id

what would you guys recommend? i'm considering getting a motorcycle, but i have no idea where to start. i've never driven one before, so i don't want something that will kill me the first time i get on it. i kinda like the suzuki gsx-r600, but i don't know if it's a good bike. what company would you recommend (honda, suzuki, yamaha, etc) and which motorcycle?

the 2002 YZF-R1 would be my prime choice but i don't know if i'm ready to handle a bike like that. also i'm not sure if the price is in my range (i'm thinking 6000-8000) i want something that looks like it, but doesn't have to be as powerful.

thanks
-id-

edit: how much do you motorcycle owners pay for insurance a year?

Type S Smokes All

do not get the GSXR or the YZR. i just had this conversation with an experienced rider, he said that these bikes are set up in a low position and are hard to control, meaning they are very jerky. he said the Honda 600 CBR F4i is a great bike to start on. handles well, still fast and the handle bars are higher up and its an all around easier bike to ride.

id

damn that cbr is nice....it's now my new favorite! only wish it came in blue

Type S Smokes All

sorry, i mean YZF, it wouldnt let me edit

Wyle E. Coyote

The best thing to start out with is a used 600cc (or smaller) bike, and NOT a "crotch rocket". Also, you should take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation sponsored riding class. This class will not only help you learn to ride properly, it will also get you a discount on your insurance.

I've been riding motorcycles for 16 years and really hate to see young, inexperienced guys go out and buy very expensive, very fast "crotch rockets" for their first bike. And, of course, most of them lay 'em down within the first month!

If you do decide to get a bike, please be careful! These things are NOT toys.... although, they are a helluva lot of fun!

fender4

If you ride you will fall, after you fall a couple of times you will start to learn. I would highly suggest taking a small trail bike and tool around on dirt trails for a couple of weeks. Then once on the street your ready for CARS which will attack you from all directions. I have been on and own various bikes since 1972 and have gone full circle, I now own a trail bike snd stay on dirt trails giving my kids rides.

isbworking

I would take a look at the Suzuki SV650. It's inexpensive, has no body work to damage on tip overs, insurance is lower and is light. Many experienced riders and racers love this bike. I almost bought one but decided to give bike riding a break after 25 odd years and bought a used Miata as my toy. There's even a couple of websites sv650.org and sv650.net to mention a couple.

JetSet

i reccomend something 600cc or less. cycle world rates the kawa ninja 500r as the best beginner bike but while it is nice...is kinda under styled for my tastes. the CBR is a LOT of bike for a beginner...

take a look at the Suz. SV650S. its a semi-faired v-twin, good handling, plenty of torque/power, looks awesome and is very modifiable...got some great under-seat exhausts for it, etc.

the main thing, like Wyle E. said is to take the motorcycle foundation course asap...this will get you started/train you/bring down your insurance.

as a new rider (two years ago) i was paying something like $400 a year through progressive for my Yamaha Seca 600.

good luck man, be careful.

Type S

if i were u.i will buy honda cbr 600 f4 or yamaha yzf... suzuki gsx is too strong for beginner..that is what i have heard from some expert motorcycle riders

Wyle E. Coyote

Hum....

Both of those bikes you mentioned are extremely fast! These are definitely the wrong kind of bikes for a "beginner".

Eggplant-EX

Suzuki SV 650. I have been riding for 25 years now. What

Wyle E. Coyote said is exactly what I was going to say. Be

careful out there riding. Even with 25 years under my belt, I am

nervous when I am riding out there.

M5 Lite

one of my friends just brought this subject up yesterday for me. He wants me to go ride with him. I've never rode a bike and he was telling me to put a deposit down for the new Ducati 998 (or something like that) coming out soon.

My response, "I perfer 4 wheels".
His response, "Its easy to ride, I'll show you in a day"
My response, "I don't have time right now" (can you see the peer pressure?)
His response, "Put the deposit down right now and then if you don't want the bike later, you can always sell that one for more than what you bought it for"
My response, " "

We said a lot huh?

Bikes aren't for me, I guess not yet at least. I know you get lots of "veeemen" if you get one though.

tankmonkey

well, you gotta start somewhere...

but you'd greatly improve your life expectancy if you'd take the msf course first. as an added bonus, you can drop their bikes all day without penalty (okay, if you push it, you may be asked to leave) and you'll learn quite a bit about basic bike control. call 1-800-446-9227 for info. they generally provide the helmet and bike (you provide long pants, long sleeve shirt or jacket, shoes, and a hundred bucks) and the course takes a couple of days (and maybe an evening or two of classroom time). you may also get to apply the training to your motorcycle license/endorsement, depending on the laws in your state.

