Motorcycle vs Scooter

That's a lot of pro. You might have some left over, in which case you could buy some saddlebags for the six-packs. (I found that large dog panniers were ideal, but there may be better motorcycle furnishings now.) Oh, and rain gear. Get used to riding alone for a while before you take on a passenger. Then get used to riding again, with a passenger. Hard acceleration will make the front wheel light, until the passenger falls off the back. Hard braking may cause helmet-knock. Go easy on the throttle and the brakes. The worst riding surface is wet leaves. (Actually, ice is worse, but it usually looks worse, too. Leaves can fool you.)

Scooters are less able to handle pavement irregularities than motorcycles, because of their smaller wheels. I have known several people who had scooters, then bikes, and none of them would go back. Scooters are cute, though. Your friends in the 1.) camp are wrong. Which is to say, they don't know what they are talking about. I had a 250cc bike that would out-accelerate any standard car on the road, had a 105mph top speed, and would out-corner anything. Then I had a 350cc that was much faster. If you need to accelerate rapidly when you're already going 65-75mph, most likely a 250cc bike isn't going to be too hot for you. This is wrong; see above. My 250 would blow the doors off any car that wasn't muscled-up, to about 90mph. 250cc's is plenty for a first bike. A passenger will slow it down to the point that you'll have to be more careful in entering and merging situations, but it won't become slower than a car. I should point out that buying a motorcycle to save on gas is environmentally responsible, but for most people, not much of an economy. You'll find on those trips to the grocery that you can't carry a week's worth of provisions and a couple of six-packs (a dilemma!) If it's your only vehicle, you'll cope. If it's not, you'll find yourself firing up the cage to go to the store.

I bought a Honda Rebel 250 in early October and have had a blast riding it. I'm about 230 lbs and the power seems pretty ample to me for a first bike. Like Kirth Gerson said above, you can definitely accelerate faster than most cars. I have ridden it in the rain quite a bit during my own commute and it's been fine. Taking it out on the interstate is a challenge not because of the power, but because of the stupid things people do when they exceed 70 mph. I've found the bike to be really comfortable for long rides as well having taken it out for more than a few 100 mile days. My concern with the scooter would be the same as the one above- the wheels are to small to handle alot of road hazards. This may not seem like a big deal now,but once you are riding it's amazing how many more potholes,railroad tracks, texture changes, and seams you notice. Some of those potholes get pretty hard to avoid when you're moving faster than 40 mph and if a smaller scooter wheel gets hung up in one that you can't avoid, you may make a swan-dive over the handle bars.

You'll find on those trips to the grocery that you can't carry a week's worth of provisions and a couple of six-packs (a dilemma!) If it's your only vehicle, you'll cope. If it's not, you'll find yourself firing up the cage to go to the store. (ex-Seattle biker here) This is the sagest piece of advice I've seen here. If you want a bike for non cargo duties, there are scads of bikes available (and fun) in the Seattle area. It's a bike friendly town. A "scooter" like a Silverwing, or Aprilia's Atlantic, or even an older and pre-loved Helix is going to have enough cargo storage for a good-sized plastic bag-o-groceries. Also - you didn't mention your age, but the old Ninjas and GSXRs, for example, will have HEFTY insurance premiums compared to scooters, and un-faired bikes. I know, insurance isn't required in WA, but you're a fool if you don't have it. You ought to check out http://www.wetleather.com and talk to those folks. Not only are they very knowledgeable, but they are helpful too. After I wrecked my YZF in Seattle I had scads of offers from them for all kinds of help. You enter into a real community when you start riding.

I own a KLR650. It is pretty much the ultimate urban attack vehicle if you have the leg length for it. It does ride high. I have also owned a KLR250 (Super Sherpa). i is pretty much the penultimate urban attack vehicle if you are not a huge person. It is very much like riding a powered mountain bike. (It's also wicked fun off-road.) The key advantages to these two bikes are that they have a tall, upright position. You will see over most vehicles and through almost all of them, including soccer-mom SUVs. This is a terrific advantage that can not be overstated. Additionally, the upright position makes you very noticable to other drivers. Combine that with brightly coloured safety wear and you drastically reduce your risks. If you purchase the 650 you will want to immediately perform some upgrades: braided steel brake lines and variable-rate springs will make a world of difference. You shouldn't even consider owning the bike if you're not prepared to make those two changes. You should also do a jet swap, to tweak the power curve to your favour. And switch to some decent rubber ASAP. If you purchase the Sherpa, you'll want to do the jet swap and, if there are any freeways/highways involved, bump the front sprocket up a tooth. Keep the old sprocket, though; it's great for offroad and the swapout only takes a couple of minutes. IMO, you should have barkbusters on the handlebars, just because it's a bitch to have your hands crushed in an accident. Note that scooters have much the same advantage: upright position, noticable to other drivers. But you won't be able to drive over a curb with them, nor will they handle potholes very well, and I rather doubt the handling is very good. Still, if you're strictly driving about in a relatively low-traffic, in-town situation, I'm sure they're perfectly fine. As for carrying capacity, I've loaded my KLR650 with a week's worth of backpacking gear and food. It's a workhorse of a bike, no worries there.

I might also mention that my wife came within two inches of death riding the Sherpa. An asshat kid in a farm truck was stopped at a T intersection. He watched me go by, continued to watch me, and drove out into the intersection. He took out my wife, running her over with both front and rear tires, destroying her left elbow and right shoulder. A fraction of a foot difference and he would have squished her torso fatally. We're into year three of physiotherapy, surgeries, endless pain, reduced mobility, limitations with her field of work, and a seemingly never-ending lawsuit to ensure she is adequately compensated for a lifetime of therapies, loss of work, and pain. One might consider that in motorcycle accidents, the motorcycle driver rarely comes out in good condition. You must take a motorcycle rider training course. Not doing so is complete stupidity beyond all comprehension, and you'll get about as much pity as freeclimbers or stunt parachutists. Insure yourself to the hilt: if an accident happens, you want and will likely need maximum payout. Choose carefully before you make the decision to ride: it can easily cost you your life. Greatest sport going, IMO, and one that requires a dead serious attitude.

Lots of good advice here; thank you! For what it's worth, I'm signed up for the MSF course next week, and all this is predicated on my passing the class with enough confidence to continue. I'm 32, which I'm hoping means I get a better deal on insurance than I would if I were 20, and I've budgeted around $1200 for protective riding gear, because I value my skin.

As I'm thinking about it, make a ride out to Widder (they're somewhere out on the Kitsap peninsula) and check out their heated gloves. If you don't have heated grips or heated gloves, you cannot imagine how much they improve riding in cooler weather up there.

Also - you didn't mention your age, but the old Ninjas and GSXRs, for example, will have HEFTY insurance premiums compared to scooters, and un-faired bikes. I know, insurance isn't required in WA, but you're a fool if you don't have it I do not think that this is true in CA - well, it's true for the gixxers and big Ninjas, but the EX500 comes in at 498cc, which seems to give it a break on ins. I am a 23yo male with a few tickets in my life, and I only pay $400 per year for liability on a 2001 model.