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So I plan on getting a motorcycle as a secondary source of transportation partially due to the rising gas prices. I have been looking at several different sport bikes and I am leaning towards the Yamaha YZF R1. Alot of people that I have discussed this with say that I'm going to kill myself, and I see from their point of view it seems that way (19 year old guy with a 1000cc sport bike). But I'm not an irresponsible person and I understand that you can get hurt very easily with a bike like that. So I am looking for the opinions of anyone who owns a similar sport bike or just a motorcycle in general.
Thank You

Not a single person on this board is going to recomend a 1000cc sport bike for a first bike. And 95% will tell you you're an idiot if you get it. Read the stickies in the New Bikers forum, they will recomend good beginner bikes.

YOU DO NOT NEED A 1000cc SPORT BIKE!!!!

Get something under 500cc. It has nothing to do with age, skill, or responsibility. If you accidently twist the throttle when you go over a bump, you will be off the road and into a tree.

I got into an accident last thursday on my 450cc Honda, and if I had been on a 1000cc sport bike, I would have been seriously injured. Not because of irresponsibility, or lack of skill, but because I had just been accelerating, and if I had been accelerating on a 1000cc sport bike, I would have been going 50mph, not 30 when it happened.

Man i'm not trying to tell you what to do or anything but 1000cc wow. My first bike is my current one a 636 and let me tell you it has all the power you will ever need for a first bike. I know alot of people on here say dont even start with the 600 class bike but man i would look more into those. Not only will you still have plenty of power but you might save yourself a couple of bucks too when it comes to the price.

What's the fuel economy like on the 1000cc sport bikes anyways?

I see from the charts on this site that you can expect something like 33MPG on an (2004) R1. That's not bad -- but you can pretty easily equal that in many small cars.

Besides - they're probably not too safe. a 400-600CC bike will have plenty of grunt. Plenty!

Exactly. My bike is 450cc, and it has alot better acceleration then I really need, and it definitely accelerates alot faster than I thought a "small" bike would. Noobs tend to think that because a bike is under 500cc, it is weak, or slow, or something. And that 600-1000cc bikes are good for beginner and intermediatte riders. And 1000cc+ bikes are what "real" riders ride.

Forget about the price of gas. You aren't going to save anything. Even if you don't "kill yourself" your going to be in it for alot of insurance costs, maintenance, tires etc. You can buy alot of gas for the price of the tires you'll go through and insurance? forget about it. Ninja 250, Rebel 250, virago, something like that and you may save a good bit of money and actually learn how to ride a motorcycle.

LOL, a 1000cc for a commuter to save gas? Those get worse gas than my Jetta.

Get a 250 or a Blast 500...anything less than 50mpg isnt a 'bike commuter' because you can easily get the same out of a car.

Besides on a 1000cc sportbike you are going to be in first gear the whole way. It'll be twitchy, and you'll HATE being stuck in traffic because those bikes dont want to go slow.

Buy the 1000cc if you want to impress your pimply friends but if you're looking for a good commuter bike, a liter sportbike is just plain stupid.

Listen take it from somebody that is your age. Nobody cares what you ride. As long as you are riding people will think you are " cool ". So do yourself a favor, get a 500 or smaller. And trust me. The girls dont really care how big it is. As long as its a bike.

Wow, a liter sport bike for first bike?!?!

If you're getting a liter bike to save on gas, you're looking in the wrong direction. Unless you've been driving a V-8 3 ton truck, you won't see much of a saving. And if you do save, kiss it goodbye with what you'll pay on insurance. Wanna get an idea of how much for a 33 year old guy?

2006 Yamaha R6 (600cc) - $2631 yr.
2006 Yamaha R1 (1000cc) - $3480 yr.

With you being 19, insurance companies is going to want your nads as a down deposit and will easily add $1k more to the figures above.

I was shopping around earlier this year for a sportbike. The main reason they were selling was due to insurance rates. They couldn't afford it. A ton of the bikes were damaged too - ie. dropped. My presumption is that they were in over their head without carefully researching the cost of ownership.

Do yourself a favor and do some more reading. If you're out to impress, girls are going to be more intimmidated by that big bike than they are impressed. Most won't even get on these bike to ride with you.

Buy the BIKE YOU WANT for a first bike. There is no need to waste your money on "training bikes" . You can learn to ride on any bike. IF you want a 1000cc sport bike....and an insure it......Buy it. Practice with it and enjoy it.

You'll learn soon enough yours and the bike limitations. You WILL grow out of anything less then a 750 within months if not weeks.