Beginner Motorcycle?

1. You get a learner's permit, then you can ride the bike by yourself, off the freeway, until you feel you can pass the test. Just like with a car. The MSF course (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) is HIGHLY recommended. You don't need a bike for the beginner's course, they provide it. If you pass, you don't have to take the DMV riding test, which is not easy. 2. If you live in SoCal you probably will want to do some freeway riding. Unless you never plan to go more than one or two exits on the freeway, 500cc or more would be good, a bike that can keep up freeway speeds without beating its little heart out. 500-650cc is a good starter bike, not too big and heavy, but powerful enough for the freeway. Whatever bike you buy, make sure you can sit on the bike and put both feet flat on the ground. At 5'8" that might be a limiting factor for you. You might reconsider cruisers since they have low seats (and are easier to handle). 3. To start with you need at the very least a helmet, good gloves, a jacket. Maybe $300-500 for all of that. They don't need to be the very best or most expensive. In fact an $80 helmet is as safe as a $500 one. Maintenance is not too bad on a bike that isn't old and falling apart. Tires cost $100 each and only last about 10,000 mi. And you need to replace chain and sprockets every 10k-20k mi., unless your bike has shaft drive. Beyond that it's mostly just oil, spark plugs, etc. unless something breaks. 4. Honda made a few automatic ('Hondamatic') motorcycles back in the 60s and 70s. Unless you want one of these museum pieces, you'll have to learn to shift. I think it's easier on a bike than in a car, but that will be a major part of the learning curve for you. Motor scooters have automatics, and some of the bigger ones are not bad! You might consider them. You don't want to start on a 'crotch rocket'. You want a nice general-purpose bike. REAL sport bikes (GSX-R, CBR, R1, R6, etc.) are wonderful machines but not for beginners. They are very single-purpose. Anyway you want to begin with an older bike, say 5-10 years old, maybe even one that already has a few bruises on it. You are going to be hard on your first bike. You're going to abuse the clutch. You might drop it a few times before you get the hang of it. If you buy an older bike, you can sell it in a year or so for about what you paid for it, and by then you'll have a better idea of what you want. Please remember that 1/2 of all motorcycle accidents (and 1/2 of fatalities) happen to riders with less than a year of experience. So BE CAREFUL that first year!

1. I would recommend the Motorcycle Rider Course in your area. 2. A good beginner bike will be anything from 250cc up to 750cc for your size. I would recommend a cruiser style as they are often lower to the ground. 3. Gear can be really expensive depending on what you purchase just like any other clothing. Find what works for you, go to a local dealer or Motorcycle clothing store and check prices and fit for your best guess. 4. They do make automatics. Ridley Motorcycle makes automatic cruizers with 750cc engines and a low seat. However they have a hefty price to go with that automatic. Like other posters have mentioned Scooters of all makes have automatic transmissions and you can get a large scooter that can handle short hwy trips. Hope that helps some.

If you do not want dumb answers do not ask dumb questions the only automatic motorcycles that are made are cruisers and scooters along with size come age. And pocket bikes are toys and do not graduate you to real motorcycles. IF you are of a age where you can ride on the road legally and must have a automatic look at scooters. By the way a sport bike is not the best thing to learn on and requires a certain amount of maturity and you will need to know your limits. The first thing you should do is take a SAFTEY Course.