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Heh, Kawasaki makes and markets the Ninja 650. Im sure that was just a typo.

The 650 V-Twins are doable for beginners, but I would say think hard about what kind of bike your really want. Sportbikes are not very comfortable for long periods, I get sore on my SV650s after about an hour straight on it. If you plan on riding short distances, then a sportbike would be ok. One thing to remember about sportbikes is that they are top heavy for beginners, which can make learning low speed manuevers hard.

As a complete and conservative beginner, I started on an SV650s. The SV has about 72rwhp- that is the max a beginner should start with IMO. I went over in detail in that sticky thread above what starting on an SV650 was like. Starting on an SV650 is not recommended for everyone.

Alot of people say an SV is too much, in some cases it is. I dont think it is bad to recommend SV to beginners, though.

nike_soccer wrote:With all that being said, I found a 2003, 2300 miles, 600cc Honda CBR for $3000, with 2 helmets. I figured that it'd be a good deal, AND, based on what my peers say, I would have a decent bike for a while.

I think I like you. You seem to have your head screwed on straight, and your Dad sounds like he has his on too.

>2 year old low mileage sports bike, with gear.

You'll find a number of them on eBay. They tend to hve been owned by someone who bought it to learn on and scared themselves right off it.

For my money, and its not - its yours , I'd go with a late model 250-500 UJM and invest the savings in training and gear.

Those one-owner sportsbikes will still be coming up for sale when you finish at University.

Ride safe, ride sane and enjoy.

For what it's worth I started on this little Suz and I've had a great time-- Good mileage, fun, quick and agile in the city/back roads and your Ninja is a lot faster than this one. I expect/hope to sell it someday for near what I have in it but I'm in no hurry.

I've had mine (first bike) now for about 1,100 miles and a month of riding.

It's a 2002 I picked up from a friend for $2000, and for the shape it was in, and mileage, what a steal.

It's a very forgiving bike, which is one of the main reasons so many "Legendary" and "Elite" posters to this board, and magazine articles, et al. will suggest it for the noob.

Steering is tight, suspension equally so. It's only got 50-ish horses, but that is just enough for the beginner. Throttle response is a little sluggish, and the power doesn't kick in until 2nd gear (again, forgiving bike). Stopping is dead-on. Gas mileage is unrivaled, unless you are on a Vino 50.

The 250s, in my opinion, are just not an option. They are too lightweight. You will get annoyed with it's lack of go-go very quickly. And, in my opinion, lack of "Get away from me!" power when going head to head with an H2 is a great way to make you and your bike squish.

The 500, specifically this EX500, might lack the power that the 600s have "off the line", but it's made up for in the higher range. I routinely do 80 to 90 on the interstate to keep up with traffic. While a little shaky, the bike will be glad to oblige. While not an "R" in the classic sense, the EX500 does want to move. And with a few modifications, say, you get "bored", the bike will really get up and go. New exhaust, air, carbs... you've got a real monster. Tie that to the bikes excellent handling characteristics, and for chump-change, you have a bike you're not afraid to lay down, and will (can) give you years of practical enjoyment.

Now... see my post about "Why 20-year old's shouldn't buy R6s and try wheelies"...

My one piece of advice -- and I'm surprised no-one else in this thread has brought it up yet -- is that if you get the CBR600, the first thing you should do with the included helmets is to throw them in the garbage.

Never -- and I mean NEVER -- trust a helmet whose entire provenance you can't vouch for from direct, first-hand experience. You have no idea what those helmets have been through.

I am not necessarily saying that they have been through a crash or anything that drastic (although it's entirely possible that they might have and still bear no external marks from it), but helmets can develop dangerous cracks in the protective lining from simply being dropped onto a hard surface from as little as three or four feet. Many people are not aware of this, which is why I would never take anyone's word for it that a helmet is safe -- even if I know that person to be honest and trustworthy.

It's not worth risking your life for the sake of saving two or three hundred bucks. Get a brand-new helmet and you'll be the safer for it.

Just my 2 cents' worth...

EDIT: It just occurred to me -- many helmet manufacturers will inspect a helmet for free to determine if it is still safe to wear. You just have to be prepared to lose the helmet if it's not in good internal condition -- I believe that manufacturers are required by law to destroy helmets found to be unsafe. Presumably you have to pay for the shipping of the helmet, but it's still a lot cheaper than a buying a new helmet, if that's a factor for you.

What is a beginners bike? Good question. Everyone has their own ideas. I rode dirt bikes for years before going to the street bikes. I have since taught my daughter to ride. I purchased a Yamaha Exciter 185 for a $100 because it needed tires and a good cleaning. She put 100 miles on it in the driveway before she was old enouoght to get her license. That summer she put another 3000 miles on it. That fall she traded it for a xs 400 that another girl had tipped and was to scared to try to ride again. My son is just know learning to ride on a Kawasaki KZ200 that was purchased for $100 as it had sat for a few years and wasn't running.
I feel that it is more important to learn to ride properly than it what size of bike you learn on. If the bike is to large and it scares you then maybe you will never feel secure riding any bike. This is my daughters second year of riding. The other day a biker I barely know asked her if she wanted to ride is bike. It is a 2005 Yamaha Roadstar. He had seen her riding and trusted her with his bike even though he barely knew her. I asked him afterwards why he Let her ride it, as I knew he never had let anyone else ride it. He answered "Because I have seen her handle her bike so well." I guess maybe starting small had payed off in the end.

I learned on a honda ct90, back in the 70's. I was a little geeky, even then, but you can really throw them around. They are so light compared to a modern street bike. Still, everyone has to pick teir own way to learn it. Best of luck...I predict the commute will get mysteriously longer and longer on a motorcycle .

Another plus with the small twins is the power curve. Whereas with the 600CC super sports, you rev the hell out of them to get up and go, the twins will have a nice bit of power at most RPMs for good around town acceleration. Also, don't rule out the dual sports like the XR650L. Those have similar power to the EX500s and GS500s (it's a single cylinder motor) with some offroad capabilities. Also, it has a more upright and comfortable seating position, which isn't a bad idea, ecspecially for a new rider. Won't help you if you're too distracted by the pain in your back because you're not used to being hunched over so much.

traveller2 wrote:What is a beginners bike? Good question.

I'd say a 125 or 200 cc 4 stroke dirtbike (125 for the smaller persons who just won't fit on a 200)
or a little 80 cc if you're lucky enough to start riding when you're really really young.

My tuppence worth, I note the Kawa, Suzi, Yamy and Honda all mentioned. Do you guy's get the koran and chinese stuff over there or even Aprillia. The Pegaso, and comets are 650's but very forgiving for noob's. The Guzzi Breva is a 750 that behaves like a 250. Maybe some of the other makes need exploring???

sapaul wrote:My tuppence worth, I note the Kawa, Suzi, Yamy and Honda all mentioned. Do you guy's get the koran and chinese stuff over there or even Aprillia. The Pegaso, and comets are 650's but very forgiving for noob's. The Guzzi Breva is a 750 that behaves like a 250. Maybe some of the other makes need exploring???

That stuff is hard to find in the states. I've only ever seen 2 guzzis over here, and the owners were riding with each other, so it really only counts as one. And one lady at my MSF said she was getting a Hyosung 250 cruiser, but it was still on order. I personally want the 650 cruiser by them. Looks like a mini VRSC.