Sport bikes are not beginner bikes BUT...

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FriendlyFoe said:
have you priced insurance yet? This thread is a moot point as with the F4 as an m2 rider (im going to guess also under 25) you're going to be between 4k-6k a year for insurance.

A 250/500 may be your only option.

Look at a ninja/gs 500 it'll take a while to get bored of that. Hell after two years of riding a 600 i still have a ton of fun on smaller displacement bikes, they just dont allow for the same level of highway hooliganism which in a lot of ways is a good thing lol.

Keep in mind even old 600's are as fast as a modern viper/corvette, would you teach someone how to drive a car in a stick shift viper? And thats with a cage around you!
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Actually I'm 31, so the insurance isn't so bad. I already have an official quote from my current insurance Co. and the rate is affordable. (Probably due to the fact that I have a few policies with them and no recent tickets/accidents.) I'm not really interested in highway hooliganism; I need to keep my license intact as my employment depends on me driving to client locations daily.

Did you say the 600 is a smaller displacement bike as it relates to your experience? or was it the 250 and 500s?
 
My first bike was a Yamaha FZ750...at the time...that was a hell of a fast bike. After over 10 years away from bikes my first bike after this long break is a SS liter bike.

Insurance isn't a factor as to what makes sense and what doesn't....I'll be paying $900 a year for this bike (I'm 41).

Too all those that wanna suggest that getting a liter bike makes me a dead man riding...that's your problem.

The way I look at it is that the power of the bike is in my throttle hand...not in the bike itself.

There are two types of accidents...those you can't control that are caused by outside elements that no rider irrelevant of experience could deal with....and those that are caused by negligence from the rider.

If you take a turn too fast and realize that while in mid turn and go wide and end up in the ditch...that is once again a matter of your throttle hand. You were going to fast to begin with. You would of gone wide with a 250.

If your lack of riding experience means you simply don't know how to properly shift gears and deal with basics like counter steering and downshifting etc...that's another problem.

Maturity, self control, knowing your limitations, control of testosterone...are the real factors.

After my long break I decided to take the RTI course and signed up for FAST ARC 1 and 2 to step up my game even more...I'll probably also take TURN2 or Racer6 later this summer to be as equipped as possible to handle my new bike.

Too each his own....you have to trust your own sense of judgement and believe that your decision is the right one.....if you feel the need to ask folks on a website...you may be doubting yourself....in which case...proceed carefully!
 
i'm a new rider too. like you i did my safety course and thought that the 125s were a bunch to handle. after two years of saving up, i ended up buying a suzuki gs500f and so far i'm loving it. at first, when i first sat on it at the dealership, i was a bit intimidated by its size and weight (its 440lbs, i weight 150lbs), but once i got it and did some rounds in a lot and finally got on a road, i'm finding that i'm getting more and more confident every time i get on it.

i think one of the most important things i've found so far is that your beginner bike needs to be forgiving. i just came back from a ride and almost ****ed up just now taking a right turn. i was in the wrong gear and overaccelerated during the turn and the bike wobbled and i almost lost control. thankfully i managed to save it. i'm sure that if i had been on a 600cc sport bike, i would've been scraping along the ground. my advice is to not worry so much about the displacement of the bike just yet. get something that is FORGIVING (which, as these things go, means not a supersport) and not too much to handle. maturity plays a large part in this, but sometimes you just can't make your way around rookie mistakes. **** happens, so for me, i'd much rather be on something that gives me a bit more room for error.

just my two cents.
 
HC7 and NWilliams thank you both for your feedback. I'm inclined to heed the advice of some of the riders here and go with something between a 800 and 1300cc bike. Screw it! I am gonna throw down with a Hayabusa! :thumbup:

Ok...now that your panties are in a knot. I AM JUST KIDDING.

Seriously though I've gotten some terrific advice and some unnecessary flaming on the subject. For the time being its probably best for me to stick with a bike that's between a 125 and a 500. I really don't need/want to do faster than 120KM/H so a 600cc might be over doing it anyway, am I wrong?
 
I miss my old 250. Now I think I could ride it the way it was meant to be ridden.
 
Baggsy said:
I miss my old 250. Now I think I could ride it the way it was meant to be ridden.
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It sucks that this is the year that Honda decides to bring out a 250cc sport bike. So no used options exist for guys unless they want to go non Honda. I'm not prejudice towards different brands, but I did enjoy the CBR125 I had on my RTI course for it's easy handling and sporty aesthetics. As some other people have suggested riding the hell out of a smaller displacement bike sounds like a lot more fun than being scared sh*tless on a bigger bike.
 
see if you can go on some test drives. it'll help you figure out which bike you're gona be most comfortable handling. if you can't, just go to some dealerships and sit down on different ones.

any bike can reach 120kmh and give you superior braking to almost any car. even the cbr125 that we rode during the msf course. its just a matter of how comfortable you'll feel riding next to a giant lorry. so its not a matter of overdoing it (cuz most cars can go over 120kmh too), its just a matter of how comfortable you'll be on it and how well you'll be able to handle the bike.

