Soon to be new rider, and have questions!

[dentheman]

I rode a GZ during the course, so I looked to purchase one for a while. But there were none, so I started looking at other bikes. One day a beautiful blue 2007 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 caught my attention at the dealership. I sat on it, looked it over, and bought it there and then. I had never ridden a motorcycle before the course, and after it was delivered I thought I had made a mistake getting a bike so 'big'. But after a couple weeks of practice, the bike seemed to be made for me. Plenty of power, but it is very newbie friendly. If I had bought something smaller as a beginner bike I would have soon 'outgrown' it and wanted something larger. It gets arounf 45-50 mpg, and with shaft drive I don't have to clean, lube, and replace a chain/sprockets.

But she is a handfull in sand/dirt,and loose gravel. Doable, but scary as I have no 'off-road' experience.

[alantf]

Is there any way you can lay some boards down over the sand?

[ttocs84]

Well i could, but a half mile dirt road with other residents pondering what im doing, might be costly, lol!

[mrlmd1]

Wait a little while longer before you go to a bigger bike, the experience you will gain in the meantime will be invaluable. And you have lots more time to look at other bikes, and must ride them to really see what you want or need. The prices will be coming down as the colder weather approaches too. Don't rush too fast into a bigger bike or get talked into one until you gain the knowledge to make a good decision.

[vikz250]

I'm a newbie myself and I would listen to some of the suggestion they say, 45 miles each way is a long haul, I think GZ can handle it but you the rider will be the one to deal with it...

[Water Warrior 2]

Just thinking about that commute every day. I think I would be looking at a Corolla at 0% financing for 6 years.