Is the R1 a bad beginner bike?

[MattH]

The dealer who sold you that bike should be reported to the authorities who issue business licenses.
As a beginner, you had no idea what you were getting into, but the salesman knew exactly what he was selling.
Was the salesman the owner of the store? If not, then go and talk to the owner....and take a parent or someone older with experience with you.

Who knows, they might let you trade down so they can save face. They sure wouldn't want their name in the paper for selling an inappropriate dangerous machine to an unskilled youth.

I am not sure if he is the owner of the store but I do not live with my parents or know anyone with experience on a motorcycle. If I contact the authorities, under what do I report him for? I think I might be able to trade it in at another store and maybe get the R6? Is this a bad choice? I really don't know, what do you recommend for a beginner? The cubic centimeters are almost twice as small from 1000cc to 599 cc.

Thanks to everyone but unfortunately, this is a true nightmare for a beginner who so far is not enjoying the so called freedom of riding a motorcycle.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to check your messages for two days.

[Shorts]

I am not sure if he is the owner of the store but I do not live with my parents or know anyone with experience on a motorcycle. If I contact the authorities, under what do I report him for? I think I might be able to trade it in at another store and maybe get the R6? Is this a bad choice? I really don't know, what do you recommend for a beginner? The cubic centimeters are almost twice as small from 1000cc to 599 cc.

Thanks to everyone but unfortunately, this is a true nightmare for a beginner who so far is not enjoying the so called freedom of riding a motorcycle.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to check your messages for two days.

For the most part if you intend to get an all-around friendlier bike for your needs and skills, you'll want to get off of a 600 racebike. I think you may be focusing too much on this "half as much" for the size of the engine. 600s likes the CBR, GXSR, R6, etc can pull your arms out of socket in a real hurry with their power. If that's what you like, fine, but you'll have to have the experience to handle it. Experience comes with bike handling skills.

Instead, as already suggested, if you still want a sportbike type, look at an SV650, Ninja 500, GS500, Honda 599. Those bikes will have a more upright seating position so they'll take it easier on your body for your commute. But, they are no slouches either.

If you're really wanting to enjoy the ride, you've got to ride a bike that you can control. Having the bike control you is not the way to go.

As for reporting the salesguy, that's really going to be to the Better Business Bureau. I really wouldn't know where else to take it, but if a business is only interested in money, rather than the all around satisfaction of a customer, that's not a place I'd like to go back to.

[NorthernPete]

I still cant believe how much cheaper insurance is down in the states, Verm pays 900 bucks a year for a 1000cc sport bike, and i end up paying 2200 a year for a 50 CC cruiser.... go figure.

anyways, as for the 1000 cc begiiner bike, that has been done to death in the stickies, as has the "sell it/park it" get a easier bike to learn on. You can learn on that size a bike, its just a whole lot less forgiving. be carefull man.

[DivideOverflow]

Matt,
The R6 is not a good choice either. It is actually MORE uncomfortable than the R1. It still has crazy amounts of power, and very poor gas mileage.

If you want a bike that is both fun, comfortable, and commuter-friendly, look at an SV650, Ninja 500, GS500, FZ6, Honda 599, Honda F4i, or something like that.

Note, that I almost never recommend an FZ6, F4i, or 599 to new people (they are around 100 horsepower, but they would be a helluva lot better than the R1 you are on right now. The FZ6 and 599 also have a much friendlier power range than an R6. A standard SV650 or a Ninja 650R would likely be your best choice.

Also, since you seem unaware, engine size does not always mean more power. There are Inline 4 engines, V-Twins, Parallel Twins, V-Fours, etc.
Inline 4's make the most horsepower usually, and you have to rev them high. Twins make less horsepower, and they have better torque (don't have to rev so much to make power).

For example, the SV650 and Ninja 650R have about 70hp (they are twin cylinder bikes). An R6 has 112hp (Inline 4). The R6 is not a good beginner or commuter bike. The SV and the 650R are acceptable beginner bikes (although on the upper end), and are great for all types of riding.

Also, when I say Ninja 650R, I mean just that. Stay away from the Ninja ZX6. The ZX6 is like the R6... a fast, race replica bike.

