Well ill be turning 18 in a few weeks, and i wanted to get a motorcycle. So im sure we have members who have bikes and know more about them. I've never riden a on the road motorcylce but ive riden dirt bikes and atvs a few times. Does anyone have any ideas on what would be a good starter bike? I plan on getting a junky bike to learn on (in case i dump it) and then I want to move up to a bigger bike i was leanin towards a street bike maybe a ninja or gsxr. My price range for a 1st bike is maybe about 2g'*.

People may laugh, but I think an excellent first street bike would be an enduro, like a DR350 or something. Dirt bike characteristics, easy to ride, little plastic to replace when you lay it down. They should be around your price range too. If you want an all out street bike, go with an old cruiser, Shadow 700, or even a CB350, those are pretty cheap, but get around pretty good. Bullet bikes aren't exactly prime learning bikes, but if you want one bad, the old Ninja 600'* aren't too bad, my old one took a beating and kept on ticking.

I've heard that buell (sp?) are good learner bikes. Mainly the buell blast. I would think i would need something kinda big considering im 6 foot prolly around 250 maybe less so i need something that would be able to handle me.

Buell'* are made by harley, I don't know much about the reliablility and stuff on them. They're a sharp lookin' bike, I'm not a fan of the gauge set up, looks cheap. I dunno if you can find a cheap Buell though...

yeah. I live in iowa and i was lookin around here with not much luck. Then i was lookin online craigslist. and they have so many bikes i was thinkin about a 600 or 700 where ever those numbers switch. So im not to sure what i want depends on how much i make this summer.Do you know much about CBR'*?

Harleys and Buells are very reliable nowadays. They used to be oil-leaking maintenance intensive nightmares, but any more they are as reliable as any other bike. The parts cost a lot more but the bikes hold their value better than most other brands. If you have shopped around for Harleys, you will have found there is really no such thing as a "cheap" one.

My advice is to get away from the concept of a starter bike and get a used model of the style bike you want. Since you are planning to buy one cheap and plan to upgrade before too long, it won't be that big a deal if you realize you aren't absolutely thrilled about your first one. The best way to learn about the different models of bikes is to ride them and talk to people that own them. And people are more inclined to let you take their bike for a spin if you have a bike of your own and have your MC license endorsement.
There is nothing wrong with starting out on a dual purpose bike. It really depends on what style bike you want.
For a cruiser, a Suzuki Savage 650 is about as basic as it gets. It'* comfortable, and reliable but extremely easy to work on if something wears out. It can keep up with traffic, but doesn't have enough power to get you in trouble. You should easily be able to find one in your price range. Insurance for one will be about as cheap as you will find on a bike. Insurance is what is going to really cost you at your age.
A CBR is a good bike. I have had a couple of friends that had the older carbureted ones. Honda'* are pretty reliable too, they have a huge dealer network. Before you get too interested though, check out whether or not you can get/afford insurance for one.

insurance shouldnt be a problem. My insurance lady said they are just like cars the bigger and more powerfull you ge tthe more its going to cost so i dont plan on gettin a 1000cc bike so i dont think that will be an issue. But thanks for the help

I would reccomend a Suzuki SV650 if you can find one in your price range. The naked version should be low on insurance and easier to ride than a street bike.

ive heard that also they dont look like to bad of bikes.

My first was F4i and the second was GSXR.
I never rode before my F4i and it was easy to get use to.
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