New rider, new rides.
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 2:22 pm
Ok, I’ve been lurking on this forum for some time now and I see lots and lots of new riders stepping up and asking which sport bike to buy as a first bike.
I wish to add my very unique insight this debate.
Around May this year I finally got up enough courage to buy my first street bike. I’ve only ridden twice before many years back and on dirt bikes. Both times I crashed and this really kept me from pursuing my dream of a street bike. Now I’m not a small guy. I’m 6’ 2” 220lbs (1.8m 99kg) Ex-US Army Forward Observer. I’ve heard from some friends and online forums that early 90’s era sport bikes were decent beginners.
I found at a local shop a 1990 Suzuki Katana 600f for sale, going for 1200.00 being in a military town, sport bikes go for a premium, this bike was being sold as it had obviously seen some use, but not abuse. To put it to a point, it was Ugly. But like the saying goes “It may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.” Jetted GSX-R Carbs, V&H Exhaust where just some of the lil things the previous owner had done to up the performance of this creature. I sat on it for 20 mins in the showroom and it still felt great.
Upon returning home from my purchase I got a call from my cousin across the country in North Carolina. He heard I was getting into bikes and wanted to trade vehicles with me. He had a 1990 Suzuki VX800 while I had a 1967 Mercedes 230sl Roadster. The 230 was a hanger queen and sans a hanger. Knowing she deserved more (and the fact my cousin agreed to pay for shipments of both vehicles) I accepted the trade.
I signed up for the MSF and bought all new gear. Joe Rocket jacket with armor and a Scorpion EXO-400 Helmet. Alpine stars gloves with leather chaps and nice Magnum boots. I was Ready with a capital R.
With the earliest date for the MSF a month away, I decided to practice with the new bikes at my workplace’s empty parking lot.
I had the Kat shipped there from the dealership as well as the VX800 from NC. Luckily both bikes arrived at my work place within days of each other, the Kat first.
My thoughts on the Kat: This bike sounds awesome with the aftermarket pipes.. A bit too loud thou will need earplugs even with full-face helmet. The bike loves to stall at starting from a stop, needs lots of Revs and a careful touch on clutch. This bike wants to go FAST. Even a little bit of the throttle would cause it to launch forward.
I spend about 3 hour’s non stop on the bike the first day. When I was done I was confident enough to drive the bike through our abandoned where house between wooden pallets. You just think and the bike reacts.
Bad experience: Dropped it coming to a stop too suddenly. Was driving at 5 mph when I squeezed the front brake too hard. The bike stopped and then started to tip over. I couldn’t put my legs out fast enough… Once it started to go over all I could do was keep it from falling faster. This is where I learned another important fact about Kats: Kats are heavy. Luckily (did I mention that I’m not a small guy?) I was able to right it without too much internal hemorrhaging and no scrapes.
Day 2: The VX800 Comparison! A mongrel bike, almost an abomination, as it is an 800cc V-twin-shaft-drive standard.
The bike looks like a unique hybrid of standard and naked sport bike. Which basically it is.
With some minor TLC it fired right up, unlike the howl of the Kat, it settled into a smooth thump. Like a Harley if it was built in Japan. Upon starting out I noticed the differences immediately. The VX was utterly forgiving on the clutch, possessing enough to low end torque to pull stumps out of swamps. I stalled the bike only twice upon learning the friction zone.
On the road the VX shone again over the Kat. It felt instantly a part of me, I was relaxed, able to focus on the road and immediate dangers. I felt confident in the VX while I knew from riding the Kat that I had to keep and eye on things.
The Kat you knew what you were on top of, she let you know she was a bike built to go fast. She reminded you in the turns, on the stops and in the straightaway. The Kat was the Young brat-ish Arabian horse. You respected it all the time, or it felt like she’d put you down.
The VX on the other hand was gentry English Butler. Giving nudges and only minor protests when I did dumb, Newbie things (Like mistake 1st for 2nd during a sharp curve).
More than once I felt the Katana go “STOOPID!!” and do something unexpected. There were no such complaints from the VX.
During these early times on the bike I had 3 Guardian angels in the forms of my co-workers and friends watching over me. They each had 20 years behind the bars and were very crucial to helping me learn on these bikes. They each rode the two bikes and came to similar conclusions.
So this is my unbiased opinion as well as my friends who were able to compare the two bikes:
The Kat is a good 2nd bike. It’s a handful and makes learning to ride not as fun as it should be. There are a lot of idiots on the road, having a bike you need to keep and eye on may not be a smart chose for the new rider.
I got a chance to ride a Ninja 250 and 500 and both rocked, even with my big frame. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking either of these couldn’t hold there own in the twisties.
Same goes for a standard bike like the Nighthawk and my VX800.
Finally, take the MSF Course! Serious confidence builder and I’d suggest it before you pick up any bad habits which everyone gets just starting off.
Hope my ‘lil story amused some of you out there.
