just some general information and some suggestions would be greatly appreciated...
some info about cc's and hp and the specs of bikes and wut it all means, that would really help me.. and point me in the right direction as far as brands go
thanks guys
i'll tell you from experience... get a used bike. i wanted something brand new, so i got a 2006 Yamaha. the problem is, im afraid of ruining it, haha. looks damn nice sitting in the driveway though, lol.
get something used, it's already broken in so it'll be a little more forgiving and not nearly as touchy like a new bike. a good starter bike would be a 600cc bike. it's got enough power to keep you happy for a while, but not too much power for a newbie.
as far as brands, obviously im partial to Yamaha, but im also impressed by Honda. i've got an R6 and my roomie has a CBR600, both really good bikes. it's just like the whole "chevy vs ford" deal with cages (aka: cars), you'll have people who swear by one or two brands and hate the others (i love Yamis and Hondas, but i don't like Suzukis or Kawasakis for example) and you'll have others that would say the exact opposite.
talk to people who you know have bikes and are experienced riders, get their input on their ride and go from there. now is a great time to buy a bike, cause they sell for cheap before winter.
I was looking at possibly picking up a bike, and I suppose it depends on what kind of bike your looking at, or more so, what type of riding you're going to do.
A father of a friend of mine repairs motorcycles, and I had talked to him about a "crotch rocket," he said he could look around, but if your not necessarly going to race it, then get a cruiser bike, he told me.
I guess a good place to start would be a 600cc (cubic centimeter) bike. There are members who will say 250cc, others will say 600cc. I guess it truely does depend on personal preference, and if you have any previous expierence riding.
The primary difference between a sport bike and a touring bike is the engine configuration. Touring bikes usually have a torquier V-twin engine (pistons are in a V shape) while sport bikes pistions are inline, and also much peaker and rev happy.
IMO, Honda is always a good brand to look at for either sport or touring. I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm not a Harley fan, simply for the fact that they are EXTREMELY loud and annoying, and you're going to get every Tom, Dick, and Harry who wants to be a weekend bad ass with a Harley.
actually... Harleys are quite quiet... but almost every person who owns one puts aftermarket pipes on it which is what makes them so ungodly loud. a buddy and i went to a Harley dealership one day and he bought a brand new cruiser, it's not very loud stock.
also, you mentioned that some people suggest starting with a 250cc bike... it's not a bad starter bike, but you'll get sick of the lack of power in no time and want to get rid of it. a 600cc bike will have enough power to keep you happy for a lot longer, but not be too much to start off with.
yea im actually looking at a harley for my self, my room mate dave is getting a crotch rocket
i have my bike picked out, now i just need the funds
im getting a sportster havent decided on 883 or 1200 yet but that will depend on my $
i need to learn more about bikes, so keep the information coming.. thanks alot guys
i would go with cannon fodder on this one i started with a 1000cc at the bigining of the summer i popped the front wheel up not even trying and it scared the crap outta me for the first 1000 miles our so it was really scarry i would for sure recomend a 600 to start of with im thinking of selling my bike to trade up for a 600 cbr
http://www.geocities.com/WIJTuners/?200511
wi jbody site
Of course it's a personal preference thing, but I still have my 2005 ninja 250. It has been great to learn on. It's a 250cc parallel twin making ~25 whp 13k rpm redline, gets about 65-75 mpg and does the 1/4 mile in about 14 seconds. I got mine with 480 miles on it for 2900 with an extended warrenty (which i have not had to use yet) until 2008. Hell, it probably saved me that much in gas. Insurance was something like 250$ for the year. I changed the gearing and commuted on it all spring/summer; it cruises ~60 mph at 6k rpm, which on a bike like that is nothing. Unless you are getting stupid, its tough to drop a bike like this - 300 lbs dry weight.
I would recommend it for a first time rider, if only for one season. The retail is not bad either.
expect Harley insurance to be high.
R.I.P. Brian St.Germain
Sticks and stones get shot through the telephone
With instant results, we’re both left alone
Have you ever ridden before?
I cannot imagine a first timer hopping on a harley.
