Good first time motorcycle???

[MikeMike]

i go through gas like none other, and would love to have a bike to save myself on gas costs.
i drive 25 miles to school, 30 miles to work, 15 miles home, twice a week

15 miles to work, 15 miles home 3 times a week

25 miles to school, 25 miles home twice a week

so without any actual going places, i drive 320 miles a week, and thats a low estimate.

im looking for a nice sport bike, it would be my first... id love a CBR 600, but it might be a lil to powerful, who knows, im 6'3 190 lbs so i do have enough strength to keep up bikes and whtat not.

i would be looking in the 3.5k range...

would wear helmet/full leathers always, and would need to purchase those as well.

 

[Greyd]

you take the MSF safety course yet?

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: Greyd
you take the MSF safety course yet?

i dont have a bike to take it with....

but no, i have not, i will, if i can actually secure myself a bike, and know that i will be purchasing one.

 

[SilverThief]

Ninja 500....
cheap, easy to ride, plenty of power for the beginner.....in 6 months to a year you can trade it up to a true sport bike if thats where your tastes lean.

 

[zixxer]

1) take msf
2) gs500 (fav because I had one, plus it's air-cooled/easy to work on) ninja 500, ninja 250 if you're small
3) sv650 is the biggest first bike I'd recommend.

Don't ride with fvcktards on busa's/gixxer 1k's that can't ride. They'll only end up getting you in trouble when the cops pull out, they run, and you get busted or some crap.



EDIT:

msf supplies a bike. take the msf. WELL worth the $$. (here it's $250...)

EDIT again:

I changed my mind. Beginner bikes in this order:

GS500, SV650 (if you're big), Ninja 500, Ninja 250 (if you're small).


Most people like the ninja's better because of the fairing - which you'll hate WHEN you drop it in a parking lot. My g/f has an sv650 she's dropped 3 (maybe 4?) times... thank god I put sliders on it the day I bought it - and thank god it's NOT faired

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: zixxer
1) take msf
2) gs500 (fav because I had one, plus it's air-cooled/easy to work on) ninja 500, ninja 250 if you're small
3) sv650 is the biggest first bike I'd recommend.

Don't ride with fvcktards on busa's/gixxer 1k's that can't ride. They'll only end up getting you in trouble when the cops pull out, they run, and you get busted or some crap.



EDIT:

msf supplies a bike. take the msf. WELL worth the $$. (here it's $250...)

i dont know many around me with bikes, and i dont plan on riding with dumbasses.

 

[waggy]

every MSF course i have taken have a bike you can use.

a good firs tbike is a ninja 250 or 500, they are cheap and easy to find

 

[Mr N8]

Look for a used Honda Shadow 500 / 600. Nice and reliable and not too big or powerful for someone of your size, but not tiny like the Shadow 250.

You could check out used Buell's, too, if you wanted something sporty but not incredibly powerful.

 

[Mr N8]

Originally posted by: waggy
every MSF course i have taken have a bike you can use.

a good firs tbike is a ninja 250 or 500, they are cheap and easy to find

All the places in this area require that you use their bikes.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE

Originally posted by: zixxer
1) take msf
2) gs500 (fav because I had one, plus it's air-cooled/easy to work on) ninja 500, ninja 250 if you're small
3) sv650 is the biggest first bike I'd recommend.

Don't ride with fvcktards on busa's/gixxer 1k's that can't ride. They'll only end up getting you in trouble when the cops pull out, they run, and you get busted or some crap.



EDIT:

msf supplies a bike. take the msf. WELL worth the $$. (here it's $250...)

i dont know many around me with bikes, and i dont plan on riding with dumbasses.

Best idea ever. I rarely ride with others - and even then it's a coworker and his g/f who are both very conservative riders. Whatever you get, buy sliders. Also keep in mind right now is the worst time to buy a bike because prices are inflated due to the summer. A decent GS500 will cost you around $2500 right now, and you can find one in the winter for under $1k easily. I bought one for $750 that needed a regulator ($50 part) that ran like a top the 1 year+ I had it - which I then sold for like $2k in the middle of the summer.

 

[BigJ]

Didn't you just have a thread a week ago about wanting to purchase a new GTO or something?

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Mr N8

Originally posted by: waggy
every MSF course i have taken have a bike you can use.

a good firs tbike is a ninja 250 or 500, they are cheap and easy to find

All the places in this area require that you use their bikes.

Look for the MSF... not some other course.


All MSF affliated classes supply bikes.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: zixxer
1) take msf
2) gs500 (fav because I had one, plus it's air-cooled/easy to work on) ninja 500, ninja 250 if you're small
3) sv650 is the biggest first bike I'd recommend.

Don't ride with fvcktards on busa's/gixxer 1k's that can't ride. They'll only end up getting you in trouble when the cops pull out, they run, and you get busted or some crap.



EDIT:

msf supplies a bike. take the msf. WELL worth the $$. (here it's $250...)

150 under 21 and 250 over 21 here in California. Supplies the bikes, gloves and helmets if you need em. You just need your own bike for the experienced rider class.

I'm just going to mirror zixxers recommendations. Theres newer stuff that might work, but its out of your price range.

