can anyone tell me whats a good bike to start off with? im totally new to this, i just want to sell my car and get a bike when i turn 18 for transportation to and from college. Im looking for something under $3k that rides well on the highway. any suggestions? thanks.

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=585065

 

thanks man

 

Keep the car. Save money for a bike.

Why?

1) You're in NY. You have actual weather. A bike won't cut the mustard in snow.

2) Moving your crap to and from college is a hassle. Unless you have a friend who's willing to truck your stuff around. And take you to buy groceries. And to the furniture store. And back home when it's minus 10 and you're off for holiday break.

3) Girl with you in car > Girl with you on bike (in some instances)

 

my recomendations for a first bike

Yamaha FZR400
Yamaha FZR600
Honda CBR F3
Honda CBR F4
Honda CBR F4i

F4i will be a little out of your price range.

You can pick up and of the other bikes for a decent price. You could find one a little banged up for a really good price, and then when your ready to move on, fix her up and sell her for profit.

Thats what i did ... anyone remember that FZR i bought for $100? Sold it for $1500

 

I have an 89 FZR 400 for sale in this forum. I'll have pics soon. Great starter bike.

 

well being a freshman in college i cant park my car there, i bet i can figure something out with a bike though. i am doing Marine Corps ROTC so i get a room and fed, and i wont have much to carry back and forth to school on weekends.

A mechanic at my shop is getting me interested in these dirt bike looking things. he said theyre decent in rain, can be used for offroading, fine on the highway, can be used in snow, theyre inexpensive- i can get a brand new suzuki 200cc for like 4k

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VINtegra90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well being a freshman in college i cant park my car there, i bet i can figure something out with a bike though. i am doing Marine Corps ROTC so i get a room and fed, and i wont have much to carry back and forth to school on weekends.

A mechanic at my shop is getting me interested in these dirt bike looking things. he said theyre decent in rain, can be used for offroading, fine on the highway, can be used in snow, theyre inexpensive- i can get a brand new suzuki 200cc for like 4k</TD></TR></TABLE>
4 g's is kinda pricey for a 200cc bike. I'm assuming it's a thumper, right?

If you've got a mechanic, then he'll be able to take care of ya if you get a used sporty-type bike (if there are any problems with it).

Unless you're into dirt-stuff...then one bike would solve all your problems. But maybe not the 200cc...

 

yea i guess its smarter to buy used, people dont get much use out of them and usually sell for a lot less than their value.

ugh i dont know what a good kind of bike for me would be. the dualsport bikes seem very versatile and stuff and pretty inexpensive but i dont know how easy they are to find

 

Depends on what kind of dual sport you get. Japanese ones are usually cheaper and easier to find parts for. The KaTooMs and Husqvarnas can be pricey when it comes to looking for spares.

 

A friend of mine got this 1994 Yamaha FZR with 5,000 miles for $2,500. It's an AWESOME starter bike too.



Concentrate on the YAMAHA, not the girl you HT leg humpers.




Someone let me know if those pictures work or not... I JUST uploaded them on webshots so....

 

my first bike- honda F2. i loved that bike. so simple. nice bike to start on

 

Here is a good pic of bens bike

 

I don't see ****!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't see ****!

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ahh, ****. I'll try something else.

 

How do I tell which bikes are for off-road only? i know they need a headlight and license plate holder but is there like a name for them? are the motocross bikes on honda.com street legal?

 

Ninja 250 maybe? thats what im looking for as a first bike. im at college and in the same price range too. dont sell your car though youll need it.

 

i dont think ill need it that much, if i come home from college ill have a bike to get me around. if i really need to i can borrow my parents car

 

but in the summers i bet ican bike back and forth to college. id just save so much money bc of insurance/gas.. plus it would be practically BRAND NEW. and i would look so fly

 

i think a great first bike is a cheap gs500. I was able to get a '95 with less than 5k miles for less than $1800 and it's been a great confidence builder. I think after you ride it for a few months and couple thousand miles you'll get tired of it, but just put it on the market for what you bought it for and someone will buy it to learn on.

I've had my GS500e since august and i'm planning on selling it anytime between now and the spring.

for it

if you want to travel on the highway get a bike with a front windshield! get leathers and get some rain gear. I say keep the car and save / take out a loan for the bike. Riding in the rain sucks, FYI.

 

i dont even know what a gs500 is. how can u tell if a bike is streetlegal or if its just for off road

 

it's a suzuki:


**this is not my bike, but google is my friend** - mine looks like that except black with no windshield and slightly older

good first bike: able to recover from rookie mistakes (too much throttle, locking up rear tire, etc.) and quite cheap IMO a great first bike

i'm already tired of mine although when i first started riding it scared me

kawasaki ninja 500r's are also a good first bike - note: you will get tired of these bikes after a season or a few months of riding, but it's great for confidence building and learning


EDIT: also i pay $300/year for insurance (not the perfect record and an extra $100 for medical insurance which i don't really need due to my job's benefits) on this thing and it gets about 55mpg if you don't have a heavy wrist

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thehondabuddy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ninja 250 maybe? thats what im looking for as a first bike. im at college and in the same price range too. dont sell your car though youll need it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

depending on your size a 250 is too small and overpriced (IMO). I agree don't sell your car though, you <u>will</u> need it.

Great first bikes IMO:
ninja 500r
gs500e
cbr f3
cbr f2
and any older model 500-600cc bike as long as it runs and functions well

also note those are just "sport" bikes - dual purpose (dirt) bikes are also really good to learn on and are quite fun! (had one for the MSF course i took - oh yeah, take that course before you decide to get a bike - you'll see in the FAQ's of most sites - it will help you save your life)

You'll get tired of these bikes quickly but you'll learn a lot on a forgiving bike. Lessening the chance of dying IMO since the first fall usually happens in the first 3-9 months.

I'm a new rider as well (started august) and i've wanted one for soo long.

 

i kinda like the Yamaha XT250 best right now. well if its not too small for me, anyway. dual purpose, looks good, brand new its cheap, and i can probably learn good on it.

but i dont think ill need my car, honestly. i can use the train to get back and forth from college, and when i come home for weekends or the summer, i wont NEED a car for anything. the only reason i have a job is to afford a damn car, and the only thing i NEED a car for is to get to work. so i can eliminate both, and ride a brand new bike like all u guys.

btw thanks for all the responses guys, its a lot more polite in here than on the integra forums.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VINtegra90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How do I tell which bikes are for off-road only? i know they need a headlight and license plate holder but is there like a name for them? are the motocross bikes on honda.com street legal?</TD></TR></TABLE>
The bike is street legal if it's got plates and lights (headlights, turn signals, brake/tail lights). Besides the numbers, that's all CHP checks on your bike.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VINtegra90 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">btw thanks for all the responses guys, its a lot more polite in here than on the integra forums.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Hah! Polite he says...you haven't been around long enough...