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Bravehearted wrote:I have researched the topic of whether the 600 is a good starter bike and I know that it for the most part is not. However this also depends largely on the responsibility of the new rider. I am wondering what you all think about my plan?

I don't think you researched the topic well enough. It really doesn't revolve around the responsibility of the rider. The main reason that high powered sportbikes are not recommended for noobs is that these bikes will amplify the noob mistakes you will undoubtedly make while learning to ride.

In other words, that slip of the throttle that would normally result in an embarrasing stall on a suitable bike, might result in a wheelie or an out of control leap into traffic (or a tree, or a wall) on a high performance sportbike. Same goes for mistakes handling the brakes. I scraped a noob of the pavement last year after he grabbed a handful of brake during a panic stop on his sportbike. An experienced rider would have easily braked enough to stop, without sending himself over the handlebars.

I equate it with learning to fly. Nobody is going to strap a noob student into an F-16 for training. It's high performance characteristics are not forgiving of common noob mistakes and the chances of the noob losing control are much higher.

I did not say only responsibility. I never said it revolved around responsibility. My point was that even if you have skill, you can get into bad situations if you are not responsible. That is ALL i was saying. And if you truly believe that responsibility has nothing to do with it I find that extremely hard to understand. I DO believe that SKILL is much more important.

I can take advice, but I feel that how johnny said it in a very rude manner.(not even really a big deal, I just felt the need to respond) Whether it was true or not. Plenty of you have said the same thing and I am MUCH more receptive to it.

Getting back on topic, thanks for the tips. I have also been looking at the sv650 and kawasaki ninja 500 just as long as the gixxer. For right now I have planned to go with a used ninja(because of the suggestions). My main concern was the process of buying a bike and a couple years down the road wanting to trade it in. I'm trying to do it the right way and that's why im here.

Thanks

Bravehearted, it looks like everyone has covered it well. Glad to hear of other bikes you're thinking about.

As far as "down the line" and "trading up" you will not go wrong buying a proper first bike and reselling it when you are ready to move up. It is a HUGE misconception that it's a waste of money or its a real hassle buying and selling. That's a fairly lame excuse to buy bike that too much for a new rider.

Fact is, a proper first bike holds its value extremely well. It serves its time with one person, then gets sold for virtually the same price as it was bought for, and goes to the next person looking for that first bike. We did the exact same thing with my husband's first bike. Bought it for $2500...rode for a season and sold it for $2500. How was that "a hassle"? That's the beauty of a first bike. Ride it, learn on it, probably repair it lol Then sell it when you're ready.

Bravehearted-

I understand you want that nice-looking bike. There's nothing wrong with that. For goodness sakes, if you were concerned with pure practicality (sp?), you'd pick up a nice little '87 honda civic and just drive that into the ground. Let's face it, there is an allure to the GSXR's, Ninja's, and CBR' of the world (GIRLS!!! ). And don't let anyone tell you that you're somehow an idiot because the looks of the bike plays a factor in your decision.

May I suggest looking at the 2004-2007 Suzuki GS500F. It has the looks of a sportbike with the performance characteristics of a standard commuter/noob bike. It's very similar to the Ninja 500 you were thinking of, but with a more modern look. I had one and my friends who were not in the know thought it was a GSXR. (Actually, they thought it was a "ninja", because that's what all sportbikes are to them. ) Either way, you get a nice bike to learn on that looks nice too.

I loved my time on my GS500F, and am happy I did the responsible thing by buying a good starter bike. I just moved up from the GS to a SV650S, and let me tell you that the transition is tough, yet attainable.As a matter of fact, I'm rethinking the GSXR as a 3rd bike because the SV is as powerful as I'll ever need to ride around the city, and it'll do just fine on the twisties. Maybe I'll grab a GSXR beater when I start stunting.

Bottom line is, you get what you want. But the majority of the people you'll find on this forum will tell you that a GSXR is not a good decision at all.

Good luck.

PS- It's spelled "course". "Coarse" is a term to define roughness. (Sorry, I'm a teacher, and that was bugging me. )

I posted a reply awhile back on the advantages of a smaller bike, although I have not the time or the inclination to go search for it... in short, I started racing on a GSXR-750 after having ridden for about 15 years. After racing it for 2 years in the heavyweight class, I moved down to the lightweight class on an SV-650.

