Thoughts on a bike for a first time rider?

[BobTheBiker]

Originally Posted by tached1000rr

I think the Ninja 500 would be an excellent beginner/commuter bike, I'm on the tall side of 6'2" and used the 500 to commute 60 miles daily and enjoyed every minute of it. Very comfortable!

I'm going to second this recommendation. I owned THREE EX500's, they're very good entry/intermediate level bikes. Not overly powerful, but not a complete pig requiring super high rpms to keep up with traffic either.

Alternately, a GS500E or F is a good choice, although you have to check the oil every time you go to ride because like all air cooled bikes, they burn oil.

I like both bikes, although suspension/frame wise, the GS is leaps and bounds ahead as you can retrofit a dual disc Katana front end to them and utilize better front suspension from that, plus GSXR and Katana rear shocks offering more than preload only for adjustments.