Sport bikes are not beginner bikes BUT...

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I don't understand your argument of getting a bigger bike right away to save money (you said taxes, depreciation, etc.) huh?

I bought an '85 Honda Rebel, sold it 7 months later for more than I paid for it.

My girlfriend bought a CBR-125R for $1800. With no damage, some custom touches, an Arrow exhaust pipe, she'll easily get back what she paid for. In the mean time she's put on 7k km, taken it to Niagara and loves it.

Making a smart financial choice on a bike has nothing to do with displacement size and everything to do with getting the right price or waiting for something else to come along. You'll save money by owning a bike you're less likely to drop, crash, or do anything else that might raise my insurance rates because of your inexperience. There's a reason the sports and supersports have a higher premium. Riders are really good at crashing them.
 
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WOW I so love reading stuff like this and I always get a laugh or two... Op you are a Nob for even posting this thread anyways …. I wish in this perfect world we all live in, we could all have somewhat of a sense in what is right and wrong in life and decision making that could hurt or kill YOU but most don't.. I well always remember when I started riding my first bike 1978 Honda XL 75cc it was the cats *** and took a beating and I thought I could ride anything after that ...until my friend let me try his Honda CR 80... lets Just say when that power band kicked in “I was not ready” and thank god I was in a filed and not on the road.....Op when people from the site tell you, you should start small 125 /250 hell even a 500cc just to learn the basic skills of riding a bike on the road, turns, braking, what ever! its because most of us no what we are talking about when it come to a SS and the power behind it is no starter bike for a NEWBIE.......
 
By the way, I'm sure you'll hear plenty of "I started on a 600RR and I'm fine" stories without too many dissenting first-hand experiences.. That is because the dissenters are either dead, unable to type or so sour about their injuries that they don't wanna have anything to do with riding any more so they don't frequent GTAM.
 
Its really easy to buy and sell bikes.

I started on a 1998 Kawasaki Ninja 500r, I bought it for $2,000. I crashed it and got $2,800 from the insurance. Two weeks later I bought a 2000 Drz400s for $2,500. I rode that for half a season and then sold it for... $2500!. The only money lost was on new tires and oil changes. Dont worry so much about the taxes, just dont tell the MTO the real price that you paid for it.

Now with about 10,000km under my belt, I got my self a 2009 Aprilia Shiver 750. Its a naked standard bike but it has a sports mode on it which is as twitchy as any SS that I have ridden.

In the past year I had the chance to ride 3 SS bikes, 2006 CBR600F4I, 2007 Kawi ZX6R, and 2006 Yamaha r6. Sure they have sick acceleration but they are very uncomfortable for the city. You really had to rev them to get into the "fun" zone and they were not comfortable at all.

My advice for you is to find any cheap old bike which will be cheap on insurance and will take your abuse. Then sell it after a year or even after a few months. You will not lose any money as long as you find a good deal from the start.
 
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short stop said:
Don't sweat it. I even said this recently in another thread - there's nothing necessarily wrong with using a bike for a season or two and switching it up to something bigger. Think of the bike as a learning tool. It's unlikely that you're going to lose out on much $$ - beginner bikes are always in demand and generally retain their value. It's doubtful that any bike you start with will be your last.
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I agree, later on I might go for something that is more comfort oriented.
 
reciprocity said:
The F4i is a supersport bike, it will bite you just as quickly as th 600RR, thinking it won't is asking for trouble.

The bike really has NOTHING to do with this equation.
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Why not? I'm a beginner, my question centered around whether it would be wise for someone just starting out to buy a 600cc sport motorcycle.
 
nakkers said:
Do you have any experience riding a motorcycle? Dirt bike, scooter....anything? How about your age? If you're under 25, just getting your M2, the "savings" you speak of will be wiped out by the surcharge of insurance premiums.

It sounds like you have little to no experience if you're asking is a 600F4i is a SS.

