Motorcycle weight is something you should definitely consider when selecting your bike.
Lighter is better for beginners
I am a strong proponent of getting a lighter smaller bike for your first bike. Why? Driving a motorcycle well has a lot to do with how you move and position your body on the bike, and position the bike itself through turns etc. A lighter bike makes it a lot easier to get comfortable with the movements of a motorcycle, the lean in turns, and positioning your body while riding.
Heavier bikes are better for the highway
All else being equal, a heavier bike is more stable. This is especially noticeable at higher speeds on the highway. At higher speeds more weight helps you stay planted firmly on the road when hitting bumps, and prevents you from being impacted too much from windblast emanating from other vehicles – or just wind in general.
Here are the weights of a few popular Motorcycle’s
Honda Rebel 250 ~ 310 lbs
Honda CBR600 ~ 350 lbs
Yamaha R1 ~ 410 lbs
Harley Sportster ~ 570 lbs
Honda GoldWing ~ 910 lbs
It’s not just weight, it’s also center of gravity and riding position
We’ve been talking about weight as if all motorcycles are built exactly the same, but weigh different amounts. The fact of the matter is that motorcycles can look a lot different from one another, and one thing that certainly has a lot to do with how easy it is to control a bike, besides it weight, is its center of gravity and riding position. Cruiser type motorcycle’s tend to have lower center of gravity, while enduro type bikes will have a much higher center of gravity.
I discuss this more on the Motorcycle Types page