As an ageing motorcyclist with 60 years of riding, mostly off road, I am relearning the joy of a much lighter bike that literally becomes a living extension of your body. I don't think I ever would have been able to, or even want to develop the skill set required to master the beast of a large, heavy ADV bike. Those who do amaze me. Take care of yourselves, you youngsters, so you can enjoy riding a lightweight bike when you reach my age. If they exist by then. Happy travels

I am HUGE proponent of first bike for anything should be used, the smallest that can do the intended purpose and preferably a bit cosmetically challenged. You don't lose any money if you put 10K miles on it or add a few dings/scratches and resell it a 12-24 months later when you are POSITIVE you need something bigger. Heck, if you buy it in winter and sell it at the beginning of a riding season, occasionally you can make money. Until the much more capable water-cooled Rebels came out my three go-to first bikes I helped people buy were Rebel 250, XT225 and the EX/ZX500. All but one (I only remember 5 people I helped get into the sport but likely there are more) sold that starter bike a while later only losing the cost of the registration and a turn signal or lever. The one that kept the XT225 is still riding it as his bomb-around town and through woods bike when he upgraded to an SV650. One other bike I sold to friend for his wife to learn on was a 1983 Shadow 500 which is a phenomenal starter bike if you wanted to avoid the chain for a street bike...even at 40+ years old it does all street things better than it has an business doing.

Great advice. I got back into bikes after a 35 year gap. I bought a new 2013 Honda 250 L. I also took a MSF saftey course before i bought the bike. I thought i wanted to do single track so I moved up to a used 2011 Husky 449. I learned quickly I wanted to do more ADV riding than single track and then bought a KLR. That lasted about 2 years. I then bought a GS 800. I also took some off road training. I think if I would have started with the GS that would have been a huge mistake, or even the KLR. Both are heavy. Keep the content coming

Having owned many bikes over the years, I can't agree more that people buying overpowered bikes instead of smaller beginner bikes are risking their health. We always had a saying that if you could survive the first year without getting killed, you might make it. You can't grow into the bike if you're dead. As far as enduro type bikes, I had a 600 xl Honda years back, and bought a 350 Suzuki enduro about six years ago. The 350 was too small to safely drive on the highway. I recently bought a 2016 krl 650, and found your channel researching the bike before I bought it. Its pretty slow compared to my 900 Ninja, and its not as comfortable as my Royal Venture, and it doesn't take bumps like some of the dirt bikes ive owned, but all in all Im pretty happy with it. Im 60 years old and got my bike licence the day I turned 16. I live in Canada in Ontario. If your ever coming to Muskoka, I'll show you around. I enjoy your channel. Cheers.

Another good topic guys. My first dirt riding orientated bike was my DR650. I bought it mainly for riding gravel roads. But that built more skill for riding those conditions before I got my AT. Regarding power, I’ve heard guys saying that like the AT doesn’t have much power, well hell my DR650 on a loose surface would spin at 50mph of you twisted it. You can’t utilize 150hp anywhere really except pavement.

I followed the advice of a very experienced rider and went with a Suzuki DR650. There is so much you can do with these. Gear them up or down. Fairing kits, headlight mods, taillight mods, frame mods, cowlings, food pegs, skid plates, tanks, handlebars, panier racks and rear racks, carbs, ECT. ECT. ECT. And everything is easy to work on. It's forgiving on maintenance and has long maintenance intervals. What I love about the DR650 is how no matter what gear your in, your in the right gear. Highway is no problem, freeway is sketchy but doable (I avoid freeways like I-5 normally but more so on the bike) and off road....... Please. It's not that heavy and it is easy to pickup. Been riding mine for 6 years now and bought is used with about 3k on the clock. Has nearly 12k now. No sign of having any issues or problems. Live my DR!

I’ve owned a t7, and test rode a crf300l rally. I immediately felt way more confident on the crf than I’ve ever felt owning on the t7. I sold the t7 and bought a mt07. If I would I have test rode the crf earlier I would probably still have a crf.

Smaller bikes are funner on the dirt. My Tiger 800 is super fun on FS Roads and gravel but scares the bejebus out of me on technical rocky roads. New to me KLX250 is crazy fun on trails and 2 tracks, can't wait to ride with ya'll at the campout.

