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[Crissa]

You can set the custom settings to something ridiculously slow and ramp up.  An S is fine to start with, maybe the best.  An SR/F is quite a bit heavier.  And sheer weight penalizes a rider's mistakes more.

That said, if you're already bigger and invest in full gear and a safety course or three, and have good places to practice your slow stuff, you can do it.

I did my practice on a Ducati Scrambler with an 800cc engine, so you can do slow stuff on anything, really.

It's in the wild that you get in trouble (like when I dropped my bike upside down on a hill.  That was so hard to get back upright!)

-Crissa

[NEW2elec]

Craig, my first real motorcycle was a DS in my 40s.  Either putting them in Eco or setting up the app to dial down the power makes them very easy (easiest) bikes to learn on with no clutch or gears to deal with.
The counter steering over 20MPH was what rattled me for a while but 60k miles later I've never laid one down.

Just be extra cautious until YOU are ready learn at your own pace.

Good luck.

Also super easy for the road test.  It can never stall which is what gets most new riders.

[princec]

Ah you know I never really considered the mode button (I haven't used it yet ) - what a good idea! In your 50s you'll definitely have the self control not to overreach your abilities (there's no way I'd trust 25 year old me), so in which case I'd say... yeah, go for it, and keep this in mind: all the gear, all the time; and get advanced road training.

Cas

[Crissa]

Yeah, even though I understood 'counter steering' the actual angle of the pressure is perpendicular to the wheel and varies by bike rake (angle the front and handle bars are) and so different speeds take different amounts or strength to do.

Doing it at 20mph is vastly different than 50mph, and that was the closest I came to wiping out.

-Crissa

[princec]

The SRF also handles slightly differently to most other bikes - haven't quite figured out why but I don't think it's just down to the battery pack's CoG and weight, which isn't really any different to an engine in the same location. Something something gyroscopic forces crankshaft mumble. Or something. Maybe. One thing it doesn't to for sure is squat under acceleration, so it really does feel ever so slightly odd. Nothing you wouldn't get used to in time, but you don't want to have to get used to it having just shot up to 70mph right before a tight left hander...

Cas

[Richard230]

When I started riding there was no such thing as a motorcycle license or training. I bought a Vespa motor scooter so I could commute to college and started riding it in my family home's backyard. Which was about 50 feet square. Then I graduated to the neighborhood streets and road around those for a couple of months until I decided I was ready to head out for the highway and college. My riding apparel was a WWII fiberglass helmet liner, a army field jacket, jeans and leather work gloves and boots. I wore a plastic poncho during rainy days. However, i will admit to crashing the scooter a couple of times while traveling on mountain roads with hairpin turns that I just couldn't figure out. Eventually, I determined that two-wheel riding was for me. So far no accidents that have involved moving more than a few mph. 

So it certainly is possible to learn how to ride a motorcycle via the School of Hard Knocks, but it is not as easy or as relatively safe now as it was 54 years ago. And I agree that professional training can really help a new rider.

[Craig]

I could not pass it up. I bought a new leftover 2020 Zero SR/S regular model. I had to go for a cut warranty. $4000 off list price. I don’t really understand why they have to cut the warranty on a brand new bike. They call it a demo but it has four miles on it. I’m not complaining. I think I got a great deal.

[princec]

You did! That's the price it should have been all along - if they were all priced like that they'd sell 10x as many.
Don't forget to start out in Eco mode and just leave it there for your first 5k miles. It's still faster than most cars.

Cas

[reini]

Don't forget to start out in Eco mode and just leave it there for your first 5k miles. It's still faster than most cars.

I wanted to do that for my test ride, but the dealer told me to leave it in Custom mode (everything at 100%). And I'm glad he said that

[Craig]

I have had the bike for three days now. It’s amazing. I’m keeping it in eco mode for now. I have not installed my fast charging station yet but the TurboCord is awesome and the local charging station in town is free.

[princec]

Nice!

I still can't get over how good mine is. I took Mrs. P's CB500F out today (because as it said in one of the rags this month, neglected bikes are like pets, they get ill, and she's not ridden it for 6 weeks). I had to visit a petrol station!!!1!11!!1 I haven't been to one for weeks. And by goodness it's so, so, slow. Still cracking good fun though.

Observation: turns out I don't really miss the vibration, noise, gears, clutch, or petrol stations at all.

Cas

[NEW2elec]

Congrats to both of you new EV riders.  They aren't perfect but they do what most people want to do, so well, it's a blast to ride.

[flynnstig82r]

Similar to Cas, I haven't ridden the Ducati once since getting the Zero. I started it today in the garage and revved it a bit just to make sure the fluids don't form deposits and the battery doesn't go flat. Now that the weather is improving I'll put it up for sale soon. Amazing bike, but I just can't go back to gas.