Good Age for a Motorcycle (ride, driver, bike, buy)

[PurpleLove08]

I'm 18 and I'd really like a motorcycle.
I'm thinking by the time I'm 21, it would be a good age to get a motorcycle.

My step dad has one and my mom plans on getting one once her car is paid off.

So, what's a good age for someone to get their first motorcycle?

I'm a pretty good driver now but I know driving a car and operating a motorcycle are completely different.

[catman]

I got my first one when I was 20. I'm now 62 and on my sixth.

And it's 25 years old this year! (When I saw the title of this thread, I thought you were talking about the age of the motorcycle. 25 is a good age for my bike.)

[mikeyyc]

five or six.

[M3 Mitch]

No time like the present, no one is getting any younger.

I got my first bike at 16, still have it (1973 Kaw. 350).

Taking the MSF course is a good move and you can do it *before* you buy a bike, they provide bikes for you to ride.

Would also suggest reading David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling" volumes 1 and 2 - *A LOT* of good stuff in there.

[Cav Scout wife]

I was 5 or 6 when I started riding lil mini bikes around the yard, and my 9yr old DD has a dirt bike herself.

As long as you are careful and aware, you're more than old enough, IMO.

[BoydS]

By the time I was your age, I had gone through 3 bikes. What are you waiting for..?

[driftwoodpoint]

We had a dirt bike growing up that we rode in the woods. I did learn a lot of balance but wasn't on the road. I had a small bike in grad school really for transportation. Learning a lot of safely is the key since you want to enjoy you life without some serious injury.
Somehow when my kids were small just didn't seem the right time for me to have a bike. When I got in my 50's and my kids were out of the house I am on my fourth bike. I've ridden a lot but still took the advanced safety class two years ago.

[M3 Mitch]

If you get a bike, get some proper gear, to specifically include a full-face helmet, at least a mesh jacket, and gloves. You would be amazed what even a minor get-off can do to you, particularly on asphalt.

Consider an on/off road bike as a first bike, you can slide around a lot in the dirt, it's fun, you learn a lot, it's relatively safe.

Depending on your inseam length, you may or may not fit very well on some of the later model off-road bikes - loads of suspension travel give them off-road ability, but if you can't reach the ground won't work for you.

Don't think you have to buy new either. There are a lot of simple old bikes out there, that have plenty of life left in them.

For a street bike, the Honda Rebel 250 or 450 (depending on your size and aspirations) are excellent starter bikes, the little 250 is easily handled even by petite women.

[Cav Scout wife]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

If you get a bike, get some proper gear, to specifically include a full-face helmet, at least a mesh jacket, and gloves. You would be amazed what even a minor get-off can do to you, particularly on asphalt.

Consider an on/off road bike as a first bike, you can slide around a lot in the dirt, it's fun, you learn a lot, it's relatively safe.

Depending on your inseam length, you may or may not fit very well on some of the later model off-road bikes - loads of suspension travel give them off-road ability, but if you can't reach the ground won't work for you.

Don't think you have to buy new either. There are a lot of simple old bikes out there, that have plenty of life left in them.

For a street bike, the Honda Rebel 250 or 450 (depending on your size and aspirations) are excellent starter bikes, the little 250 is easily handled even by petite women.

Great post except for the Rebel 250 part! I don't like em. You can't just get on the bike and go all day w/o multiple stops to cool it down. It just doesn't have enough umph ya know?

It's a great lil bike to putt putt around town (35MPH) on, but not for any length of time.

I wish they would make the 450 again (they only made em for 2yrs, 86-87), and they are GREAT! Enough umph to ride all day, yet not too much you are blown away by it. Everyone I know that has one, doesn't want to give them up, cause they are so awesome, lol.

It's not only about your size, it's the bike mostly, and how well they are weighted and how close to the ground they are. If a bike has good balance, it doesn't matter how much it weighs, or how many cc's it has. My lil sister takes her 1100 out all the time, but refuses to ride her hubby's Ninja, since it's too tall for her, lol.

[Rosinante]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

If you get a bike, get some proper gear, to specifically include a full-face helmet, at least a mesh jacket, and gloves. You would be amazed what even a minor get-off can do to you, particularly on asphalt.

Consider an on/off road bike as a first bike, you can slide around a lot in the dirt, it's fun, you learn a lot, it's relatively safe.

Depending on your inseam length, you may or may not fit very well on some of the later model off-road bikes - loads of suspension travel give them off-road ability, but if you can't reach the ground won't work for you.

Don't think you have to buy new either. There are a lot of simple old bikes out there, that have plenty of life left in them.

For a street bike, the Honda Rebel 250 or 450 (depending on your size and aspirations) are excellent starter bikes, the little 250 is easily handled even by petite women.

I couldn't agree more with your two posts, Mitch, and despite my riding beginning on the streets of Paris France in 1958, I wouldn't even think about riding in the USA without first having passed the MSF course.

As for the current Honda Rebel, I agree here too. My 1996 Rebel has never over heated even though it is often taken out on long rides. The bike has a top speed of around 80 MPH (depending on the rider's weight), and is a lot of fun to ride. I admit I prefer it to my other MC (a BMW), since it is so maneuverable.