Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I posted (a few months back) that I wanted a bike between the range of a CBR 600RR to an SV 650 to even a BMW F650CS. I'm a moderate rider, that is, I have riding experience, but the lack of a motorcycle hinders the improvement of motorcycle riding. I plan on re-taking my MSF course within the next month, and even more, I plan on getting a bike soon after. After looking and looking, I've narrowed my choices down to either a F650CS, or a Buell Firebolt XB9R. As I said earlier, I am a beginner rider, to an extent, and I'm not sure if the Firebolt would be a good bike or not due to the displacement size. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

The Firebolt is NOT a beginner bike.

Buy a used bike. Seriously. You can drop it and not care as much. You get to work on it a bit and make it better. You'll learn about it, and save money on services, as well as not taking a hit once you ride it off the lot. And if you find out it's too small, you can sell it, and buy a new(used again) one. Or keep it and you'll have two! That sounds better!


As far as which one to get, I gotta leave it up to you. You know what you like, and nobody here is gonna be able to save you from getting the wrong bike. Some jackass will tell you that you got the wrong one. It doesn't matter which one you get, they're all good at something.

I like all the bikes you mentioned, for lots of different reasons. Don't be worried about the Buell though. It's got an 883 Harley engine. Not exactly fearsome.

Good luck!

Fast Eddy B wrote:Don't be worried about the Buell though. It's got an 883 Harley engine. Not exactly fearsome.

Testride one before you assume that. Seriously.

A Buell XB9R has 70 ft.lbs. of torque @ 5500 RPM

A GSX-R1000 has 79.2 ft.lbs. of torque @ 9750 RPM

Almost the same torque as a GSXR-1000 ... at HALF the RPM.

zurick wrote:After looking and looking, I've narrowed my choices down to either a F650CS, or a Buell Firebolt XB9R. As I said earlier, I am a beginner rider, to an extent, and I'm not sure if the Firebolt would be a good bike or not due to the displacement size. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Do not even THINK about a Buell Firebolt. I have 34,000 miles under my belt and I recently testrode a Buell Lightning (same basic engine as the Firebolt) and I absolutely LOVED it ... and all I kept thinking was, "Wow. If I had tried to ride this with anything less than 10,000 miles of experience, I'd be dead." Way, way, way too much low-end torque for a beginner. You'll loop that bike and get thrown on your butt so fast you won't know what hit you.

The BMW? Much more prudent choice.

Firebolt is a totally different bike than the 883 sportster...

Anyway- most buell dealers will let you test ride. If after that you think you can safely handle it- buy it

i wouldn't recommend it as a first bike though.

I don't much like the buell anyways, it feels like I'm perched upon something ungainly. Sitting ON the bike rather then IN or with it. If the seat height were lower compared to the chassis I believe it'd be a much better ride.

My votes for the beemer... but that's an expensive first ride.

I am suprised that some people here are riding motocycles at all. You can manage your risk the way you want, but you've got to have figured something out for yourself, or you would not be riding. Zurick, this is exactly what I'm talking about.

It is your choice. Take the test ride, baby the throttle, and figure it out before someone figures it out for you.

Follow the slippery slope, and the guv, the wife, yer mom, will be figuring you shouldn't be on a bike at all. So, respectfully to all, good luck.

Constant low speed throttle is incredibly bad for a new bike, and bad in general for one that's already broken in. Don't buy a bike you have to baby everywhere/all the time.

all or ur choices I would pick the SV650. but I would pick the Yamaha FZ6 instead, 10 times the power and easy to ride and handle, it comes stock with radial tires that stick to the road like glue, take them for a test ride!

I was originally looking for the Fz6 actually. From what I know though, it basicallt has an R6 engine and that isn't exactly a n00b bike. They're really cheap though, much less than the SV650 with more power. Is there an insurace company that goes by displacement rather than class, btw?