Total Motorcycle Community Forums

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Ok everybody first of all hows it goin. My names Matt everybody calls me Zoom or Skizz though. So here's my delema. I have been into cars since i was 16, I currently drive a 300 hp 1g dsm (read eagle talon tsi) and compared to previous cars yes its fast. However it's not quite enough anymore, something about a bike has now attracted my eyes. I've done a little bit of research with friends who are riders and they say that is probably the most addicting thing you'll ever do. Now I'm not here to offend anyone, but I am looking at purchasing at the end of August a bike of my own. I'm looking in the crotch rocket/ rice burner (i'm not sure what that specific design is called so please feel free to correct me on this) Again no offense to the "chopper or harley style" bike owners, it's just the design of the import bikes looks more appealing to me. THat being said I'm looking at taking the mva (I'm located in Maryland) biker course ( a fifty dollar course where they provide the bikes teach you to ride and give you your license at the end) my only other question would be what bike to buy. Yes, I am looking for a greater rush, but don't confuse me with stupidity I am not planning on hopping on a bike and running the "poo poo" out of it and splattering myself against a wall at 150. I will be purchasing all appropriate equipment (bike suit, helmet, dead mans switch, etc) I want some recommendations as far as a good first bike (something fast but easy to learn so i don't kill myself) and any other advice any experienced bike rider has? Again I'm not looking at being a moron, i didn't start pushing my talon through turns at 100 until i knew the capabilities and I won't with this vehicle either. Thank you all for any advice you can offer and I loook forward to an enjoyable stay here

Matt

Check out the threads around this forum about new bikers, and newbie bikes. It's a topic that's been beaten past death, to the point that we have gore and stuff stuck in the rafters and on the walls...

Not to mention great amounts of paranoia.................
It's a joke , kinda .
Regards, Wizzard

ninja 250...if you need absolutly need some one to tell you what to buy or check out.

Ninja 250, ninja 500 if you're a bigger guy.

I can respect liking fast cars, but bikes are a totally different game. I believe you are 20-30 times more likely to die on a bike than in a car, adjusted for miles driven per year.

When your learning take it slow, thats my advice. Good compromise bikes are the ninja 500,gs500, and the SV650. The SV650 has just over 70bhp, thats more than enough to learn on. You will drop the bike, plan accordingly(im not saying you will be hurt).

One thing to consider is bikes aren't like cars. If you get a (used) Ninja 250 or 500, the chances are you can sell it for what you paid for it so you won't lose any money learning on one. Then you'll hopefully have all the Newbie mistakes out of the way and can move up to the more advanced bike. From what I hear, the 250 can go plenty fast.

The "safety-first" guys here will beat you to death with the "buy a 250" speech. Personally, I don't ride motorcycles because riding is safe. If I wanted safety above all, I'd buy a Ford Excursion or perhaps never leave the house.

That said, get a Suzuki SV650. The notion that you WILL drop it is hogwash. You MAY drop it, but that's really up to you and how slowly you go with the learning process. If you think you're prone to dropping a bike a lot while learning, buy a super-cheap beater and drop it to your heart's content. I bought an $800.00 beater with dry-rotted bias-ply tires and never dropped it once in the 3,000+ miles I put on it (before an exhaust valve broke rendering it dead).

In any case, unless you are starring in the upcoming movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as an Oompa Loompa, the 250cc bikes of the world will be too small and will become a huge bore to you in a matter of days. Get at minimum a Ninja 500R, which can be had on the used market for pretty cheap and sold for about what you paid.

I'd like to point out that the ergos of the 250 ninja and the 500 ninja, and the 600 supersports actually work the opposite direction of what zootech seems to think. The bigger the engine, the more cramped the riding will be. Until you hit the liter bikes that is. At which point the larger engine size necessitates a much larger bike frame.

The body parts get pushed closer together and higher up on a ninja 500 compared to the 250. The 600 rolls you forward over the gas tank. But the bikes are basically all the same size. It's more a question of how close your "O Ring" is to your heels.

So if you're actually built like an oompa loompa I'd say go for the 600....

If you live near some dealerships, you can "window shop", and sit on the bikes, too. Just be ready for the sales pitch. You really want to see how they fit, and can tell the salesperson you just aren't ready to buy. Be aware of a common tendency to recommend a bigger bike than you might want, engine-wise. My son was pushed right to the 1500 nomad classic as a starter bike. Not all salespeople do this, just be ready. Take a friend or parent with you so you can stand the bike up and really sit on it with both feet, or bettter yet, ask the salesperson to hold it up for you. If you ARE buying new, get your money's worth out of the place! If not, you decide how far you will push. Just get as much real data from your own comfort experience as possible.

The bikes mentioned will give you some model names and numbers to ask for. That can help you avoid the "biggest is best" sales pitch, since you know what you're looking to try on. Good luck with all this.