so many little things can go wrong on a motorcycle (http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?52355-Why-we-crash) and cause you to lose control, so i think its more than important not to let your first bike be too much to handle. read about other riders' accidents and crashes, watch some clips of crashes on youtube, follow motorcycle vloggers. those offer a lot of good riding advice and tips and just stuff you ought not do. of course, i'm not saying watching these will make you immune to these things. you have to experience it and make the mistakes to get it and learn from it. i'm just saying, try and learn the lesson that others have had to learn the hard way (my mom always told me this). despite all these things though, it is SO much fun. and surprisingly tiring...

anyways, about 120kmh. reaching these speeds for the first time on a motorcycle feels super different than in a car. i've gone 200kmh in a car, and its not at all comparable to going 100kmh on a motorcycle. so one of my considerations when buying a bike was how comfortable i'd feel riding a 280lbs cbr125 vs a 350lbs ninja 250r vs a 440lbs gs500/ninja 500. i know all the ninja250 owners are gona say i'm ridiculous and that the 250 does great on even the busiest highways, but its just personal preference, especially since i'm new. physics says that the heavier the object, the greater its momentum at the same speed. which also means the harder it is for deflected air currents and turbulence created by other vehicles on the road to affect you. obviously it all just comes down to skill, but being new means you have no experience and that means you got more to consider.
 
All the pilots in the navy think they are Top Gun material too.
Their weeding process is sometimes more forgiving.
 
hc7 said:
see if you can go on some test drives. it'll help you figure out which bike you're gona be most comfortable handling. if you can't, just go to some dealerships and sit down on different ones.

any bike can reach 120kmh and give you superior braking to almost any car. even the cbr125 that we rode during the msf course. its just a matter of how comfortable you'll feel riding next to a giant lorry. so its not a matter of overdoing it (cuz most cars can go over 120kmh too), its just a matter of how comfortable you'll be on it and how well you'll be able to handle the bike.

so many little things can go wrong on a motorcycle (http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?52355-Why-we-crash) and cause you to lose control, so i think its more than important not to let your first bike be too much to handle. read about other riders' accidents and crashes, watch some clips of crashes on youtube, follow motorcycle vloggers. those offer a lot of good riding advice and tips and just stuff you ought not do. of course, i'm not saying watching these will make you immune to these things. you have to experience it and make the mistakes to get it and learn from it. i'm just saying, try and learn the lesson that others have had to learn the hard way (my mom always told me this). despite all these things though, it is SO much fun. and surprisingly tiring...

anyways, about 120kmh. reaching these speeds for the first time on a motorcycle feels super different than in a car. i've gone 200kmh in a car, and its not at all comparable to going 100kmh on a motorcycle. so one of my considerations when buying a bike was how comfortable i'd feel riding a 280lbs cbr125 vs a 350lbs ninja 250r vs a 440lbs gs500/ninja 500. i know all the ninja250 owners are gona say i'm ridiculous and that the 250 does great on even the busiest highways, but its just personal preference, especially since i'm new. physics says that the heavier the object, the greater its momentum at the same speed. which also means the harder it is for deflected air currents and turbulence created by other vehicles on the road to affect you. obviously it all just comes down to skill, but being new means you have no experience and that means you got more to consider.
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I actually read that "why we crash" thread and it was informative for me as a novice rider. I know what you mean about how riding at higher speeds feels so different on a bike vs. in a car, I've traveled at high speeds in cars (as a passenger and a driver) and it doesn't feel as scary as it does on a bike. For me its something about feeling the wind press on your body and knowing there isn't a cage of steel around you.

During my M2 course I felt comfortable and confident on all of the bikes I tried but the CBR seemed more responsive and complimentary to my riding style. I do appreciate your advice!

BTW, are you a Brit? I've only heard Brits use the term lorry.
 
I started out on a Ninja 500R. I had it for 1/2 a season, put about 700kms on it and decided to upgrade to a Yamaha FZ6R. I'm 34 so insurance doesn't hit me that hard, but $850/yr for the FZ6R was less than half for any other 4 cylinder bike.

Interesting thing: I feel a LOT more confident on the FZ6R than I ever did on my Ninja. It feel far more stable and, yes, I would recommend it as a beginner bike. It uses a detuned R6 motor that's a few generations old, but I still find it more than fast enough (for now anyway).

I think the issue with supersports (GSRX, CBR600RR, R6, etc...) is that the are very... twitchy. I rode my friend's CBR600RR and truth be told I was scared.

I won't say much more as this thread/argument comes up all to often here. Just remember that there are other options besides a Ninja250/500 as a decent starter bike that are also insurance friendly.
 
MX5-GS said:
I started out on a Ninja 500R. I had it for 1/2 a season, put about 700kms on it and decided to upgrade to a Yamaha FZ6R. I'm 34 so insurance doesn't hit me that hard, but $850/yr for the FZ6R was less than half for any other 4 cylinder bike.
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It's not just your age. FZ6R is not a SS bike, it's a sport touring bike, same as Kawi 650R, Suzuki SV650S, VFR, etc.
 