There are litterly 1000s of folks that have the confidence to go ahead and go straight to a SS and get injured or killed. Not one of them started out and intended to do this to themselves. But, it happenned. There is a reason insurance costs are out of this world and this in one of many factors.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a 250 or 125 to start out on. Especially if you've never ridden before and want to start out right.

Of the people I know that "started" on a 600 on the street, they had several years of motorcross experience. The street is much different than dirt and going from a dirt bike to a SS are completely different animals. But, there learning curve was much smaller. Also, they had to break some bad habits that don't translate to the road too. Also, not all of them jumped on and did well. Some dropped their bikes just like a noob would.

Channel that curiousity to seriously consider a different bike to get started on. Also, budget for good gear, and keep in mind there are maintence costs associated to riding as well. This isn't a cheap hobby by any means.


Good luck.
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Thanks for your advice. The cost of insurance isn't a big worry, I'm 31. I have already gotten a quote from my current carrier (who I have several policies with) and it is affordable even as an M2 on the F4i. But my concern is really about taking on to much bike for my beginner skills. I rode dirt bikes for a little while as kid so aside from my safety course that is the extent of my experience.

What you said about translation from the motocross to the street makes sense. I'm sure that there are enough similarities between the two that would put someone with a lot of moto experience ahead of someone who has none.

I'm definitely going to invest in some solid gear, I don't really want to find out first hand what road rash feels like or worse.
 
sundancekid said:
Why not? I'm a beginner, my question centered around whether it would be wise for someone just starting out to buy a 600cc sport motorcycle.
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It wouldn't be wise. Like everyone has said, the depreciation on a bike is no where close to a car. A bike you buy for 3000 can get you your 3000 back. If not you'll be out 500 as long as you maintain the bike. The 125s and 250s are very popular.

I based my purchase on one line of logic: I want to learn to respect my bike on my own, not have it teach me. A 600 will teach you real fast.
 
dankyyz said:
If you are thinking about riding for the long run, buy a used 250 and ride the piss out of it. Then sell it in a few years to a buddy who will be wanting to ride as well. It is not a "loss of tax and such". You sound like you have some reservations about a SS as a first bike. Good for you!

Find out if you even want to do this long term first, then buy the "deal of a century" SS bike....

And i have to agree with FF once again. I know VERY few people who can properly ride a bike to it's limits. I bet most of the rockstars tracking GSXR's on this site couldnt catch this cat on a goldwing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrMQ3QwyPo&playnext=1&list=PL1F38452B2A47011A
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That guy on the goldwing appears to really know what he's doing. Yes I do have reservations about getting a bike that'll over power my beginner skills. I've seen enough YouTube videos to realize that when you put someone on a bike they can't handle things get out of control in the blink of an eye. Problem with going to a 250 is that the only smaller displacement sport bikes I like aesthetically are Honda - Oh the vanity!
 
sundancekid said:
That guy on the goldwing appears to really know what he's doing. Yes I do have reservations about getting a bike that'll over power my beginner skills. I've seen enough YouTube videos to realize that when you put someone on a bike they can't handle things get out of control in the blink of an eye. Problem with going to a 250 is that the only smaller displacement sport bikes I like aesthetically are Honda - Oh the vanity!
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Why hung up on aethetics? It's your first bike. You're learning to ride on it, not look cool (although that's always a bonus factor, and will happen regardless of your bike).

I think maybe you haven't researched all of your options. If you think that your only options are the CBR 125/Ninja250 and 600SS's than you're wrong. Other considerations:

- CBR250
- Ninja 500
- Suzuki GS500
- Buell Blast
- Monster 620
- Ninja 650*
- SV650*

* these are a little more powerful, but easier to handle than outright sport bikes

I'm sure I'm missing a ton.
 