I'd really suggest dialing back your ego a little and starting on something a little more manageable than a front-line repli-racer of any displacement. my personal favorites (having a sporting inclination) include the kawasaki ex500 and suzuki bandit gsf400. both are very capable bikes and aren't likely to bore you during your first year of ownership. both offer more performance than the vast majority of production automobiles out there (in terms of acceleration, braking, and handling) and are easy to maintain and cheap to operate, to boot. the insurance on my old bandit 400 ran $28 a year. a newer sportbike (with full coverage - they are theft magnets) can run $5,000 or more a year for insurance in some areas.

as far as the r1 (or even m5lite's 998 his friend is trying to get him on) I've ridden for years, have numerous seasons of roadracing under my belt and have been to track school several times, and I'm still intimidated by the big bore bikes.

gmilian

first of all, most of these guys don't know what they're talking about. any new 600 will be pretty much the same speed. the r6, gsx 600, and the cbr 600 are all around 95-105 hp. the only major difference is handling. i am a new rider and bought a used 96 fzr (yamaha) 600. you should buy a 600, no more no less. i just came back from the race track only having my bike for 3 months. there were 6, yes 6, crashes. that's a whole freaking lot. go to www.gotbluemilk.com in about a week for pics. anyway, back to your bike: buy used and buy one that's not been laid down. if it's been dropped that's okay but not laid down. honda f2 and f3's are great. the new sv650 are awesome. as far as my insurance, the go by cc's. it doen't matter how new or old or make and model. also buy a good helmet. www.mawonline has really cheap shoei and arai. if you want any more help i'm more than happy to help out a new rider, because i still am.

tankmonkey

this is an unusual approach...

Pull_T

He could tell us all about his experience with the CL-S as well.

R1Type-S

I'd definitly go with the Yamaha R6. I didn't like the way gsxr feels and as for the CBR is nice but i don't like the seating position. Anyone can handle a 600cc motorcycle, u just need to know your limits and take little time to learn about your bike. a friend of mine bought a honda CBRxx blackbird as his first bike cuz he got a really good deal on it and he learn to adjust to that big bike just fine. I'm 5'8, 160lb and i ride a 99 R1, which is a powerful bike, i might not use the bike to it full potential but i can hold my own with a very experience rider. good luck and be safe..

tankmonkey

that's all fine and dandy, but I can't even count the number of guys' bikes I've helped put into the "crash truck" after they tried to hold their own against a more experienced rider (who was typically on a significantly lesser bike) on a group ride. people ride over their heads all the time, even with the best of intentions.

the classifieds are full of ads for wounded bikes where the seller bought too much for his first ride and wound up getting bit. most people only have to high-side once to realize riding a sportbike is a business to be taken seriously. if a new rider isn't prepared to make that commitment, he'd do well to get his kicks elsewhere, because history and statistics are not on the novice rider's side.

madmax-cl

The first bike I ever rode was my friend's Yamaha YZFR- 600. I learned pretty quick to watch out for cars. They do come at you from all directions. I have never been in a bike accident ( Knock on wood) but there have been many close calls. Like eveyone else has been saying, bikes are fun but they are not toys. You can very easily seriuously hurt yourself or even kill yourself on one of these things. It is like riding a rocket where it can blow up in your face at any time. Good luck and be careful!!

gmilian

just because i've only been riding for 3 months doesn't mean that i don't know anything. i probably know more than you. anyway i'm sure you're the kinda of guy that would buy a nice ducati to compensate for his inferior riding skills, just like the guy i was beating, and this was my first time on the track. my brother has been riding for 8 years, and racing for 5. i've read a racing book and got lots more advice for other racers. i know my shit. if you got beef, lets take it to the track. oh and by the way, i was posting 2:03's at thunderhill. suck it and love it baby.

gmilian

obviously i can't because i don't have one. there is a difference you fucken ass lick. or actually, come to think of it i can. i've test driven the cl-s twice and i love it. by the way, why are you on this forum when you have a pos rustang?

Pull_T

I come here because I like the CL-S and I find that everybody on this board is pretty cool...err...most everybody.

Yeah, 2 test drives and 3 months riding bikes seems like enough expertise to me to be the authority of the moment.

