| Author | Message | ||
     Hootowl |
Friend of mine wants to start riding. What's a good starter bike for a big guy? has to be cheap to fix after a drop, or better yet, not break after a drop. Don't really care what style, could be a cruiser, standard, whatever. Thanks all... | ||
| No_rice |
blast... enough said. and just for example, i have a couple guys that run around here on their blasts that are MUCH bigger then you. and they flog the heck out of them(although they might have to do that simply to get along down the road lol) | ||
| Britchri10 |
Blast: I chose one as my starter bike having not ridden for 20+ years. I'm 6'1" & 200 Lbs. I fit on one. They are easy to work on, durable, easy to upgrade & relatively fast. Me on my Blast VS me on my X1 would be an interesting exercise in any twisty section of road. They handle well but are not in the X1 class of speed, acceleration & sheer brutality. Also, they are very forgiving & very easy to ride well. (Just my 10c) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
KLR. Tell him to never sell it. | ||
| Froggy |
Blast, assuming he is willing to deal with a carb. | ||
| Hootowl |
Thanks guys. Blast! was my first thought too, but I felt folded up on the thing, and I'm only 5'8". I bought one for my wife in 02. The X1 bars helped, but not much. It isn't in the family any longer. Traded it in on a new BMW S1000. I'll suggest the Blast! again. He hasn't ever sat on one. It certainly meets the durability requirement. | ||
| Britchri10 |
FWIW I have superbike bars on mine & the 1 Inch drop pegs. I have plenty of room to "tuck", or just ride upright. I also ride w/the low seat for trips under 40-50 miles but I have an aftermarket Sargents saddle ( which is approximately the same height as a regular saddle but better padded) that I use for longer trips. The great thing about the Blast is that they are cheap & easily customizable for very few $$$. | ||
| Sifo |
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| Ridenusa4l |
is that the new HD starter bike that cost them $30M (or was in 60) to produce?? Jake | ||
| Ulynut |
I'm with F.B. KLR or similar dual sport. And never sell it. | ||
| Reepicheep |
KLR would be great. A $2000 beater M2 wouldn't be awful either if he won't go all wobbly kneed at the idea of replacing a rocker box gasket. | ||
| No_rice |
im 6'1" about 175. i dont mind the blasts at all. only thing is that i sit on the passenger seat basically. oh well, its comfortable that way. | ||
| Etennuly |
I'm 6' 240 or so and riding the Blast is a Blast. I just scoot my butt back to where ever it ends up being comfortable. These things really handle well. For those who begin riding on one and want to get a little adventurous, dragging a knee is no problem. They can be modified to fit a lot of types of riding. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
KLR!!! Pure'N simple. Affordable, Tough, can take a drop, simple to work on. Plenty on mods to do, but not really neccesary (except doo-hickey). Was my first bike. Still own it. Hope to have it always. I'm 250, and have ridden the bike from Arkansas to Minnesota multiple times. It will be a bike he can learn on, and learn on different surfaces. Great survival bike as well. Really can't say enough about them... Oh, and they hang in the twisties way better than you'd think! | ||
| Cityxslicker |
yami wrx250 sumo, he will never outgrow it | ||
| Birdy |
Yep KLR, Almost as many rabid KLR owners and there are Buell riders.  Only draw back to a KLR end the end you end up fixing it up and then it cost to much to sell! BUT I'll keep mine until they plant me. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Harley-davidson Road King | ||
| Whatever |
I think this would be perfect... lol...  | ||
| Blk_uly |
yeah Char he could strap one to each boot!  | ||
| Hootowl |
Well, I would ride it (I'll ride anything) but I think he'd scoff at the idea. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. | ||
| Trojan |
Kawasaki Versys 650 is one of the best bikes for tall people and is pretty user friendly for beginners too. Lots of parts available if he wants to spruce it up too  Good aftermarket parts especially from www.twinshack.com whoops that 's me... The Versys stands up well to abuse and certainly won't break very easily Check it out here http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2007/06/13/2008- kawasaki-versys/ | ||
| Britchri10 |
Versys: My next bike. Gonna use it to commute & travel $ save the X1 for weekend fun | ||
| Preybird1 |
+5 on the klr very easy to fix and ride. I love mine too and will never sell it. They are so cheap to repair. Man i did 1800 off road only miles this year on this bike. great time on this bike.        (Message edited by preybird1 on March 24, 2011) | ||
| Indybuell |
I'm 6 foot 2, 255lbs. I love my blast. | ||
| Preybird1 |
I have a 7 gallon desert tank and the knobbiest tires i can find!       | ||
| Ezblast |
LOL - I'd say a Blast! Modify to your hearts content and just keep riding! Here's a 2000 - lol   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDdiQZ_ZB9k EZ | ||
| Sycho |
Alright EZ, since you put up the Youtube link I gotta ask. When we gonna do this again? My Blast is creepin up on 29,000 miles and I wanna do another long haul before it needs a rebuild, that is IF it needs a rebuild, it's still runnin strong. | ||
| Videoninja |
I'm 6'4 220 my first was a blast | ||
| Etennuly |
Will, that pig still running? Since we are doing "modify to your hearts content" pictures.....I give you 'Blastulys'  | ||
| Ezblast |
I should have her done by next year - knock on wood - would love to try that, but then again it may have to wait till the next year - depending on the job situation - found a new killer route to SLO as well - probably why I'd do it again - just a matter of when in my mind. EZ |
