getting a bike soon - Other Cars Forum

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getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 5:39 PM
so lets say ive got a 600 dollar limit and i dont want anything bigger than a 600 or maybe a 750 since it will be my first bike, any ideas guys for a beginner?

Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 5:43 PM
wow...i meant $6000 limit...
Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 5:59 PM
How big of a guy are you like weight wise and height? I would go to the dealers and pick up something used. For a beginner i would say a 600. Myself i baught a 2002 cbr600 f4i with 900 miles on it at the dealer over the summer for $3900 with a warranty still. Honda will be your cheaper route which is what i would do if i was you. Yamaha and suzuki are the most pricest.

I'm a yamaha person by heart and if you wanted a real nice 600 to 750 i would get a 06 to 08 r6. There moreless the best all around bike and have more power than any of the 600's. The suzuki jixer 750 would fall behind the r6 in my opinion. But you can't go wrong with a cbr 600 for a begginer bike due to the fact there easy to get the hang of, doesn't have as much power as the others though but you can get the used for cheap.

I would buy something used from the dealer or check around for one forsale. With anywhere from 1000 to 4000miles. Due to the fact your just starting out and may drop it over. Once you learn to ride and get the hang of it trade it in on a r6 or jixer 750. Unless your a bigger guy then i would go with a 1000.
Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:07 PM
I'm 5'11 231lbs, so I'm a big guy..kinda i guess i don't know..i wouldn't want to run into me in a back alley.
I've been eying a r6 for a while now, but i've got a buddy who's totally into the jixers so i cant really get an unbiased opinion from him.
but yeah i like the cbr600 as well, thanks for the input tho
Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:09 PM
also this might be a dumb question but i cant get an answer from anyone i know, when is a motorcycle considered high mileage? like whats their life expectancy when well maintained?
Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:22 PM
my recommendation would be an R6. if youve got 6gs id go with a 05... you may even be able to find an 06 for that. Id definatly recommend not going bigger then a 600 if ur a new rider.
Heres a pic of my old 04 (same body as the 05) and of my new 08, similar to the 06:









"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
Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:27 PM
I learned on a 1981 Kawasaki Gpz 550, then I got a Honda shadow 750. I Sold both of them though. I rode my step dads Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 this summer. Not sure what my next bike will be, some sort of cruiser though.



Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:29 PM
If you want a sport bike, you can get a NEW yamaha FZ6(600) for about $6700.
very nice bike, my buddy has one and I've rode it a few times.



Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:33 PM
For ease of riding stay away from the R6's. Being a CBR guy though. The R6 is a great bike but for reliablity, ridability and such go with a 03 up cbr600rr. You can find one for usually 3g and up depending what you get. Again the R6 is a awsome bike but compared to the cbr its not as comfy and has a very peaky powerband which can be a little much for most newbies to handle since the front gets twitchy, the cbr also has a nice broad powerband especiallly in the 05 up. Midrange is good!. Thats just my opinion though...any bike you get whether r6,cbr or gsxr is all going to be fun.
Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:50 PM
I've got an FZ6 as a first bike, its very forgiving (that is unless you try doing 85mph in a corner then let off the gas because you have to stop). Its not a full sport bike with all the plastic. You sit upright and I know weighing over 215 myself that if I were hunched over anymore I'd have a day's worth of back pain.

Only thing I can say bad about the FZ6 is the vibration through the handles and pegs. Couple hours of riding and your hands and feet will fall asleep. I dropped my bike at 85mph, it slid about 250 feet and I got it completely fixed for less than $350. Good set of frame sliders really helps.

And before you go buy your bike, spend the couple hundred bucks and take the MSF course. They usually have a couple different kinds of bikes that you can try there, and when you get to the dealership you can take a test ride and not worry too much about dumping it in the parking lot.





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Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 7:23 PM
Where you at? I'm trying to sell my 2006 Ninja 636 for that price. It has the limited edition paint and powder coated rims. It was my first bike and has under 2,600 miles on it. Nothing wrong with it mechanically. It fell over in some stones and has minor cosmetic damage. I'm selling it because we just had our first kid and I haven't ridden in months. Let me know.



Re: getting a bike soon
Sunday, November 23, 2008 10:46 PM
wow thanks for all the input guys, im gonna go look around local places tomorrow just as a feeler. wanna get to see a few of em up close.
Re: getting a bike soon
Monday, November 24, 2008 7:38 AM
r6's and the 636 are my fav 2 bikes. my first bike was a KATANA. they are cheap and great to learn on. rode it a season outgrew it. sold it got what i paid for it and bought a r1



Re: getting a bike soon
Monday, November 24, 2008 7:45 AM
Shifted wrote:I've got an FZ6 as a first bike, its very forgiving. Its not a full sport bike with all the plastic.

'09's are coming with lower fairings now . Much nicer looking.



Re: getting a bike soon
Monday, November 24, 2008 9:11 AM
if you've rode before, id get a 600, but if you havent rode before, i would start off on a parellel twin or vtwin such as a 650 ninja or a SV650.

I started on a 650 ninja and now have a gsx-r. love it

if your wanting a newer 600 for around 6 grand, CBR would be the way to go, they are probably the cheapest price wise.





Re: getting a bike soon
Monday, November 24, 2008 2:26 PM
yea im currently on an 2001 SV650....VERY HAPPY i chose this bike to start on...i rode my buddies 600rr and it scared me when i first starting riding..so ya SV650 would be a great start




Re: getting a bike soon
Monday, November 24, 2008 5:45 PM
ScreamingBanana wrote:also this might be a dumb question but i cant get an answer from anyone i know, when is a motorcycle considered high mileage? like whats their life expectancy when well maintained?