So, stay away from: ZX-6, R6, GSXR (any engine size), CBR, Triumph Daytona, etc.

Look at: Honda F4i, Honda 599, Kawasaki Ninja 500 and 650R, Yamaha FZ6, and Suzuki GS500F.

[blues2cruise]

Matt, Divideoverflow listed some bikes. You don't need a rider to go with you to the dealer once you are armed with information.....just someone who appears to have some authority....older...mature...

As for finding out about business licenses...Look in the government pages of the phone book for you area. Or go to your city hall and inquire.
Then write a letter and cc it to the bike shop.

[t_bonee]

The dealer who sold you that bike should be reported to the authorities who issue business licenses.
As a beginner, you had no idea what you were getting into, but the salesman knew exactly what he was selling.
Was the salesman the owner of the store? If not, then go and talk to the owner....and take a parent or someone older with experience with you.

Who knows, they might let you trade down so they can save face. They sure wouldn't want their name in the paper for selling an inappropriate dangerous machine to an unskilled youth.

No disrespect blues, but what will reporting the dealer and/or salesperson do? Reporting them will probably only result in them being know as an disreputable dealer. And those that research such things may find out and go elsewhere, but there will still be plenty of other uninformed people to walk in the door and get taken again.

They did nothing wrong legally. Ethically it is a different story. But a sales guy did what salesguys do. Make the most money off of a sale. No offence MattH, but he seen someone with no clue of what they were doing and took advantage of the situation to make money for himself. Unfortunately *most* salespersons don't give a crap if you can or can't handle the motorcycle, they are selling to make money. I used to see it all the time when I worked in a car dealership. Salespersons can sniff out those who are clueless and take them for all they can. And the owner would probably pay you lip service and say a bunch of crap to accommodate you to keep your business, but the owner still makes more money selling the higher ticket bikes than the lower ones and will probably not care too much that his salespeople are putting them out the door or to whom they are selling them to.

Now like I said, ethically it is a different story. I would be great if the dealer, or more specifically, the salespersons at the dealerships, would disclose that you should start out on an easier to manage bike, and I bet some honest, caring ones do just that. But most see extra dollars on the paycheck instead.

[-Holiday]

if the topic of this thread even happened (i have my doubts), than I'd have to say that the OP got a lesson in common sense.

The dealer isn't your friend. It is your job as a consumer to educate yourself before you make a purchase like that. Anyone that can use the internet has the ability to ask some basic questions about any given topic.

And just like a gun dealer isn't responsible if someone buys a gun and goes and shoots themselves, neither is the motorcycle dealer.

Did the dealer show he's a bit of a slimeball and did he make some unethical judgement calls? Probably. Is that surprising? No.

Buyer Beware.

To to OP, as to what to do now? Its hard to say. If you can get out of the bke without loosing your pants, i'd try that. If you can't, buy a beater bike to really learn on. If you cant do that, at the very least, get your butt down to the MSF course right away and learn as much as you can to be a good rider. Just keep in mind that learning the basics on that bike are probably going to be twice as hard as it would be on a proper starter bike.

[atom]

My .02: +1 -Holiday

How can you drop $12k on a vehicle without doing your consumer research?

You found this forum, just about every topic here comes around to "there are a lot of bikes that are really bad for beginners"

Spending 5 minutes on google would have been enough to know that open class sportbikes are ridiculous machines.

Sell that thing before you waste more money on payments or destroy it.

[flynrider]

I've got to go with the flow here. Complaining to some government authority (who has no power to do anything anyway), is merely trying to push the responsibility off on someone else. The OP went into this purchase blindly, and didn't get what he wanted. There's only one person responsible for that.

Salespeople in the car and bike business (at least here in the U.S.) are notorious for their general lack of ethics. I know many people in the business (both car and bike) and most consider it a sign of success. If you walk into any kind of dealership expecting the salesperson to be on your side, you should probably leave and come back with someone who knows what they're doing.

Caveat - There are some exceptions to what I posted above, but they are few and far between.

[Britjoe]

this post os so ridiculous its got to be fake....sorry its Bollocks