aright, i want to buy my first bike but dont know what to buy. i was thinkin of getting a 500 but i dont know what make or model. help me out

 

look at the first post

 

i read the post but i'm looking for sugestions on what model i should look at.

 

Suzuki SV650
Kawasaki EX500 (...or was it <U>Suzuki</U> EX500?)
Honda CBR600F3 (95-98)

 

Kawasaki ex500. I will be selling one around springtime. It's in storage waiting for the riding season. MD/VA

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Suzuki SV650
Kawasaki EX500 (...or was it <U>Suzuki</U> EX500?)
Honda CBR600F3 (95-98)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah its Kawasaki EX500, the Suzuki is the GS500

 

Depends on your honest opinion of your own learning curve, responsibility on the road... I have friends I'd recommend xr50's to... but if you think your competent, a 600cc sportbike may be within your limits provided you ride safely

 

i've got a 94 Suzuki GSX600 Katana, its not the best thing in the world as a sport bike, but as a first bike, i love it. it handles really well, decently quick, and extremely well balanced. its underpowered though IMO. but overall, i like it, and most likely i will hang onto it for a while

 

zx6e is a pig. An ideal beginner bike should be as light as is reasonable, less aggressively setup in regards to suspension angles, linear in power delivery and rather reliable. Money is often an important factor as well. Cost of vehicle, cost of insurance, cost of maintenance. I would not consider a zx6e to be a good beginner bike b/c it is very heavy, not much cheaper than a "real" supersport and still has the potential to kill you very quickly. It also does not do much to inspire rider confidence which is vital. same to the katana.

 

cbr f3 or f2...cheap...reliable...many parts avalibale if you crash it.....pretty fast...

 

I ride a 95 FZR, and it weights 423 lbs wet. My brother rides a 94 ZX6, and I don't know the exact weight of his but I do know 2 things.
1. It is heavier than mine.
2. It is very easy to ride smoothly.

In direct comparison to my bike, the engine in the ZX6 sits a bit lower in the frame than my FZR which makes up for the difference. It doesn't have a lower center of gravity than mine, but it's not as bad as the extra 20 lbs or so may suggest.

I disagree with you completely that the ZX6 is a bad beginner bike, it has an excellent power band, good brakes and is forgiving in the corners. Both my brothers learned on the same bike and have ridden mine as well and find mine a little tricky to ride smoothly. As beginners, they are somewhat afraid of my twitchy handling FZR - twitchy to some, sharp to others, it all depends.

Cheers,
Roy

 

R1 or gsxr 1000

 

I keep seeing ninja ex500. Would a gsxr 600 be outta the question even though it's 100 more cc's?

 

that all depends on you...how fast you learn....what you can handle....

 

600cc inline 4 is completely different than 500c twin. Twins give smooth power comparable to cars. I4 sportbikes explode up top. It's comparable to vtec but imagine the smaller lobe being a blank, then rolling to the fat cam

roy- the zx6 is pretty stable but i've gotten feedback that its piggish. I think so myself as well. I would say the fzr is a better bike, even for beginners. The geometry isn't too steep and the balance is good. Plus it rewards correct technique in corners. w/ the zx6 you wouldn't know braking while leaned over is bad until its too late. the fzr gives you a little scare the first and last time you try it. the zx6 has good power delivery though

 

Tony you seem to know a lot about Kawasakis, what do you think of the ZX7R??

I know it really cant hold its own against the newer bikes even the 600s, but from what I hear it is pretty reliable and very stable around turns. Any experience on these bikes?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tonydatyga &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I would not consider a zx6e to be a good beginner bike b/c it is very heavy, not much cheaper than a "real" supersport and still has the potential to kill you very quickly. It also does not do much to inspire rider confidence which is vital. same to the katana.</TD></TR></TABLE>

very true, it is my first bike and i believe the learning curve was large because all of the reasons he stated. i am now having fun with it, but will be upgrading this spring to a better/newer 600.

the weight of the zx6 is 430 dry, it does feel a little heavier than an fzr( i've had the chance to ride one a few times) but it feels more stable to me. niether are ideal, but better than starting on an r6 or similar. if your level headed enough you'd be fine on either.


Modified by arjusmc at 4:01 AM 1/8/2004

 

zx7r still has a very faithful following. In direct comparison it is underpowered and overweight. Just outdated overall. I've never liked the look but it is quite unique. It is very stable, very solid power and a decent frame. Everything is decent, brakes, forks... a little lack of adjustment in the suspension but that seems to be the norm. I would not recommend it as a first but as a second I don't see why not. In my opinion it is definetely a streetbike first though. The main thing to remember about stability in turns is that its generated from a properly setup suspension and good riding technique. That is why learning to ride properly is so crucial. No matter how technologically advanced the bike, you will still dump it if you can't ride. Hope that helped

 

get something cheap that you dont really care about. its gonna go down sooner or later.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tonydatyga &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">zx7r still has a very faithful following. In direct comparison it is underpowered and overweight. Just outdated overall. I've never liked the look but it is quite unique. It is very stable, very solid power and a decent frame. Everything is decent, brakes, forks... a little lack of adjustment in the suspension but that seems to be the norm. I would not recommend it as a first but as a second I don't see why not. In my opinion it is definetely a streetbike first though. The main thing to remember about stability in turns is that its generated from a properly setup suspension and good riding technique. That is why learning to ride properly is so crucial. No matter how technologically advanced the bike, you will still dump it if you can't ride. Hope that helped</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yea it helped, thanks.
You mention the stability in corners as being more of the riders control. I always push my bike on corners, but honostly I have no idea whether or not im doing it correctly. Any sites that would show the proper techinques? Im quite sure there are no classes anywhere in Jersey. I always want to improve my non-stunt riding. Also the reason I speak of the ZX7R is b/c im thinking of buying one, making this my 4th bike.

Sorry to hijack the thread, buy a honda VF500 Intercepteor (my first bike)