I would say that as long as it's maintained properly, you should have no problems getting over 100k miles. I know of many Evo and Twin Cam Harleys with over 100k (and no rebuilds), and they are considered by most (that have no idea what they're talking about) to be pieces of @!#$. A friend of mine has a 2006 Electra Glide with a 120" motor pumping out 150ft-lbs with 25k on the build, and has no problems, and that's way higher stress than you'll ever encounter with a 600cc I4. There are tons of Goldwings with 250k miles, BMW's with 250k, etc. As long as you check valve clearances (on OHC engines) and change fluids at specified intervals, you'll have no problems other than common stuff - rubber intake boots and hoses dry rotting, leaky valve cover gaskets getting squished down with age, blown out exhaust gaskets, all cheap and easy fixes that happens to all engines over a long amount of time.


As far as what bike to start on, I will say a Kawasaki 500 Ninja. It's the first bike I owned, and I am not gonna brag about how great of a bike it is (because it's not), but it is a great starter bike. It's powerful enough to have fun, yet not enough to get you into too much trouble. The brakes are adequate, but won't throw you over the handlebars. It's ugly, so you won't be upset when you drop it. Get one, put in a year on it, and then trade up to a 4-cylinder. It'll make you appreciate the new bike even more.






Re: getting a bike soon
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:05 AM
think i will be getting a ninja 500 for my first, cause i just talked to my guy at a dealer and can ride away on one for 4k even works for me, that saves two grand for me to buy guns and ammo before january
again, thanks for the suggestions guys
Re: getting a bike soon
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:10 AM
only thing im worried about is it not being able to move my big ass, couple months ago i say a black guy...he had to have been pushing 400lbs clamber on to a 600rr and the bike was screaming to be shot as he pulled away, and i do mean pulled.
now im nowhere near 400 but i still dont want to be that guy
Re: getting a bike soon
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:53 AM
Shifted wrote:
And before you go buy your bike, spend the couple hundred bucks and take the MSF course. They usually have a couple different kinds of bikes that you can try there, and when you get to the dealership you can take a test ride and not worry too much about dumping it in the parking lot.


Excellent point. I'd also suggest getting all of your gear before you get the bike. There's a greater chance you'll put off getting gear if you start off riding without it.

97&04cfcavy(now just 04) wrote:if you've rode before, id get a 600, but if you havent rode before, i would start off on a parellel twin or vtwin such as a 650 ninja or a SV650.



I'm going to agree, though some would even argue that 650 twin is a bit much for a beginner. I picked up a Ninja 650r in June as my first bike. Already there have been a few times where I'm know I would have wound up on my ass had I went with a 600.


As far as the bike being able to move you... While I don't know how Cartman-esque you are, I seriously doubt you'll have to worry about this. Sure you may not be able to keep up with other bikes above 120, but this is the last thing you should worry about when buying your first bike.
And truthfully, if you are a bigger guy, your probably going to like a sportbike a lot less than something more upright. SB's put more pressure on your arms and (especially) wrists, and I highly doubt your "big ass" is a result of a strict weight training regimen focusing on nothing but your arms.






Re: getting a bike soon
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 9:04 AM
muffin wrote:
97&04cfcavy(now just 04) wrote:if you've rode before, id get a 600, but if you havent rode before, i would start off on a parellel twin or vtwin such as a 650 ninja or a SV650.



I'm going to agree, though some would even argue that 650 twin is a bit much for a beginner. I picked up a Ninja 650r in June as my first bike. Already there have been a few times where I'm know I would have wound up on my ass had I went with a 600.

Oh, come on guys . Seriously jinxing myself. Haha.




Re: getting a bike soon
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 9:23 AM
this is a great bike and a decent deal.

Michael Koehler wrote:Where you at? I'm trying to sell my 2006 Ninja 636 for that price. It has the limited edition paint and powder coated rims. It was my first bike and has under 2,600 miles on it. Nothing wrong with it mechanically. It fell over in some stones and has minor cosmetic damage. I'm selling it because we just had our first kid and I haven't ridden in months. Let me know.







my first bike was a 89 Honda Hurricane cbr1000f, it was a fun bike but had lotsa problems, i sold it and in 2002 I bought a new R-1 and loved the bike! but sold it cuz i dint trust my self on it and didnt want to end up dead or hurt tdo to my own ignorance, im thinkin on gettin a R-6 now, I rode my friends all summer while he was in Afghanistan, I like the R-6 more than the R-1 for a everyday bike, its just seemed alot more tossable around town and rider friendly, the R-1 was alot more powerful and faster though but def. not a beginner bike, i shoulda started off with a 600 myself. but yeah man goodluck and keep us posted!






My car was made with wrenches, Not chopsticks.
Re: getting a bike soon
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:14 PM
yeah I've decided to go with the ninja 500, they've got one in diablo black with my name on but im gonna wait a month or so to buy. i cant do much right now with broken bones in my foot.

Quote:


Excellent point. I'd also suggest getting all of your gear before you get the bike. There's a greater chance you'll put off getting gear if you start off riding without it.




allready picked out the helmet and jacket, the icon seventh seal
http://www.rideicon.com/product_details.jsp?category=1660&id=6919
and the matching jacket, cause im gay like that i guess.
Re: getting a bike soon
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 7:59 AM
Make sure you fit the helmet in a store, helmets should be tight, but not restricting. Its important to get the size right, don't overshoot for the next size up and live (oxymoron) with a helmet that doesn't protect you in an accident.





4cyltuner.com - Information Source For 4 Cylinder Tuners
Buy stuff from CarCustoms Ebay! Won't be disappointed!

Re: getting a bike soon
Thursday, November 27, 2008 7:43 PM
You thinking about buying a new bike or what? Whatever you do.. don't buy new.





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