Considering M50; some thoughts and questions

K

King of (screamo) Crunk

New member
The early present from my wife for my upcoming 32nd birthday was enrollment in an MSF-sanctioned Basic Rider Course, something she knows I have wanted to do for a while to get started on my passion of riding a motorcycle. My 2-day session is next weekend.

I have never owned a bike before and have no riding experience either (I don't consider riding a friend's 125cc Honda 2-3 times for a few minutes at a time back in high school any experience!). However, I am level-headed and physically strong, weighing 225lbs on my 6'3" frame with an athletic build so I should be able to handle the weight of a cruiser. I want something that fits the known traits of a good starter bike; good balance and road manners combined with decent power.

I went to a local bike showroom here in Denver (Fay Meyers). It is a massive facility with a large variety of new/used bikes. I sat on a few of them but while walking down the row after row of bikes, I saw what later turned out to be a 2009 M50 SE with the orange/black paint scheme. I was in love. They have it in all 3 OEM paint options. Goodness...what a gorgeous bike it is!

I spent the better part of the rest of today researching M50 online and found a lot of excellent first-hand info from all sorts of riders. It was reassuring to see that the bike gets high marks from first-time and experienced riders alike. A second positive (as I learned while searching on these forums) was the amount of after market customization mods available to improve both the power and the looks. M50 seems to be riding's Holy Grail in some ways; a bike that doesn't make newcomers nervous or good riders frustrated and can be scaled up as one's skills develop.

What I haven't found evidence of is how comfortable this bike is for tall riders like me. From sitting on one today, it seemed comfortable but I am sure that wouldn't compare to how it feels on the road. What say you?

Again, I am quite "green behind the ears" when it comes to bikes so please feel free to share any other tips or advice you find pertinent. Thanks in advance.
 
At 6'1" I'm not quite as tall as you, but I can give you my perspective.

The M50 is quite comfortable for me. Even stock I didn't feel cramped for space or like I was all bunched up like I was on my old CBR. Over the winter I put on John's forward controls kit and a drag bar with CooleyM50's riser spacers. This has helped me stretch out a little bit more, and I really like it.

I haven't done any long rides since having the kit and bars installed because of the weather and also a 2-week trip overseas for work. But I did several long rides last summer (300+ miles) when it was stock and had no issues whatsoever with comfort. In the next coming weeks, we have some long rides planned so I'll get to see if these changes make riding more comfortable or not.

You'll likely get a few folks commenting on the lump in the driver seat (search for a thread on the "lumpectomy"), but I haven't found that to be an issue for me. I'm sure it's all a matter of where you plant your backside in the seat while you're riding.

You seem like you've been doing your research and you've got your MSF course upcoming. All very good things. The only suggestion I may make for you is to consider buying a used bike versus a new one for a first ride. This will keep the frustration level down when the rubber comes off the road for whatever reason. I don't know how many stories I've heard of someone buying a brand spankin' new bike for a first ride and within hours or days of purchase having it damaged due to lack of experience or just sheer happenstance. Steer clear of buying brand new as much as you can. Use Craig's list or Cycle Trader as some resources to find a good ride.

Hope this helps you out. :mrgreen:
 
That helps tons! Thanks.

I have actually done quite a bit of used bike searching in these two days. Found a few '06 and newer M50s locally and have put in 2 offers as well. I also got a shipping quote from Motorcycleshipping.biz (they came up on a Google search) for a hypothetical shipment from 1,500 miles away just to get an idea of whether expanding my search radius makes sense, although I obviously don't want to buy one sight unseen, mostly due to the scammers that are out there.

BTW, what would be a reasonable price to pay for an '07 M50 in great condition with average miles? This is just to help me form a frame of reference. The prices I have seen so far have fluctuated widely.
 
Im 6ft 1 owned the marauder prior to this 05 m50. Enjoy this one more. Change out he factory seat to make it more comfy unless you can find one with all the accessories on it. I lucked out finding mine as everything was replaced except the seat, and just did that. I paid $2800 for a 05 with 3500 miles a few months ago and it has everything on it. I bought it undervalued but have seen a few 07 sell in the 4s.
 
I'm 6'1"and about 190lbs. I've really enjoyed my M for the past year and it was my first bike as well. I took a couple of long trips late last summer and the only thing that was uncomfortable for me was the stock peg location. Solved that by getting Johns kit forwards this winter. The seat does not really bother me but if you haul a passenger then you may want to think about upgrading to a mustang. Ditto on the used bike. I dropped mine the second week I had it. Mainly just inexperience with a street bike (been riding dirt bikes for years). Didn't do much damage but you will probably drop it within the first few months. Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy your new bike when you get it.
 
I had a similar situation like you with no experience.

Here was my Thinking when I bought my bike:
A new bike would lose 20% of it value after it is sold, the price stays the same more or less for 10 years , then the price goes down alot

Dropping a bike will hurt the same (financially and emotional) if it is brand new or 2 years old. Spare parts are not cheap. And it the bike is totalled, probably I may not be around to collect insurrance

Beak in peroid of the bike is very important, you may not see the problem coming on a very low milage bike (and abused )

You're gonna keep the bike for at least two years (or more)

So, I bought a Brand new bike

Smikail
 
Thanks for the continued input guys! It is really helping me. TNM50 and jrooster, you both mentioned John's kits so I just Googled them and found the site. I can see how a 3"+ forward adjustment of the foot controls would help tall guys. The price seems reasonable as well.

