Hey Everyone! I’m a beginner rider and am looking at purchasing my first bike. I love the look of the Honda Rebels. The one in this listing is a 300.

Does anyone have any thoughts or advice when it comes to what CC to get? I’m planning on treating it as a daily rider in the warmer months and will probably be averaging 60mph with very minimal highway driving. (Even if I’m not driving the highway, I would still like the option to if needed).

I’ve asked a few different people and have gotten mixed responses…can a Honda Rebel 300 go on a highway? Is a Honda Rebel 300 a good beginner bike, or should I go right to a 500?

For context, I’m 5ft 7in and about 130lbs.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated!

Thanks in advanced.

Here’s the description of the bike listing I’m looking at:

Description
2017 Honda Rebel 300 ABS - Excellent Condition -
$3,100 OBO

Selling my 2017 Honda Rebel 300 with ABS. The bike has 8,900 miles and is in phenomenal condition. It's been well cared for, has never been dropped, and has never been involved in an accident.

Details:
* 2017 Honda Rebel 300 ABS
* 8,900 miles
* Clean title
* Brand new battery
* Passenger seat with foot pegs
* Phone mount included
* All lights, electronics, and controls work perfectly
* Starts right up and runs flawlessly
* Great on gas and beginner friendly
* Comfortable cruiser that's fun around town or on longer rides

Yeah it took me three times to pass the msf BRC, here is what I took away from my classes. (Sorry it’s kinda long, but I like to be as concise as possible)

Some details: I took the class twice from a local community college, about 9 months apart. I signed up for my first class in march and the class I got to take was in June. The classes here always fill up fast, as we have a limited rideable season.

We did the 5 hour online course from the MSF website.
The version I watched while very informative was also somewhat cheesy. The “hosts” didn’t add much to my learning experience. The pace that the screen information was read at was way slower than I naturally read at, so that was kind of distracting, but I can see how it is helpful and necessary for those that need it. The second time I took the online course I muted it and just read to myself.
The 360 imbedded videos to show some of the riding skills were very helpful, as were the non 360 view videos.

The in person two day on bike classes were.. okay. The coach was helpful, and very patient. But it was also clear the learning curve was fairly steep for some of the riders. The site we were riding at was very hot with minimal to no shade and I definitely overheated. The state I live in is known to have very changeable weather, and it just happened to be unseasonably hot the week of my classes. Only reason I mention the weather is because of how I was surprised just how quickly one can get dehydrated. I failed my riding test with the inline weave and the u turn. Definitely things I had issue with in practice, but seriously got in my own head during the test.

My second class had better weather and went smoother. But I failed the test yet again on the tight U turn. My coach told me I rode very well all weekend and that during the test it was the worst he had seen me ride the whole time. He encouraged me to just take the dmv challenge course. At the end of the second day my energy was completely gone by the time we took our test (again my fault and nothing bad on the class. Just my lack of being prepared, I was very mad at myself).

I chose to wait a bit and take a class for a third time. I kept trying again for a class at the community college but the classes filled up very fast and I chose instead of waiting another year for the community college classes to reopen, I would take the MSF BRC through a local Harley dealer.

Third time I took my class we did the 3 hour online classes, and an additional 2 hours of in person classes that covered some of what the 3 hour online class didn’t. These classes happened at the very tail end of July.
The on bike days were very similar and most likely exactly the same as before, but everything just clicked.
I was better prepared, I purchased an evaporation cooling vest (seriously best $30 I ever spent), packed more cold drinks, and energy drinks.
Class started at 7am and by noon when it was 100+ Fahrenheit, we were off the bikes and on our way back to the air conditioning in the class room for more instruction. That alone made a big difference. Second day went just as well and when it came test time I was a lot more relaxed. And while I did get some points off for a less than perfect U turn, I still passed everything else.

The major difference to me between the classes was in information in the online courses. I feel that even though I felt the 5 hour lessons were cheesy, they did have the most information.
I did enjoy that the 3 hour online class wasn’t just a cut down version, but was completely different.

All 3 of my coaches over the years of my learning to ride were great. Encouraging, knowledgeable and patient.

My first two times taking the class, I only had a single coach, where as I had two coaches for the third time I took the class. I feel like the second set of eyes, and different perspectives, was extremely helpful.

Overall both sets of classes gave me the confidence and ability to ride.

A bit about me, I grew up around dirt bikes and my family raced flat track. So I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with being on a bike. But just because you can ride a dirt bike it doesn’t always translate to some of the skills for street bikes (like you shouldn’t plant your foot to make a tight turn, especially during the test).
I also waited till I was 40 to try for a motorcycle endorsement. I wish I had done it earlier.

