Greetings from a (soon-to-be) New Rider :) | GTAMotorcycle.com

Greetings from a (soon-to-be) New Rider :)

1

12ider

New member
Hi all,

I've always wanted to ride and it's time to get started. I will be taking the M1 exit course in August and am super excited for this journey.

I've narrowed down my list for my first bike below. If anyone has any experience/knowledge to pass along on any of these, please do. Also open to hearing what other models I can consider.

CB300R
Rebel 300/500
CBR300R

I'm thankful to have found this community and am excited to be a part of it.

Cheers,
JR
 
You have very different bikes in your list. It might be better not to buy anything yet and wait until your exit course. If you are going with learning curves/RTI then they will have different bikes there and you will be able to try all of them to find out what you like more. Some people like cruisers, some SS or naked. There are so many different options.

And btw, before you will buy anything - check the insurance.

Also, I would recommend to check something like Suzuki GS500/GS500F. They are amazing on insurance, have decent power and you can buy it for 2k now (and sell it in the next spring for 2500).
 
I have a cbr250r. I believe the 300 is the same bike only more displacement. It's been a great bike for me. I did buy a bigger bike because it looked cool and it was cheap, but the little Honda is still fun to ride.
Try to think about how you will be using the bike. Are you commuting? Do you envision doing long rides or short hops. Will you be content with smaller cc's for a while or will you likely want to upgrade asap?

Sent from my Redmi 7A using Tapatalk
 
another thing
first bike is just that: it will be followed by others

at this point OP
you don't know what kind of rider you'll be
so can't know which bike to buy

you will most likely drop the first one
and by the end of the first season be thinking of the next one

300 is a nice size to start with
would suggest used so you don't cry/swear
when you dump it in the driveway
 
Congrats and welcome. Your first bike is like your first girlfriend - it will be fun, you will make mistakes, and you’ll probably change her out for something more suited to your needs in a year or two.

Find a good deal on any used 250-300cc bike, ride it to learn for 10,000 km then choose something that will meet your motorcycle desires.
 
GreenPlane said:
before you will buy anything - check the insurance.
Click to expand...

So much this.

I ended up going with the best fitting bike that had decent power and the most manageable insurance premium that I was willing to cough up at the time.
It ended up being a draw between the MT07, SV650 and Z650 - went with the Kawi because I felt the most comfortable on it as a new rider.

Do your research online/youtube/forums and sit on different bikes to get a feel for your body type before making a decision.
If you still havent bought a bike closer towards the end of this year or early next year, look into visiting the bike show at Enercare Centre:

www.torontomotorcycleshow.ca

Visitor Info - Motorcycle Shows – Toronto

www.torontomotorcycleshow.ca www.torontomotorcycleshow.ca

All the best and let us know what you decide!
 
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12ider said:
Hi all,

I've always wanted to ride and it's time to get started. I will be taking the M1 exit course in August and am super excited for this journey.

I've narrowed down my list for my first bike below. If anyone has any experience/knowledge to pass along on any of these, please do. Also open to hearing what other models I can consider.

CB300R
Rebel 300/500
CBR300R

I'm thankful to have found this community and am excited to be a part of it.

Cheers,
JR
Click to expand...

Yamaha R3, Ninja 400
 
Awesome feedback here, thanks everyone! I see what you are all saying in terms of not knowing which type of rider I'll fit into; I seem to be flip flopping as I research these models and come across new ones to consider (thanks for the suggestions btw!) as the days near my M1x course. Hopefully some riding time during the course and seating time in showrooms etc. will give me some clear direction.

Insurance and use will likely be my biggest considerations, as has been pointed out. I've called around to a few providers to get a sense of insurance and seems like a broker is the (only?) way to go. If I'm as excited as I am now, if not more when I get my first bike, I will try to ride as much as is possible (commuting, errands, joy rides) so a bike with adequate comfort would be nice. I'll definitely keep you all posted!
 
I bought my first bike only about a month or two, and I went with an R3. I chose this bike mostly because everyone that has/had it seems to enjoy it, whereas a CBR300 or Ninja300 is just a bike that you buy to practise on and sell immediately after. I wanted to keep my bike for a year or two so didn't go with those options. They also seem to change owners more often than I'm comfortable with. I also honestly found TOO many used options if I was looking at ninjas and CBRs, too many different combinations of how well it was taken care of, and how many kms are on it. I only spent a couple weeks looking at used bikes, and after getting a little irritated at how long it took finding the "perfect" used bike, I went with what I just wanted to ride.

I don't have much experience, but I've convinced myself that a sportbike/ naked is the easiest to start with, over cruisers, just because of how far you can turn the handles. However I can't speak to the Rebels. You'll probably spend a lot of your time doing parking lot drills, so having a good range of motion on your bike is pretty important.

As for insurance, I didn't see too big of a difference between a CBR300 and R3, I think the R3 was about $50 more expensive per year. I suspect it's only because it's got like.. 30cc more than a CBR300. If you're not looking to save a couple of extra bucks a year (which you shouldn't, over time it really ends up not mattering) then all or most 300s will be in the same range. I think I'm paying about 1050 a year or so, on an M2, no previous experience. I went with Riders Choice / Echelon.
 
12ider said:
Hi all,

I've always wanted to ride and it's time to get started. I will be taking the M1 exit course in August and am super excited for this journey.

I've narrowed down my list for my first bike below. If anyone has any experience/knowledge to pass along on any of these, please do. Also open to hearing what other models I can consider.

CB300R
Rebel 300/500
CBR300R

I'm thankful to have found this community and am excited to be a part of it.

Cheers,
JR
Click to expand...


I would recommend finish RTI.. They have all 3 styles of bikes. Ride each of them and see what you like. I liked sport bikes after trying a dirt bike, sport bike and a cruiser and stuck to what I loved forever!
 
Hey everyone, after successfully finishing and having a blast at the course this past weekend, considering the advice here and conducting research, I've narrowed it down to the R3. Thanks for sharing your perspectives and for the solid advice! I'll likely also be going with Riders Choice / Echelon. Looking forward to sharing and learning more when I get the bike!
 
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