MirageRally messaged me about this, but I figured I'd just throw this out into the public sphere as there may be other forum members here who are riders or have rode themselves in the past, maybe generate some interesting discussion.
I recently purchased a Honda Super Cub after being somewhat curious about learning to ride a motorcycle for what feels like a while. I figured I'd share here some of my thoughts and experiences so far as a very new rider.
Firstly: holy **** this hobby is expensive.
While I've heard stories of people picking up trash-tier-yet-still-functional bikes of of Craigslist for like $1K, as someone who has never owned a motorcycle before nor knows anyone who owns a motorcycle currently, going that route really wasn't an option for me. (1) I have no idea what I am doing, (2) I rent a room in a house so finding space to work on a bike is a problem of logistics/negotiation, (3) I have no idea what I am doing, (4) my inexperience will probably lead to me ****ing up whatever bike I get just out of sheer ignorance/incompetence so something like a warranty and professionals I could go to for advice would be great to have, and, most importantly, (5) I have no idea what I am doing. So I decided to purchase new.
While "the Honda tax" is apparently a thing, the Super Cub is literally the smallest and cheapest bike you can get from them, and even purchasing a 2020 model at discount, I ended up paying $4.2K out the door. Additionally, because I am a new rider who also enjoys being alive/having skin and functional extremities, I also needed to purchase a bunch of protective equipment at the same time. A decent helmet, riding jacket, gloves, and boots end up adding ~$600 to that total. And on top of that, because I'm a new rider on a new bike, I went ahead on got full coverage insurance, which added an additional ~$600. So from zero to Stay-Puft-marshmallow-man-with-a-bike set me back ~$5.4K. Living in WA also requires me to pony up an additional $100 to get a motorcycle permit and $25 to reprint my license to reflect that permit, with the same again (tests and license reprint) to occur again in 6 months to get my full endorsement.
Purely based on the cost alone, I could not recommend motorcycle ownership to anyone. Ever. Especially when you consider you are fronting that cost in order to enjoy a mode of transportation which is significantly less safe, comfortable, and convenient (in terms of hauling things) than a car. In my case, though, I've reached a point in my life where I have much more money than existing costs/responsibilities, so I can justify (or at least hum loudly to myself to block out the sound of) burning all that capital for no reason.
Second: Without an active community of bike owners around you, there is significant barrier to entry into the hobby.
This is coming from someone who lives in WA, rents a room in a house, had never ridden a motorcycle before, and does not currently know any motorcycle owners. Strange circular logic that was encountered:
1. I don't know if I like riding a motorcycle. But I don't know how to ride a motorcycle to even try it out. But I don't own a motorcycle to learn on. But I don't want to buy a motorcycle if I don't like riding it. But I don't know if I like riding a motorcycle...
2. I need to get a motorcycle permit so I can practice riding a motorcycle. But I can't get a permit without taking a riding test that proves I can ride a motorcycle. But I need to get a motorcycle permit so I can practice riding a motorcycle...
3. I'm required to take the permit test with my own motorcycle. But I can't ride my motorcycle to the test site without a permit. But I'm required to take the permit test with my own motorcycle...
etc. etc.
I managed to overcome most of the barriers through sheer stubbornness, trailers from UHaul, and willingness to sacrifice a (now significantly less) fat bank account. Again, would not recommend this to anyone. Ever.
Third: 125cc can actually work on American roads. Even the freeway. Even if you're a larger person.
In my case, I would honestly refer to the Super Cub as the Mitsubishi Mirage of motorcycles. Yeah, you're going to be pushing both yourself and the bike to your absolute limits, but 125cc is enough for your bare minimums. No, you are going to be pulling any "phat high speed pulls" outside of your local cul-de-sac, and you're just embarrassing yourself if you swap the exhaust to make your lawnmower engine any louder than the rest, but it'll do everything it needs to do for you to get from point A to point B, making 100mpg the whole way. I am able to easily cruise along at 55mph in top gear, and can hit 70mph+ with some aggressive throttle and tucking.
Lots of people seem drawn to larger bikes with similarly larger displacements because they feel the bikes with smaller engines and physically too small for them and would make them uncomfortable. I'll point out that as a 6'3" tall man with a 36" inseam, I actually manage to fit on the diminutive Super Cub without any discomfort. I have purchased an extended seat for a little bit more wiggle room, though, and I do fairly regularly find my left knee when the handle bars are at full lock, but considering my dimensions are a fairly extreme case I think the vast majority of people would be absolutely fine on a bike this size.
All that being said, I'm somewhere in the 170-180lbs range, which is way less than the average American who is my height. Chunky bois may or may not encounter issues with belly/leg space or power-to-weight ratio. Laying off the Rolling Rock and T-bone steaks for a week or two would probably benefit both your riding experience and general health if this is the case.
There's more I can write here but I think this wall of text is more than enough for now. Any other riders here? Maybe newbies looking to get into it? What are your thoughts/advice/concerns?
Piddles
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