Just throwing this out as another possibility although it is still a very powerful bike. If you are insistent on the aggressive feel, look at the Honda F3s maybe. They are the earlier version of the F4 and F4I. The nice part here is its not fuel injected, it is has a carburetor, so its less touchy. I rode a 250 Ninja for a bit last year and now I am on a F4I and the difference is huge, actually a bit scary. Once again in case you need to really let that one sink in, the difference is night and day. Like others say, you might respect the bike and be a very mellow person with no intention of showing off or doing anything wrong, but you hit that bump the wrong way and hit the throttle and instead of that 250 jerking, you just got bucked off. I actually tried one of my friends F3 and its less kicky than my bike. Its actually very nice, I'm not recommending it to beginners, all I'm saying is its less powerful than the F4I, but still that aggressive feel if your bound to go down that road.
 
Kotku said:
Just throwing this out as another possibility although it is still a very powerful bike. If you are insistent on the aggressive feel, look at the Honda F3s maybe. They are the earlier version of the F4 and F4I. The nice part here is its not fuel injected, it is has a carburetor, so its less touchy. I rode a 250 Ninja for a bit last year and now I am on a F4I and the difference is huge, actually a bit scary. Once again in case you need to really let that one sink in, the difference is night and day. Like others say, you might respect the bike and be a very mellow person with no intention of showing off or doing anything wrong, but you hit that bump the wrong way and hit the throttle and instead of that 250 jerking, you just got bucked off. I actually tried one of my friends F3 and its less kicky than my bike. Its actually very nice, I'm not recommending it to beginners, all I'm saying is its less powerful than the F4I, but still that aggressive feel if your bound to go down that road.
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Well I'm not entirely bound to go down that road. It would be foolish for me to insist on going for a bike that's way over my head. So now I'm considering 500<. Now its a matter of what to get. One of the posts on here had some suggestions so I am gonna look at them more closely. Perhaps I'll never progress beyond a 500. But I guess time will tell.
 
I ended up with a GS500f for my first bike and I love it. I thought that it would be intimidating becuase I had only done the two day course before and used a 220cc Yamaha dirt bike durring that course. I found that I felt more comfortable on the 500cc than the 220cc bike. I also have other friends that started out on a 600cc bike and had no problems. My bro started with a Katana 600 over 15 years ago. An other buddy that has been riding for 12 years now started with a 600 as well.

I think it's all about getting to know your vehicle and how it reacts to what you do to it. I could be wrong, I'm just a newb.
 
sundancekid said:
BTW, are you a Brit? I've only heard Brits use the term lorry.
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born in toronto, raised in hong kong, went to a canadian overseas international school with teachers from all over the world, here at the university of guelph studying zoology atm. i've been told i've got a mixture of canadian/american/british accents which is quite cool and i spell completely american (with z's and color instead of colour) but i'll use some british words (like lorry) and speak canadianisms (like eh). oh and my background is chinese.

its funny you should point that out, i used to call them trucks when i was smaller...duno, my english (including mixture of accents) continually changes...
 
hc7 said:
born in toronto, raised in hong kong, went to a canadian overseas international school with teachers from all over the world, here at the university of guelph studying zoology atm. i've been told i've got a mixture of canadian/american/british accents which is quite cool and i spell completely american (with z's and color instead of colour) but i'll use some british words (like lorry) and speak canadianisms (like eh). oh and my background is chinese.

its funny you should point that out, i used to call them trucks when i was smaller...duno, my english (including mixture of accents) continually changes...
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Wow sounds like your passport has more stamps than a post office! But I guess unless you think about it you don't realize that you've picked up things here and there. Good luck with your studies at Guelph, I've been told their zoology and veterinary programs are top-notch!
 
sundancekid said:
I agree, later on I might go for something that is more comfort oriented.
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Hey mate,
I can tell you this- about a month ago i went through the exact same decision process. a couple of dealers were every kind to take me on a 2up ride on several bike types. In the end i picked a 125CBR knowing well that I may get bored after a few seasons.

To be honest, it was a bit scary on anything higher than a 125 for me personally. Im happy with my choice and i've gotten plenty of encouraging words from multiple people here!

Go for something your truly comfy with. Be safe, enjoy your ride and upgrade in a few season's time :)
 
sundancekid said:
2005
Is this the SV650
2005
?​



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Yes it is - the 'S' version with fairing. The earlier versions (this is a Gen2 - 03+) have a half fairing and newish ones (the year escapes me right now 07/08?) have a full fairing like in the pic. There is also a naked version without the fairing which has a more upright riding position. This was and still is the first street bike I have owned and would agree with FiReSTaRT that it is not an ideal beginner bike especially for someone completely new to riding. The low end torque is definitely something you have to learn to manage. Having said that, when i got this bike I expected to want to 'upgrade' in a year or two, but that has not happened. This bike is great to ride and a lot of fun - you don't feel like you 'outgrow' it at all. It may not be the fastest bike in a straight line, but that's boring anyway, the SV really comes alive in the twisties where the fun riding is. I plan on riding the SV for a few years more for sure. It also doesn't hurt that since it's not classed as a 'sport' bike it is friendly on insurance. I'm also a big guy 6'2" 220lb+ and it fits me reasonably well. Just my two cents.

Good luck with your search and choose wisely ...
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