[mpatch]

I have been seeing a lot of threads about this topic. IMHO Wee in not a very good starter bike, tallish seat height, kinda heavy. I think that a first bike should be a little sub 500cc lightweight type. If you have never riden a bike buy something cheap ride it for a few months then decide what you want the bike to do and go from there. When you drop a cheap bike you don't get as butt hurt as you do with an expensive/nicer one. You know the old saying there's those that have laid a bike down and those that will, most of the time this occurs in the first few months of riding. We had a ton of bike fatalities last year in CO and the majority (7 out of 10 according to some stats) of those were from inexperienced riders.

 

[greywolf]

I like a 175-250cc dual purpose bike for learning to ride as long as the rider has long enough legs for the seat height. Start with the dirt aspect. Falling in the dirt is easier on the bike and rider and the rider learns to handle loose surfaces before venturing onto the street.

 

[Jac Bike]

I humbly disagree. I think the Wee IS a good starter bike.

It's power delivery is predictable and even--you have to want to make it scream before it does, and even then, you are not likely to rocket to oblivian the way you could on a 600 cc sport bike.

The tall-ish nature of the bike does lend itself to normally proportioned riders, but physical fit is required of any bike to rider pairing.

Finally, the Wee (as with the Vee) is wonderfully utilitarian. It is an all-purpose, go-anywhere bike that you are not likely to outgrow. If you drop it (as a few of us have), you pick it back up, order some flush front turn signals, and keep on going. No problem. Parts are cheap and maintenance is easy.

I think it's a great starter bike.

 

[Big B]

Neither Vee is a good starter bike...............hell it isn't even a good choice for allot of people, but many seem to think they can still ride it.

 

[mpatch]

I like a 175-250cc dual purpose bike for learning to ride as long as the rider has long enough legs for the seat height. Start with the dirt aspect. Falling in the dirt is easier on the bike and rider and the rider learns to handle loose surfaces before venturing onto the street.

I grew up riding/racing dirt bikes. Have been riding offroad since I was about 9. Very true many of the lessons learned off road translate to the street and hurt much less. I have crashed dirtbikes so many times I cannot even count, everything from the mid-air dismount to the 6th gear wide open getting tires in 2 different ruts and seeing the bike cartwheel over my head as I did the rag doll. Only actually crashed once on the street, but I have dropped bikes a time or two on the road.
are graphic pics a no no on this site? not sure so I'll just post the boot pic.

 

[greywolf]

I'm a former MSF instructor and a mentor at the motorcycle safety site at Motorcycle Safety Site
A 650cc bike with over 60hp and close to 500lb that easily can be damaged to the tune of over $100 in a 0mph drop is not a good beginner bike. Get some riding experience first.

 

[tmcgee]

Anybody who is questioning whether they should start on a Vstrom, prolly should not.

 

[blzr78]

This is my first bike, and have had it for 3 years.

However i took the msf class on a buell got my endorsement, and rode a buddys little bmw a few times for about 8 hours a day. But we are only talking about 30 hours of riding experience, and think think the wee was a good choice.:thumbup:

 

[mpatch]

This is my first bike, and have had it for 3 years.

However i took the msf class on a buell got my endorsement, and rode a buddys little bmw a few times for about 8 hours a day. But we are only talking about 30 hours of riding experience, and think think the wee was a good choice.:thumbup:

a lot of riders don't put 30 hours actual saddle time in a year (think middle aged Hardly owners)

 

[greywolf]

There are undoubtedly thousands of stories of people with big bikes as their first bikes and they did fine. Unfortunately, there are many cases that did not go so well, including many first ride crashes. Learn to ride by taking a proper course and keep the first bike a reasonable size.

YouTube - first ride motorcycle crash

 

[seuadr]

i have to agree that the wee is not the best choice for a starter bike. Perosnally i learned to ride on a very top heavy bike and did just fine, but i think i also got really, really lucky. I have to agree with others in that a smallish <500cc light bike is the best to learn on. one of the best recommendations for a small enduro or dirt bike is everything tends to be rubbermade, so either doesn't get damaged, or is cheap to replace. just my 2 cents!

- Jared

 

[Spartan]

I'm not sure if I'm a newbie or not. The last bike I had was 37 years befor I bought the Strom.

In my opinion.....the Strom is not a good first bike if you are impatient, short and all your riding is in the city. Last year, everything was going wrong for me. Dropped the bike second and fourth time out, huge turn radiuses, feet barely reached the ground and if the surface was uneven, had balls-to-mouth experience until I touched terra firma. EVERYTHING started to change when I lowered the bike by 3/4 of an inch.

This year, I was concerned enough to think about selling the bike but after the first give minutes on the bike, a huge smile cracked across my face and hasn't left it since.

