Buket List

[RHINO]

statistics can be skewed to fit any agenda, and since i dont know how those particular statistics were measured i cant comment too much on it. it seems like it shows simply that if you cant be as stupid as you want you'll be safer. riding anything takes on a greater amount of risk, drops happen no matter the size of the bike, and cars dont care what ya ride.

be smart, get a bike you like, and ride responsibly, thats all i'm sayin.

 

[Terrainist]

Pertaining to countries and bike sizes - almost twenty years ago now, I was in Japan. The Japanese people cannot (could not?) get a license for big cc bikes. Nothing over 600 cc's as their licensing requirements were so stringent. For one, they had to be able to pick the bike up. That weeded out a lot of people. Then, if they could do that, they had to be able to do something crazy like drive it on a two by four for 100 yards. And then if they could do that, they found something else equally nuts that had to be done. So when I was there I never saw a born Japanese citizen riding a big bike. It just didn't happen.

The cool thing was, I went down to AAA to get my international drivers license before leaving the states. While there the gal asks me if I have a motorcycle endorsement on my state drivers license, sure I says. I get there and I'm driving a red Honda 1000 Interceptor because I'm a foreigner and my license says I can. I had the biggest baddest bike at any intersection. I'm in a country that's not mine, driving a bike they can't, on a license I didn't even have in the first place. It was great.

 

[Martinjmpr]

For a first bike, I always recommend:

Small

Cheap

Used.

As to why 250cc bikes are recommended, it's primarily because most of the beginner-friendly bikes in the US are in that size range. Unfortunately, the size/class of bike I started on, a 400-450cc twin, is no longer available in the US. The nearest in that size would be the Kawasaki Ninja 500/Vulcan 500 and the Suzuki GS500F.

I would never, ever,ever, ever recommend that anybody get a new bike for their first bike. You might as well just cash a check for a couple thousand bucks and then put the money into a pile and set it on fire.

 

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

I'm with the other good folks here that say a KLR650 would likely be a good choice for you. The people that have recommended a 200 or 250, apparently missed the part of your post that says " I am 6'2'' and for round numbers 280 to 300lbs". I'm in the 5'10" and 180 range, and for me, a 200 on the street would be just ridiculous. Granted, I've been riding for 25+ years, but if you're going to be spending any amount of highway time on a bike, I wouldn't recommend anything less than a 600cc bike. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that you should go out and get the biggest bike that you can find, but I will say that a 200cc bike is small in size, small in power, small in the brakes dept., and built for a person who is generally smaller in size than you are.

Find a bike that is built for a rider of your size, and for the riding styles/activities that you are wanting to participate in. Also, keep in mind that different engine designs provide different amounts of power- ie, a KLR650 has about the same horsepower as a Honda CBR250R. Granted the torque of the KLR is three times that of the 250R, but the point is to keep in mind that making a comparison based solely on cc's is not a reliable measurement of power. Most days, I ride a Buell XB12S-TT, a 1203cc bike. One of the guys that I ride with regularly rides a Yamaha R1, a 998cc bike. Comparing the two, even though I have over 200cc's on him, my bike's like an arrow, and his is like a guided missile. Apples and oranges, different bike built for different operations.

I'll also agree with the folks that say that you should take a riders safety course. Check out the Alberta Safety Council website- there's information there on motorcycle training in your province. At the very least, you'd be wise to consider the "gearing up" course. You'll get what you put into these training classes, and if you're open minded and there to learn, the amount of skill and knowledge that you'll gain in one weekend can be equivalent to several years of learning on your own.

 

[LtFuzz]

Check out the Super Sherpa.

Cheap, reliable, capable and you'll always be able to sell it for exactly as much as you bought it, assuming it isn't completely trashed.

No offense, but you're a pretty large fellow and likely won't be comfortable on any dual-sport/enduro style motorcycle. They have very narrow seats, relatively high centers of gravity and encourage an agile riding style that includes standing up on the pegs.

 

[hilligan]

Dittos on the KLR650. Cheap, easy to keep, abundant aftermarket, and if you ding it you won't cry. Excellent beginner bike. Enough power but not too much to get you in trouble.

Try it! You'll like it!

Buy a used pre-08 and you can get a great bike for 2K or less. Usually with a lot of farkles already on it.

As a newby rider I strongly suggest the Motorcycle Safety Course. A good instructor will teach you things in one day it would take you a lifetime of trial and error to learn. And it might save your life.

Enjoy!