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I am not really into full blown sports bikes like the R1 or Fireblade but do like sports tourers such as the Triumph Sprint ST 1050, I also like the look of the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and 1000 and also full blown tourers such as the Yamaha FJR 1300. Having said that I also like the look of the Suzuki GSX 1400 but fear the lack of fairings on a run could be a bit windy.

I am open to all suggestions with the exception of full blown race bikes and I'm not really a cruiser person either (don't want to offend anyone there just not my thing).

As its a first bike I really don't want to spend more than around £3000 so please post me your suggestions and help out a new biker.



Thanks,
U-bolt Philippines

Ninja 300

Hi Vinz. Welcome to the forum and to motorcycling.

I really recommend getting something relatively small, cheap, and preferably used for your first bike. It's your first bike, not your last. Think of it as something to build basic skills with, to build confidence on, and to develop and practise street survival strategies. If you buy a bike that is basically "too much" in some way (too heavy, too powerful, too expensive, too important to you, etc) it takes far longer to build up confidence and skills.

When you're learning to drive, it isn't ideal to learn on a high performance sports car. It's the same thing with motorcycles. You want to build skills in a steady and predictable way. I'll be honest, it's going to be a bit intimidating. On any motorcycle, the physics of operating the vehicle (braking, turning, acceleration, traction management) are completely different from driving a car. The controls are completely different from a car's controls, and you haven't built up the same muscle memory with them the way you've developed muscle memory after years of driving a car (I'm assuming). Plus riding in traffic in an exposed vehicle is intimidating. You don't need to make things harder for yourself by getting a bike that might do unpredictable things that you aren't prepared to correctly react to at this point in your riding career.

A common rule of thumb is around 50 horsepower, 50lb/ft of torque, and 500lbs. A bike around those limits gets the risk of riding as low as possible for your first ride. And your first bike's "margin of forgiveness" should be as wide as possible, at least initially.

Sorry, come to think of it, I might be assuming too much. This suggestion will change if you've been riding scooters for a while, for instance.

Edit: duh, you've been riding an XRM for a year. Excellent choice. Please ignore my previous statements.

Anyway, judging from your signature, I assume you're a fellow rider from the Philippines. Ingat ka, Vinz.

I started on a ER500 Ninja. The insurance was respectable and it was easy to learn on. Very modest in low RPMs and insane in the top RPMs. I rode it for 2 years and upgraded to a 2002 Kawasaki 1500 Mean Streak. The wife is getting upset cause I am really not trying to sell the Ninja. If you were in Ontario, Canada I would set you up with a very nice deal on it to get you going.

Cylcelpath

Check out the new cbr 600 or r6 its not a full blown sports bike, but it can keep up with them much nibble and lighter compared with a liter bike.

I have a V-Strom DL650A ... and I think this is stretching it a bit for a first bike, the upper limit in terms of kW, size, and weight.

Do people get bigger bikes for a first bike? Yes, and many of them survive, most even.