T700 for first bike as a beginner

[PauloD81]

Hi y’all 

I am recently taking my drivers license both for car and bike.

I really want to start touring and travelling by bike and to be honest i really don’t know much about Adventure biking.

my goal is to buy my own bike and take my license with the bike, I just don’t know if the T700 is a good bike for a beginner.

I am planning some travel around England and next year England to Portugal.

any help will be much appreciate 

 

[Toymaster]

The T7 could be a good first bike if you have the physical size to handle it, by that I mean flat foot it.   The power is not overwhelming and delivered smooth, by that I mean no surprises.   As a beginner there are so many new things to master and one does not need to be concerned about dropping the bike.  The T7 is a taller bike and carries its weight high, so the other factor is if you can pick it up when you drop it.  If so, I'd say put some armor on the bike and go for it. 

 

On the flip side a taller bike with a 21" front wheel and long suspension may allow you to keep out of trouble that may cause difficulties on a street bike. 

[Windblown]

A good first bike? Not an optimal choice IMHO.   For on road it's narrower tires and seat height are not going to do you any favors and offroad it's height and weight will not do you any favors.  I'd recommend a nice used moderately powered street bike or a nice used lighter weight DS depending on where you want to focus learning riding skills first.  Adventure bikes by definition are a compromise and will make the initial learning curve harder than it needs to be no matter which surface type (pavement or off pavement) you want to learn on. 

[Tenerider]

I went exactly that way @PauloD81- today it's one year and two days ago that I got my license on my new T7.

 

That being said, my advantage was that I am holding a car driver's license since more than 20 years, meaning I didn't have to face as much challenges as you probably will. Getting around in traffic on a bike is different than in a car, but knowing the car perspective and being used to road signs/rules etc helped me a lot.

 

I found the T7 to handle great onroad even for a beginner (especially with OEM tires, zero issues with them being narrow, they track and corner super-smooth even on very rough roads/potholes), but my very first rides were on a Suzuki SV650 - the smaller, more nimble bike was definitely more forgiving at first. After a few hours under the supervision of my teacher I moved to the T7 and completed the training on her.

 

I'm tall and have long legs. That helped a lot.

 

Regarding offroad riding, I agree more with @Windblown. But it's possible as well (I started mild offroading last summer).

[Ray Ride4life]

With the right mindset every bike is a good beginner bike, the same that every bike that will be mentioned as a good beginner bike will have some downsides that will be magnified when used as a beginnen bike.
I do agree with the height being a downside but only for a beginnen who doesn't has the legs for flatfooting.

[Dougie]

I reckon if you like the style (and you do need to love your bike) it’ll be a good bike for you. Depending on size, there will soon be a low, normal (high), fat tank, and very high versions. Check out the Yamaha “garage” but use the French version, translated, for all variants. You’ll definitely love the engine. 
P. S. The extreme seat height is 910mm (950 with rally seat!). 
explorer is “only” 860mm. Rally and normal are 895mm. 
a good point by @Tenerider is that he’d been driving for 20 years. I would want my kids to have good road sense and experience before they get a bike in this country. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Dougie
Add info

[Tenerider]

38 minutes ago, Dougie said:

I would want my kids to have good road sense and experience before they get a bike in this country. 

That's so true! Same over here.

[Yamablueridge]

If you have the height to comfortably flat foot a stock T7 and you’re big enough to solo muscle her off the ground after a drop go for it.
 

My sons been thinking about a bike and I’m steering him towards a Kawasaki Versys x 300. Lower, lighter and will handle a highway trip. 

2022 Kawasaki Versys®-X 300 | Touring Motorcycle | Sporty & Nimble

---

The 2022 Kawasaki Versys®-X 300 ABS touring motorcycle is built for adventure, featuring a lightweight chassis, long travel suspension and a Ninja-derived 296cc twin-cylinder engine ready to take on any road.

For a first beater bike it’s a good call, I figured he’ll learn to clutch without much torque . 
 

The T7 is by a wide margin the best ADV/dual sport and while it won’t be my last bike, it’s 100% a keeper. 
 

Dougie has good advice, learning traffic patterns and navigating phone obsessed cagers in a cage first. And the obligatory old man says- get a good helmet and gear. 

 

 

 

[PauloD81]

Thank you so much for all your input and information about the T7.