Anyways, I know I have the upper hand in any arguement with you because I play Gran Tursimo 3 and that means I can go out on the F1 circuit and dominate. I don't need actual experience. you're funny..."I've read a racing book"

JetSet

he he...i was wondering when someone would bring up GT3...

lets all settle down a bit...this thread was started to help the man decide which bike to start off with.

while this is an interesting and exciting proposition, is open to interpretation and deals with matters of personal preference, if we could all just love each other and and flame less....

yeah....

that would be great...

tankmonkey

idle boasts and personal attacks. how unexpected.

fwiw: my personal preferences in bikes runs towards the japanese small-displacement multicylinder end of the spectrum, as there's less b.s. involved. it's all about corner speed on a small bore bike, and you either go fast or you don't, because there's no 100hp motor to hide behind.

what the fuck does your brother's riding/racing career have to do with your riding ability, anyway? you've read a racing book. you must know your shit, right?

you've been riding for three *whole* months? gosh... and you wonder why you don't get more respect? fuck dude, I had more track time during my last 6 hour endurance race than you've had in your entire riding career. give me a fucking break.

Wyle E. Coyote

I agree totally. I got my first dirtbike in 1975 and my first streetbike in 1986. The streetbike was a used '85 Yamaha Radian 600, and it was the perfect beginner's bike.... however, they have come a long way since then! I was in the Air Force at the time and they required that you take the two-day MSF class before you could ride on the base. Also, if you refused to take the class, they would cancel your serviceman's life insurance!

One note about helmets: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I have always worn and trusted Shoei (I currently have an RF-900 "America"). Make sure the helmet is SNELL approved, and stay away from the ones with designs unless you like spending a LOT of money!!!

Rod

I was thinking about getting a bike too and wondered what would be a good first bike. I don't think I'd get anything under a CBR600 for the simple fact that I'm sure a 600 is a good learning bike and it's also not going to bore me quickly. I don't want to get one bike, let's say a lesser 500, and then have to waste the time, money, and effort later on to trade it in or sell it to upgrade to one I like more. I'd just get a good 600 and be careful with it. Don't get cocky on it or do stupid things. Then if you feel that you can move on to something bigger after a year or so, well then that's up to you.

Wyle E. Coyote

And you're the kind of guy that's gonna let his ego rip him a new asshole when he loses it one of these days! Tankmonkey seems to know his shit.... and I'll backup his logic 100%.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I've been riding bikes since I was 8 years old (1975).... and I certainly know I'm not a perfect rider. Also, your riding skills may be pretty damn good (I doubt that though) but what about the skills of the person driving that car next to you, or straight at you?

Get rid of the ego, you'll live longer!

tankmonkey

I lusted after the radian waaaay back then (it was a little more obtainable than the fj sitting in the dealer's showroom at the same time).

unfortunately, a "classic" late 70's honda cm400t parallel twin was my first street ride. at least it had "character" to go with that hinge in the frame...

Wyle E. Coyote

Hum....

You sure take offense easily. Are you sure you're mature enough to even have a bike in the first place?

Wyle E. Coyote

I wanted an FJ-1100 so bad back then, but it was way more than I could handle. So, I rode the Radian for 9 months, saw Top Gun, and decided to get an '86 Ninja 900.

I sold it just last year.

tankmonkey

wow... you got one just in time. I think the ninja 1000 killed it for '87. I love the ol' niners. the upper fairing always reminded me of darth vader's helmet.

they were still being sold in the u.k. until fairly recently, mostly unchanged since 1984 (unfortunately, including the narrow rims and bias plies, from what I understand).

Wyle E. Coyote

Yep, the ZX900R Ninjas were only made for the U.S. market for 3 years ('84 - '86). Tom Cruise rode an '85 in Top Gun, mine was an '86. The European models were in production till 1996, I believe. The only things that evolved on them were the brakes and suspension.

It was a great bike and I never had a single problem with it. I even drag raced it for two years completely stock (my best 1/4-mile run being 11.22 @ 124 mph.... not bad at all for a 605 pounder wet!). I paid $4200 for it new and sold it 14 years later in excellent condition for $2500.

Here's a pic of it when it when it was about 4 or 5 years old....

acura_service

my new toy, not reccomended for a beginner though

madmax-cl

SWEET bike Acura_Service!!

madmax-cl

Who makes that bike? Suzuki, Yamaha?

acura_service

thank you, its an Aprilia

madmax-cl

I have never heard of them before. Can you gets those in the US?

madmax-cl

How much did that set you back? If you don't want to give a price, give a range. Thanks

acura_service

sure i live in pa - www.apriliausa.com
13,000

tankmonkey

mmm... mille... (drool).

I got to ride one just outside bandera, tx back in september. (if you have the wherewithal, I understand it's highly recommended...)

I really didn't want to get back on the borrowed klr 650 I was supposed to be riding at the time. (although the klr really tears it up in the truly gnarly twisties)

the mille certainly stoked my interest in the rst 1000 futura, though...