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i mentioned i like to work on my bike to my class at tech, and a guy emailed asking me for an opinion. he said he's never ridden a bike, and didn't want to hurt himself trying to learn with too much power. so he's thinking of getting a rebel or hawk, and wanted to stay in the 350-5ish cc range. are these good beginner bikes, the hawk or rebel?
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"If you ain't first, you're last..." - Ricky Bobby
"Your stuck on an anger bridge man, you gotta cross the anger bridge and come back to the friendship shore..." - Magic Man -
The MSF course around here uses the 250 rebel and 250 Suzuki cruiser (I don't remember the designator) if that tells you anything.
It really depends on the size of the person. At 6' a bit over 200, they were both way too smalll for me. The Honda however was more forgiving. I tucked the front wheel on the Suzuki in some gravel while turning)AMA member # 224227 -
my local MSF class uses both the Rebel and the Hawk. While I like the fact that they are trying to learn small, I do feel that both of those bikes will become VERY boring very quickly.Comment
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Is the suzi still called the GN 250?
One thing is that if you only pay a few hundred, when you drop it or crash you can just leave it by the side of the road and hitch a ride to the Suzi dealer for a new Kat
Seriously though you would have to total a $200 beater to depreciate the value so it's hard to call it a wast of money... That having been said;
I agree with the idea of a beginner bike, but really. they all have "volume controls"
I would think a GS550 or a Seca 600 or an old CB
would be a better bet. Your buddy may only need a few weeks of training time before stepping up anyway. A GS550 or a Seca can be had for under 2K (I've seen them as low as 1200) and the GS is a great bike.. By the time your buddy has out grown the power and handling of a GS550 (or Seca) he is ready for a GSX!! (R or F, 600, 750, 1100 'Busa..)
Its a twin, reliable, fairly light.
Even after some time on a Rebel the difference between it and any other sport bike will be glaring.
Unless he wants to buy a cruiserComment
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My very first street bike ever was a Honda 250 Rebel. Great little bike, very low to the ground, comfortable, and quite forgiving for new riders. I'd highly recommend it.
MSF courses around here use older endouro: yamaha 250's, kawasaki 350's, etc.
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