I've wanted a bike for a few years now, and I'm finally getting serious about buying one. I was just wondering what makes/models you guys suggest for a first bike. I know I want a 'crotch rocket'. If I buy one, it'll be something I want, not a cruiser.
Somebody I know told me to go with at least a 500cc so I don't get bored with it after a year. Experience with this?
Somebody else told me I should defiantly get a bike that's fuel injected. Easier to start, maintain, and modify if I want.
So what's a good bike that matches these criteria?
-Thanks
Suzuki 600 GSX-R I love those bikes.
you know... for some reason im leaning towards suggesting a Yamaha YZF R6. they have been fuel injected since '03, and you can pick up a used one for a good price. not too powerful to start off with (600cc), but it's powerful enough to keep most people who own them happy for years.
cannon fodder wrote:you know... for some reason im leaning towards suggesting a Yamaha YZF R6. they have been fuel injected since '03, and you can pick up a used one for a good price. not too powerful to start off with (600cc), but it's powerful enough to keep most people who own them happy for years.
As Much I love my Yami, I cant recommend it for a first bike. It is by far and large the hardest 600 to learn on.
There are a few threads on this already...with lots of arguing(go figure) over which bike is best to learn on, so you may never get a straight answer...But search it and you may find some good info.
Me personally, I say Suzuki SV650 is your best bet to learn on. My buddy bought an 03(for really cheap i might add) and never road anything. I mean no snowmobiles, atv, or dirtbikes growing up. He was a complete dumbass...yet he learned to ride this thing in no time..
I think it is stupid for anyone to say you should start on a bigger bike so you dont get bored quick. there is NEVER fault in err on the side of safety.
if you buy a smaller bike 250-500 and you DO actually get bored with it, sell it. As long as you didnt jack the bike up you can almost always get the same you bought it for in the first place.
also, there really isnt any reason for anyone to get bored on even a 250. there are lots of things you can do to them and people even do full out races with them. they are different than bigger sized bikes but that doesnt make them bad.
for a first timer, do NOT get even a remotely new bike. chances are extremely high you will drop the bike. maybe not somethign serious but it will be dropped. just go pick up something cheaaaaapp. im talking less than 2k. Ride it, master it, and THEN move on to either larger or newer or both.
NEVER ride without all appropriate gear on. this means riding jacket(not winter coat and not sweatshirt etc...) pants ( at a BARE minimum jeans) boots, gloves, helmet. it doesnt matter how hot you are, you will be even HOTTER when your skin is burning off through friction on the pavement. FULL GEAR AT ALL TIMES.
also make sure you take motoercycle safety course.
Ride smart, and have fun.
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Ahh yes...forgot about that. Def take your MSF, you get your lisense for completing the 2 say course...and it will help you alot
Riding gear..
There are light weight options for the summer....
Jeans..dont wear AE or fagacrombie....they will tear like paper.
If you want to wear jeans(what I wear) then get Joe Rocket or Icon with double or triple stitching and some Kevlar reenforcement..
04 GSX-R 750, right in between a 600 and 1000, almost the best of both worlds.
you want a zx14r with a pair of shorts, t-shirt and sandals, and you will own the streets.
Start with a bike thats a couple years old. There's a great chance of dropping it. Do a 600cc. You wont push a 600 to its max the first year and chances are the second or third. Once you feel you push can push it to a max then upgrade. There's nothing that great about a liter bike. They go faster in the straights but if you wanting curves stick with a 600.
You best starter bike in the 600s is a 2001-2003 Honda cbr600 f4i. They are cheap, reliable and have good get up and go.
and last, take a class.
If your looking for a good starter bike and something thats not to expensive, ive got a 1996 suzuki GSX600 for sale right now, I bought a different bike in December and need to sell this one. $1500 out the door clean title and in my hands. If you or anybody else is interested drop me a line at fuken_groovin@hotmail.com.... I'll email pictures per request.
Nathaniel O'Flaherty wrote:I think it is stupid for anyone to say you should start on a bigger bike so you dont get bored quick. there is NEVER fault in err on the side of safety.
if you buy a smaller bike 250-500 and you DO actually get bored with it, sell it. As long as you didnt jack the bike up you can almost always get the same you bought it for in the first place.
also, there really isnt any reason for anyone to get bored on even a 250. there are lots of things you can do to them and people even do full out races with them. they are different than bigger sized bikes but that doesnt make them bad.
for a first timer, do NOT get even a remotely new bike. chances are extremely high you will drop the bike. maybe not somethign serious but it will be dropped. just go pick up something cheaaaaapp. im talking less than 2k. Ride it, master it, and THEN move on to either larger or newer or both.