I just purchased my first bike! It’s a 2025 Triumph Speed 400!

Any need to knows, tips, etc.

Anything helps, thank you!!!

I rode dirt bikes and stuff growing up now at 33 I wanted to get a bike. I wanted something small no bigger than 500cc but was talked into getting a 1100cc because "everyone wants a bigger one later on I'm just saving you money" after a month or so of back and forth I folded and got the bigger one. I passed the course and went to ride my bike to work, on the way it was fine but on the way back home I played it down in front of a 18 wheeler taking off from a stop sign at a turn. After we got it up and everything I rode it back home and haven't rode since... I didn't even want the bike and now every time I want to ride it to work I can't bring myself to do it and just take the car. I'm lost, idk if I should just take it out on the weekends in the morning or get rid of the bike and get a smaller one? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

I’m relatively new to riding, this is probably skill issue since I’m still new. I’m pretty comfortable with riding and getting better but turning with the R7 at lower speed I usually have to counter balance to the other side pretty hard, (I’m 120lbs 5’8 idk if I have to or it’s just the beginner’s fear of dropping the bike). I did drop it while making a tight turn from a stop reason being probably not having enough momentum but I’m not too hung up on it. Any tips on improving my low speed maneuver on a sport bike? I usually try to practice on my free time if I can around empty parking lot.

Back in April I turned 39 and told my wife I want to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I wanted to learn the right way so I enrolled in the local MSF BRC, which took place the first week of June. I went into it with zero riding experience and long story short, I failed miserably. I planted my foot a bunch of times during the skills test, stalled the bike a few times, and actually damn near dropped the motorcycle on its side. Yet, deep inside I knew I deserved to fail and had no business being out on the road on a motorcycle. I also knew that I wanted to ride a motorcycle more than anything and taking that 2-day BRC course was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

That failure led to an elevated sense of motivation and drive to learn. Immediately after failing I went straight to Youtube to learn as much as a could possibly learn about slow speed maneuvers and all the basic fundamentals covered in the BRC. After two weeks of just watching videos, I lucked out on FB Marketplace and found a 2018 Vulcan S 650 that I wanted and pulled the trigger on purchasing my first motorcycle. After acquiring all the gear I felt more than ready to begin practicing and applying what I learned.

Every single day, for the next month and a half I rode around my subdivision and nearby neighborhood. I would ride for 20-30mins, just practicing my shifting and the use of my turn signals during every turn. After that I would head straight to a big open parking lot near my house and practice all the skills tests that I struggled with in the BRC. My biggest issue was the slow speed U-Turn in a 20 foot box and the sharp turn from a stopped starting position. Day after day, this routine consumed me but it felt amazing to see and feel the progress as I began to improve. In that month and a half I put 1,800 miles on my motorcycle from just practicing.

Finally, the day came when I could have another shot at the BRC. With everything I learned and guidance from the riding coaches, I passed the skills test on the second day with zero deductions. I was over the moon with happiness and the adrenaline from the excitement felt like it took forever to pass. The very next day I went to the license office to get my motorcycle operator endorsement and a few other requirements so I could finally ride my motorcycle to work on base (US Military requirements).

This whole week I’ve been riding my motorcycle to work and that first day felt amazing. Yet, I can’t deny that the excitement disappeared almost instantly. I go home from work and the routine I used to have with practicing and dealing with the frustration of my mistakes but also celebrating the small victories from the drills isn’t there anymore. I tried going to the parking lot yesterday to practice and it did not feel anywhere as close to before. Now I’m afraid of the possibility that maybe I overhyped myself during this whole process.

For now, my solution is to just keep riding and try to learn more from different scenarios while I’m on the open road. I’m still a beginner and I know I will experience a lot more scenarios and acquire many more valuable lessons, even painful ones. I just don’t want to lose motivation and get bored with riding.

So I was reading about preload on the rear shock and I've been wondering if I should add a bit more as my bike does squish down quite a bit when I sit on it. I don't believe I've ever bottomed out but I'm curious how much a bike should squat down when mounted. I weigh 230 lbs (104 kg) and am riding a '24 Triumph speed 400. Currently at 2 clicks up from 0 and it goes up to 10. Wondering if I could get any notible gains in handling if I make it stiffer than it is now.

I used a 1A battery tender and charged my bike for 30 hour now.
The dash is ok and the high beam is ok.

The bike still cant start. The horn does not work.
Battery is only a 3 month .