Getting a motorcycle, what do I need to know?

One other note on boots vs. shoes that I didn't think about much until some more experienced riders started explaining it to me: I grasped that you want some protection for your feet from the heat of the engine/exhaust, and on your toes for the shifter, and for abrasion protection if you should ever go down. The part I didn't think about is that the extra height and stiffness of boots also give your ankle and foot some needed support in the case of a crash and help minimize the chance of a broken foot or ankle as you fall and/or the pavement catches you and tries to twist and bend you in ways you weren't designed to bend!

I hope none of us have to find out the hard way!

If you find that riding pants give you a bad case of swalls, look at a set of chaps.

I wear jeans under a pair of plain, brown leather chaps.

No fringe, no conchos, no skulls, nothing to make you look like a wannabe dirtbag.

They look fine with vintage Japanese, German or British motorcycles.

They keep you warm because they keep the wind off but still let your junk breathe, mine even have a zip-in thinsulate liner.

Nick_Comstock wrote: All of the beginner classes that I'm aware of provide bikes to ride. The advanced courses are typically on your own bike.

Here its they provide if you take their basic learners course(which is usually a 3 day event) and if you aren't taking that and hold your permit for 30 days, they have a riding test that you take your own bike for. Advanced here is on your own bike as well....but there is only 2 locations in the entire state they do it.

Thanks again for continuing to provide solid recommendations!

I think the motorcycle university class provides all the gear except boots and gloves. I was planning on taking classes with hiking boots. The point of the first class is to teach some very basic skills and "see if you like it" sort of thing, which I want to do before investing in more classes, gear, or bike. There's no point continuing if I hate riding, right?

Ninja 250 does seem like a good bet on the bike front, I've seen many clean examples for $1900-$3000, which is about where I want to be, budget-wise. A big plus is less maintenance than an older UJM. Any thoughts on what to look for when buying?

As for gear, one thing about living in the Bay Area is we don't get much weather, though it can go from 90+F to 70F (or less!) in the distance that I commute in the summertime.