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little v big cc

by Chris
(WA)

I would love some tips on going from a 250cc to a bigger bike I have been told it's quite difficult to master the power change on the throttle and most people do the most damage to them selfs and bike in this learning period I don't want to ride a 250cc forever

Comments for little v big cc

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Sep 06, 2012

Movin' on up
by: Dotty

I've been riding for 8 years and started riding on a Yamaha 250. I am so glad I did. It enabled me to learn all the basics of operating a motorcycle, maneuving the twisties and gaining confidence. The second year I upgraded to a Yamaha 650 Custom, an increase of about 150 or so lbs. I loved it and it handled the highways and mountains very well, riding to Colorado and New Mexico a couple of times and East Tennessee a couple of times. In 2010 I upgraded again to a Yamaha 950 (615 pounds). This is by far my best bike yet. Its well balanced and has a low seat height (I'm vertically challenged). Because of the weight I have to be careful when parking and backing up. Said all this to say that I am glad I started with a smaller bike and made the progression to bigger.
Enjoy your experience and ride safe. Its a challenge everyday.

Aug 29, 2012

INFO
by: Anonymous

Thanks Judy your inforamtion is great I will go and test ride the bike first, I too don't ride all year so I will wait till I have a few more spring K under my belt before trying the new bike :)

Aug 29, 2012

Moving up
by: Judy

Since the Bonneville is basically a "standard" type with upright ergonomics, if you fit on it well and it's comfortable you shouldn't have any issues. That bike should work well for many types of riding, a versatile ride for most any application.

What I do find sometimes is that many new riders want to move up too soon sometimes. There often is a tendency toward overconfidence when they start getting comfortable on their first bike. If you have at least a few thousand miles down and feel like the bike no longer presents any sort of challenge--in other words your abilities are now beyond the bike's capability, rather than vice-versa, generally you're ready to move up.
A prudent rider knows they can always learn more. I don't ride year 'round anymore due to my arthritis, so every spring when I feel rusty from not riding much between October - April it's almost like relearning to ride again.

Even if your heart is set on this bike make sure it feels/fits right before you take it home. Back in '03 I really wanted a new KTM Duke, but the seat height was a bit much for my inseam, so I waited and bought a Kawasaki Z1000 instead; it fit me much better.

Aug 29, 2012

big v little
by: Chris

Sorry should have mentioned I ride a Kawasaki VN 250cc cruiser so I don;t think weight will be a problem, I want a Triumph Bonnieville I only ride on main roads for plesure

Aug 29, 2012

A LOT depends on your current model and type
by: Judy

First off, what model and type of 250cc do you currently have? There are very significant differences in performance between, say, and Honda Nighthawk or Rebel 250 vs. a Kawasaki Ninja 250, or a Yamaha and Suzuki Cruiser style 250.

If you are contemplating moving up, what type of riding and roads, and subsequently, what genre or type of bike (standard, sport, Cruiser, Dualsport, Supermoto, etc.) are you contemplating moving to?

There's a lot of differences in seat height, weight, chassis, handling and power between all of these types of bikes. Unless we know more about your riding goals and types of bikes you're contemplating, it's difficult to give anything in the way of concise guidance.

Please elaborate further. I've been riding for over 35 years, and own 12 different street bikes from 55cc to 1000cc, so I feel I can give a good perspective of what may work depending on additional information you provide.

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