@henryjanssen7851

Ай бұрын

I’ve got the same the 800 tiger is fantastic but I need a smaller bike as well I’m going to try the cfmoto 450 mt

Started years ago with a rebel 250. Sold it after a season. Didn't ride for ten years. Then bought a Magna 700. Wanted an apocalypse bike. Bobbed it up. Aggressive tires. Then wanted to take a trip out west. Needed a bike with better mileage. Picked up an 09 F650GS(800cc twin). Crash bars, panniers, heated grips, actual 50/50 tires. It's a weekend camper, a road tripper, a cruiser for the gf and i. I did just put a slightly less aggressive set of tires(tkc70/70 rocks) on because honestly, I take a lot more paved roads during the week than I do gravel and trails every other weekend. But it's been really the best bike I can think of for myself and my current riding style.

Great advice. I am a MSF Instructor and wanted to get back into dirt riding that I grew up in. My current bike is a fully farkled 1250GS. Could I have taken that off-road and started getting back the skill set that I needed to ride safely?….. Doubt it….. I purchased a new KLX300…. I’m having so much fun on that bike! I now have the best of both worlds….. I bike I’m not afraid to drop and learn on… and a bike I can take on the street comfortably and start doing more things off-road using skills I learned on the KLX.

Just got back into riding after a 20 year layoff. I'm 61, wanted a light adventure/dual sport bike for Colorado mountains and Utah desert. Ended up getting a new Beta 390 RRS which at first was like, whoa, this thing's kinda over my head. But since have learned the bike and absolutely love it for my purposes. I did a lot of research before I chose the Beta and have no regrets whatsoever for buying new, its frickin perfect for what I do.

After selling my BMW R100RT I waited two years and decided on a cheap FB Marketplace special, a 2007 Vstrom DL1000 with 40k on the odo. It was cheap ($3000) and so far so good! I ride almost exclusively on the road and need a bigger bike, 6'3, 220lbs.

As a super senior rider 77 picking up the bike is paramount to riding by yourself. Two bikes is the solution. A 250-350,for,fun on the trails where you may trailer,the bike too and then a in my case a 800 for Hwy riding to,the off,road stuff. I find they while riding the larger bike I may see a trail I want to ride but won’t do it on the 800 although a piece,of,cake,with the smaller bike. Both have their place. Your advice in my opinion is spot on! Perfect! Ben I always look to,see what bike your riding and where. I notice you have a really fun time on,the smaller,bike especially on single,track., looking forward,to,your summer video’s. Have a great summer and safe.

Having gone up and down the ladder on bike size over the years I keep finding myself going back to the small and mid-size bikes. I've had the huge liter-plus glass bikes (Road Star 1700, Concours 14, Vstrom 1000) and they're nice for racking up huge amounts of highway miles or riding with a passenger, but anywhere else they're just a big bulky heavy beast that you're wrestling with. That's why I went with the new TransAlp over something larger like an Africa Twin or KTM 1290 Adventure or a BMW 1250 GS. It's big enough to do the big miles, but it's also small and light enough to do some light to intermediate off-pavement riding. I also sold my old DR650 dual-sport with plans to eventually replace it with a smaller dual-sport that I can throw on the hitch carrier to haul down to where I can do more serious dual-sport riding on the weekends. Being in NW Ohio it's a good 2-3 hour drive minimum to get so some decent riding in eastern or southeastern Ohio, southern Indiana, or mid- Michigan, and riding that far at highway speeds on a small dual-sport flat out sucks and wears you out.

Thanks you guys for talking about this topic

I am a brand new rider at 41 I got a used DRZ 400. I like it I have a lot of learning to do. My only gripe is the 2.6 gal tank I live in Wyoming and I would like more than 100miles of range.

@Kephartable

Ай бұрын

There used to be a safari tank for that bike that was like almost 5 gallons, Clarke and others made 3.5 g tanks have one on my 400e. Or Giant Loop makes a soft 1 or 2 gallon you could strap to the back rack

I rode my dad's moped when I was a teenager, but the first bike I bought for myself was a Suzuki Bandit 1200. ($500 from a buddy, also I'm 6'4") While I could physically ride it, it just wasn't enjoyable to do so. And now the Bandit hasn't moved (it does get started) ever since I got a Honda Navi, which I ride freaking everywhere!

I am learning off-road riding on an 2023 890 adv R. This may be a poor choice as I can get like 10% out of what the bike can do, but it's been a great learning experience for me. Advanced skills may take longer, but it's getting me on the kinds of trails I appreciate and handling the fact I some time need to ride more than 100 KM to get to them, which I didn't want to try doing on something like a CRF300L

After years of riding street bikes. 1000cc , I jumped to a KTM 950 adventure.. was ok. but needed to learn how to ride dirt better. I stuck to fire roads on the KTM for 2 years and realized I need to improve my skill. So I just bought a CRF 300LS and love it so far!! defiantly learning more about dirt riding... I would start small dual sport then add a large adventure bike after 2 years or so..