My personal story was starting on a 95 Yamaha FZR600, and now ride a YZF600r. Remember to allow yourself at least another 1000 for gear and other stuff. 400 for a 2 piece suit, 100 for boots, 50 for gloves, 150 for helmet, and 300 for your first insurance payment. Don't forget registration and tax on the bike too.

 

[FrozenCanadian]

Take the couse (they supply the bike).
Stick to under or around 500cc for your first time.
Be very careful car drivers will cut you off and run you off the road without thinking twice.
Watch out for manholes and railroads till your more experienced, hitting a manhole in mid corner can wipe you out and most rail crossings are very bad too.

EDIT: As to what bike to buy there all fun and even a 250cc will go faster than you "should" need.

 

[pontifex]

if you're gonna be sitting in traffic a lot, he wouldn't want an aircooled bike though, right? unless he turns it off when traffic isn't moving.

 

[RiDE]

Originally posted by: BigJ
Didn't you just have a thread a week ago about wanting to purchase a new GTO or something?

This is the flavor for this week.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: zixxer
1) take msf
2) gs500 (fav because I had one, plus it's air-cooled/easy to work on) ninja 500, ninja 250 if you're small
3) sv650 is the biggest first bike I'd recommend.

Don't ride with fvcktards on busa's/gixxer 1k's that can't ride. They'll only end up getting you in trouble when the cops pull out, they run, and you get busted or some crap.



EDIT:

msf supplies a bike. take the msf. WELL worth the $$. (here it's $250...)

150 under 21 and 250 over 21 here in California. Supplies the bikes, gloves and helmets if you need em. You just need your own bike for the experienced rider class.

I'm just going to mirror zixxers recommendations. Theres newer stuff that might work, but its out of your price range.

My personal story was starting on a 95 Yamaha FZR600, and now ride a YZF600r. Remember to allow yourself at least another 1000 for gear and other stuff. 400 for a 2 piece suit, 100 for boots, 50 for gloves, 150 for helmet, and 300 for your first insurance payment. Don't forget registration and tax on the bike too.

you could probably get good gear for a little less than that - I'd say in the $600 rangeish..

newenough.com is your friend - they have a so-so icon helmet for like $75 in closeouts - or HJC.. even their closeout stuff is not older than a year.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: zixxer
you could probably get good gear for a little less than that - I'd say in the $600 rangeish..

newenough.com is your friend - they have a so-so icon helmet for like $75 in closeouts - or HJC.. even their closeout stuff is not older than a year.

Yea, you could. I was thinking a scorpion exo-400 for like 130 from helmetharbor with free shipping, the shift superstreet 2-piecefrom motostrano.com or roadridermca.com for 300-330. I think they look better then the Teknics on clearance at newnough right now. Boots and gloves, I don't relaly have any recommendations. I'm picked up a pair of A* GP Plus 2004's and the Sidi B-2's. Although the OP might want things a little cheaper. The Setups on newenough are 130-150 and are supposedly pretty good.

 

[edro]

Honda Rebel, but that's not very sporty.

 

[JulesMaximus]

What happened to the GTO?

 

[zixxer]

If you're insisting on a cbr600, get an older f2 or at absolute most an f3.


fyi - the reason people recommend gs500's, ninja's, and sv650's is that they are all twins - the power is very predictable.. you turn the throttle a little, it goes a little, you turn the throttle a lot, it goes a lot... All (other than a ninja 250) are faster than 99% of 4 wheeled vehicles.


The issue with "real" supersports (cbr 600's, zx6r's, gsxr's, r6, and their liter counterparts) is that the power really is not predictable... especially on the 600's... for example, at 7k rpm you might be making ~40-50 hp, and at 9-10k you're making 100+... you can lift the front wheel up unexpectedly, and in general things go from fast to too fast WAY too quickly... This is because they're inline 4's.


On my GS I could outrun most people on literbikes in corners. It made me a much better rider in general. In a straight line it was faster than most any car, but slower than most any bike. Insurance (if you're under 25 is OUTRAGEOUS on a sportbike.. I'm 21 and pay ~$1300 for an 05 zx6r and an 03 sv650) is much cheaper on the 500's. At 6'3 you are way too big for a ninja 250, you are probably going to be most comfortable on an sv650.. That's what I'd recommend. Even though they're considered beginner bikes they haul ass and will throw you off the back in a heartbeat. It's a good bike for the larger beginner because you really aren't going to 'outgrow' it like you might with a 500. Outgrow is relative, however - gstwin.com is a great site with an awesome forum.

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
What happened to the GTO?

$$ can be better spent.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Find an old 450-750 CC Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki standard from the 1980's. Can find 'em for $1,000 to $1,500 range and they are dirt cheap to insure and keep running. No, they aren't the best looking or fastest bikes around, but they don't die and the insurance company won't rape you. I was paying I think $200/year for full coverage on my '82 450cc Honda back when I was in HS (1999).

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Mr N8
Look for a used Honda Shadow 500 / 600. Nice and reliable and not too big or powerful for someone of your size, but not tiny like the Shadow 250.

You could check out used Buell's, too, if you wanted something sporty but not incredibly powerful.

I second the Honda Shadow 500/600. An old 1980's Honda Nighthawk is also an incredibly good bike to start with.

ZV

 

[boredhokie]

Can you wear a helmet with your condition? I'd recommend a Vespa for you.