Ok, I did a search and learned a few things, I guess I was lucky to have just "liked" the cheap Ninja b/c it is a good beginner bike? I am not interested in a bike that can go 11 secs on a 1/4. I have NEVER owned/ridden a bike, and of course I would research it before I even thought of getting one. I would take courses(common sense) so is a $2500 Ninja good?


[Modified by blue95accord, 12:00 PM 1/17/2002]

 

You have never ridden? I would not go with the Ninja or any other sports bike. You would be better off getting a cheap bike just to learn on. I have been riding for almost 15 years and any biker will tell you that there are things about a motorcycle that you can only learn through time. It doesn't matter how good your balance is or if you have the best teacher. You just might fall a few times. You would be better off falling on a slow bike than a GPZ-600r (Ninja). I have seen many new riders getting as their first bike a CBR600F2 or something similar. If you want to be a good rider I would advice you to start off with a 250 or a 125 for a while and then go to something faster.


[Modified by 2 B 4GO10, 6:46 PM 1/17/2002]

 

you live in palm beach gardens? eesh. can you wait to get a bike until you get out of Florida? i didnt understand what people were telling me about traffic patterns and road layouts until i moved. learning to ride is hard enough - you dont need a bunch of yuppies in BMWs and senior citizens in lincoln town cars mowing you down.

That area is just too built up now, and Florida in general is tight on land so the traffic density is too high.

i'll never forget the day i was leaving Planet Ice, west on PGA Blvd, and was getting on the 95-South flyover and someone ran this sportbike off the overpass, he hit the retainer wall, and fell to his death. it happened a few minutes after i went through there cause when i got home it was on the news.

If you can ride up in Jupiter/Stuart and stuff, its probly safer, but thats probly built up now too.

where i live now - Plano, TX is pretty bad, but when i ride, i head straight north for the boonies where all the farm roads are. my good friend at work took the MSF class with me, but he refuses to get a bike until he moves out there.

 

I kind of agree. I started with a Vulcan 750 -- not a sports bike, but not a slow-*** Harley clone either. The bike literally scared the crap out of me, and I never should have bought it for the reasons I did. It was too big for me (I'm more comfortable with it now), too fast, just too much bike period. I'd never ridden, only taken a motorcycle safety course offered through the Maryland MVA so that I could get my license. I wish I'd started out on a smaller bike (like the Rebel 250s we used in the safety course), then moved up.

Karen

 

Do you hang out on SBN?

 

Ya, I understand what you guys are saying. I have only lived in Gardens for about 6 months now, and you described it perfectly! I wont be leaving Florida anytime soon, I am in college and after CC, I am off to FSU/UF! I might never leave Florida, but time will only tell. I appreciate your guys help. I am researching this like crazy so I know what I am getting involed in, no way I am rushing this.

 

SBN? I guess since I'm not familiar with the acronym, probably not....

Karen

 

The first street bike I owned was a '99 Kawasaki ZX9R. I didn't have any problems with it (til I totalled it this past summer). If you are coordinated, careful, and can respect the bike you should be okay.

'99 ZX9R (gone for good)
'99 CBR600F4 (just sold)
'98 GSXR-750

 

I think you just proved the point I was about to make.

Echoing earlier sentiments... stay the hell away from any kind of crotch rocket for your first bike. They are way too fast and twitchy for a beginner rider. Anyone who disagrees has never really ridden one IMHO.

Any 250 is a great starter bike. Up to 500-600cc bikes that aren't crotch rockets are all good starters with room to grow into, IMHO... and you can get good ones from 5-20 years old for not much $$$.

My first bike was a '92 Suzuki GS500E. Easy to ride, comfortable, softly sprung, etc. You can find those in great shape all day long for less than $1500 now, and they are nearly bulletproof.

Hope that helps,

Jon

 

Thanks, can you name some brands and bike models so I can start looking and getting ideas, thanks

 

i was gonna recommend my bike, the Kawasaki ZR-7S, since its a standard bike with a sport fairing, but its still a 750 with a 10000rpm redline - tries to pull your arms out of their sockets - even at part throttle.

my bike has 40ft-lbs of torque peak, which sounds small, but its too much for a beginner. i really wish i started with a smaller bike. i just might get a used 250 for playing around with. something tells me i would be a better rider if i had less power at my disposal. its too easy to drive like a squid (slow turns, fast straights) with a bigger engine.

 

Ninja 250's and 500's seem to be popular beginner road bikes. Maybe even an older Katana 600. Regardless of the bike, it's gonna come down to you as a rider, and how disciplined you are with the power. Just be safe and take things slow.

Justin

 

I've heard good things about SecaII's also.

Karen

 

I would say a good starting bike would be the following:
ninja 250
ninja 500
yamaha fzr 400
yamaha fzr 600
cbr 250rr, not common in the states because they are not offered here, but are imported and can be found in the ft lauderdale/miami area.

If it doesnt have to be a sportbike
honda rebel 250
yamaha secca
suzuki gs 500
or take your pic.

If you had ridden a dirtbike, or been exposed to riding before I wouldnt see a problem starting off with a 600. For 2500, if you were looking at a 600cc ninja It probably wasnt the ^R model, which means it was like a "E" model. This is a slightly detuned model which would not be as bad for you as a zx6r, r6, f4i, gsxr600. Those would be more than enough for a first bike.

Steven

 

Such a beautiful bike. Sorry to hear it was totaled.

And all the bikes listed above are excellent choices. I'm currently looking for an ex500 myself, just because its cheap and reliable. I'm used to much more powerful bikes but i just want something fun to whip around for summer.

 

i never rode a bike before and went out and got a modded katana 600. . . . . not a good idea.
i wanted to ride it right away and deffinately learned my lesson . . . i am now in the process of repainting it . its not real bad, but i did dump it a little after i got it .
although it was cheap , so it didnt phase me too much .
if your gonna get a sport bike to learn on . get one cheap that your gonna want to fix up anyway . then if you anything up , it wont matter. . .
but just so you know ahead of time . fairings arent cheap .
good luck

 

dude get an r1, gsxr1000, or hayabusa as ur first bike haha just kidding dont go do that

 

First bike, what about an ER5 or GS500. Some guy at work bought a Fazer 600 as his first. He lasted two weeks before he sold it. Depends on who you are as to if you are going to handle a quicker bike. The only way to gain confidence is through practice and training. Never stop training, never

 

As was aid before, alot has to do with the rider. If someone is a fool and showoff, he will kill himself on a gsxr 1000, just as easily as a ninja 250.

The kind of rider who MUST have a big shiny new sportbike for his first bike, is the rider who likely won't last long.
The rider who wants to pace himself and learn will be a better rider most of the time.
All the smaller cc bikes listed above are great. For the most part, just get something cheap, and not all together too fast. Stay away from anything over 600 cc's and and a race replica bike (i.e. any of the R iterations, cbr, gsxr, zx_r, yzfr_). And as was said, the less fairings to damage the cheaper it is. Most riders do go down, but not all. Believing that you will crash may set you up for failure.

Most of all, just learn to be yourself, and ride with your limits. Just because some guy says do a wheelie, doesnt me you should try. And just because a guy revs on you, doesnt mean you have to smoke him. The key is to be responsible. Beyond that it is all a game of luck,