As someone who started offroad on a 750GS and very quickly moved to a 1250GS I wish I'd gotten this advice when I started. I'm now trying to work out how to afford keeping the 1250 and getting a 450 to learn how to actually ride offroad. It would have been much better to start on a 300 or 400 and working up to something bigger. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the 1250 and it's awesome on and offroad, but it's more bike than I can handle 😂

@AaronShifflettDesign

Ай бұрын

I'm in an similar boat. I started on a F750GS and while I'm fine with doing nice fireroads but I lose my confidence when they're messed up. I got a Beta 390 RRS and it's way better for learning, but still, I think I'd be better off on a smaller, shorter bike. If only I could plate a CRF250F....

I've only ridden off road twice. For my first time my friend took me to the snow in the hills above Hood River (he swears he didn't know there was still snow up there). That was Hell but I learned a lot. My 2nd time was just a week ago in the high desert around Bend where I took my first dual track, single track, sand traps, woops, mini rock gardens, and other assorted trail related obstacles. I learned so much and I'm totally hooked. I'm really glad I got the KLX300 and not something bigger. I think my next bike is going to be the new Triumph 250.

I'm suffering decision paralysis. I rode all sizes of motorcycles around North Thailand (110-750cc) for six months and fell in love with motorcycles. But now I'm moving back to Seattle/Tacoma area. I want to start with a used CRF300L Rally or CB500X. I'd drive to Mt Baker area, Ellensburg, Stevens Pass area, around the greater Mt Rainer area, and the peninsula. But it's the sections of highway that are throwing me off. I want to buy small enough to grow and learn on; like this conversion (I agree with what theses two are saying), but again the highways messing with me. I want to use my bike for weekend adventures on forest service roads, camping, and around town during the week. Please help with your thoughts. I'm stuck.

I started on a 350 Honda in the mid 90s, spent 10 years moving to a 900cc bike and then got a r1200gs fit touring, tried taking it off-road and sucked at it. I didn’t start to get decent (still not great) until I got a xt250. It’s not the greatest road bike but I love it in the woods! Taking it on my first BDR in June.

As a EMR, I have had the unfortunate job of putting to many motorcyclists in body bags. None were on "beginner" bikes. I have never responded to a single 911 call for someone on a "beginner" bike. Every one was a bigger bike. The ones that died, most didn't live long enough to pay the first payment .The "I learned on a big bike" guys have survivor bias. The people that have the opposing result are either dead or have quit riding. An and the big bike guys are usully not that great a rider. The real good riders are on groms. While the big bike guys are worried about dropping their new investment, the grom guys are throwing them on the ground until they can do crazy things. A year later, the grom guys can leterally ride circles around the big bike guys. I tell new riders, they need to buy someone elses predropped bikes as your first bike. If you cant afford to kick a bike over on day one, its not a good starter bike. A 250 rebel with a big dent in the tank is a good option. You buy it, drop it 20 times learning then sell it for what you pay for it. Off road is the same. If your afraid to kick it over, its not a good starter bike for you. Get an old 250, trash it while learning, sell it for what you paid for it an then buy something nice.

@zon3ful

Ай бұрын

I started doing my drivers license on a MT 07 which has about 70hp .Note that I have never in my life sat on a motorbike before. This was my first time. Sure i was scared but I have never felt it's too powerful for me. Though I had respect for the motorbike, so I was very easy on the throttle. In fact, it's way easier to then jump to a "big" bike just because your are already used to the somewhat heavy and powerful bike. I don't get this notion that you should learn on a slow little (clown?) bike like a Grom .I don't know about the US but where I'm from it's kind of a hassle buying and reselling bikes. It's not cheap and you probably get a lemon, so it can quickly become a money sink. Just fyi, my first bike is a V-strom 650. Yes it's not a huge BMW, but it's still pretty big and I get along with it just fine. The power is there when you need it and it's nice enough to ride. I do admit it probably is not the easiest bike to the tight slow turns with, but I like a challenge and I'm getting better at it.

