Undecided and Confused. | GTAMotorcycle.com

Undecided and Confused.

rinomato1

rinomato1

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Hi Everyone,

I have riding experience on Off road motorcycles, and Harley Davidson which i currently ride on the road. Now, I want to venture out into the Sportsbike field, and alot of people aren't recommending 600cc - 1000ccs as a starting first sportsbike. However, while I've never owned a sportsbike I have riding experience and know how to operate a motorcycle. I was looking into the Daytona 675 and alot of people are saying that it's the wrong bike for someone who has never ridden a sports bike before, it's positioning is way to aggressive etc... they are basically swaying me to buy a naked bike, while I don't mind naked bikes, I like the idea of a sports bike. Now, I don't know about other sports bikes or what the norm is for someone switching from a cruiser to a sportsbike, i'd just like some insight. are some sportsbikes more "user friendly" then others, are there myths behind this whole "too much power for someone who's never ridden a sportsbike before" Any help would do.. I still want a sports bike. :cool:

thankS

LR.
 
You already have a comfy Sportster and you want a sport bike, so my advice is get a supersport, that way you get to own both extremes and get to pick and choose the ride as you see fit. And since you already ride, it makes no difference what the displacement of your sport bike is going to be, in my opinion the bigger the better and more fun. A 600 supersport might even feel a bit slow compared to your Sportster as far as general riding goes, since it probably won't pull as hard in the everyday riding unless you rev the living crap out of it, you might even end up being disappointed with the lack of pull and torque. so get a 1000 supersport.
 
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If you've ridden before then making the switch to SS should really be easy. I started on a TW200 for a few months (between M1 and M2) then made the jump to a 2003 CBR 600RR. It will take a little bit to get used to the power and the different riding position but you should have no trouble. Sit on a few different bikes if you can and see what feels comfy for you. Get the bike you want not one someone says you should have. Start out carefully and enjoy the new ride.
 
Some people can start off on an SS as their first bike and be fine, while others will never be ready for one. It's all in how you approach it, your frame of mind.

The two scenarios I mentioned are the extreme cases and they are pretty rare, but in general the meat of the bell curve for people's suitability to get an SS is maybe a year or two of riding experience, and if that experience is all off-road then you'd want a good deal of driving experience to go along with that so that the rules of the road and other drivers' behaviour is familiar to you.

From the sounds of it you'll likely be fine, but in the end it's about your frame of mind.
 
rinomato1 said:
I still want a sports bike. :cool:

thankS

LR.
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Ensure your motivations. What I mean by that is be wary of what you are going to use it for. You have the Hog which I assume will be your main transport and the sportbike will be for short haul rips? If that's the case get whatever bike you want. There is nothing wrong with any of the 600 sportbikes as they are fairly linear with power that develops higher up the rev band so they are pretty easy to keep a lid on. The 1000's on the other hand can catch you out pretty easy as some will still loop over backwards even in 3rd gear if you get too excited, which may not be too much fun always keeping a lid on the excitement whereas you can play a bit more on a 600 without as much worry.

If you wind up being uncomfortable with the sportbike just get a handlebar kit and it will sit you upright while still retaining the look and performance of your sportbike without the need for a naked.

Get what you like and have fun.
 
I think it really matters at this point which "naked" you are looking at because there is quite a range.
 
with all this being said... there has to be some 600SS which are generally recommended to "noobs" who have some riding experience but want to venture into the ss world.
 
The only 600 I can think of that remotely fits the bill is a Honda F4 or F4i... but forget that non-sense. You already know how to ride, from there its simply a matter of adjusting to a new riding position.

KTM 990SM is a sick bike, but its certainly not a supersport and hardly a "naked" by standard definition. It's a big motard, and it behaves as such.
 
mmmnaked said:
The only 600 I can think of that remotely fits the bill is a Honda F4 or F4i
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The F4i is just as fast as the 600RR....
It just doesn't have all the cornering ability that the RR has. It has more low end power and less Top end then the RR but will be side by side with the earlier RR's.

An Entry level 600 would be a Katana, or SV650 or something along those lines.
 
I started on a 600ss and found it to be perfectly fine as a starter bike. If you know how to use a clutch, and you a a responsible person, you will also be fine.
 
You should check out the Triumph Street Triple, I got to test one in the Catskill Mountains last year, and it was a blast to ride in the tight and twisties, and a comfortable riding position to boot.

Even If the R model is only somewhat better, you can’t go wrong it would be amazing!
 
jeffjones said:
The F4i is just as fast as the 600RR....
It just doesn't have all the cornering ability that the RR has. It has more low end power and less Top end then the RR but will be side by side with the earlier RR's.

An Entry level 600 would be a Katana, or SV650 or something along those lines.
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I like the look of the F4i, even the RR nice bikes
 
freestyle said:
You should check out the Triumph Street Triple, I got to test one in the Catskill Mountains last year, and it was a blast to ride in the tight and twisties, and a comfortable riding position to boot.

Even If the R model is only somewhat better, you can’t go wrong it would be amazing!
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The Daytona is what I'm aiming for
 
We don't suggest SS bikes to newbs usually because it's their first experience on a motorcycle. Since you've already got some experience you might be ok on a 600+cc SS bike. Someone suggested an SV650 which I think would be a great compromise. Not as powerful as a full on SS bike, but probably more forgiving in the riding position, and since you can get a full fairing for them, they look the SS part.
 
kamikaze said:
We don't suggest SS bikes to newbs usually because it's their first experience on a motorcycle. Since you've already got some experience you might be ok on a 600+cc SS bike. Someone suggested an SV650 which I think would be a great compromise. Not as powerful as a full on SS bike, but probably more forgiving in the riding position, and since you can get a full fairing for them, they look the SS part.
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Would you recommend me getting on the second hand side say an F4i or something? something that has the best of both worlds, I've ridden an F4i around and I found it quite comfortable
 
can't really say, as I've never rode one. Have heard great things about them. If you're comfortable on it, and can find one in good condition, then I'd say go for it.
 
rinomato1 said:
The Daytona is what I'm aiming for
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the daytona 675 is a great machine, especially for the track. Parts are pricey though. If your going to ride track, a SS is great, but if your just driving around town, a SS is going to seem very aggressive and uncomfortable compared to a cruiser. I suggest test riding one first for an hour. You do get used to the position over time, but a sport touring/naked bike might be more up your alley if this is a concern.
 
smergy said:
the daytona 675 is a great machine, especially for the track. Parts are pricey though. If your going to ride track, a SS is great, but if your just driving around town, a SS is going to seem very aggressive and uncomfortable compared to a cruiser. I suggest test riding one first for an hour. You do get used to the position over time, but a sport touring/naked bike might be more up your alley if this is a concern.
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see thats the thing, everyone says its not as comfortable as all of the other 600ss out there its more aggressive than the rest.
 
kamikaze said:
Since you've already got some experience you might be ok on a 600+cc SS bike.
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The guy owns a 600 pound Harley, ofcourse he is going to be ok with a little 600CC supersport. 600ss bikes are weak and gutless anyways, and would make a perfect beginners bike, but he is not a beginner so even a 1000 SS would be perfectly fine for him.
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