Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: looking for a starter bike, motorcycle racer, starter bike

Question
Hi
I am a fairly large man: 6'2" and over 230 lbs. I am 56 and in for the most part great health.  I am becoming more and more curios about getting a starter bike so I can join a few friends I have that already bought them.  From most of the browsing I have found that a lot of people suggest getting a 650 to 750 cc basic bike to start and then move up from there as I find more confidence ( I should mention I expect to take a safety course at the local college here).  I was talking to a friend this morning and he was very adamant I get one that I will be comfortable with and he suggested even an 1100 was too small. I feel a bit confused so I need to ask the pros.. any advice?
thank in advance.

Answer
Kris,

What kind of bike are you looking for?  I don't claim to be a "pro" by any means, but I have been around bikes for the last 23 years and have ridden every different class there is out there.

Be honest with yourself and find what's comfortable to you.  If you don't mind the extra weight, go big.  Many people say to start out small, but I've always believed it comes down to the person behind the handlebars.  You know your limitations.  As long as you stay within those limitations, whether it be the bike you're on or the environment you're riding in, I have faith that you'll have many years of enjoyable riding ahead of you.

A recent article in a Motorcyclist(?) magazine I read recently proved my theory.  Keith Code is an old crusty rider and motorcycle racer that teaches sportbike courses out in California.  He writes a monthly article in this rag, and I enjoy the information he has to share.  Mr. Code even got rid of the 600cc bikes the school owned in favor of the new BMW S1000RR that's available.  This bike makes over 170hp to the wheel.  He ran the statistics over a period of time and found that even though these bikes put out over 50 more hp to the ground, the amount of crashes and lay-downs were cut in half compared to the smaller bikes.  He believes this is due to good, sound education in the hands of cautious riders.  Once these people realize they are not World Superbike sponsored material and understand they will not (and shouldn't) try the limits of this bike, they tend to treat it differently than with the smaller bike where they tend to try and wring the life out of them beyond their limits.  

I'm not encouraging you to go out and buy the most powerful thing here; what I am saying is that it comes down to you.  Try out some different bikes if available and find what you like the best.  From my experience, most of the big heavy bikes are only "heavy" at stop lights, and once you get them moving they roll out nicely.  On one hand, most riders can't take a sportbike to its full potential, and on the other hand, as long as you (again) ride within the limits of that big cruiser (and your own), you'll be just fine out there.

I think the hardest part about beginning to ride is realizing that people DON'T see you out on the road, and it's not a matter of "who's right", but "who's left".  :)  The other part of an enjoyable ride is finding that niche of riders that suits your style.  One thing that can definitely spoil a nice day is when people ditch others in their group and riders get left behind and lost.  Any GOOD group of riders will always re-group periodically during a ride, or have designated stopping points in the route to avoid this situation.  I recall meeting up with a bunch of strangers a few years ago in a parking lot.  After 30 minutes of conversation they SEEMED like a decent group of guys, but once we pulled out of the parking lot I knew right off the bat where this was headed (they were a bunch of idiots).  I whipped a u-turn at the next block and went the other way, LOL.  

Personally, I'm not the slowest rider out on the road but I'm also not a wild-man; I do enjoy blowing the cobwebs out on occasion, but I also know there's a time and place for it.  Now that I'm older, I realize what's at stake while I'm on the road - the thought of my wife and daughters definitely kicks in the "whoa" factor automatically.

I hope you find something that suits you well, and enjoy many trouble-free miles out in the countryside with some good riding friends.  There's not much like it!