Smikail, your point on dropping the bike is well taken. The cost of cosmetic repairs would indeed be the same between a new or used bike since M50 hasn't seen a redesign since its intro. The real advantage to me, of buying a used one, is avoiding the initial depreciation hit. The 2-3 y.o. M50s in my area seem to cost around 40% less than a new one which is a considerable sum.
 
Maniz
My first biike ever in my life was at age 46 and a gift from my wife for our 25th wedding anniversary. She gave me 25 grand to buy any bike I wanted. I could have owned about anything out there at the time and brand new but I chose the M50 because it was the only bike that really tripped my trigger.
So glad I bought it.

I sold it about 20 months later after going to a larger bike. I was stupid but it gained me a good friend in Ohio who still rides it.
I bought a 2008 M50 used last June and still have her. She's my main squeeze and will always be I think.
In fact I'm looking to pickup another now.

I encourage you to buy the M50, you will not be dissappointed.
 
Just two weeks after first hearing about the M50 and starting this thread, I am ecstatic to report that I have bought my M50! Yep, I was lucky to find a gorgeous 2007 M50 Special Edition with 8,500 miles that looks so pristine, one would think it's brand new. It is a metallic silver/black edition with gray tribal art on the tank and rear fender.

The owner was a retired gentleman who bought it 3 years ago and rode it up and down the western US, enjoying the heck out of it. I could see how parting with it was difficult for him.

Pics to come in the next few days. It was raining cats and dogs when the guy dropped it off this evening so I am yet to go out and ride (err...practice riding in a nearby empty parking lot).

Everything happened so fast that I have no safety gear yet; making a helmet run to a local store tomorrow afternoon and am hoping to find good jacket/boots/gloves on motorcycle-superstore online tonight although I have been thoroughly confounded by all the available types/options. With a helmet, I will at least feel comfortable practicing away from traffic tomorrow and this weekend.

The bike came with a nice pair of leather saddle bags, a National Cycle brand Switchblade shorty windshield, and a custom cover. I just got done removing the rear seat, windshield, and bags off the bike; they will get used as-needed.

Thanks for the input BTW, Cooley! I know the M50 is every bit as awesome as all of you say it is. Can't wait to experience it myself.

Just wanted to share my joy. I keep running to the garage to check on it!
 
Congrats on the new bike! Get that safety gear! When I started last year the only thing I wore was a half helmet. I have since wised up and got an armoured jacket, good gloves, and some waterproof motorcycle boots (Icon Accelerant) because I ride in the rain more than I would like to. I am picking up some kevlar lined jeans this weekend and plan on adding some knee armour to wear under them. Newenough.com is another great place to buy from, great return policy with no shipping charges on most items (to and from)
 
Thanks for the congrats! Yeah, I am stickler for safety myself, so I spent hours on motorcycle-superstore.com last night and ended up with nice kevlar-infused vented gloves (w/ wrist gauntlet) from Olympia, a Tour Master textile jacket w/armor, and plastic-braced boots. I am getting a helmet locally because I have a very unusually-shaped head and buying one online just wouldn't work. At my last fitting, the only one that seemed to fit me was a Shoei RF1100 in XXL but although it just makes it past my crown, it leaves too much open room around the jaw. Unless the fitter can get some padding added, even that one wouldn't fit. Oh well...
 
Congrats,

When you are buying the helmet, specially if it is full face, make sure to keep it on you head for 10min strapped in the store and if you feel any pressure points (it will start to hurt by then) do not buy it

The rule is, if you move the helmet and your cheeks move, it is tight enough.
Some people will tell you that you will not be able to chew gum ..... Never tried it to knew if that is true or not

I have an RF-1000, it is quite and light relative to my cheap HJC CL-15

Smikail
 
I ordered the RF-1100 in XXL today through the local store; they didn't have my preferred color in stock. There was one Scorpion model that fit me decently in XXXL and was actually perfect around the cheeks but slightly tighter on the crown than the Shoei; not so much that I felt immediate pain but I think with the added pressure of the wind while riding, it may have become bothersome after 30-45 minutes. Plus it wasn't quite tall enough.

I am having to get thicker cheek pads for the Shoei because a side effect of it fitting my crown is that it is too loose around my face. The fitter advised wearing it as-is for a few weeks and letting it settle on my head before ordering 39mm pads (factory are 33mm). Smikhail, you are correct; the fitter made the chewing gum comment as well.
 
I'm a couple of days late, but congrats on the purchase!

Funny about the chewing gum comment. I always chewed gum riding my sportbikes...it kept me from gritting my teeth all the time! :lol4: My favorite helmet was my HJC CL-12 size S. It was a pretty tight fit that required some effort to put it on and take it off. I could never get Shoei or Aria helmets to fit me like the HJC helmets. Maybe it's cuz I've got such a small noggin!
 
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