigger bang for the buck as was said above. Unfortunately I haven't ridden the Sportster but it is a good lookin bike, not sure if I would like the riding position.

 

[wardog77]

I have read some review on the v star 1100 and it seems like a great first bike. Any M50 owners that want to weigh in?

 

[allsmiles]

I rode my Dad's 883 screaming eagle sportster. Quick impression is that they are heavy for their size, engine feels like the flywheel weights about 150 pounds and shake worse than a washing maching full of towels. That being said, I bought a VStar Custom (650) and it is a much nicer bike. I've swapped bikes with a buddy who rides a VStar 1100 and it was a good riding machine (he didn't want to return the warrior). They won't handle or accellerate as well, but if you are not pushing it hard, he will be able to keep up. Also, if you are hwy riding, he will be the happy camper in the bunch.

 

[washingtonwarrior]

Now, why would a vstar 1100 be a better starter than a warrior? Is it the 20 lbs weight difference? Is it the fact that it stops slower? Handles worse? Gets out of the way slower? If I were going to choose a starter bike for somebody I cared about, I'd put them on a warrior any single day before I put them on a vstar anything.
Engine2009 V Star 1100 Classic2009 Midnight Warrior

Bore x Stroke95 x 75mm97mm x 113mm

Carburetion(2) 37mm Mikuni®; throttle position sensorTwin-Bore electronic fuel injection; throttle position sensor

Compression Ratio8.3:18.36:1

Final DriveShaftBelt

IgnitionTCITCI: Transistor Controlled Ignition

Transmission5-speed, multiplate wet clutch5-speed close-ratio; multiplate wet clutch

Type65-cubic-inch (1063cc) air-cooled 75° V-twin; SOHC, 2 valves/cylinder102-cubic-inch (1670cc) air-cooled 48° V-twin; pushrod OHV, 4 valves/cylinder

Chassis2009 V Star 1100 Classic2009 Midnight Warrior

Brakes/FrontDual hydraulic disc, 298mmDual hydraulic disc, 298mm

Brakes/RearHydraulic disc, 282mmHydraulic disc, 282mm

FrameSteel; hidden shockAluminum monoshock

Suspension/FrontTelescopic fork; 5.5-in travel41mm KYB inverted fork; 5.3-in travel

Suspension/RearSingle shock; adjustable preload, 4.5-in travelSingle shock; adjustable preload and rebound damping, 4.3-in travel

Tires/Front130/90-16120/70-ZR18 Radial

Tires/Rear170/80-15200/50-ZR17 Radial

Wheels7-spoke cast5-spoke cast

Dimensions2009 V Star 1100 Classic2009 Midnight Warrior

Fuel Capacity4.5 gal4.0 gal

Fuel Economy**44 mpg39 mpg

Ground Clearance5.5 inSpec Not Available

Height43.3 in44.1 in

Length97.0 in93.9 in

Seat Height27.9 in28.1 in

Wet Weight628 lb / C: 634 lb650 lb

Wheelbase64.8 in65.6 in

Width37.2 in36.8 in

 

[sking]

Well if he got his brother a warrior for his first bike then he wouldn't have anything to brag about. His brother would be able to keep up with him all the time and he wouldn't be able to establish himself as the Alpha Male. Haha.


I think that the vstar 1100 would be your best bet for a starter bike. If you get the urge to make it down here to SLC, hit me up. There are a few of us Warrior riders down this way.


sk

 

[warpig]

both bikes are plenty enough to kill yourself on however if I were going to suggest a first bike it would probably be the nighthawk 250 they use in all the safety courses here. Tell your bro to take the class and get a feel for how a bike moves because remember even though most of us have been riding for years there was a time when that little 250 felt like it would get away from us, this is all assuming your bro doesn't know how to ride, but the course is still a good idea. Then give it he!!

 

[wardog77]

Esskay hit the nail on the head can’t have the little bro showing me up. A warrior would not be a bad first bike but it is hard to find one for less than 5k.Esskay we have some great rides in the northern end of the state let me know if you are ever around Logan. I just hope we can make it through the rest of this Utah winter, 14 inches of snow on Monday here.

 

[Loren78]

I did a Vstar 650, and was fine for a season. He shouldn't be trying to keep up with you his first season on a bike anyway or there's a good chance he'll get hurt. And make him take the MSF class. (HA, I was the 1st one to get that in!)

 

[washingtonwarrior]

Oh yeah, the alpha male, my bike is bigger than your bike thing. I forgot. Yeah, convince him to buy a slower, worse handling, worse braking slug for sure.

I think that the vstar 1100 would be your best bet for a starter bike. If you get the urge to make it down here to SLC, hit me up. There are a few of us Warrior riders down this way.

 

[DeWarrior]

I agree 100% with WashingtonWarrior. If you think that the person needs a smaller bike, get him a smaller biker, preferably a standard like an SV 650 or similar, which are easy as pie to learn to ride and a lot cheaper used than most cruisers. If you are considering the V-Star 1100, then size must not be the issue, so why not get the better performing bike? It is easy to argue that the Warrior is a safer ride, and it is just as easy to learn on. You can probably find used Warriors for around 5K to 6K

 

[overheadcam427]

I know its easy to get caught up in all the excitement of buying a bike, especially a first one, but anything your brother rides is going to have capabilities that are way over his head. The odds are also pretty good that he is going to crashwhatever he buys within the first year as he gains experience with bikes.


I don't mean to rain on his parade,but an18 yr old with $5k burning a hole in his pocketwould be wise to put that towards college or some othervocational training so hecantake care of himself in the future. Toys like this will always be available and can probably wait until he gets established.

 

[yellowbee]

My opinion would be to buya cheaperolder bike that he can ride for a while and decide what he really wants in a bike. Either that or buy the bike that he really wants first..... I've had an '07 Honda shadow Spirit 750(only rode for 400 miles before a car pulled out in front of me = totalled), '07 M50 (put 5800 miles on it before trading for the Warrior 1.5 months ago). I bought both of those bike new thinking it would be a good while before I wanted a big bike. I think I should have bought something older that I could have learned on and then probably could have sold it for what I paid.


Here is my M50, I had it listed for sale on alot of bike forums, Ebay, Craigslist, ect. for $4500. The dealer ended up giving me more than that. Anyway, I liked my M50 alot. it was very easy to ride, handled great, and had enough power. I guess I just wanted more than enough LOL. It had alot of features not found on my Shadow (fuel injection, 50 more cc's, digital fuel guage and clock).