A few questions

[Nalj10]

Recently I moved to Naples, Florida.. and behind me I left my car, so now I am here without a vehicle, but not to fret, I'm working on it now. After lots of exploration, I set my heart on a motorcycle regardless of constant warning from family and friends.. and of course, i consider the advice and bring it to the experienced people in such departments; In this case, TMW.

After reading the beginners on sports bike Sticky, my views have changed drastically. Granted some of my personal thoughts were not answered by the post, but most of them had me doubting myself. I have never dedicated myself to learning anything other than scholarly things, computers, and video games, but after evaluating my life, I decided that its time to really take the time to study and really get to know something that has a wider person base.

As stated, sports bikes are what I did have my eyes on, and yes, I still do.. you can never really forget your first love, as some say. I understand that posting this MAY cause some sort of flaming about the article and how I didn't read it enough, and that one of the main arguments is the money that is necessary for constant bike changing.. as with this, I am in the same situation. As it stands right now, I get to work and back via bicycle.. and some of you may know that its not really the most enjoyable thing, especially when it doesn't have gears and is made for beach cruising.

Originally I planned on buying the Yamaha YZF600R or the FZ6, which I'm well aware are not beginner bikes. Yes, even I am aware that both of those motorcycles are incredibly bad choices for a beginner, as both are 600CC, which is like driving a corvette as a first car, or even a Subaru STI. Money does play a huge factor in this, and yes I think I do know the outcome of this post, but even though I know the answer, my heart keeps telling me to ask this one last question to really put things in complete perspective and bring me to my final choice.

On a bike such as this, especially as a first bike, I am aware that even learning how to ride it is an accomplishment in itself, much less taking it on the road and making daily commutes with it. Being under the age of 21 still, I am required to take a riders course to learn how to ride motorcycles which is 15 hours of coursework and riding, which i am positive is not enough to take a bike out onto the street. I live in a gated community that is not very populated during seasonal changes due to people migrating from the north to the south for the winter season, so practice there would seem feasible.. but still risky.. just not in public traffic.

With that being said, I must finally ask the question:
Would taking a few months to really understand the specific motorcycle merit relative* safety on public roads?

*By relative, I mean basic amateur level riding.. (Or something at the equivalent to riding safely on public roads with a higher leveled bike)

I request no one flames, I only need a few honest answers. This is only to give a FINAL personally written request of information.

Thanks
-Mark

[Shorts]

No.

You'll be as surprised by traffic situations on a 250 the same as you would on a 1000, the only difference is how the bikes going to try that input you just gave it.

If you're looking for justification or loophole around a good beginner bike (ie, anything other than an 600 sportbike you want), you won't find the majority supporting you.

As for learning about motorcycling, you will learn quite a bit y readsing, but you'll learn a heckuva lot more applicable things from actually riding. If you're serious about learning motorcycling and the skills it takes, set yourself up for the greatest possibility to learn those skills. Stay with a 250 or 500 and go from there. It'll be your first, not your last bike.

[Lion_Lady]

What Shorts said, and remember this:


Your FIRST MOTORCYCLE is NOT your one and only FOREVER ride!!!

Make it something small and "sensible" that you'll remember fondly, NOT something that continually tests your skills (and sanity) and has you fearing for your life daily.

P

[Nalj10]

Alright, thank you.

I was not looking for a loophole, only that I truly didn't want to accept the truth about it, even though I knew the truth.

Though I know this will not be my last bike, it will be one that has to last me quite a few years.. as I still have college to attend and such, and that requires quite the pretty penny.

Anyhow, After posting the topic, I started talking to a friend of mine who rides a lot and is in a group who does stunt stuff, which is not my idea of having fun.. but who am I to judge them after all. He said that its probably a horrible idea to get anything above 500 just out of shear safety and cost, as a first bike is the one that gets beat down the most.

Anyway, i might end up buying a Ninja 250 new because no one in my area even sells sports bikes.. Well i'm sure if I looked further out but I dont even have a way to get the bike back yet, so I have a lot of options opened up.

Thanks for listening guys and gals,
Mark

[Koss]

If I can just throw around some options here,

Ever think about renting a bike trailor or truck from uhal or the sort? It could open up more choices when buying a motorcycle.

