BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

All good advice above. I thought of this thread when I was in my local M/c shop over the weekend. The sales guy was talking to a prospective buyer who had yet to take his MSF course. The buyer seemed to have his heart set on a Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster more so because of the position of the bars than anything else it seemed. at one point the buyer said 'It seems kind of big' to which the sales guy said:' You'll ride it up and down your street a few times and then you'll be pretty comfortable'. I thought to myself...I hope that's the case and that the e guy doesn't hurt himself.

I used to own the perfect starter bike. Not too big, not too small. Could go most places. Reliable, built like a brick and easy to service despite it's age. 1976 Honda CB 360.

Agree with all the praises above on reliability.
Disagree that it's too powerful to be a starter bike. The exact same model was my starter bike. IMHO the smoothness of the throttle is much easier to handle than the jerkiness of other bikes.

I think price-wise you should be able to do better. Look at the book value. Every seller wants to take the highest end of the kbb and tack on for all the upgrades and it never sells. Unless you have a world of patience to wait for the right buyer a seller shouldn't expect to get more than book value, that's why there's a range in values in the first place.

Whatever you decide, sign up for a beginning riders course. There should be some in your area. They usually provide the bikes- which are small and light. After first schooling him myself in clutch/throttle use and basic braking, i arranged this experience for my son; it cost about $100. He found it very useful.