NEVER ride without all appropriate gear on. this means riding jacket(not winter coat and not sweatshirt etc...) pants ( at a BARE minimum jeans) boots, gloves, helmet. it doesnt matter how hot you are, you will be even HOTTER when your skin is burning off through friction on the pavement. FULL GEAR AT ALL TIMES.
also make sure you take motoercycle safety course.
Ride smart, and have fun.
Best suggestion yet, especially if you have NO prior experience (such as dirt) at all.
When people start on a big bike they always say, "Oh, I just won't push it until I learn to how to ride." What they don't realize is you can putt around town all day and learn how the bike reacts to that type of riding and then you'll get comfortable, push it, find out it is a whole different beast, and crash. A 250 can do everything you need it to, unless of course your one of those idiots who has to be able to do 120+ down the highway. The Kawasaki Ninja 250 has a quicker 0-60 than most production cars, so it is far from slow. In the end its up to you but don't be force yourself into getting a big bike for the wrong reasons, i.e., top speed, looks, etc.
Most people who say that you'll instantly grow out of a 250 have
a) never ridden one, or
b) are too fat and ruin the handling by weighing nearly 3/4 of the bikes weight...
(usually a)
Sure they may not be the fastest out there but they are light and perfect for throwing into a turn. The power band comes on after 8000+ rpm so beginners don't have to worry about losing control with a blip of the throttle. I'm not going to say its a perfect bike for anorexic people, but the lighter you are the more nimble you'll be. The Ninja 250 weighs 300lbs dry, whereas the ninja 500 weighs 375lbs, most 500-600cc bikes weigh between 360-390lbs. the slight increase in power and extra 75 pounds does not justify buying an older ninja 500 for a starter bike, unless you get a killer deal
*wink*
Your first bike
should not be your dream bike, you will without a doubt drop it atleast once and most likely from a stand still. Get a cheap used bike to learn on, get all of the basics down, and then look into the bikes everyone else up there is recommending.
After reading the posts again before me, seems like Nate and Zeke have the right idea, everyone else is recommending bikes for semi experienced riders who need to push the speed limit. If you have to know even the 250 will reach 100mph, plenty to get in trouble, and has no problem passing on the highway. (does get blown around a bit by tractor trailers though)
I can attest to the Ninja 250 getting to 100mph, as I did it without even realizing it, I only noticed when the cop pulled up on my ass and ticketed me 95 in a 55. I now pay a lot more attention to the speedo.
Thanks guys for the responses!
Two more years and I can thake this advice when I buy my first bike.
It's gonna be a long 2 years
Interesting that people are suggesting bikes without knowing a few critical pieces of info.
Do you have any experience at all? Dirt, mini-gp, anything?
How big are you? A 6'4" 280lb guy is not going to enjoy a 250.
All the gear, all the time. No comprimises. I know guys who left without their gear "just this once, I'm only going around the corner" and eneded up in hospital all rashed up. With gear, they'd just be buffing the scratches out when they got home.
You WILL drop your first bike.. What speed you drop it at is up to you.
Bigger bikes go faster but a 600 is just as fast as a 1000 in the corners, and that's where the fun is. In fact a 600 may be faster than some 1000s in the corners simply because a 1000 usually runs a 190 rear (fat, wide rear) that slows the turn in.
If your name isn't Miguel DuHamel or Jake Zemke then you have not maxed out a 600. They are fast, don't kid yourself. Yes litre bikes are faster in a straight line, but you'd be suprised at how well a 600 can keep up in the right hands.
Your first bike ever should NOT be a super sport. I'm sorry but with steep rakes and short low bars, along with gobs of instant speed, they are not forgiving. As a new rider you will make mistakes, will that mistake happen at 60MPH or at 150MPH? That's up to you. If you are mature, have a healthy repect for the machine and are willing to learn slowly than you can be OK with a supersport but the 16 year old on his first bike is usually dead in a month if they choose a supersport. Heck, last year two didn't make it home from the dealership.
They are fantastic bikes, you're gonna love them, but I seriously suggest you get a year in on a 500cc sport, or an SV 650 or the like. Just get the feel for it, get used to cars cutting you off and being general dick-heads.. Then get the bike you dream of.
PAX
good advice
Quote:
How big are you? A 6'4" 280lb guy is not going to enjoy a 250.
hence article B
Quote:
b) are too fat and ruin the handling by weighing nearly 3/4 of the bikes weight...
Anybody else remember the intro to 'On Any Sunday' (
not 'Any Sunday' the football movie) with the huge fat guy on the tiny bike with the suspension bottomed out??