@RebelCowboysRVs

Ай бұрын

@@zon3ful Buying an selling bikes is easy in the US. My current bike I bought in Kentucky. Payed the guys wife, guy signed the title, an I hauled it back to Georgia. Stooped by my insurance agent an gave them the VIN. They handed me a paper. I took that paper an the signed title to the tag office, payed something like $20 for the tag, $20 for the title an something like 5% sales tax. Total fees were a little over $100 on this bike. When I sell it I sign the title for them, drop by the tag office to cancel the tag an stop by my insurance agent to tell them I sold it. Mind you this is not a emissions or safety testing state. Some states you need to run by an inspection station an spend another $100.

I'm 6'4 " 300lbs, I rode a 500cc 2 stroke in the desert in my my 20's. I got back into riding after over 30+ years. I bought a Vstrom 650 and traveled the country for 3 months. There were a few times that I wanted more power, but there were a lot of times when I wanted less weight. My next bike will be a dualsport (possibility pure off-road) in the 250cc - 400cc range. It will do the type of adventures I enjoy most much better.

There are so many motorcycle options it's crazy. I'm not a beginner, but i haven't been on a motorcycle in 12 years or so. I'm thinking of getting something like the triumph 900. It's not the smallest or cheapest, but it does well on the highway, and dirt roads.

Solid advice. Good video. Looking forward to seeing you two at Plain. P.S. Same thing happened to me on 145 h.p. FJR, didn't speed but getting to 80 in 4 seconds was holy ****!! Very dangerous for newbies.

This was very cool. Y'all are great.

Ive been asking this very question around the various places. Im looking to start riding this year and have been debating between the XT250 and the DR650. I want a DR650 but im worried it will be too much bike.

Smart advice from both of you!! Plus sometimes we find out that the motorcycle we need is the one we started off with !

I worked in the motorcycle trade for 30 years and was involved with an Enduro experience school. A lot of the Gsxr type crowd wanted to ride the WR450 Yz250 but soon realised how much more powerful smaller bikes can be off road. By the end of the day most wanted to ride the TTR250/225's as they felt more in control and could actually ride faster. In the UK I see a lot of new riders buy T7's and GS's fully loaded taking on rocky ascents and boggy trails and running into some difficulties. Unfortunately a lot of riders have issues with riding something that's not all singing all dancing race kit. Small and light is best off road but if you are going to do big miles between then it's a compromise. I do think new riders should go up in stages first as it's more fun.

I would consider my Versys X300 a starter bike. I started out on a Kawasaki 125 50 years ago, and guess I haven’t moved up much! But it shows that a starter bike can be a forever ride. I will probably end up with a Super Tenere for long highway trips, but even my 1250 Bandit just sits because I like the little one so much. The Bandit is not at all comfortable 2 up, and my wife wants to ride with me. So a Tenere for light off-road on addition to the X300 will probably be the end result.

My first bike was a 501. I'm glad I didn't get a big heavy bike, now a year in I feel I'm ready to step up into a larger platform. However, I'm so glad I didn't get a DRZ or something. Seems the 500s are the minimum. Would definitely not want any less power for dual sport purposes.

I went from small cc to big cc now evolving back down to small cc! Tdubs rule!😁

Yup yup. You guys nailed it. Ego, whether on the street, or dirt, is the enemy of your progress, and safety. I’m coming from the street (new to dirt), so I’m learning on the 250L until I get good enough to get the Transalp off-road. In the meantime, the Transalp is a blast on-road (only 800 miles so far)

Ok, SPEED. Don't worry, nobody reads my comments, but I hope you do. At the speed you mentioned, just think about this. 1) At the speed you mentioned, you're traveling at 190 ft/sec. 2) human time to recognize a threat 0.75 sec. 3) reaction time, another 0.75 sec. 4) when your fingers touch the front brake lever, you have traveled 285 ft. 5) a heard of Elk (common in my area) presents itself suddenly 300 ft. ahead. I suspect many motorcyclists did not realize they were going down Dead Man's (or Woman's) Alley until that brief 1.5 sec. Take care.

I pull a stoppy first day I got my Buell. Didn't mean to, but light changed quick. And being new to the bike. Well my offroad enduro riding skills kicked in. Plus I had stalled it. Battery died won't start. Had to push it through intersection to get gas and jump start it. I got an adventure bike and it has been an adventure. No headlights. And had to have wife drive in front of me. And she drove so slow.

nice info man

I started on a 125cc enduro then jumped up to a 250cc enduro. I later bought a 450cc cruiser and now have a 750cc standard bike.

For the most part, I agree. I started out on a 91 cr125 and learned dirt. The first time riding It, I was disappointed because it was too small and bought a cr250r That being said, with the bigger adv bikes, it is smart to learn the basics on a bike. You can focus on the basics and not worry about the height and weight and power of a big expensive bike.