On the bigger bike, any idiot can open the throttle and go fast down the straights... and thats exactly what I was, even after 15 years of riding and 2 years of racing.

When I moved down to the Sv-650 I learned about what a bike can really do in the hands of someone that really knows how to use it. After another year on the smaller bike with almost half the hp, I was within 1/2 second of my fastest time on the GSR-750 on a track with !1/3 mile straight... The difference in top speed down the straight was about 35 mph...meaning I made it all up in the corners, and then some.

After a year on a lightweight, I was ready to move back up to the 600 class, knowing what it feels like to push the front until it slides and being able to save it when it gets a little past the limit.

Go with the SV. Learn to ride it, and then move up.

Johnj wrote:I'd feel a lot better about your plan if you were going to go to a track school, were you would be taught by a pro.

Excellent point!
You may want to keep lessons from your buddy to a minimum.
According to the Hurt Report, riders taught by friends or family are the ones most likely to crash!

Risk -Training
0.46 -Pro training
0.50 -School/club course
0.90 -Self taught
1.56 -Taught by friends/family

1.0 is considered the average.

Bravehearted wrote:I am currently a senior in college and I'm now taking the MSF coarse. A friend of mine has a sv650 and will take me to a secluded area on the weekends to practice different skills. My plan is to buy a suzuki gsxr 600 after graduation in may. I also plan to take the MSF coarse again in the spring as a refresher. This would give me at least five or so months to I am thinking that with the practice and lessons I will get from my buddy, I will be fine getting this bike as long as I have a clear mind. I am very responsible and I am sure that I will have the right mind set.

I have researched the topic of whether the 600 is a good starter bike and I know that it for the most part is not. However this also depends largely on the responsibility of the new rider. I am wondering what you all think about my plan?

Personally, I think it a great idea.......................if you are angling to win a 2008 Darwin award, or at least garner an honourable mention.

The GSXR 600 is a brute of a machine, hell even for experienced riders it can be a handful, for a novice or intermediate rider it can be a killer. This summer alone in the Lower Mainland of BC, two intermediate riders killed themselves on 600 Sport Bikes, one lost control and ended up in a laying hidden in a ditch till he died, the other drove into a rock face after going into a corner too hot.

A wise man learns to walk before he can run, you my friend are still in the crawling stage of you riding career. Get yourself a Ninja 250 or something long those line to start with, practice your skills, get the basic down pat and then after a couple of seasons, go for the GSXR.

Everybody who reads all there is to read about supersports and then posts a 'but I'm different, right?' should expect a verbal lashing. There's a huge sticky about this addressing not only that huge pile of information, but all of the various 'why I might be different' scenarios.

The Ninja 500 does 0-60 in 3 and 3/4 seconds. In what way does you being responsible mean that's just not good enough?

You have gotten some excellent advice. The tone that some use, you may bristle at, but you know what? That is the stuff you will remember. I will add my two cents in here buy used as you are likely gonna drop it. At least I hope you will. I say that in all seriousness. A rider that has never dropped a bike scares the crap outta me. I used to teach the course and have taught a couple of people that are close to me to ride. I never relax till the bike has gone down at least once. I always hope that it is very low speed but falling off will teach you some stuff. If you fall off that rocket that you are thinking on it is gonna hurt a lot. So buy used and lower HP. Ride it all you can and when it falls over and the bars are bent or the signals screwed you can thank me.

olebiker wrote:A rider that has never dropped a bike scares the "crumb" outta me. I never relax till the bike has gone down at least once.

Can I ask you why that is??? I mean, I'm relatively green, I've got ab 6 months and 3800 miles under my belt, but I'm a better rider than most of the people around my home town. Why? Honestly it's because I got lucky and I seem to take to it... I've had the rear tire skid, slip out on the stripes, skid out on water, skid out on snow, I've had the front tire lock up, I've had it skid out on the three mentioned above, but I still haven't gone down...
I also have the confidence to ride the "crumb" out of a cruiser... Top speed, no problem, scraping pegs, also not a problem. Still haven't done the top speed scraping pegs though!
So can you explain why it scares you?
Just a relatively new rider asking...
Wrider