Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Ive never ridden and Im a big guy., big, large

Question
I'm about 6'5" and weigh in excess of 400 lbs. I have no experience on motorcycles but am really looking forward to getting started. My concern is this: am I too big to ride a motorcycle?

Answer
Naw, you're not too big. As long as you have your wits about you and have decent motor skills--balance, hand-eye coordination, observational skills, small muscle control--you can learn to ride just fine. I recommend you start with a basic rider course, most every state offers it. How are you on a bicycle? You need to be pretty confident on a bicycle in order to have a shot at riding a motorcycle.

Finding a motorcycle that's both appropriate for a beginner and also fits you sizewise will be a challenge. This will also be a challenge in the motorcycle class--most programs use smaller, 125-250 cc bikes, which will seem like a kid's tricycle to you.

Your best bet will be to find a "dual sport" bike to start with, which is a cross between a street bike and a dirt bike. They're usually very tall and plenty easy and fun to ride. Hopefully the basic class you take will have one available for training. Once you start looking for a bike, you'll be looking for something in the 650 cc range. For more road-style bikes, if you've got the $$$, BMW makes some very nice bikes, the F650GS, F800GS. The 800 may fit you very nicely. You could also look at the Suzuki V-Strom and Kawasaki Versys 650.

Pat