Help me choose a beginer bike please

If you are set on a Sazook, I think this might be a better choice for a variety of reasons I could share if you are interested: http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/SV650K4/

 

IMPALASS,

I have two gixxers currently and they are great bikes. ONe has 25K trouble free miles, and other is new but great bikes.

I would ask you to reconsider buying the gixxer600 as first bike. I gave this following advice to Rob last night, and I think it would work for you as well.

That 500 you showed SUCKS! And the 600gixx is way too much bike for you. You should really get a monster or a SV like the other gentleman suggested.

Then once you learn, you can buy a cool bike

 

If you are really looking for a beginner bike and want a fully faired bike, the 600s from the big four are so close in performance that a novice will not be able to tell any difference for a long time. I would suggest a 4 or 5 year old Japanese bike that would be 1 or 2 generations off, but still better that the real race bikes from 10 or 12 years ago. These bikes are cheap and plentiful. I would not get anything much older that that as the improvements in suspensions have been meaningful, i.e. avoid a Honda F2 or F3, but a F4 would be great. A Yammie 6R (predates the R6) would also be a great choice IMHO.

 

I respectfully disagree with Micheal. I think as a novice a F2/F3 is PLENTY fast and the suspension is great for someone like that. The F4 is rather new, and you could easily kill yourself. Then again I guess it all depends on your maturity.

If you want a full fearing bike look at a 1998 Suzuki 750 or 600. It is pretty old so you can get them in the 3K range, and ARE plenty fast.

My 1998 and 2002 bikes are not that different really suspension wise. Sure there are improvements that I feel, but a novice like IMPALASS wil not see the differences.

Just my .02.

 

For a beginners bike: consider that the average beginner has several incidents. So if you have not ridden a bike several thousand miles or not ridden in several years, the probability that you will have an off is rather high. Therefore, buy an expendable bike for you first year, and if you still want to continue riding, then buy that marvelous new machine next year. It will cost you a lot less this way.........

 

Its not the speed, they are all plenty fast, its the evil suspension on the F2 (my ribs STILL hurt...). I admit I don't know about the suspension on the F3 from personal experience but I think it is similar to theF2.

The F4 on the other hand is supremely forgiving and tolerant of ham-handed bone headed input and therefore much LESS likely to kill you.

The Gixxers you mention would be GREAT choices as well, although it always seemed to me people wail on Gixxers harder than the other brands. Don't you think the average Gixxer probable lead a harder life than a 6R of F3 or F4 simply because they are faster and racier and attract the harder-core rider?

I don't know, there alot of folks more knowledgable then me in these matters, so that is my 1.5 cents!!

 

I agree 100% even if thats not the answer you wanted! Thats why I thought the SV650 would be a great choice..

 

I have ridden F2s and F3s and to me they are good beginner bikes. But differing opinions is what is great about this board

Yeah the F4 is forgiving. Most of us riders refer to the F2/F3/F4 honda line as the "toyota camry" of bikes. They do everything well, but nothing spectacular. Don't think I am bagging on honda, I own two honda cars and they are great, their bikes just leave something to be desired.

Yes gixxer riders are harder core riders. However you do find a lot of gixxers that have been commuted on. I bought my 1998 750 SRAD two years ago with 5500 miles on it for 5100 bucks. I put about 18K miles on it, no problem except for tires and chains. The bike was adult owned (52 years old) and commuted on. So you can find great suzuki bikes.

I do agree that average gixxer probably has had a harder life than a honda, then again with the build quality on the gixxers, I think it really doesn't matter.

I still suggest honda to him, the reason I brought up the used gixxer is because he said he wanted something nice to look at as well. Obviously looks matter, and it seems like he wants a bike with some street cred.

IN the end, all these bikes are pretty equal for a novice, he will likely spill on anyof these sadly.

Trying to talk my roommate out of getting a new R1 as his first bike. This generation is really bad

Oh well more parts for us guys when the squids crash

 

Man,talk that guy out of that and save his life!

 

I am trying but its not working. I had a deposit on the 04 R1, and he listen to me talk about it all the time. Well then I got smart and decided I wanted to try the vaunted Ducati for a long time and it was time to pull the trigger. So I got my deposit back. The R1 is a great bike, but even I think its too much for me. ( I am not a super star rider, but had some considerable seat time).

I am trying, but he wants to pick up chicks with his bike and wants to look cool. Thinks if he rides with me on a SV he will look like a dork. (typical amateur thinking).


SIGH. I told him its too much bike for him, but he keeps telling me he is mature, blah blah.

If buying a R1 as beginner bike wasn't stupid enough, he is getting the bike at 500$ down, and financing the rest..AND GET THIS..he is getting liability insurance only because he can't afford comprehensive.

I had a brand new yellow gixxer that got stolen outside my apt with 41 miles about a year and half ago, and it took me 7 months to get the value of the bike from the INsurance company, and even from that experience my roommate doesn't learn.

Mark my words, he will either crash this bike and owe the finance company, or it will get stolen and he will owe them.

I tried, but don't seem to have any recourse. I even took him to r1forums, made him register and ask the question "should I buy R1 as first bike" so that he could see what others would say to him. Everyone there told him no, but he thinks they are just haters and they want less R1s on the road, so they can look cooler.

