Total Motorcycle Community Forums

hi everyone.
i was looking for a forum....just googled "motorcycle forum" and this popped up, and it looks like a good one.
i'm 16 years old, almost 17.....i just got my motorcycle permit a few days ago and took some training courses and there is nothing cooler & more fun than riding.
i did a little research and wanted to buy the "Ducati 749 Dark"...750cc.....everyone said it was too much/ too fast....for a first bike.
then i decided to get the "Honda CBR600F4i"....599cc....people still said it was too much so decided to get a slow used sports bike......went to a private sale and saw a "Kawasaki Ninja ex500"......499cc......the guy said it'd be good to start with but its only 100cc less than the honda.

ducati = around $10,000
the used ninja = $3,995
the new CBR600 = $8,499

i'm not rich.....but to get your real opinion....please disregard the price.

what do you guys think i should go with? plz keep in mind that i'm a new rider....everyone at the dealers said that i was gonna kill myself...etc....if i go with a new bike......what do you guys think?

i'd appreciate any replies.
---mike

The cost of insurance for the Duc and the F4i should help you make up your mind.

Dirtytoes wrote:
what do you guys think i should go with? plz keep in mind that i'm a new rider....everyone at the dealers said that i was gonna kill myself...etc....if i go with a new bike......what do you guys think?

i'd appreciate any replies.
---mike

Nothing wrong with a NEW bike, I tend to think they are a little more reliable. It's probably a good idea to stick with the inexpensive Ninja though, it is a lot less likely to surprise you if you make a sudden wrong move with the throttle.

Kevin

Go with the Ninja.

thx for all the replies

i just got quotes.....the Ducati is around $3,000 full coverage and the CBR600 is around $5,000...DAMN ...don't know about the ninja.

anyways, i'll pobably go with the ninja...i'd appreciate any more comments.

You should be able to find a brand new Ninja 500 for under the $3,995 you listed (assuming that's US dollars and not Canuck Bucks). That would get my vote for a starter bike, they take a while to outgrow. You'll be ready for a new bike with more power when you're scraping pegs in the twisties.

(edit for more usefulness)

Do you know why insurance is so ridiculously high for that Honda? It's because kids your age, with your amount of training, buy one and make themselves another statistic. I'm not saying you're a bad rider, nor a good rider, but the fact of the matter is they are expensive to insure for a reason.

Biggest problem with a new bike is that they'll depreciate more, and you need to break it in yourself.

Best part about a new bike is that you get to break it in yourself. So you know it was done right.

Skier wrote:You should be able to find a brand new Ninja 500 for under the $3,995 you listed

an 06 500R is a little over 5k...

http://www.kawasaki.com/product_detail. ... motorcycle

how did you mean a new one for under 4k? ...lol, it sounds too good to be true

My vote is for the ninja as well.

I would suggest used that way you will lose less sleep if you drop it (it is very common for new riders to drop their bike within the first few months).

You sound like you are being smart about this, you already took the MSF course which is very worth it.

The 500 will be quite a bit faster than you think it is. Performance is about equal to many sports cars. Get good on that 500 and you will embarass a lot of 600 and 1000 riders in the twisties.

That 100cc may not seem like a lot but it is. a 600 sportbike has more than double the power of the ninja 500. displacement is not an absolute indicator of power with bikes. The suzuki SV650 has about 45 less hp than the GSX-R600 but has a 50cc larger engine.

IMO the best option would be the ninja 500. You're young yet - why blow all that cash on a bike before you know what you're doing?