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The short answer is that the gsxr is a bad starting bike because it is less forgiving of any mistakes you might make while learning.

Less forgiving as in..bike would get screwy...or that my head might get a little screwy..or both?

Okay, well look at it this way. On my first bike, an LS650 (33hp cruiser) accidently giving a 1/2 turn of the throttle would be about 1000rpm and a decent acceleration.

On my current bike a Honda 599 (89hp) accidently giving a 1/2 turn of the throttle can be 4000-5000 rpm difference. And rapid acceleration.

I used to roll my shoulders a lot on the savage, this made no difference in my direction or travel. Doing so on the honda meant I would shift 2 or 3 inches left or right because of the effect rolling my shoulders had on the bars. Keep in mind this is not a bad habit, it is something that helped keep me loose while riding. But if I had been doing that on the 599 as my first bike it would have resulted in some scary situations. I had to relearn to do that. But because of my previous experience on the other bike I was able to do so quickly and safely. It did not distract from the rest of my riding.

The effects of things like this are more pronounced on the gixxer because it has a higher HP engine and more aggressive stearing.

Hitting a pothole and bouncing your wrist can result in a very rapid speed increase, to much steering input, or an accidental push at the wrong time can cause a dump. That sort of thing.

It is possible to learn on a machine like this, but you need to be really careful. Doing so on a new bike is especially bad, because constant low speeds can cause your engine to glaze meaning that it won't seal correctly and you'll be burning oil as well as gas.

Starting on a UJM, small cruiser, or smaller sport bike will give you a bike that won't immediately put you in trouble if something goes a little bit bad.

speaking of smaller bikes...

this is probably irrelevant but my bike is smaller than the GS500F, suzuki's starter sportsbike.

these are 05 models but the 06 is the same as 05 in specs.
http://www.motorbikes.be/en/compare/4625/5183/

i probably would drop a GS500F more since it's 30 more pounds heavier and im not a big and strong person.

The weight difference there is only relevant as far as acceleration is conerned. Simply because they're both well balanced leftside to rightside. And if it starts to go down 30 pounds isn't going to make the difference between keeping it up or not when your bike weighs 400. That's less then 10% of the total weight.

Generally speaking, when refering to the size of the bike it is a reference to the hp/engine/displacement. Not the physical dimensions. Because if you can balance a 400lb bike, you can balance an 800lb bike.

Sevulturus wrote: Generally speaking, when refering to the size of the bike it is a reference to the hp/engine/displacement. Not the physical dimensions. Because if you can balance a 400lb bike, you can balance an 800lb bike.

oops, sorry

i understand now

You seem to have your head on straight enough to have a decent idea of what to start out on. Do you have any experiance at all riding? Like say a dirtbike? But, if you're good at controlling the urges of your right hand, ie twisting the throttle all the way every time you launch you might be able to handle the 650 twins, like the V-Strom/SV someone mentioned. The same goes for the 600 katana and similar bikes, though if you just *HAVE* to get a 600 cc 4 banger, the katana would be the most forgiving, due to it's low HP when compared to the other entry-level 600 cc bikes (FZ, ZZR). Have you considered the big-bore singles? Like a dual-sport. My favorite one is the XR650L (honda), and there's also the KLR650 (kawasaki). Both have similar power to the GS500 i believe, and are very versitile in what they can do. You CAN lean them over, not as much as a sportbike, but more than a cruiser. Very comfortable to ride (IMO) with the long travel suspension (they ARE dirtbikes at heart) and they can go pretty much anywhere you want. You COULD get some straight up street tires and stick to the asphalt, or you could grab some DOT approved knobbies and take it to a dirt road or light to moderate trails. I'd just avoid any serious trails or mud bogging with it, unless you got actuall off-road only knobbies, then you got a XR650R with lights and a few fewer ponies (due to the emmisions stuff in the L model that help make it streetable, i believe. There may be some internal engine specs that are differant).

TechBMW wrote:Hiya NinjFour ...

I made up this little web page for another member. You might find it useful.

Check it out - http://www.maditalia.info/iso/comparison.html

Welcome to the forums!

Great page, very informative!

GeoffXR200R wrote: You seem to have your head on straight enough to have a decent idea of what to start out on. Do you have any experiance at all riding? Like say a dirtbike? But, if you're good at controlling the urges of your right hand, ie twisting the throttle all the way every time you launch you might be able to handle the 650 twins, like the V-Strom/SV someone mentioned. The same goes for the 600 katana and similar bikes, though if you just *HAVE* to get a 600 cc 4 banger, the katana would be the most forgiving, due to it's low HP when compared to the other entry-level 600 cc bikes (FZ, ZZR). Have you considered the big-bore singles? Like a dual-sport. My favorite one is the XR650L (honda), and there's also the KLR650 (kawasaki). Both have similar power to the GS500 i believe, and are very versitile in what they can do. You CAN lean them over, not as much as a sportbike, but more than a cruiser. Very comfortable to ride (IMO) with the long travel suspension (they ARE dirtbikes at heart) and they can go pretty much anywhere you want. You COULD get some straight up street tires and stick to the asphalt, or you could grab some DOT approved knobbies and take it to a dirt road or light to moderate trails. I'd just avoid any serious trails or mud bogging with it, unless you got actuall off-road only knobbies, then you got a XR650R with lights and a few fewer ponies (due to the emmisions stuff in the L model that help make it streetable, i believe. There may be some internal engine specs that are differant).

Eh, I'm not much of a dual sport type of guy, but I'll be sure to look into it. Thanks though.

TechBMW wrote:Hiya NinjFour ...


I made up this little web page for another member. You might find it useful.

Check it out - http://www.maditalia.info/iso/comparison.html

Welcome to the forums!

And I can't believe I missed this! Very helpful!

Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'll try and go with the ZZr...as long as I don't get too cocky or trigger happy with the throttle, I think I'd be good. Or maybe I'll get the GS500F...hm.. Guess I should wait till I take the MSF course and see judge from how I ride then maybe? Yeah that sounds like a good idea I think..