Regarding your IM, If you want more info on the 250 you can check out Ninja250.org
I've had mine since April, I think, and I'm very pleased with it. Bought it new as my first street bike and haven't regretted it yet. A few real life friends who ride thought I was stupid for buying a 250 until I let them take a ride on it themselves and their perspective quickly changed. Everyone else swears its a 600, they are always surprised when I tell them its only a 250.
This is just personal preference, but I think that the best beginner sport bike out there is a Kawasaki EX500 Ninja. They are fairly light (388lbs), fairly quick (50 rwhp), handle fairly well, have a fairly comfortable riding position, and are large enough to handle a person of nearly any size (though larger guys look kinda funny on them). You can get any year from 1994 to present and it's exactly the same, and they are cheap! Go on eBay right now and do a quick search for them. You can get an 02-03 model for $1500. The throttle is very easy to modulate, unlike, say, an SV, which has a lot of low-end torque and can be twitchy if you're not expecting it. They also rev out very nicely, with a surprising amount of top-end. Plus, they are not exactly the sexiest bike out there, so if you would happen to wreck it, you don't feel real bad about it. They are also tough as hell. I have redlined it, accidentally kicked it down from 4th into 3rd, over-revved the hell out of it, and nothing. The thing didn't even stall out. I've also gone off-roading over a 10-inch deep sewer grate with it, doing nothing more than busting the lower fairing into pieces. I think you could drive that thing into a wall and not damage it. The only problem I see with the bike is that it does get boring pretty quickly. I had mine for about 10 months before I traded it in on my SV. It does have a lot of high-end power, but I wanted a bike geared for for midrange where most of my riding happens. Plus, I wanted something that didn't look 15 years old (I did mention they were ugly, didn't I?)
Anyway, get a 500 Ninja. You won't regret it
If you are a bigger guy, seriously look at the Honda 599 (supersport engine (F3), standard naked bike).. Lots of pep, but wide bars and a comfy seat. Also consider the Suzuki SV650.
If you are an average sized guy the Ninja 250 or 500 is a good first bike. The 250 if you are nervous and really need to learn. The 500 if you have confidence and some ability.
I still don't think someone with no experience should pilot a supersport on their first outing. Maybe if you have some friends with bikes, someone has something tame for you to get a little saddle time on. I don't think a new rider heading into traffic should have to contend with 110-130 HP (or 155 to 180HP on a 1 litre) of twitchiness while also dealing with traffic in an all new way for the first time.
The newest supersports and superbikes have VERY responsive throttles. On my 600 a mm of right hand can mean 20MPH or more added to my speed in very short order. Something to think about... Think of stop and go traffic or just plain crowded streets. You need to develope the fine control "feel" for a modern supersport. I suggest you learn the other points (there are many) of riding before you tackle that one.
It's like a new driver getting a Diablo to take on their first drive ever.. Not a good idea.
PAX
^^^ that's exactly the reason you don't go right out into traffic. practice, practice, practice, then go. i've owned my bike since last may and havn't been out in traffic with it yet. i didn't have much time to practice last summer, but when i did it was strictly in a parking lot where i knew no cars would be driving around.
i got a '03 gsxr 600 for my first bike, but i've ridden dirtbikes since i was like 7. everywhere i read SV650 is at the top of the list for beginners bikes.... i wouldnt get a 250 cuz you will probably get bored, yes they are light and all and they are good in the twisties but its only fun if you are riding the bike flat out.
how do people confuse your 250 from a 600 zeke? look at any 600 and they dont even look close to being the same. and the acceleration isnt that impressive, 5.5 seconds isnt much to brag about on a bike
Ummm, people who don't know about bikes I guess. A 250 is pretty obvious to those who know a bit. Let's see, the styling is usually off by 10 years or so, the wheels are tiny, the engine is tiny, the seat is more comfy.. etc etc etc.
Now start it up, whoa now, we have a huge difference. When it come to acceleration, the 250 can keep up with most sports cars, maybe be faster than some. The 600 make most sports cars look stupid with the only 4 wheeled challenges coming from very expensive exotics. The only car that came anywhere near my straight line acceleration on my bike was an AWD turbo carrera, with mods. The guy was making (claimed) 650HP. He had me for the first few feet, I got him back.
That doesn't mean that 250s are no good, just that they are not a 600, no matter how you slice it. Even a 500 cannot touch a 600. Different philosophies in the builder. A typical 500cc Sport makes about 70hp, where a typical 600cc supersport makes 115-140HP depending.
250s are for learning and in town commuting. 600cc Supersports are for racing, with some street application.
PAX
