Yamaha FZ6 good starter bike.

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#11 Unread post by **Sev** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:51 pm

wolfie · #12 Unread post by **wolfie** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:10 am

i have to agree with the "no" above

I've just got my fz6-n after nearly 4 years riding 600cc bikes and damn that thing has enough poke to get you into some serious trouble. i think the book says it puts out 98 horses, which in my mind is too much for at least 99% of new riders (obviously there are 1 or 2 that come along for whom it would be fine)

the gs 500 is a fantastic bike for a new rider, here in the uk it's the main training bike used.

i also have a gpz 500s (in the US you'd call it a ninja 500) and that scares the cr@p out of my gf who's just got her license- she wants something with less bhp than that

BigChickenStrips · Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:08 am

i agree with all of the above posters. those fz6's are sweet but not for n00bs.

the guy at the dealership is full of crap. you could be happy on a ninja 250 (i am) but the guy wants comisson money. find a different dealer who wont pressure you into a bike above your level. and dont rule out things like ninja 250's and 500's because they are faster than almost any car your going to see on the street. dont think that low-hp means slow. my bike does about the same 0-60 as a camero Z-28 and will cruise at 85-90mph on the interstate no problem. and with all the money you save on a smaller bike, you can buy decent gear to be safe when you ride as well.

im at work so i dont have the link but can someone throw DragonHawks website up here.

#14 Unread post by **bok** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:19 am

DragonHawk's website is the "Learn to Ride" link in my sig below...

also remember that your Wife (hello mrs Jon) may actually decide to ride something more than the scooter as well, the ninja 250/500, gs500 etc. would be a good bike for you BOTH to learn on. buy a used one if you can, if it drops who cares, and you both learn on a machine that doesn't put you out a lot of money.

jonbailey19808 · Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:50 pm

Gosh, the dealer tells me today that the Ninja 250 has a rider weight limit off about 150lbs.

Geez what ever will they say next to get me to upgrade. I set on the 250 and it felt ok.

He says i am going to get tired of it really quick and is pushing me the 500. My wife liked the 250 as well.

Going for the 500 would be good but i think maybe i should save the money for my second bike .

As far as what i would be using it for that would be pretty much back and forth to work. A 20min trip along the Lake Michigan. Top speed is 50mph.

I would only use it in good weather as i have a car at my disposal too.

BigChickenStrips · Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:15 pm

i weigh 240lbs, im 6'2" and i ride my ninja 250 0-60 in abotu 5 seconds (my numbers not just randomly pulled from the internet) and i can cruise at 95, i have ridden it to 103ish but it would have gone faster. i lost the nerve to crank the throttle any harder. the weight limit in the owners manual is like 300+lbsand i believe the bike to be capable of suporting closer to 500 lbs. i would find a differnt dealer because that one doesnt give a "poo poo" abotu anything other than making a quick buck from you. my dealer was very suportive of my choice of the 250 and im glad i chose that as well. very fun and (relative to a car) quick bike. i highly highly highly recomend it to first timers because its a "real" motorcycle but its forgiviing about the stupid n00b mistakes you'll make. like dumping the clutch, double downshifing, and other things you do once and scare you enouh that they never happen again.

the first dealer i went to treated me the way you are being treated (the up-sell technique) so i drove 20 miles away to a different dealer and i have not regretted it for a moment. even if i paid more, i would rather do buisness with a quality dealer who caters to what I want instead of pressuring me into what they want to sell me.

good luck my friend i hope you find a biek you like, but honestly smaller = better. ita first bike, not the last and you'll learn so much more on a bike like a 250/500 than you would from an advanced level bike.

also- if you are tall. the 250 is better for people over 6' than the 500 because the 500's tank ridges get in the way of tucking your legs but the 250's tank is better dsgned to allow more leg.

jonbailey19808 · Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:37 pm

I noticed that the 250 felt more comftable than the 500 which seems strange at first but i agree its because of the tank.

I am 6ft and erm 300+ and it didnt feel too bad. My wife said i looked more comftable on the 250 than the 500 Ninja.

Thanks for your advice on the 250. It really helped me.

If I went to a different dealer it woud be about 50 miles away.

Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:16 pm

Jon - the ninja 250 is great so don't discount it. (BigChickenStrips is a big guy and he has one). And if your wife gets into biking, that'd be a great bike for her. It also holds excellent resale value! Good luck!

#19 Unread post by **Sev** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:31 pm

KarateChick wrote:Jon - the ninja 250 is great so don't discount it. (BigChickenStrips is a big guy and he has one). And if your wife gets into biking, that'd be a great bike for her. It also holds excellent resale value! Good luck!

I've had it keep up with my Honda 599.

DivideOverflow · Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:09 pm

Verm, stop just telling riders to go ahead and get 100hp bikes as their first bike. You say it worked for you, but you did crash it, so I say no.. it did not work for you. I am a firm believe that starting on a smaller bike puts you in a much better position to avoid a crash during your learning phase.