I am 6' 3" and weigh 250. what do you guys recommend? I barely fit in my GSR.... I might get a Honda Nighthawk 750 to learn on. i have prior riding (and crashing experience ) but i needa good year on something conservative before i go all out...

cruisers seem comfy, but might lack the acceleration and corner attacking ability i might yearn for.

i guess i'll spend a year on my beginner bike and see what i prefer.

any opinions?


Joe


[Modified by falconGSR, 9:06 PM 6/25/2001]

 

ok ok i'll go back and search in the meantime

 

You seem to have nailed it. Standards are great for starters. Cruisers and Sportbikes are the next progression based on the intended specialty.

 

If you wanted you could also go with a new SV650, that won't have the power to launch you but it is a nice looking bike that is still fun to ride. If budget is a concern then I would go with something like the Nighthawk.


J

 

thanks for the suggestions guys. does anyone know about the Kawasaki ZR-7S? I like the bike alot, comparable to a nighthawk 750 but a little sportier and looks cooler. only strange thing is the pegs are back so its got a little crotch rocket style to it. i dunno. i need to go sit on it

its pretty cool looking though



[Modified by falconGSR, 11:27 PM 6/26/2001]

 

pegs back there??


the bike got great reviews as a starter bike and decent power for the type of bike it is...so i heard anyhow

Joe

 

Update: I know I dont know any of you guys but I wanted to let everyone know I am taking the MSF course before buying a bike. I am signed up for August 9, 11 ad 12.

Joe

 

you'll finish on my birthday! Congrats, thats the best way to start out, do some reading while you wait. http://www.msgroup.org

 

Congratulations. I didn't take the safety course until a judge told me to. In retrospect I should have taken it before I started riding, it would have saved me from a set of scars.

 

Jarrad, what happened?

I am looking at old bikes now. a motorcycle guy at work talked me into spending a year on a beater i wouldnt cry over if i laid it down. sounds like a good idea, instead of getting a shiny new one like in my posts above.

Joe

 

After I took the safety course I started to ride smarter than I did before. I had made a stupid decision that resulted in me going down. I will give the abreviated version cause it really isn't that good of a story:

Short parking lot
unexpected sizable wheelie
SHORT parking lot
Panic
Fist full of front brake(locked)
Foot full of rear
locked front tire washed instantly
Jarrad tumbling on chip and seal (like 10 grit sand paper) with seriously lacking protection

The story about why the judge made me get my liscence is simple
I got pulled over for speeding on a freeway after dark with my permit. The only rule I wasn't breaking was I didn't have a passenger. The judge said he would suspend all but $20 of the fine if I took the course. In the end it was cheaper and I learned to be a better rider.


The guy at work has the right idea. Almost everyone puts their bike down on the first year. It may only be at a stop sign, or in their garage, but everyone does it. So be smart and do it to a bike that won't show it, or that won't cost you several thousand dollars to fix. Honestly a 91 FZR600 in the right hands is faster than most owners on their R1s.


J

 

Good stuff. A bike that's never been down has'nt been ridden very much. I've been riding for years on all types of bikes. Most all kissed the asphault, usually at low speed. (never roached yet) Get some frame sliders so IF you do drop it, you'll save the bike from being totaled. Even slight frame damage will do that.

And learn from me, get BOTH feet off the pegs at every stop and retract them only after you get some speed. Once you lose balance under 2 mph or so on a SB, it's almost impossible to recover past 20 degrees unless your feet are already off the pegs, close to the ground.
Plastic and engine covers are not cheap.

 

me tooo, give me give me give me, i want a new gsx-r hehe. trade in my civic.