Against my better judgement I'm really starting to consider a bike for my commutes. Not gonna lie, its primarily because I'm kinda jelly of the bikes zipping along lane-splitting in bumper to bumper traffic, and I'd like to spice up my commutes from time to time. I'm not much of a speed demon so I don't care if the bike is slow (<600cc).

Would a Kawasaki Ninja 300 be a decent beginner bike?

it's all fun and games until an asian lady cuts through 3 lanes, runs you over and puts you in a wheelchair for life

Hm, Honda Rebel. I really like the profile of the bike. I'll look up some reviews.Lol yeah, I've thought about it, but you can't stay in a bubble forever. I've never been in an accident in my cars and I've been driving for 15 years on the road. I feel like I have a good awareness of my surroundings not to get killed. I won't drive it every day , nor will I do anything risky...aside from lane splitting.

Same as you OP, was tired of watching bikes zip by me in traffic between the lanes (legal by us), and decided to start riding in 2015, when Indian came back, (Indian motorcycle has been in my family since 1930's) I started with the Scout as my first bike..and moved up through their line..



A lot of my friends started out on 600's/650's and are ll riding super sports now. Good beginner bike is an Suzuki 650, used, can pick up for 4-6,000




You are definitely going to want to take a credited training course,(MSF) which will also bypass the riding portion of the DMV test and drop your insurance. Took mine down in Chula Vista.


Don't invest too much money in your first bike, you'll find your riding style changes, and you definitely don't want something overpowered, but not underpowered as well with fast moving SD traffic. Find the style you like and jump onto some forums and discuss good entry level bikes that suit the type of riding you want to do.

Give these video's a watch, some good info







edit-to your question about the Ninja, yea, that's a great bike, I believe the Ninja sits you a bit more upright which is great for a beginner rider. But at 300cc, you'll grow out of that powerband fast if you enjoy riding

Hayabusa

busa

OP, read the book "Let's Ride: Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling"

Written by the hells angels leader. RIP.

I was going to get a motorcycle, until I read his book.

Hey, I'm actually in University City. Is there a closer MSF test?

There might be..check here.

https://msf-usa.org/

The one I choose worked out as it was only 3 days, on the weekend, class was held off MiraMar Rd, and the riding portion in Chula Vista..they also provide the bike for the course, or you can take your own. I was living in Rancho Bernardo at the time

Here's the one I went with..

https://psc411.com/saferide4u/

What size are you? Fair warning, rebels are TINY. I rode one on a 100 mile interstate trip once. I had to sit on the back seat (srs) & had it pegged at 60mph while the rest of the group left me. I'm 6'3 & 260lbs for reference.

I started on a heavily modded 97 750 gsxr when i was a teenager. Eventually made my way to a busa, then sold it to buy a harley superglide for my 25th birthday. Had it for 12 years, the only thing stock left on it is the transmission. It shares daily duties with my c5 corvette & i couldn't imagine ever getting rid of it. Although if I ever come across an old TL1000R, RFR, or 954RR fireblade, I'd pick them up as a weekend toy in a heartbeat.

Imagine dying on a 300

check out the KTM duke 390. I almost got one

Kind of depends. If you are heavy handed, I would avoid going with a high cc sport bike. Those things have super sensitive throttles and if you try to crank that **** too fast or hard like you see in movies it will not end well. That being said the 300 is fine for most beginners. It's a lot more comfortable than the 600s and 1000s. Your sitting position is much more upright compared to the latter two which force you to lean forward and hug the fuel tank at 45 degrees.

This. Honda Rebel 500 is a very nice bike that isn't overpowered.