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To the OP, if this is a first bike take vmaxnc's advice. Then even before that take the MSF course, which gets you a mc endorsement on you lic, and reduced insurance rates. Bike Ins is steep.
I own 2 bikes, a real old 81 850 triple yammi which is graddaddy to the sport cruiser and crotch rocket bikes a standard bike, but mine is customed up some.
The other is a Kawii Nomad and a handfull of real big bike, bigger than a HD Road King. This isn't fast, far from it, but it has a lot of low end torque, and all the time unskilled riders manage to drop them. I did once myself. I made a series of bad little mistakes that added up to getting dumped in the street. My ego was shattered but i didn't do any damage to the bike.
There is a rule. Well a few. There are riders who have dropped a bike and those who are going to. The other is there are Bold Riders and there are Old Riders, but there is no Old Bold Riders.
No new new rider should even buy a new bike. A lot of people do and crash in the parking lot at the dealers.
I think it depends on a few factors: Insurance Co., driving record, driver's age and riding experience, yr/make/model of bike, amount of coverage/deductible, usage and state the rider lives in (the MSF course completion will grant a small discount, though, which is helpful!).
Ex: My buddy lives in NJ and owns a 2009 Triumph Tiger 1050. He pays about $675/yr with Rider Ins. I live in PA and own a 1992 Honda CB750 with an annual premium of $94 through Progressive. We're both 49 and have clean driving records, both bikes have full coverage. However he had been riding a few years before I started.
neo, Man yer gittin' a deal somehow. My 06 Nomad with 1000 over is around 500 bucks a year I just turned 59 three dys ago, clean record other than a crash, at low speed. Trailer hopped the hitch chains took us down, at apx 15 mph on a bad BLM land Mgt gravel road. That was on 05, and i live in the boonies.
Fwiw, I pay ~$120 each, for each of my 3 scoots, with the basic coverage. We do have 3 cars, a house and a $2Mill umbrella, all
with the same company.
If there is no note on a scoot, I would toss the fire & theft, unless it's some very rare sled that one thinks is "irreplaceable". Bagging F&T,
really knocks down the annual premium.
I'm with the MSF course, versions 1 & 2, and if the OP is lucky enough to have a Motorcop course in his area, open to the public, that will quickly show how one should/could ride a scoot.
GL, mD
The reason I have fire and theft is I had a 01 Nomad stolen, which helped a lot getting a 06.
I rent, have a truck. full sized van, and a car registered, a bike older not registered and a 2 trailers, ove for putting the Nomad in and the other to be pulled by the Nomad.
Evidently ins is southern states is less.
That 1000 over won't cover items I have added, but in theft it helps too. The theft was the 2nd clain on that 01, the first being a crash, at lower speeds on a really bad road.
The crash was caused by the trailer jumping the hitch. oddly I could never find a cause for that, and never re-adjusted the hitch. The trailer hitch was locked too, and had been for the previous 3 days. It was more something to do with the way the gravel roads was.
After the crash, I was able to have a pick up truck take the trailer from the scene, and with 3 broken ribs ride the bike from the crash scene off that road and to shelter. I had a ride in car if you could call it a car too. BLM roads are a little different. Just riding that was wrong.
If you are just starting out and have no experience, get something like an older Yamaha XS400 or Kawi KZ 400. These bikes are easy to find and easy on the pocketbook. They are light, get great fuel mileage and will teach you the basics.
There is no point in spending a bunch of cash on a bike when you don't even know for sure you will enjoy riding, not everybody does. It isn't like your are stuck with whatever you get today, forever.
I have an 88 Kawa KZ1000 Police bike and an 84 Yamaha FJ1000. I won't bore you with the list of bikes I owned leading up to these two. I will say I had 2 XS400's. I wish I had one now so I could use it to teach my wife to ride. I think its the perfect trainer. Heck, I'd use it for a gettin around town bike myself.
I live in PA and own a 1992 Honda CB750 with an annual premium of $94 through Progressive.
I owned a 2003 (last year they were made) and a little over a year ago sold it before moving back to So Cal. I had to sell one of the two bikes I had, the other one being a 2006 VMax which I still have.
I digress, a CB750 is an excellent bike for a beginner or an experienced rider. It feels lighter than it is and it was one of the most fun bikes I rode. It is a true street bike and riding position could be either lean forward, sport bike style or sit up like a cruiser. Arguably one of the most reliable bikes and easy to maintain. Insurance would also be very inexpensive.
To OP, make sure you get a bike that also suits you physically. The bike should not feel too light/heavy or tall for the rider. Another thing to consider is your riding purpose. Most any bikes under 600cc would not be too good on freeway speeds. I had a 1983 Suzuki Katana and it felt too light and underpowered. It was shaft driven and had over 24K miles or may be 'cause I am over 6' tall and about 230 lbs.
I agree with the rest on not buying a new bike, at least for a year or two. I think anywhere from 3 to 10 year old would be ideal. Just my 2 cents worth.
Good luck if you still haven't bought anything.
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