My Take on the First Bike question...

[Skier]

Im a bit surprised to see this post still going. I've long since conceded that my choice may not be right for anyone else in the entire world. The pros are right, get the tiniest bike you can get to start. Im thinking 50cc should be a great start for newbies. Afterall, safety is number one so I think a 250cc is probably too much power for starters.

I really don't get it. This guy (or girl) seemingly did everything right; did his research, found some decent advice, took a course, waited after the course to buy a bike, had a sensible and cautious attitude, took the safety of the public into account, etc. etc.

And it took just one chat with a dangerously misguided (or possibly misinterpreted) instructor to turn Ducky into someone who a.) Gets a 750cc supersport as a first bike. b.) Wants to get affirmation and support for his choice from a bunch of strangers on the internet. And c.) Thinks using one anecdotal (and extremely short term) example is enough to defend an inherently flawed argument.

Grey Thumper, I'd bet my bike that my instructor would ride circles around you. So to insult an accredited professional for giving advice you disagree with just makes you seem a bit silly.

I believe you misinterpreted what your instructor meant. There are other posts stating this same view and you glossed over them.

[Dragonhawk]

Im a bit surprised to see this post still going. I've long since conceded that my choice may not be right for anyone else in the entire world.

Like i said...i GET IT, you guys disagree. Are you all THAT hung up on your opinions that you cant accept anyone that doesnt share it? I'm not asking any of you to go out and buy a bike you cant handle, but I DO NOT regret making the purchase I did. If you all are just going to bash me from now until infinite, I'll just go somewhere else to share my thoughts and experiences.

I can explain why the post is still going. It's very simple.

There are a LOT of newbies who come to this site looking for advice. Those of us who have been riding for awhile would hate to see those new riders make bad decisions.

Your post is an ideal example of a poor choice, so as a "motorcycling community" we find it important to emphasize WHY it was not a good idea to get a 750cc Ducati as your first bike. The thread is continuing - not for you - but for the other noobs who visit this site. We are not trying to change your mind - don't flatter yourself. We all know you will keep your bike and continue to ride it. This has nothing to do with you. We are trying to illustrate to the OTHER newbies who read this thread that just because someone has made an unwise choice, they should not follow in those footsteps.

We don't just do this for THEIR benefit. We do it for our own. Because for every numbskull out there who gets a 100HP bike as their first motorcycle, they might be the idiot who crosses double-yellow on a blind turn (doing like 65 in a 35) and takes us down. We don't want those riders on the streets. We want SAFE and SENSIBLE riders out there.

[Ducky]

I believe you misinterpreted what your instructor meant. There are other posts stating this same view and you glossed over them

I didnt misinterpret what my instructor said. I've been by to see him while he was teaching another set of students and he LOVES my bike. He warned me (and the other students in the class that were inspecting my bike) not to practice figure 8s and u-turns in a confined area on a bike like mine for several months because he didnt want to see me drop it. Other than that, he had all positive things to say and wished me luck. As far as taking advice on what to get, I take his word over all others here for obvious reasons...he's more than words on a page and he's clearly in a position to give me the best advice. You disagree? Fine. You want to caution others not to make my "mistakes"? I completely understand that. If any of you have actually been reading past my first post, you'll have noticed that any attempt to justify what I've done has taken a back seat to just getting over it. Lets just move on...I've already told any newbies reading this post that they should find the smallest bike possible so as not to die horribly. 50cc is my recommendation for all you new guys. Stay away from 600cc +. They are clearly dangerous and you are not ready for it.

To all you guys still talking about 65 in a 35, you've clearly never hit the BRP or you'd completely understand how you could get to those speeds EASILY. The road is designed to tolerate quite a bit more than 35. If you've ever broken the speed limit (talking to you vets out there) you have NO room to talk. I dont care if you've been riding for 100 years, if you're gonna mock me for my run on BRP, you're a hypocrit.

Ducky

[jonnythan]

I believe you misinterpreted what your instructor meant. There are other posts stating this same view and you glossed over them

I didnt misinterpret what my instructor said. I've been by to see him while he was teaching another set of students and he LOVES my bike. He warned me (and the other students in the class that were inspecting my bike) not to practice figure 8s and u-turns in a confined area on a bike like mine for several months because he didnt want to see me drop it. Other than that, he had all positive things to say and wished me luck. As far as taking advice on what to get, I take his word over all others here for obvious reasons...he's more than words on a page and he's clearly in a position to give me the best advice. You disagree? Fine. You want to caution others not to make my "mistakes"? I completely understand that. If any of you have actually been reading past my first post, you'll have noticed that any attempt to justify what I've done has taken a back seat to just getting over it. Lets just move on...I've already told any newbies reading this post that they should find the smallest bike possible so as not to die horribly. 50cc is my recommendation for all you new guys. Stay away from 600cc +. They are clearly dangerous and you are not ready for it.