I love this bike, I am 5 foot 10 inches and 280 pounds heavy, an to be honest I never been next to a T7 or seat on one lol, I just love the bike lol.

I was about to get the Royal Enfield Himalayan for my first bike but I really don’t know. 

[Lewie]

Get down to a dealer and check one out 

[winddown]

7 hours ago, PauloD81 said:

 

I was about to get the Royal Enfield Himalayan for my first bike but I really don’t know. 

 

Now that would be a wise first choice imo.  Lower seat to suit your stature, lower power so you can get the skills up without worrying about augering into a tree. and they are decent reliable bike.  I had ridden for 40 years (on road) when I bought a T7 for riding the dirt roads.  A couple of months later I went and bought an XL250 as well, just to learn the dirt on.  If I had my time over I really think I would have put off the T7 purchase for a year and ridden a smaller bike.  It's your call though.

[winddown]

The Versys would be an excellent choice too, more reliable no doubt.

 

Seat Height 815mm

Dry Weight 175kg

Power 40HP,  not too shabby at all.

6 speed box too.

 

[Ray Ride4life]

22 minutes ago, winddown said:

lower power so you can get the skills up

No bottom power to save you when you accidentally enter a corner in a too high gear.
That's why the T7 would be a great starter bike... if you have the legs. Get into a second gear corner in fourth and he will pull you through.
It really has not too much power to start with but also doesn't have too less when you get experience.

[Tenerider]

I really benefitted from the smooth power/torque curve of the T7 when I started riding. Second gear is more well-mannered than on other bikes as far as I can tell. Its big wheels provide smooth riding on rougher roads and give a lot stability.

 

Letting offroad riding aside (I guess most starters will be riding a lot on pavement), I'd say it's a good starter bike for taller people. But in the beginning I think you should be able to flat-foot the bike, until you get a feeling for its balance point. If this is not the case, skip it and begin on a lower bike.

[SamiNami]

It's not a great first bike. Top heaviness makes it hard to handle and I would probably not pass the licence tests with my T7.

It's an excellent bike for more experienced riders tho.

[Alan M]

The problem with the T7 is not its seat height or its weight it’s actually a combination of both of these things.

 

It’s a tall bike as others have said and wears its weight up top which is not great for a beginner or experienced rider alike. 
 

Saying that the T7 is a great bike but you might be better getting something a bit lighter to start with, KTM390 or the like. Once you’ve gained a bit of experience then no reason to move up to the T7. 
 

Once you’ve passed your test try and get a few test rides of various models and take it from there, no one will know better than yourself.

[Hibobb]

Get an old crappy bike to learn on. It will still be tons of fun.

[Hollybrook]

Or get a MT07 to learn on, if you are starting on the street.  Same great engine but lower and easier to balance. 

 

I think the best thing is to learn to ride in the dirt so you learn bike control before you have to contend with cars and trucks. Street riding is most definitely NOT like driving a car.

[Yamablueridge]

Learning off-road is a great idea. Bought one of these for my son to learn on: 

Amazon.com

 

 

We were able to get it plated and street legal. If you can wrench it’s a good call. It will need to be tore down completely, lubed and debugged. I’ve got 1100 miles on the little air cooled 250, ours is the basic 5sp version and it weighs 245 pounds. It’s a damn hoot to ride after removing the cat and jetting the carb. Sounds like a wet fart and has the dumb and dumber good times jolly vibe. 
 

Paulo, you’re a big enough dude to handle a T7 and while it’s not a true beginner bike; if you truly diggy-diggy I’d say go for it.

 

Good luck with your decision mate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Yamablueridge]

Imagine, rolling up to Starbucks on a Saturday morning on this and slipping around on vaginal fluids….

[winddown]

On 4/2/2023 at 6:25 AM, Ray Ride4life said:

No bottom power to save you when you accidentally enter a corner in a too high gear.
That's why the T7 would be a great starter bike

 

Remember were talking about someone who has never ridden Ray.  A total newcomer to motorcycles is more likely to enter a corner too hot and simply slam on the front or rear brake and washout, or freeze, and ride off the side of the road than stall a bike cause they are in the wrong gear.

[Vikan]

If you find the T7 to be too big, have a look at Honda CB500x. Smaller, easy to ride,  offroadcapable and reliable.