Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi all. I just passed basic riders course, and am looking for a bike to buy. I am looking for something reasonably fast and something that I would not have to sell right away. I am a pretty fast learner, and do have reasonable self control, so I will not be racing first day out on the street. The 2 bikes I found in my area, that look good, are CBR 600 and FZR 600 both from 1996. Both look nice but I have read that both are a bit small, and have not been able to sit on either yet, nor ride one.

I am about 220lb, 6.2" with some of it being mussel I like the 600s bikes and I am sure that the engine is going to be more then enough for me, at least to start with. However, I am concerned about things like dive when braking and general comfort on the bike. I also really like the SV 650, but they are very hard to come by in San Diego.

Any way, any suggestions on other sportbike models to look at?

Thank you,

- Bogdan

I'll let others more qualified help you, but I can say that if I lived near the coast, a good part of me would be mussels too. I like them boiled and with fries.

I just read the "You are a Beginner and want a 600cc+ sportbike? READ THIS!" And it more or less underlines most of the things I was thinking about. I was wondering though, isn't there a set of restrictor plates and milder brake pads to restrict a 600cc bike. I really do want a nice 600cc bike, and I am 6.2 and do have good (actual) car racing experience. But I do acknowledge everything in that 600cc article.

I was just thinking that a 10 year old 600cc should be quite friendly if you put a restrictor plate on the intake and replace the pads with mild compound. This is common recommendation on the car racing circuit, it is in any way true for the bikes?

Like I mentioned, new to this, want to be relatively safe, but want a 600cc

- Bogdan

Why do you want a 600cc?

a bit small??? NAH. im 6'0, and the one time ive sat on a CBR 600 i had to tip toe, I couldnt even put my feet flat on the ground. the handle bars are like 45 degree legs of a isoceles triangle and are lower than the seat...

i dont think a 100 + HP sport bike would be the best beginner bike choice.... but idk you can get one if you want.

I would like a 600cc for 3 reasons, and all of them are wrong once.
1. They are bigger then the 250cc Ninjas.
2. They are cooler looking.
3. I absolutely know that if I get into it I will be selling the 250cc bike in under a year. I am pretty fast about picking up experience.

However, after reading that article I am definitely thinking about going with a 250 or a 500cc bike. I was wondering though, every one seams to recommend the SV 650. I know that SV 650 is not a sports bike, but it is almost 70HP. Are they really that easy to ride? I would love to get an SV650 because I just love the way they look, and I sat on one and it felt really nice. But they are hard to find. Would SV 650 be a good choice.

I really do not care what I look like on the bike, I just love the mechanics of the bike, and I want mine to look good. In truth, I love the best the older 70s Ducatis and Nortons. I was actually looking at a few. However I figured that those are probably bad to learn on because of the age. Am I wrong about that?

Also, about the restrictions, if I was to restrict a CBR600, for instance, to 33HP (I looked it up and lots of kits are available online) would it be as safe (more or less) as a 250cc Ninja?

Thanks for the info,

- Bogdan[/quote]

ok you keep saying that the sv650 are hard to find, but if you go on ebay, you can find actual dealers selling them, and they will ship to the nearest airport for around 500 bucks..

here since im so nice ill post the price of shipping to san diego airport

in this ebay add, (they finance too) shipping to your airport would be $$592
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-SUZ ... dZViewItem



heres another one from the same dealer ($$592).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-SUZ ... dZViewItem


and even though the sv650 has around 70HP, it will make a much more nice beginner bike compared to a cbr600, one reason being that the throttle isnt so razor sharp. thats all i know about that bike.

hope this helped. good luck

x0054 wrote:I would like a 600cc for 3 reasons, and all of them are wrong once.
1. They are bigger then the 250cc Ninjas.
2. They are cooler looking.
3. I absolutely know that if I get into it I will be selling the 250cc bike in under a year. I am pretty fast about picking up experience.

You are right, they are all the wrong reasons. Have you tried sitting on a Ninja 250 or 500 and then sat on a Honda CBR600? My 6' frame can fit on the "Ninjette" just fine, but the CBR was really cramped and uncomfortable.

x0054 wrote:However, after reading that article I am definitely thinking about going with a 250 or a 500cc bike. I was wondering though, every one seams to recommend the SV 650. I know that SV 650 is not a sports bike, but it is almost 70HP. Are they really that easy to ride? I would love to get an SV650 because I just love the way they look, and I sat on one and it felt really nice. But they are hard to find. Would SV 650 be a good choice.

They have a lot of power for a beginner bike, but they are forgiving. When the power hits on that inline 4 banger CBR, you're going to have an incredible amount of power in a short amount of time. That can and is deadly for new riders. The SV650 is a big V with two cylinders - very predictable and linear. They are hard to find because almost everyone likes them, and it would take years of club or professional racing to ride the bike to its limit.

x0054 wrote:I really do not care what I look like on the bike, I just love the mechanics of the bike, and I want mine to look good. In truth, I love the best the older 70s Ducatis and Nortons. I was actually looking at a few. However I figured that those are probably bad to learn on because of the age. Am I wrong about that?

Yes, those would probably drain your bank account to get them reliable. You'd be better off with a generic motorcycle from Japan made in the 80s. Inexpensive, will last forever and parts are fairly common.

x0054 wrote:Also, about the restrictions, if I was to restrict a CBR600, for instance, to 33HP (I looked it up and lots of kits are available online) would it be as safe (more or less) as a 250cc Ninja?

It would be less safe. You'll have a shoddy power delivery, for one. The main problem is the suspension, steering and brakes are all designed for race use - hence RR for race replica. The Ninja would be considerably more forgiving, which is essential when learning how to ride.

My first bike was an LS650. For those that don't know it's a 33hp single cylinder cruiser with a belt drive and the ability to barely do highway speed. I ended up selling it after 4000km and one year for only $800 less then I paid for it brand new, and it had some crash damage. It took 2 weeks to sell.

It was a phenominal bike to learn on, easy to ride, and forgave all the mistakes I made.

What am I getting at here? It's your first bike, not your last bike, and your reasons for wanting a 600 seem to stem more from aesthetics then anything else. I think it's more practical and a better idea to learn to ride on something else, regardless of your beliefs in/of personal skill.

Not me. I’m a firm believer in starting small and working up.

x0054 wrote: I was wondering though, every one seams to recommend the SV 650.