Another great one....stay safe this next 3 months,,,and always...keep your feet on the pegs and your right hand cranked! Garth

"Losing $5k is better than losing $25k." - always the best solid advice!

I’m glad we’re friends. Great work, friends

I am looking at starter bikes for my preteens. Mostly small dirt bikes. You have a lot of older viewers. Sure they have kids or grand kids that might want to ride. My first bike was old late 70's 125 yamaha.

Hope to start my channel soon.. Riding around Asia on my bikes.. Please tell. Me do you still think the insta 360 one RS is best option...? *CRAP GAME* 🎉

Excellent advise: "your dream bike is a journey, not a destination. How true.

Used starter bike resells for basically the same as you buy it for. The money concern is a red herring. That said I'm Ben's size and my 'starter' bike was a V-strom 650 it's probably big for a smaller rider or a rider with zero experience but I had rode some bikes when I was younger and the Strom is really tame for a 650. I also wouldn't have had a bad time on a smaller bike likely the 650 just makes the super slab sections more tolerable.

Is the transalp beginner (in rain mode) friendly, or would a CB500X be better?

@DorkintheRoad

24 күн бұрын

Yes if you're careful and okay with the weight. Both are great choices, but the 750 gives you more room to grow. Neither is a good bike to learn off road riding, though.

Yes, buy a starter bike! But don't sell it. I've been riding 40yrs, for the last 30+ years I've had 3 bikes, a small, medium and large. You will get bored if you only have one bike. The small bike is fun at lower speeds and tough terrain. The medium can do everything but not great. The large bike good for higher speeds, bigger loads-but you don't want to drop it and have to pick it up yourself. This way you also have a bike for a riding buddy if he needs one.

Also older rider need to have something that they can handle , downgrading to a bike tha tis more user friendly might be a good idee to enjoy your ride

I hate the term “starter bike” . I’ve rolled some of the largest bikes out there and now that I’m older, and very much more experienced, I’m going back to the smaller cc bikes, so what’s a starter about them?

Both. 😊

21:39 I was waiting for that point to be made! That is one of the biggest reasons I recommend to friends to buy a USED starter bike. Because no one almost ever picks their "perfect" bike first. It's taken me 7 different bikes to finally find the one that I LOVE. But I also know, it's not going to be my forever bike, because one day it's going to die, bad enough that it can't be rebuilt (it's a 2012 so parts will get hard to find soon). There will always be the NEXT bike, and you'll loose way more money if you keep buying the highest dollar "perfect" bike for you in the beginning of your journey.

@michaelkrenzer3296

Ай бұрын

Some of us think there is no one perfect bike. I mean, I am absolutely not a hoarder but I have 6 rideable motorcycles right now and only half of them were made this century. The key really is to buy used if you want a stable instead of a single mount. I have one new bike...not really buyers remorse but it is not better than half my used ones I got for less than half the price.

@Dalton5042

Ай бұрын

@@michaelkrenzer3296 I can completely agree that there is no ONE single perfect bike. If you ask me though, you can get the perfect stable with 2-3 bikes. No reason other than money to not have more though!

@sfjneanrirjlkdfvwliejferjlncv

Ай бұрын

Hard to rebuild is relative. I've completely rebuilt a '92 bike. Sooner or later everything is a wear item, it's on its second frame. Love that thing, it's only my second bike and it's never going away as long as I'm still able to ride the thing. When I was 16, I was *convinced* I needed a ZZR1100 as soon as I was allowed to ride. By the time I was buying my first bike, I had a lot of people give this advice so I bought a Honda NX650 instead. Enough power to be fun but not enough to get in trouble so great learner bike while still being big enough for a 36" inseam. Still miss that thing. I always feel like the advice allowed me to skip at least three bikes that would've been wrong for a noob like me at the time, or would've taught me bad habits. Instead I put 50k miles on that NX, rode it into the ground, learned an awful lot and only then stepped up to the obligatory GS.

Remember, live your own life. You are not to tell anyone what or who and only thing they can ride. Move to Europe if you want to be a pansy. Chuck’s keep pressing these bs laws and here these two are talking about it as if it’s what we need. I rode MX bikes since I was 4 and when I turned 18 I got a brand new off the floor 2008 R1 and loved it. LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE

IMO Dirt/ADV riders are capable of understanding riding a bike you can manage. Cruiser riders are truly offend by that understating. As far as sport bike riders go I do not have the mind capable of understanding sport bike riders. 😁 Hope everyone is having a blast 💯✌🤟🤘

I always try to convince new riders to start off small and remind them that there's no shame in staying alive!