To all you guys still talking about 65 in a 35, you've clearly never hit the BRP or you'd completely understand how you could get to those speeds EASILY. The road is designed to tolerate quite a bit more than 35. If you've ever broken the speed limit (talking to you vets out there) you have NO room to talk. I dont care if you've been riding for 100 years, if you're gonna mock me for my run on BRP, you're a hypocrit.

Ducky

Your instructor told you not to practice figure 8s and U-turns on the bike, but thinks it's OK for you to ride on the highway?

This instructor should be fired immediately if your story is true. What was his name?

[Skier]

I believe you misinterpreted what your instructor meant. There are other posts stating this same view and you glossed over them

I didnt misinterpret what my instructor said. I've been by to see him while he was teaching another set of students and he LOVES my bike. He warned me (and the other students in the class that were inspecting my bike) not to practice figure 8s and u-turns in a confined area on a bike like mine for several months because he didnt want to see me drop it. Other than that, he had all positive things to say and wished me luck. As far as taking advice on what to get, I take his word over all others here for obvious reasons...he's more than words on a page and he's clearly in a position to give me the best advice. You disagree? Fine. You want to caution others not to make my "mistakes"? I completely understand that. If any of you have actually been reading past my first post, you'll have noticed that any attempt to justify what I've done has taken a back seat to just getting over it. Lets just move on...I've already told any newbies reading this post that they should find the smallest bike possible so as not to die horribly. 50cc is my recommendation for all you new guys. Stay away from 600cc +. They are clearly dangerous and you are not ready for it.

To all you guys still talking about 65 in a 35, you've clearly never hit the BRP or you'd completely understand how you could get to those speeds EASILY. The road is designed to tolerate quite a bit more than 35. If you've ever broken the speed limit (talking to you vets out there) you have NO room to talk. I dont care if you've been riding for 100 years, if you're gonna mock me for my run on BRP, you're a hypocrit.

Ducky

My posts have been pointing out your "just get over my bike choice" attitude sets a poor example for new and upcoming riders. The stance of starting with a proper motorcycle develops proper skills can't be ignored or skipped. When fundamentals are thrown out the window, our advice loses a significant amount of value. If a rider doesn't want to properly understand how their bike balances at low speeds from fear of a drop, advice for higher speeds becomes less relevant: we can explain until we're blue in the face but until the rider experiences it they will not understand it.

[Ducky]

Your instructor told you not to practice figure 8s and U-turns on the bike, but thinks it's OK for you to ride on the highway

Ever riden a sportbike? The only one ive riden is a 2000 Ducati 748. I'm no expert..but I can tell you that the turning arc on the steering is NOWHERE close to that of the 250cc we learned on. I think he made an EXCELLENT point. As he said, my bike is a trackbike and set up to lean through turns.

You brought up highway riding ...as if that represent a serious difficulty to riders...Highway riding is one of the EASIER things to master, as long as you're vigilant. Its the slow, throttle/brake dependent maneuvers that are tough. Its where the bike's weight plays against the rider. Just my view on it taken from my 6 weeks of riding. I think you're dead wrong on both points. Dont think he'll be losing his job anytime soon sir.

Ducky

[Pittance]

I would also like to find out more information about what MSF BRC course you were taking, Ducky. He seems to have a different method of teaching and a slightly different curriculum than Ive seen before (as well as a 2x as long course). Would you mind telling me where you were taking the class and what it was called where you took it? Thanks.

[Ducky]

The course was 2 thursdays and 2 saturdays. He was not the only instructor in my class. He's been riding for 35+ years but I wont be giving you his name or location. I think ..im done. This was a mistake to come here.

Ducky

[jonnythan]

Your instructor told you not to practice figure 8s and U-turns on the bike, but thinks it's OK for you to ride on the highway

Ever riden a sportbike? The only one ive riden is a 2000 Ducati 748. I'm no expert..but I can tell you that the turning arc on the steering is NOWHERE close to that of the 250cc we learned on. I think he made an EXCELLENT point. As he said, my bike is a trackbike and set up to lean through turns.

You brought up highway riding ...as if that represent a serious difficulty to riders...Highway riding is one of the EASIER things to master, as long as you're vigilant. Its the slow, throttle/brake dependent maneuvers that are tough. Its where the bike's weight plays against the rider. Just my view on it taken from my 6 weeks of riding. I think you're dead wrong on both points. Dont think he'll be losing his job anytime soon sir.

Ducky

My point is that your instructor apparently feels it's OK for you to go out riding this bike wherever you want when you can't even do U-turns on it.

What is this instructor's name?

[MrShake]

Don't feed the trolls