So... motorcycles...

[Greg]

I may drive fast, but the one thing I try never to do is to surprise anyone on the road with me. Surprises are what kill you (and motorcyclists are oh so much more vulnerable to surprises).

I was explaining that to my kids the other day. Traffic engineers constantly harp on "not violating driver expectation."

An interesting perspective, being a traffic engineer.

Oh, and related to being prepared for surprises, and not surprising other people.... is paying attention.

Maintaining situational awareness is the best way to not be surprised. Being an oblivious nitwit is the best way to be surprised by even the most obvious thing.

I read somewhere that recently there was a study done that concluded that most traffic accidents were caused by people simply being distracted and not paying attention, and that the leading cause of distracted driving - worse than cell phones, texting, and all the other things that put the nannies in full high dudgeon - was daydreaming.

So PAY ATTENTION, because the idiots around you sure aren't. I remember Chris had some long posts about riding and situational awareness, someone might want to dig them up (I can never find anything here in a timely manner).

[Highspeed]

I just noticed you mentioned the BMW 650 Ag, missed that first time around.
The Policia Local here use those a lot, almost exclusively. Useful on both carretera and camino. I suspect a guy your size might find one a little cramped on longer rides though.

The V-Strom is seen as a 'sensible tourer' in Europe, kind of an old mans bike. Which makes perfect sense until someone carefully explains the torque and horsepower figures to you I'd love one of the V-Strom 650 engines in a real stripped down chassis - flat track style...the 1000 would be way too much engine for me in a format like that.

[Aglifter]

Oh, my initial desire was to try to take up flat track racing. But, no races really anywhere close to me... But, I might build one in the pasture...

[Highspeed]

Oh, my initial desire was to try to take up flat track racing. But, no races really anywhere close to me... But, I might build one in the pasture...

You'll develop some pretty good riding skills if you do that. Even a quite modestly powered off road bike will let you unhook the back tyre and broadside on that kind of surface. Shit, I've got enough space to build one here...probably better forget that idea though...for now

Racing I'm kind of cynical about. I was involved in bike racing ( as a mechanic, not a rider ) and the cost\enjoyment ratio seems pretty low to me. In other words you are spending a lot of money for a very short adrenalin rush. But that's just my opinion and based on what it costs in the UK. YMMV...

[g-man]

Living 3ish miles off the paved road in Tombstone while I was in AZ for the first time improved my riding skills immensely. When I got to the point I was doing 50 down a washboarded dirt / sand road on a sportbike and steering with the throttle... I figured I had picked up at least a modicum of skill and also realized I need to slow the hell down out there.

At 6'4" ~250# you're not technically too large for a Rebel or the like, but you'll definitely feel overly cramped. The Beginnerbikers.org forum I've been on for the last 8 years or so has a pretty good rule of thumb for starter bikes: <50hp, <500 lbs. The V-strom 650 busts the horsepower requirement by a little bit, but is definitely under the weigh limit, so it's what we call a 'grey area' bike. It's a great all-rounder, and for someone your size it won't be unreasonably large.

As for things like TC and ABS, some are better than others. ABS is great for pavement, but generally not well tuned for dirt applications. TC is generally the same, e.g. the early Concours-14 TC HAS to be shut off while on gravel, since it basically loses its mind and simply quits. The newest TC systems are pretty astounding, but I haven't tested them on dirt so I wouldn't know how well they'd work. Kawi's system can be switched off though, so you can get around it when necessary.

I'll definitely reiterate the advice to take the MSF courses, as they're all good. I've taken the same 3 Chris mentioned (as well as the Military Sportbike Rider's Course, which is a variant of the Advanced course) and plan to take the RiderCoach course as soon as it's offered again out here. Having done trackdays and race licensing courses I can say that the MSF courses are hands down some of the best training available.

[blackeagle603]

did somebody say "flat track?"

harley-davidson-aermacchi-ala-doro-350-2-3142.jpg

...and you have pasture to ride in? What are you waiting for?

Move up the XR750 later.

[Aglifter]

Should I really worry about the horsepower limits, if I'm used to racing cars? Admittedly, its been awhile, but it wouldn't be the first time I was on something which could move. What about those BMW GS things... (I just like the looks of them.)

I won't have a pasture until the fall. Which is good, as it will be too cold to run on the beach by then - but the pasture is a good place to run, I suppose... (Tends to wear the dog out though - I don't take him running here.)

[g-man]

The horsepower and weight rules of thumb came out of a collective "What does a good beginner bike look like" and like I said isn't completely hard and fast. Being familiar with racing cars, you'll understand the issue with power to weight ratio, and that bikes are way, way quicker than a huge percentage of cars. One of the great things about the V-strom / SV motors is that they're V-twins, so they have a very flat torque curve, and make horsepower very linearly. They pull evenly across the RPM range, so there aren't any real surprises like some of the I-4 (and pretty much all 2-stroke) motors.

The issue for many (mostly younger, adrenaline junkie type) beginning riders is that they'll select a new(er) inline-4 cylinder 600cc sportbike, and say they'll 'respect the power'. Which is all well and good until they're cruising 2-gears lower than they should, hit a bump with the tach near the 8k mark, and an accidental throttle blip turns into a big wheelie or spins up the tire in a corner because they don't understand that the bike will do exactly what you tell it, and the race replicas are very prompt in doing so. 'Beginner friendly' bikes have a bit larger 'flash to bang time' if you will, and so they don't punish ham-fisted throttle or braking inputs quite as harshly.

The GS bikes are AWESOME. Again, grey area based on the established rule of thumb, but based on your size not a horrible choice. They're a little tall for most, but again, based on your size they're not unreasonable. BMW maintenance costs can be higher (surprise, surprise), but they're very competent bikes and come extremely well recommended. The 1200s are a bit on the heavy side, and have WAY more horsepower than I'd recommend for a beginning rider (125!), but IIRC the older ones didn't have quite so much horsepower, and all of the smaller GS models (650, 700, etc) aren't models I'd recommend against in your case.

[JAG2955]

I have a KLR650. Stuck in traffic? Hop a curb. Go offroad, it'll handle it. Granted, I haven't ridden it in 2 years because the Corps makes it as difficult as possible to ride, plus, I FEEL/it SEEMS like everyone is actively trying to kill me here. Of course, it's the same in the truck, but I stand a (much) better chance of surviving. I do believe that because it sits very high, it catches an extraordinary amount of wind.

Go take the MSF Basic Rider's Course. Then decide if you want one.

[Termite]

Bang-for-general-purpose buck, it's very difficult to beat the KLR 650.
The 650 WeeStrom would be next; it's better on the road than the KLR, but not as good on gravel or off-road. In fact, it may be my next bike; all though I wish Suzuki would bore/stroke it to 750cc.

Kawasaki's Versys deserves a mention here. It's really more UJM/semi-sport; it will do dirt roads OK, but it isn't really made for them. It will carve up traffic or back roads quite well. Aglifter may find it a bit of a tight fit, though.