I wish to add my very unique insight this debate.
Around May this year I finally got up enough courage to buy my first street bike. I’ve only ridden twice before many years back and on dirt bikes. Both times I crashed and this really kept me from pursuing my dream of a street bike. Now I’m not a small guy. I’m 6’ 2” 220lbs (1.8m 99kg) Ex-US Army Forward Observer. I’ve heard from some friends and online forums that early 90’s era sport bikes were decent beginners.
I found at a local shop a 1990 Suzuki Katana 600f for sale, going for 1200.00 being in a military town, sport bikes go for a premium, this bike was being sold as it had obviously seen some use, but not abuse. To put it to a point, it was Ugly. But like the saying goes “It may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.” Jetted GSX-R Carbs, V&H Exhaust where just some of the lil things the previous owner had done to up the performance of this creature. I sat on it for 20 mins in the showroom and it still felt great.
Upon returning home from my purchase I got a call from my cousin across the country in North Carolina. He heard I was getting into bikes and wanted to trade vehicles with me. He had a 1990 Suzuki VX800 while I had a 1967 Mercedes 230sl Roadster. The 230 was a hanger queen and sans a hanger. Knowing she deserved more (and the fact my cousin agreed to pay for shipments of both vehicles) I accepted the trade.
I signed up for the MSF and bought all new gear. Joe Rocket jacket with armor and a Scorpion EXO-400 Helmet. Alpine stars gloves with leather chaps and nice Magnum boots. I was Ready with a capital R.
With the earliest date for the MSF a month away, I decided to practice with the new bikes at my workplace’s empty parking lot.
I had the Kat shipped there from the dealership as well as the VX800 from NC. Luckily both bikes arrived at my work place within days of each other, the Kat first.
My thoughts on the Kat: This bike sounds awesome with the aftermarket pipes.. A bit too loud thou will need earplugs even with full-face helmet. The bike loves to stall at starting from a stop, needs lots of Revs and a careful touch on clutch. This bike wants to go FAST. Even a little bit of the throttle would cause it to launch forward.
I spend about 3 hour’s non stop on the bike the first day. When I was done I was confident enough to drive the bike through our abandoned where house between wooden pallets. You just think and the bike reacts.
Bad experience: Dropped it coming to a stop too suddenly. Was driving at 5 mph when I squeezed the front brake too hard. The bike stopped and then started to tip over. I couldn’t put my legs out fast enough… Once it started to go over all I could do was keep it from falling faster. This is where I learned another important fact about Kats: Kats are heavy. Luckily (did I mention that I’m not a small guy?) I was able to right it without too much internal hemorrhaging and no scrapes.
Day 2: The VX800 Comparison! A mongrel bike, almost an abomination, as it is an 800cc V-twin-shaft-drive standard.
The bike looks like a unique hybrid of standard and naked sport bike. Which basically it is.
With some minor TLC it fired right up, unlike the howl of the Kat, it settled into a smooth thump. Like a Harley if it was built in Japan. Upon starting out I noticed the differences immediately. The VX was utterly forgiving on the clutch, possessing enough to low end torque to pull stumps out of swamps. I stalled the bike only twice upon learning the friction zone.
On the road the VX shone again over the Kat. It felt instantly a part of me, I was relaxed, able to focus on the road and immediate dangers. I felt confident in the VX while I knew from riding the Kat that I had to keep and eye on things.
The Kat you knew what you were on top of, she let you know she was a bike built to go fast. She reminded you in the turns, on the stops and in the straightaway. The Kat was the Young brat-ish Arabian horse. You respected it all the time, or it felt like she’d put you down.
The VX on the other hand was gentry English Butler. Giving nudges and only minor protests when I did dumb, Newbie things (Like mistake 1st for 2nd during a sharp curve).
More than once I felt the Katana go “STOOPID!!” and do something unexpected. There were no such complaints from the VX.
During these early times on the bike I had 3 Guardian angels in the forms of my co-workers and friends watching over me. They each had 20 years behind the bars and were very crucial to helping me learn on these bikes. They each rode the two bikes and came to similar conclusions.
So this is my unbiased opinion as well as my friends who were able to compare the two bikes:
The Kat is a good 2nd bike. It’s a handful and makes learning to ride not as fun as it should be. There are a lot of idiots on the road, having a bike you need to keep and eye on may not be a smart chose for the new rider.
I got a chance to ride a Ninja 250 and 500 and both rocked, even with my big frame. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking either of these couldn’t hold there own in the twisties.
Same goes for a standard bike like the Nighthawk and my VX800.
Finally, take the MSF Course! Serious confidence builder and I’d suggest it before you pick up any bad habits which everyone gets just starting off.
Hope my ‘lil story amused some of you out there.
Your Kat is a relatively mild sportsbike (Tho it sounds like it's had some nice modification) It's amazing to think that new riders go out and get bikes with more power and harsher ergos as their first bike simply to satisfy their egos or their sense of style.
