Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I completely understand the idea of getting something because you like it and not settling for something you don't like. I drive Land Rovers as my cage and ride a Ducati for my two wheeled therapy because I think they are COOL. Also because it "seems" that everybody has a Toyota, Chevy, and ride Japanese bikes and I enjoy being a little different.(my apologies to the Harley,BMW riders out there) That being said; the advice about not starting out on a race bike is very sound advice. I would've much rather had an 800 Supersport or a Monster S4R Testastretta, but I realize that because of my long break from riding, I didn't need to jump back on the big dogs right away. I bought a Ducati with the 620cc engine instead(still more than recommended hp and torque). I still ended up with a cool,sexy, bitchin bike that fit my style, and at the same time, something that is way more manageable and easy to ride.(read that as, gradual powerband and good but not overly touchy brakes) And it will move down the road right sporty if I want it to. If you're into the Japanese bikes, the SV650 and the GS500 are pretty cool looking bikes that are supposedly pretty manageable for around town riding but also with the ability to kick some a$$ if you are so inclined. You should probably consider one of those if you insist(like me) on getting 500-600cc+ to start on. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

StyleZ wrote:People on this board make sense and I respect that. At the time though the respect should me mutual. Kai you make a lot of sense and you provided useful into so I'm not directing this to you. Many others though just post black and white info whichs useless (You're wrong, I'm right).

This board definitely is more conservative, but at the same time I like the site. If not I'd be on another forum.

Style,

I also think people on this board go a bit overboard when it comes to starter bikes. They have good intentions, though. While I also try to point out to noobs that starting on a high performance race bike carries more risk than starting on a less responsive bike, once you are armed with that info, it's up to you to make your own decision.

As far as I'm concerned, we're just here to give you the information so that you know what you're getting into. What you do with it is up to you.

Now, go get a bike!

I read some of what everyone else said.. But then i skipped 10 pages, so i probably am repeating someone. I'm going to be as simple as i can be (I.E. No big words, no complex sentences.).

You twist the throttle on a 30 HP motorcycle when you hit a bump. Oops. The Motorcycle accelerates forward as much as the 30 HP lets, but not too fast, generally, for you to lose control. You correct your error and keep driving. Whew, that was close.

You're riding in your 100+ HP motorcycle, we'll say a sportsbike. You hit said bump and oh "poo poo", you twist the throttle. The instant rush of power from the engine to the back tire has made your front tire lift off the ground, throwing you off balance. You may be able land and with some help of God, continue riding. Most likely, you're falling on the back of your head where you may become a statistic.


I choose option A.

I know a guy with a 750 and he would drive a 3 mile stretch of busy highway at night (not busy during those times) on one wheel the whole way. course he had been riding for 10 years and knew what he was doing for the most part lol.

ofblong wrote:I know a guy with a 750 and he would drive a 3 mile stretch of busy highway at night (not busy during those times) on one wheel the whole way. course he had been riding for 10 years and knew what he was doing for the most part lol.

that was random to say the least

StyleZ wrote:

ofblong wrote:I know a guy with a 750 and he would drive a 3 mile stretch of busy highway at night (not busy during those times) on one wheel the whole way. course he had been riding for 10 years and knew what he was doing for the most part lol.

that was random to say the least

yeah no one really liked him and he was the type of guy who though he was "above" everyone lol. and yes I like to blurt out incoherent random thoughts

I'll make this short.

Buy a 600cc or under bike that isn't designed to run 10s in the quarter mile.

Get a couple skid marks in your tighty whiteys before to get a crotch rocket.

not trying to be conservative here, just relaying personal experiences. i started riding when i was 23, first bike was a Honda CX500. the first week i had it, i dumped it, and this was after i had 150 miles on the thing and i thought i had it licked. you don't have enough experience to know what you're going to be able to handle. i've gradually moved up to an 1800, and the 30000 or so miles i've racked up on my older Hondas has prepared me enough to handle this beast. i'm not saying you have to learn on something weak, just something reasonable that you'll have fun with, but won't turn you into a greasy spot when you make a mistake, and you will make a mistake, everyone does, whether they'll admit it or not.

Just came back from a Kawasaki / Honda dealership.

Tried out a lot of bikes. Sales were helpful which was cool. Thier prices were beyond jacked up. Like 8.8k for a 650R. I don't care though. I mainly wanted to sit on a lot of different bikes and get a better feel. When I do buy I won't get ripped on the price.

Guy was young, maybe my age or so and basically reitterated what I said up here. You can kill yourself on any bike. Bike is only gonna do what you tell it to. You can kill yourself on a 250. He did say he had a friend who started on a gixxer 1000 and was cool with it. Never crashed or nothin. Reccomended I start on a ZX-14 because of my height. No that was a joke lol. Didn't try to push me in any direrction, every bike he took me too though besides what I initially asked was between 500 - 600 cc though. Only thing lower they had was the 250r which actually is not as small as I thought. Engine is and it's a smaller bike obviously but it's not as bad as I thought.

He did show me the ZX-14. Not to buy just cause business was so slow and I wanted to check it out. Bike is amazing. It's like a car with two wheels. I want that thing... Obviously not even thinking about it though.

8800 for a 650R?? I wouldnt even go back to that dealership. I can understand charging MSRP or a little more for a bike in demand, but that is just silly.

A 650R would probably be a great bike to start on.