Venom01 said:
WTF kind if question is this anyhow? What as your more likely to bin? I don't know, how new of a rider are you? I'd say equal chance. Sounds like you want a 600ss more than you want to learn to ride. How about this. If you can afford the insurance do whatever you want. You would think that someone who has read the threads about beginners bikes would look at all the options a head of them instead of just assuming that beginner means a 125 or250.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk
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Sir you forget that this is a thread in the beginner forum, if the question offends you then I don't apologize. I'm certain that the beginner area of this site is chalk full of questions of the same caliber, hence why they've aggregated them to one area. I can afford the insurance, I've already verified that. In response to your other comments, if 125 and 250cc bikes weren't for beginners why do riding schools use them?
 
Niceguy72 said:
Hey there,
When I started riding a few years back I went out and got a VFR 800.
I have gone to Indy MotoGP twice on that’s bike, it’s been a great learner bike for me.
It's also cheap on Insurance
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Thanks for your feedback Niceguy72! As tempted as I am to start on a 600, the general consensus around here appears to be that a 125 or 250 is best for a beginner. I acknowledge that I probably need to build my skills up to the point where I can properly take on a larger bike. Did you have any previous riding experience before you got the 800?
 
Holmes said:
This is not true at all! I am 22 and my insurance is totally reasonable. Statefarm! Just make sure you insure your car aswell. My 600 is actually cheaper than my Accent, of course if you have tickets and acciedents then thats a different story, but then you also have bigger issues than getting a ****ing bike
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My understanding is that generally speaking State Farm has the best rates overall for bikes. Obviously driving records and claims history vary so it would depend on the specific individual. My driving history has been pretty clean over the past few years so the quote I got from my company was affordable. Holmes what was your first bike?
 
FiReSTaRT said:
That's a Yamaha WR250X, very streetable supermoto. If it wasn't a bit on the expensive side, it would make a great beginner bike for a taller rider (5'9-5'10 at least). A real blast, cheap on fuel/insurance, can still do highway speeds (you just don't wanna go on extended runs due to comfort issues), can take a few drops without costing you anything. If I had the spare cash, I would have bought one 2 seasons ago, but stuff keeps coming up and my '91 FZR600 has been serving me well, so I keep delaying the purchase.
You can get injured on any bike. A 250 isn't much more likely to help the process than a 125.
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That makes sense. There are lots of ways to injure yourself regardless of the displacement. Someone on my safety course ended up crutches after just half a day and crashing on a CBR125. I hope you get the Yamaha, I'm sure it'll be fun :)
 
woobie said:
Go online to kijiji and autotrader and look at the prices of used 125's & 250's, you can snap one up and then sell it the next spring for a very small loss. A smaller lower powered bike will teach you speed management and technique and you can carry forward that experience to your next bike.




lol Seriously? how old are we talking here? Ok sure I'm 40 and ride a VFR800 but I have friends my age with a Duc 749 & 999, CBR600rr, gsxr750, and a husband & wife duo with gsxr 1000's And they can all ride the **** out of their bikes.
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I'm 31. Its just I've been told by many riders that once they hit 40 something they can't take the sport bikes. But your reply is making me re-think that and categorize it as individual specific.
 
adri said:
I don't understand your argument of getting a bigger bike right away to save money (you said taxes, depreciation, etc.) huh?

I bought an '85 Honda Rebel, sold it 7 months later for more than I paid for it.

My girlfriend bought a CBR-125R for $1800. With no damage, some custom touches, an Arrow exhaust pipe, she'll easily get back what she paid for. In the mean time she's put on 7k km, taken it to Niagara and loves it.

Making a smart financial choice on a bike has nothing to do with displacement size and everything to do with getting the right price or waiting for something else to come along. You'll save money by owning a bike you're less likely to drop, crash, or do anything else that might raise my insurance rates because of your inexperience. There's a reason the sports and supersports have a higher premium. Riders are really good at crashing them.
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I'm sure they're really good at crashing them for sure. If you got what you paid or even slightly more then you must be a good salesman...or just kinda lucky or both. But my argument was about depreciation and taxes. I'm not a fan of giving the Gov't any more $ than I'm legally required to.
 
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