The ninja 250 is a great bike, as is the 500 and 650 models. I hear the suzuki gs500 is also cool, and it has full fairings unlike my ninja 500r. Their SV650 offering is also a great first or second bike too. In a couple of years I might go for one myself, well see.

How about some Hyosung bikes? My friend has a 650, its from their sister company UM -United Motors I think it stands for. Its pretty nice. They offer 250 and 650 motors with a race replica style to them.



http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/product ... RoadSports

If you wanna see if there are any in your general area, check this out.

http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/Informa ... ocator.asp

And always check your local classifides, craigslist, etc. for used bikes.

Good luck in your search for your first ride![/url]

[Sev]

My first bike looked like this, but it was purple. Yes my friends teased me about it Color not the bike), but it taught me to ride (well in my opinion). I sold it a year later and bought the bike in the sig. First bike is not your only bike.

[jstark47]

Shorts gave you a definitive answer.

I just want to reinforce a couple of her points. You will be trying to develop a brand new set of kinesthetic skills. To do this, you must practice frequently, and in a wide variety of settings. You will accomplish this most effectively on a bike that 1) doesn't intimidate you with its power and throttle response, 2) has handling qualities that are well aligned with the mainstream of 2-wheel vehicles, i.e. not extreme, and 3) doesn't initimidate with the prospect of costly repairs resulting from a relatively minor incident, i.e. dropping the bike at a red light or in a parking lot maneuver.

Additionally to be a practical commuting vehicle for a student, the bike should afford the prospect of doing basic maintenance yourself, and have a well-established reliability record. It should also have decent gas mileage. Three bikes mentioned above, the Kawasaki EX250 and EX500 models, and the Suzuki GS500F, meet these criteria. These are established designs with proven reliability. The Buell Blast had reliability issues in its earlier years but these are reportedly resolved, so add that bike to your list of suitable candidates. And, as Koss pointed out, there are small-displacement Hyosung models also deserving consideration.

Anywhere you research beginner motorcycles, you will find similar recommendations. There's a reason: for most people most of the time, these recommendations work. Hundreds of thousands of people have learned to ride, while managing risk within acceptable parameters, by following these recommendations. If you have discovered that conventional wisdom applies to you when acquiring any new physical skill, then I suggest you adhere to these recommendations. If, on the other hand, you have rare and unusual physical abilities, you may be able to "write your own ticket" and live to tell about it.

Good luck with your choice.

[Kal]

you can never really forget your first love, as some say.

More true than you know. My first Bike was an 11bhp 125cc Honda CG125Br S/T

I am currently riding a friends 58bhp 500cc Honda CB500F - which is a lot of fun.

I still miss my CG though. Most 250's and 500's will allow you to break the speedlimit. In fact I've just bought a 250 because I am too quick on the 500.

I took another friends CBR900 Fireblade out - I got bored, it just wasn't as much fun as the smaller bike. I was changin gear because I was bored rather than there being a need for it.

[Nalj10]

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it.

I was actually thinking of getting a trailer and bringing the bike home on that rather than actually riding it home regardless the size of the engine.. Better safe than sorry.

I was also watching some tip videos on Youtube and I plan on buying a few books later on in the week.. any particular videos/books I should look for?

-Mark

[Shorts]

David L Hough's books "Proficient Motorcycling and "More Proficient Motorcycling" are great books to have. If you can only get ahold of one of those right now, get the first one I listed. I have both (though only 1/3 of the way through the first book).


Jstark elaborated well the points I so hastily mentioned Thank jstark!


Trailering the bike home is a respectable plan. Another is to have a TRUSTED sensible friend ride it home for you (we've done this, no trailer available). An experienced rider will also feel out the bike and let you know how the ride went and give you pointers on its behavior.

Definitely take an MSF or beginner riders course. You're right, some hours in the parking lot is not going to teach you everything you'll experience on the riad. But it will prepare you on how to handle such situations when they do come up "for real". While you can physically handle it in practice, be aware that nerves, joy, excitement, etc will also come into play. I think pratcicing in a quite neighborhood is ideal, especially after training.

Anyhow, have fun with the process but be smart about it.