I would start out with a used shadow or something
a smaller sportster, sure...not one of the bigger ones. a buell is another idea. apparently Harley agrees, because they use their lower end Buells for the classes.
i wouldn't buy a harley for a first bike, though. who wants to spend that much money on a bike that STATISTICALLY SPEAKING is guaranteed to see the ground within the first year(and seemingly, when the rider hits gravel...)? get a used jap cruiser. insurance is lower, cost to purchase is lower even for a new bike, and they're easier to fix and more reliable overall.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, October 26, 2006 7:57 AM
R.I.P. Brian St.Germain
Sticks and stones get shot through the telephone
With instant results, we’re both left alone
lilbit01 wrote:and they're easier to fix and more reliable overall.
i wouldn't go as far as to say a metric is easier to fix than a Harley... there's a reason the they have such high resale value. I don't have time to explain right now, but I'll elaborate later on...
im gonna start with a small sportster.. i dont want a jap rocket for my first bike
if i drop it, so what.. its a learning experience
Sportster.................dont u mean Skirtster??? That is the ladies bike by Harley, many many many people will agree on that one. But hey, u'll learn after ur first few rides when ur gettin laughed at by the guys riding real harleys! I just picked up a 04 fat boy myself, has sum nice pipes on it other thatn that its stock.
Hey bro, in the same boat as you are. Done lots of research since the spring...
Basically I have come down to a cbr600 (top choice). Most 600s seem to be good.
If you want a starter bike to learn and then sell for almost the same amount I would reccomend a ninja 500. My friend just got his, good bikes to start (nice and small but plenty of power too). He got his for about $1500 I wanna say and I am willing to put money down he can sell it fot 1500 or more next year!
The GoOoOch wrote:But hey, u'll learn after ur first few rides when ur gettin laughed at by the guys riding real harleys!
then when you take an 883, port the heads, bore the cylinders and throw in 1200 pistons (worth 10.5:1 compression w/ 883 heads) with some wild cams, you can laugh back when you blow them away on their 'real' Harleys, not to mention that handling thing.
nothing's more fun than a sleeper
but I really don't understand the point of this thread, you came here and asked for opinions about what bike to get, and then you say you already have one picked out? why make a thread then?
i would suggest a Yamaha FZR 600 you can get em for a great price and it something good to learn on, and grow into then if ya want more you can.
For a started street bike I'd go older CBR or R6. Insurance isn't too bad if you go pre 01 I find, I'm looking at picking up a 2000 cbr600f4 or a 2000R6 some spring.
I got my first bike this May. It is a 04 Yamaha R6. I learnt how to ride on it, and Id say its a great starter bike! Its got plenty of power and handles very well.
Ive heard much better about a GSX-R 600 for a first bike though, much more forgiving.
"Louis, you better watch who you call a child. Because if I'm a child,
that makes you a pedafile, and I'm not gonna stand here and argue
with a pervert" -- Peter Griffin
a superbike is a BAD idea for a starter.
i've heard from everyone i know who rides that something along the lines of a 650 is a great starter...provided it's NOT a superbike(gsx-r, etc). kids who get superbikes as starter bikes die. quickly.
R.I.P. Brian St.Germain
Sticks and stones get shot through the telephone
With instant results, we’re both left alone
I got a 2006 GSX-R 600 for my first bike and Im doing just fine
but in all honesty, no matter what anyone says it comes down to the person. If its a young guy going out with all of his friends they are gonna start showing off, wheelies, stoppies etc etc. and THAT is where the accidents happens. Now personally, I have seen 3 people in the last year and a half go down on bikes and what do you know? all 3 of them were screwing around doing wheelies. I took that as a "learn from others' mistakes". Now for the bike perspective, NO beginner ever needs more than a 600, this thing absolutely rips. Now the group I ride with there is an 05 ninja 636, an 05 cbr600rr, an 03 R6, 98 ninja 750, CBR 929, CBR 954 and an 05 totally modded R1. Now granted I love the R1, every time I ride it, it blows my mind but I like cornering and you can only corner so fast no matter what engine size you have so Ill probably stick with a 600 for quite a while. The friend with the 954 will be trading it in this year for a new 600 and he can ride the 954 like its his job. I never wanted a suzuki but a deal kind of fell into my hands so I jumped on the deal and will never look back. Newer bikes are faster, lighter, smaller and far easier to learn on than even slightly older bikes. That 98 ninja is a TANK. and really the only way to figure out which one you want is to ride a few different bikes. These questions are on here pretty often so Im just sharing my experience even if this is a loooong post.
