New Biker with Bike Questions

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zefi · #1 Unread post by **zefi** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:46 am

Hi ya, new here and just have a couple of questions on bikes and planning ahead around 6-10 months down the road when I purchase the first bike.

The type of motorcycle I pretty much am looking for is a quiet engine. I know it cant be silent but as silent as possible.
I forgot where I read which says that 4 cylinders is more quiet than a 2 cylinder engine. Not sure if that can carry over between brands.
Please tell me if it is true or not.

Secondly is price and the selection, where I live even a 500cc can cost as much as a 800cc used. Basically I had to come up with a big list of the bikes that I "want" by CC's tho prob not recommended for newbies so I can have a list of choices to choose from when I buy.
The basic question is will you recommend a 650cc over a 500cc if it is cheaper by 1k-1.5k?

Either way here is my "wants" (by no means I have to get them, but please recommend which one is best as a starter, as a grey area starter and a second bike). Other bikes are possible but unlikely I kinda went through pratically all bikes and only fell in love with these styles.

Yes I am looking only at Standard Bikes cause I like the upright position (also option to kill some due to comfort either through recommendation or my testing the bike)
2 cylinder
Suzuki GS500E
Suzuki SV650 Standard
Suzuki FV650 Gladius
Kawasaki Ninja 650RN (ER-6n) Standard
Kawasaki Ninja ER-5 - Naked Standard 498cc
Suzuki V-Strom DL650
Kawasaki Versys 649cc

4 cylinder
Suzuki Bandit GSF650
Suzuki GSR600
Yamaha FZ6/FZ6R - 600cc
Honda CB600F ( 599 )

all i know is that 650 is prob the max ill go even in the future.

#2 Unread post by **Wrider** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:16 am

Quite honestly, the quietest (and coincidentally best learning bike out of all of them) is the GS500. Doesn't matter if you get the E or the F version, they're both quiet and both very capable of being good learning and good everyday bikes.
Two friends of mine learned to ride on them, one small to average size, and one a big guy like me. Plus I've done over 100 on it, and I'm a fairly big guy.

zefi · #3 Unread post by **zefi** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:35 am

It was my first choice until i saw the price tag of 3.5k.

Havent checked else where yet but it is good to have multiple choices to choose from if the other one looks unattractive both in cost and maybe damage when physical part comes.

Johnj · #4 Unread post by **Johnj** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:18 am

I'm not sure who you got your information from but the Suzuki V-Strom DL650, Kawasaki Versys 649cc, and Kawasaki KLR 650 are not 4 cylinder machines. The V-Strom is a v-twin, the Versys is a parallel twin, and the KLR is a single. IMO you be best served with the Kawasaki ER-5 or the Susuki GS500. It really doesn't matter whether you get the fared model or not.

zefi · #5 Unread post by **zefi** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:50 am

oh, sorry i was half asleep when i was looking at the cylinders..... i was thinking just finish the list so i dont have to do it tomorrow.

list edited

zefi · #6 Unread post by **zefi** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:05 am

the sad thing is I can find a Suzuki SV650 for 2k maybe less if i look hard enough or bargain (and that was a 07 model the older ones were more expensive....) while many other "true beginner" bikes that is listed on the fourms runs at about the 3k+ range.
If I want to get it cheap I will have to rent a truck and go to another city or state to buy then come back with it....

so basically go for the more expensive and less cc stuff.
(here i was thinking the money saved can be put toward the more expensive protective gear)

#7 Unread post by **Wrider** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:15 pm

Whereabouts do you live? I've seen GS500s and such go for about 1500 here in Colorado and down in Arizona.

Superfly3176 · Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:18 pm

Don't forget, when wearing a full face helmet which you should be wearing, the sound your bike makes will most likely be cut in half. Not sure why it matters, not like you're looking at any harley's with loud pipes.

Lion_Lady · #9 Unread post by **Lion_Lady** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:47 am

Have you taken a motorcycle safety course? Or are you planning to have a friend teach you, or worse, figure it out on your own?

I strongly suggest you take care of completing that first... Some folks discover that motorcycling is NOT what they thought/hoped it would be. It really sucks to discover this after you've got a motorcycle in your garage/driveway.

P

zefi · #10 Unread post by **zefi** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:18 pm

I plan to take it in a couple of months being me and my friends plan to take it together (they cant till then due to $ issues atm so im stuck waiting for them).
So according to them the earliest is summer soooo earliest I can buy is summer or fall so im not really in a hurry.

I do plan to get a full helmet, any other will look weird on my head anyway. Even if I have a full helmet, I got really good hearing. Picking up noise is no problem for me, being my left ear dumb is half pierced it kinda hurts with loud noises (loud noise to me is like low-mid for my friends)

I live in San Diego, CA.
Rain is rare (about 2 weeks in the entire year) and where the drivers are crazy.
Im kinda scared of the older bikes due to hidden costs like carbs which is noted in the guides.