Hey!

Does the guest have a channel or just a rider?

it’ll go it want it to It won’t if you don’t

buy once cry once, go big

I dunno, I think women tend to have more accidents per capita. Just watch the BDR series Those “pro” women ride like newbies Those ladies couldn’t handle the bikes they were on.

America = freedom Europe = restricted (taxes)

Smaller is more capable off road.

Yep. First bike, get something smallish in power and ccs, and old, and cheap. Something you can expect to sell again in a year or two and get basically the same money again. Ride the wheels off of it for a year, do the inevitable parking lot drops, put the scrapes on that old thing, and THEN get your dream bike. By that time you've learned to ride better than you would've on the big one, and chances are by that time your dream bike will have changed anyway. Who knows you might even want to keep the old thing because it's so much fun. And oh yeah testosterone makes you stupid. I remember a conversation with an actual fighter pilot. F16 guy wanted a motorcycle. Gave the above advice. Grumble. Pointed out that they probably didn't stick him directly in the jet fighter but started with some slow shitty propeller thing and that bikes are really no different. That if they'd stuck him in the F16 first go, he'd have either killed himself or shat himself before leaving the runway. Yeah, ok, I had a point. So he bought a 1300cc sportsbike anyway. And threw it down the road on a damp corner, causing a cheap second hand beginners bike worth of damage. And indeed learned to be afraid of bikes and couldn't ride corners worth shit from then on in. But he looked cool for his fighter pilot buddies, I guess.

Really enjoying these podcasts, but it would be cool to have someone with opposite opinions way in on some topics. You guys are like your own echo chambers, which is probably why you’re friends, you have similar mentalities. This topic alone I think is pretty debatable, and full of nuance and could be easily pitched the other way.

@tomfitzgerald4851

Ай бұрын

Really? What's the other take? You save money, but learn fewer skills and are a less safe rider?

@WildlyTame

Ай бұрын

@@tomfitzgerald4851 no and there are a few takes, one of which is buying the Right bike for the type of riding you’re doing, buying a KLR or cb500x because it’s cheaper and easy to ride is a terrible idea in technical terrain and even a air cooled dirt bike is a bad idea, they are heavy and a real chore on technical stuff where a KTM excf350 would be much easier to ride in that terrain, be safer, easier to handle and be more fun.

@timlubbers2884

Ай бұрын

⁠@@tomfitzgerald4851what’s considered a less safe rider? I’ve been riding for over 40 years, owned 50+ motorcycles never been in an accident that was my fault. I’ve never done a riders safety course, never been to a “training course” , and don’t need to jump logs as I know how to navigate around things.

@tomfitzgerald4851

Ай бұрын

@@timlubbers2884 How is that related to the type of bike you buy?

@tomfitzgerald4851

Ай бұрын

@@WildlyTame Okay... right bike for the riding you want to do is correct, and they even seem to touch on that? That doesn't mean you shouldn't buy a bike with weight/power/size appropriate to a beginner rider, if you are a beginner rider. And an argument could be made that beginner riders should also choose riding terrain approrpiate to their skill level too?

Ok! I’m a older guy. I would love to be able to get down a trail for a better view. I like to travel on my bike. I’ve been ridding for years on a big street cruise.I am a rank beginner without off road experience.Where should I start and, still maintain ability to ride distance.

starter first, take your riders course Get really, really sick (5,000miles) of it...then go great guns for road riding. Off-road, different story. Just don't be a stupid testo-rider

@Grace: U recommend the cb500x for new adv rider. Aside from the price difference, is the riding the Transalp is a similar experience for a new ADV rider? Or is it TA different enough that a new ADV rider would find less friendly?

I absolutely love listening to these two talk about bikes!

I'm 51. 6'6. I bought a 1250.

internet riding poochies!

14:05 Grace, the reason is respect. I can’t tell how many times I’ve been criticized by virtue signaling idiots that I’m on the girls bike, or a beginners bike, or starter bike and although I blow them off, it gets tiring dealing with it…

Why do people get butt hurt over “beginner bike” because it’s often used as a pejorative. A beginner Nike is also an end stage bike at least it is my case. I agree getting the right smaller bike to start out on especially in the dirt can lend to a better experience to move up. Btw a lady doesn’t fart she fluffs.

Booooooo. Y’all can find an hour to talk on a podcast.