 

The ironic part is the average chick couldn't tell the difference between a 10 year old Gixxer and a new R1.

BTW, how could ANYONE be mature with that kind of horsepower? EVERY time I go out I swear I'm going to putt aroung and EVERY time I hit 100 mph for at least a brief time... and I'm an actual grown-up! Man, it only takes a quater mile to bring it up and bring it down like that. I'm helpless to fight it, and I only ride a 2000 VFR with a TBR pipe and 105 HP...

 

This topic has been drawn out on too many forums. When buying a first bike you have to ask yourself what kind of rider you are going to be. If you can honestly tell yourself that you will follow the break in period correctly and actually learn to ride the bike before you open the thing up, then get what you like, not what others think you need. If you are prone to driving recklessly, speeding, showing off in your car, then that behavior will follow you on the bike. I bought my first bike three years ago, a ZX6R, still have it, never been down. You just have to take your time with it and learn about the bike. Take the first few hundered miles slowly. I rode up and down an empty street by my house for a while so I could learn how to not stall the thing, practice braking, and familiarize myself with all the controls.

Just think about what kind of rider you are going to be when choosing your first bike. You don't want to end up in the emergency room with a totaled bike. But you also don't want to regret your decision 6 months down the road. Whatever you do, ride safe.

 

If you MUST buy new, a great choice. honda finally broke their offerings into 2 lines, the 600RR and the bike you are looking at. This bike would be much comfier, cheaper and easier for a novice to live with than the RR (IMHO). And that passenger seat will be fairly comfy to that lovely GF of yours..

But still....don't buy a new one as you are likely to toss it! If you buy an older F4, say a 2000 (BTW, the carbs were great) ride a season, and if you want to move up you can sell it for almost what you paidand if you do toss it it might not be quite as painful (to your wallet)..

 

Buy a dirt bike and ride trails.

In the dirt you pay for your own mistakes.

On the street YOU pay for EVERYONES mistakes.


The above is wisdom, bought at great price, offered to you at no charge.

Erich

 

I started riding a couple years ago, at the age of 47, having never ridden before. I would highly recommend the Motorcycle Safety Course, a 2.5 day course subsidized by the motorcycle manufacturers. I would not start riding without that course under my belt. (The other good thing is that the course, if you pass, results in an official state license-at least here in NY-without the need to go to the DMV for the roadtest).

My starter bike is the one i am still riding: a ducati monster 750, which i have mildly customized. Its not a pig, its well balanced and easy to ride, and out of the box, comes with the good bits, brembro brakes, and the like. Its also not terribly expensive, at least compared to Harleys. The gixxers strike me as too much bike for a beginner. You'll never really need to go that fast, but you'll be tempted. The ducati is not as quick, but it will go quite fast if you rev the **** out of it. The dealer i bought mine from specializes in racing ducatis and says he enjoys ones like mine enormously, because you can ride the bike hard and still not get into big trouble if you know what you are doing. (One other thing, the tires these things come with suck; i bought some sticky high performance tires and what a difference for a few hundred bucks! Ok, they wear out quicker, but who cares? The trade off in performance and handling does not even amount to a close question).

(Oh, one other thing, the Monsters look pretty cool, but they are not torture racks like the more aggressive "superbikes.")

 

Good thread....

My first streetbike was a V-max, and I'm lucky to have lived through it. That's with twelve years of enduro riding under my belt also. Now I ride a 98xr400rw with a baja-designs street legal kit, and couldn't be happier.

That being said, ANY motorcylce is a death-trap in the hands of an inexperienced rider. Whether it's an nighthawk 250 or a Busa'. Crashing at speed hurts just as bad on either one. Keep one thing in mind. At some point, everybody lays one down. Whether it's their fault or not.

Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Course first!!!! Get your liscense and take a few test-rides. They are ALL fast enough...just find one you are most comfortable on. The 600's have all been a little small for me, but plenty fast. I just feel more comfortable on a larger bike, but what do I know?

Ride safe-
Craig

 

I have been looking at purchasing my first bike for a long time now (infact I know I have bored many posters on a Ducati forum ... but I have not quite got the funds for a bike yet ... house first).

Anyway from what I have learnt, it seems like a bike with little fairing is the way to go for a beginners bike, ie. when you drop it, it will cost less to fix as the fairings are expensive.

In NSW, Australia your first bike has to be a 250cc machine (with some exceptions) and thus I have been thinking about a Honda VTR250 ... as they are a twin and sound good , and look very much like a Ducati Monster. They also do not have any fairings.

Hopefully I will be able to pick up a second hand one nice and cheap ... thus I will not cry if I drop it (unless I have really, really hurt myself ... and nobodies looking ).

I intend to ride this for atleast 6 months while I save for a Ducati SS800 or SS1000. While I would love to get a 749 or ST3, I don't think I could afford the expected extra servicing expense and hope that the tried and proven aircooled motor ... plus I like the looks of the new SS.

Pete
ps: I have close to given up on purchasing a Ferrari and think a Ducati would be cool and make the trip to work much more interesting.

 

Ducati rip off