The big down side is the size and weight of the bike, the HUGE upside is a very tractable engine that doesn't surprise you. The size/weight issue starts to dissipatate as one rides more. When I "analyze" why, well, as a newbie, one tends to take notice and freak out at the amount of balance the bike requires. As one gains experience, balancing it becomes more subconscious and less of an issue. The weight is still there, but the body becomes "one" with the bike. The other day, the bike weight disapppeared from my mind until I did a quick left/right and hoped to my driveway. I let out a "f'off" when I lost the balance just a bit and 500 pounds said hello.

Soooo....

If one takes a course, practices and rides the bike like it's a limo ferrying the Queen, it's not a huge problem. In time, the body will adjust to the weight and the tractable engine will not surprise. On the other hand, the bike will punish a yahoo newbie.

That's my two cents......

 

[Spartan]

And before I forget....

Newbie should ask question form experience riders. There is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to safety. There is NO pride or ego in not knowing and putting oneself in danger. NONE. ZERO. Even if some of the vets in here roll their eyes because they have seen that question 2 million times before, there will be newbie like me who are more then glad to share their experiences/problems.

 

[SittingDuck]

I'm going to say this about starting on a wee as a first bike:
Yes, you have a chance of doing fine with it; you may even never drop it.
You will however never (as in "not once in your riding career"), ride as well as someone who got started on a smaller bike.

A bike is something you shouldn't have to think about. That means not thinking about what you do with the throttle, what that weird wobble was back there over that tar snake, not having to think about where you'll put your foot down when you stop, definitely not thinking about how to balance it.

If when you're riding, a single thought has to go to the machine, then you're riding too much bike for you.

Here's a test of whether the wee is a good beginner bike:
- With the engine stopped and the stand up, straddle the bike, put both feet on the pegs, stand up and count at least two seconds before putting a foot to the ground again.
- Now go repeat this with a beginner bike, and you'll immediately see the difference.

I've over half a million kilometres on at least 13 bikes, and if I weren't as experienced (i.e. if I didn't have the muscle memory to for example save an off-balance bike that just stalled in the middle of a walking-speed u-turn and locked the rear wheel on me), I woulda dropped my wee many times...

Best way to begin is on something in the 125-250cc range that weighs much less than 200 kg.

 

[mpatch]

I'm going to say this about starting on a wee as a first bike:
Yes, you have a chance of doing fine with it; you may even never drop it.
You will however never (as it "not once in your riding career"), ride as well as someone who got started on a smaller bike.

A bike is something you shouldn't have to think about. That means not thinking about what you do with the throttle, what that weird wobble was back there over that tar snake, not having to think about where you'll put your foot down when you stop, definitely not thinking about how to balance it.

If when you're riding, a single though has to go to the machine, then you're riding too much bike for you.

Here's a test of whether the wee is a good beginner bike:
- With the engine stopped and the stand up, straddle the bike, put both feet on the pegs, stand up and count at least two seconds before putting a foot to the ground again.
- Now go repeat this with a beginner bike, and you'll immediately see the difference.

I've over half a million kilometres on at least 13 bikes, and if I weren't as experienced (i.e. if I didn't have the muscle memory to for example save an off-balance bike that just stalled in the middle of a walking-speed u-turn and locked the rear wheel on me), I woulda dropped my wee many times...

Best way to begin is on something in the 125-250cc range that weighs much less than 200 kg.

ha you beat me to it....if you have to think about how to ride the bike under normal conditions it's not the bike for you. Small bikes are so much more forgiving. I'm sure we all remember the first time the back end slipped out from under us due to that unseen gravel/oil etc.. or the front tire skid due to the same. When those happen on a heavy high bike they are much harder to recover from. I have been telling people for years buy a moped as a first bike. I see so many riders that put themselves at risk mainly due to poor lane placement (riding where least visible to others).

 

[SittingDuck]

Good point about the moped; I started riding on a 50cc scooter (for a year) before moving to a kawi kz400. My next bike was a gsx-750E, and that was too much. I kept it, but got a lot more seat-time on my xl-250. After a couple of years and a ninja 500, the gsx-750 was fine, and I moved up to an 1100, and then larger and ever more powerful bikes. After all that, I've decided that the wee was just perfect for me. I miss and lust after the smooth power and shaft-drive of the k1200gt, but that bike could easily become a handful if it weren't for its awesome brakes; that, and the handling takes some getting used to if you're not accustomed to bmw's k series...
I still have a brick (k-100RS), but I haven't ridden it in years.

I stand by the "stand on the pegs with the bike stopped" test; if you can't do it, it's the wrong bike.

My wife is currently taking a course (even though I'm an instructor); She's the only one there that hasn't bought a bike yet. The rest in her group all have harleys, except for one gsxr750. I think people buy their first new bike too soon. First you must learn to ride.

 

[Spartan]

Good thing experienced riders never drop their Wee/Vees.

It's also important to be very light when one starts riding. Anyone who weighs more then 120 pounds should not learn to ride because their combined bike and personal mass will break the Golden Weight Rule. It's internet scientific fact that the brain has an internal weight scale and if that is exceeded, the rider is doomed to destroy that scale.

This....

Can lead the proper path to this.....