STREET ANTIX, it's coming...
these conversations get old, never enough info about the buyer, and too much bad info from others.
there are a couple things we need to know about u.
1. what style of bike do u want. sport touring cruiser etc.
2. do u have a background with motorcycles at all aka dirtbikes and or quads.
3. if u answered sport to ? 1, do u just want to ride it or do u wanna do wheelies and such.
personally i can only offer my opinion in the sport dept.
if u have no experience riding wut so ever, its a tuff call. i would lean toward advising u on a very well used 250 or 500, something very cheap. just to cruise on for a few months to learn the basics. then upgrade to a new bike.
in the new dept. if u just want something sporty to cruise on with enough go to be satisfying and comfortable to ride, i would say like a kawi sv 650 or yamaha fz6.
if u want full sport and have some type of riding back ground, regardless of what some say, u want 1 of the 5 supersport models available. r6, cbr600rr, gsxr600, zx6r, daytona 675. my 1st choice would be the 675 for uniqueness, plus the right up was excellent. 2nd would be a zx6 cause the extra 36 ccs make it the most street friendly. for stunt fun 600s are ok but not ideal, theyll wheelie no problem at street speeds, but put it on the highway and they start to struggle a bit. they lack the torque to go wild on.
if u want to stunt or have a riding background youll do just fine on a 1000cc. with any bike they only go as fast as u turn the throttle. i can speak from experience and tell u, that if u already know how to ride a motorcycle and u know your gonna mess around on it, then a 600 wont keep u happy. i bought an r6 for my 1st bike cause i had never ridden on the street, although ive been riding dirtbikes for years, and i was mad after about 2 months that i hadnt bought a 1000. i now have a 1000 and am so much happier with it than i was on the 600.
so thats my long 2 cents on the subject.
Don't steal, the government doesn't like competition
Omg..how much does insurance shoot for on say an R6 near you ppl. I'm reading some of the posts and it seems pretty cheap compared to here where I live. A 2001 R6 would go for 2000-3000 for the "season"(I get snow in winter) and about 1600 for the plate..Wow I wish I could be like you guys and pay under 1000.
Ne-waz..My opinion on what to get would be something first that you feel seated good on. You can ask all around what is best, even look at photos online..but your best bet would be to go and try them out. Each bike will seat you different, the bike you like online(pics/number) may not be something you like afterall once you try it. Buying a bike is a lot different than scoping out a car to buy.
my room mate and I are looking to get bikes, i want a harley sportster so i can go riding with my dad.. my room mate wants a sports bike to get around on.. no 'stunting' thats dumb as far as im concerned.. but neither one of us knew much of anything about bikes so i figured id ask.
thanks for all the info you guys, keep it coming
I've been doing extensive research on bikes for a while now. I'll be going the street bike route however.
600CC is a death trap if your looking at newer bikes, 600CC now is a much different animal than 600CC a few years ago. An older 600 would be ok but anyting from 2003+ is pretty dangerous. Those here that started on an R6 and lived without any accidents are the lucky few, not the unlucky majority that crash.
I always reccomend a ninja 250 or GSR500. Both are GREAT! bikes with decent power. Even with only 250CC's a ninja 250 is going to be faster than most cavs and fires, so the argument of speed isn't there.
You also have to realize you ARE going to lay the bike down at some point and the bike is going to take some damage. ninja 250's are a dime a dozen and its a throwaway bike thats easy to sell at the end of the season. No point in getting a nice bike when your learning.
Also the repairs on a harley are also going to be a lot more expensive.
If your going Harley get a used Buell 250 for your first bike. You'll be able to get accustomed to harley maintanence at the lower end instead of having to replace those expensive chrome pipes, pegs etc.... when you laydown that new sportser.
Make sure you spend most of your money on your gear, pants, jacket, gloves, boots and Helmet. Never cheap out on your helmet, if you plan on staying in this hobby for years to come nothing less than an Arai or SHOEI should grace your head IMO.
Lastly, take the MSF Safety course as well you get to use their bikes and you can walk right into the DMV and get a license without taking their test.
Motorcycle Safety Foundation Website for more info.
Good luck.
-Chris
