Sorry if this thread is out of place. I’m not a moto guy at all but my good friend is looking to get his first non-dirt bike. So I was wondering what are the good dealers around the area that don’t tend to rip people off and have good service.
To put a little info about it my friend is looking for a cruiser and has been leaning towards the Honda Shadow or Yamaha V Star style and he would prefer not to buy new since it will be his first bike and he is pretty sure that it will get dropped a few times.
The only problem he has been having with size is that for these bikes the 250 Is just really small and then 600 is the next step. He is also a pretty big guy (not fat but muscular) and holding up a 600 is no problem.
His biggest concern with the 250 was that once he got comfortable riding it, the bike just is physically to small to fit him with his wife on the back.
Also I should note that he is not a mechanic at all so he is weary of buying from craigslist and getting something that needs more work than he can do.
He grew up on a farm in New Mexico so he has ridden dirt bikes as a kid but I don’t know how much. He has never ridden a bike in traffic or anything bigger than a 125cc two stroke.
The thing is all the dealers around here, if not across the country, someone is bound to have something bad to say about it. Just saying. I would suggest go to dealer in person look at the bikes and talk to the guys there, if he got a bad vibe about it then just leave and find another dealer.
If he plans to look for a bike on CL, do try to find someone that is some what familiar with street bikes to help him. Mechanically incline or not, he is bound to have to do some maintenance on the bike himself; I would suggest a FI bike for peace of mind.
He does not have his license yet, he is getting his permit asap and then once he has a bike he will be taking the safety course through the Navy which is good for getting the license and he has to take it anyway before the Navy will let him ride.
Thanks for your input, we already went to Herba Motor Company in Amsterdam and they seemed cool there but since we are both military and new to the area I was just looking for some input that might narrow down results and save some driving time.
herba is nice, they have 3 shadows, but all new, check christmans cycles they are also very nice in palentine area! why does he plan on dropping it? my dad has been riding since 85 and never been down once… I have only been riding for a month now on my permit lol…
Dirtbikes and road bikes are two very different animals, but I can say that holding them up is pretty similar lol. Make sure he gets a decent jacket at least to go with that bike.
what is good gear to ride with? i got my HJC lid of course, and my 0-60 jacket all padded and nice, then i just been wearing jeans, over the ankle boots, and like thin gloves, but that week it was nice and i was out riding i was extremly hot…
my dad wears helmet, jeans, and a tshirt. but i still feel so much safer with a jacket on… long story to short question, Whats good summer gear that breaths good but protects good?
I wear full leather all summer with boots. My jacket has vents in it that work well. Perforated leather will breathe much better than solid leather, and textile with armor in it will breathe better yet but is not nearly as safe as leather. As for the HJC, I have one and don’t really like it. Others say they’re junk IIRC but don’t quote me on that. My next helmet will probably be an arai.