New old guy | GTAMotorcycle.com

New old guy

CMC

New member
Hello everyone. I am starting late to riding. I'm 45 and recently got my M1. I'm taking the safety course in two weeks.

I'm a large gentleman (275+ lbs). I'm looking to get a starter bike. My concern is I think I may need a larger size bike to cart me around.

My question is this. If I'm using the bike to go back and forth to work and the occasional joy ride, can I get a smaller size (under 500) bike and save on cost and insurance?

Looking forward to hearing from you guys.
 
Better late then never! :D

A lot of it depends on what kind of riding you are talking about. Will it be mostly city or highway? Is the commute long (one-way), will you be taking longer trips?

You're current insurance company will insure you with your M1 only and as stated in this thread there are plenty of options for once you complete your M2 Safety course as-well.

You can save on cost for insurance as-long as you're getting something lower then 600CC and its not a super-sport.

The newer the bike, the higher your premium will be, even if its exactly the same thing, just produced one year later as was the case with my R3 (2018 VS 2017, both brand new).

Your best bet is to call around, speak to various agents from different companies and definitely try brokers whom will probably have better deals.

You will need to get actual VIN numbers for the bikes you want to check your insurance with so that you're able to get legitimate quotes vs theoretical ones.

I found that most companies did not care for how many KM you were riding throughout the year so there's that as-well.

If you are planning on getting something fancy, make sure to protect yourself in the case of theft which unfortunately has a high chance of occurrence.

If you're not after fast acceleration or crazy top speed, you can look at 300-400cc bikes and still enjoy the ride however keep in mind that you'll probably grow bored of it after a few months so you may as-well look at 500's to get the best bang for your buck (so to speak).

EDIT: Keep in mind that there are other things that are also very important like seating position and this varies from bike to bike so go to various different dealerships and sit on all the bikes you can. Take your time and try to get a feel for what it'd be like sitting on the bike for long periods. Super-sports for example really lack in this dept. and that's why a lot of experienced bikers over the years go with sport tourings or cruisers despite starting out with sport bikes.
 
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What style of bike do you find appealing?

A V-Storm (650) or Kawasaki Vulcan (500) are both middle of the road bikes and go about it in different ways.

Maybe insurance will help provide direction but, once you decide, sit on a few, feel good with it, look into insurance quotes and that can help decide too.

Honda has some newer entry level bikes in the 500 range that might be suitable for a fella your size?

Others will chime in with some actual models etc.


Good luck!


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Assuming you are looking at the cruiser segment, increasingly a lot of insurance companies are starting to surcharge fairly significantly above 700CC. My wife is in year 3 of her riding (about the same age as you) as a new rider as well and upgraded from her vstar 650 to a vstar 1100 this year and her insurance went from 500/year to 1100/year.

Now, if over $1000/year is affordable for you, there's no reason you couldn't start on a larger bore cruiser which you may find more suitable to your size. I'm not far off you size wise and although I rode my wifes Vstar 650 (including an across the city on the 401 trip the day we sold it) before, it wasn't ideal simpy from a size standpoint at my height and weight. Will it work? For sure. Is it perfect? Nope.

Vstar 1100 for example is a great easy big-ish bore cruiser that is light for it's CC rating, pretty nimble, and very reliable.

Lots of other suggestions from others here if you're looking outside the cruiser segment.
 
CMC, welcome to the forum.

Bike size and gear are all tolerance based. If you look around you will find pictures of families of five being transported on 125 cc machines in Asia. Theoretically you could go across Canada on a moped if you were tolerant of the performance and ride.

In reality, North American riders mostly ride for fun and you'll miss out on fun if you're not on a suitable bike.

Helmets are mandatory but otherwise you could ride in shorts, a tee and flip flops if you can tolerate pain in the event of an oopsie.

You don't say where you're located and a lot of factors, particularly insurance, are location based.

Enjoy the adventure.
 
Yes, and don't even attempt to guess how much insurance will cost for any given model of motorcycle, there is no logic! Insurance companies can't even agree on a cost or formula for their outrageous liability insurance rates and that's why everybody is talking about shopping around or changing companies on a regular basis. Sadly the way underwriters see it; you are less risk to them on an underpowered machine featuring marginal brakes, crap suspension and poor handling at higher speeds.

Best luck, stay safe and have tons of fun.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I live in Brampton. I'm looking more for a cruiser. More specifically a Shadow, Vulcan or a Boulevard. The woman I was speaking to at the insurance company said that her son rides a CBR600 and pays a lot for insurance. I'm worried because I'm thinking I need something at least that sixe. However, if I can get away with something under 500, I should be good for a little while.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I live in Brampton. I'm looking more for a cruiser. More specifically a Shadow, Vulcan or a Boulevard. The woman I was speaking to at the insurance company said that her son rides a CBR600 and pays a lot for insurance. I'm worried because I'm thinking I need something at least that sixe. However, if I can get away with something under 500, I should be good for a little while.
Cbr600 is a supersport. Insurers in the GTA are charging a huge surcharge to insure them. Cruisers are a completely different story and do not carry the same surcharge. You should easily be able to insure a 600cc + cruiser. Try the cooperators insurance.
 
@CMC I have a 750 cc Shadow. When I started in my late 30s I was paying just shy of $1000 a year.
It's a great bike but a little under powered for some (not for me).
There is a member here selling a 2001 Intruder 800. I think @killvino is thw member. That might be worth a look. Oh, and I wasn't too far off your weight as well.
I didn't read the whole op but if you are looking for gear I love Kijiji. Can't always find stuff for guys our size, but when you do, they are usually a good deal.
And almost forgot welcome to the forum!
Where in Brampton are you?

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I started riding last year, and same age as you. I am in Scarborough. When shopping for insurance for a cruiser it was like this.
250cc $500
650cc-750cc $1600
1690cc $1800

To me I just went for the 1690cc for $200 why not get what I wanted.

You might want to go sit on some bikes to see what fit your size.

Good luck!


Sent from the moon!
 

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