Motorcycle owners step in.

[zylander]

Im in the process of buying a bike and Im looking for some advise. I took a motorcycle safety and training class last December and then got my license in January. I have ridden once since the class; I rode an FZ1 about a month ago. I was very comfortable and confident on that bike. These are the three bikes Im interested in:

Yamaha R6
Suzuki GSX-R600
Suzuki SV 1000

Ive always been into sport bikes, a lot of my friends ride and they all have sport bikes. Now that I am finally ready to buy Ive been going out to doing some research. I went to a big dealer yesterday just to sit on everything and see what fits me best. Tonight I went and looked at my friends '06 GSXR600 that he is selling, I got to take it out for a ride and try it out. My absolute favorite bike is an 03-05 R6/R1 raven edition, but after trying out all these bikes, Im starting to think that I am just too big for a normal sport bike, which is why Im looking into the SV. When I sat on the SV I felt comfortable, just like when i rode the FZ1. WHen I rode my friends GSXR, I felt ok, but it felt small. Within the first hour of riding the FZ1, I took it up to 110mph and it felt fine, while on the GSXR, I did not feel like I even wanted to go on the freeway.

Are any owners of the above bikes in here? Any guys in here about my size that ride sport bikes? Im looking for some personal info on these bikes, specifically the SV.

 

[Corn]

Don't be an idiot and buy a monster sportbike as your inagural steed, and don't drive it 110 MPH on public streets. Heed this advice or your days are numbered.

 

[state 08]

My first bike was a Kawasaki Ninja 650R

 

[ksheets]

I just bought a shadow 600..taking the classes june 20....Im really looking to get a suzuki sv650 next year....

 

[mooseracing]

Get a bike that your confortable riding on and can go the distance you want to ride.

Don't drive your bike like a jackass, it makes us all look bad. For me at 6'2" all bikes seem small and cramp that I've tried excpet for tourers, so I ride Muscle bike/Sport Cruiser.

 

[thegisguy]

Like Corn said. 1000cc is way too much power for a first bike. Yes you will out grow a small cc bike, but you also will not kill yourself while you are learning. If I were you I would look in the 250-650cc range. Get something cheap that you can replace in a year. Then when you're ready get your big bad sport bike. Additionally plan on spending around $1000 on safety gear. Trust me road rash sucks, and I was wear body armor and only doing 45mph!

 

[MiataNC]

I will agree with the other posters. 1K bikes should never be an option for a new rider. 600cc Supersports are just as bad. Too much power on tap, and too little margin for error. You have barely learned to crawl and you are already running by taking a bike up to 110mph. Don't let your ego write a check your body can't cash.

Anyone can go fast in a straight line. Get a smaller bike, learn the skills necessary to ride it safely, sanely, and fast (while still safe and sane) on a twisty section of road, before you ever think about getting a 600cc or 1K sport bike. If you can't stomach a smaller bike, because it won't impress your friends, get different friends or get a different hobby.

If you liked the FZ1 and SV1000 then take a real good long look at the FZ6, SV650 and Ninja 650R.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: MiataNC
I will agree with the other posters. 1K bikes should never be an option for a new rider. 600cc Supersports are just as bad. Too much power on tap, and too little margin for error. You have barely learned to crawl and you are already running by taking a bike up to 110mph. Don't let your ego write a check your body can't cash.

Anyone can go fast in a straight line. Get a smaller bike, learn the skills necessary to ride it safely, sanely, and fast (while still safe and sane) on a twisty section of road, before you ever think about getting a 600cc or 1K sport bike. If you can't stomach a smaller bike, because it won't impress your friends, get different friends or get a different hobby.

If you liked the FZ1 and SV1000 then take a real good long look at the FZ6, SV650 and Ninja 650R.

QFT

The SV650S, FZ6 and Ninja 650r will all hit 60mph in 3.5-4s and top speeds around 140mph. There's no need to buy a bigger bike than that if you plan on riding a decent amount.

There's a very thin line between bored and stupid.

Get a more comfortable bike. Your body will thank you for it since it won't be hitting pavement as much and the ergonomics on the Ninja and FZ are very upright, natural and comfortable.

 

[Kelvrick]

I support first time bikers buying liter bikes and super sports. Makes for cheap parts and cheap bikes. Yay.

EDIT: Wow, you rode an FZ1 and were comfortable. Just riding a bike doesn't mean you can control it. Your descriptions of hte ride show how immature you are as a rider. I'm not trying to insult you, but you are very lacking in the experience and ability department of staying alive. Get a suzuki sv650. 50mpg, has plenty of torque with good resale. Reliable little ah heck.

Liter bikes will chew up your tires and decent rears for for 120+ every 4-6k miles. Get your fucken gear. No need for a 400+ helmet. A scorpion for 150-200 will serve you fine. I've crash tested 2. Spend the extra you saved on a nice leather jacket. I wear leather every time I enter the freeway, textile for my local trips. Got black leather touring boots that look like normal shoes when under jeans with ankle plates. I wore the jeans with kevlar in the knees/ass area and motorcycle armor underneath for casual rides and overpants for commuting to work.

I wore full leathers, back protector, racing boots when going to the hills. Good leather gloves (kangaroo is awesome). A back protector is very easy to slip on and wear underneath. I recommend tpro (amazingly comfortable) or highvelocitygear (amazingly good deal).

I went from 92 fzr600 -> 98 yzf600 -> 03 600rr.

Here are pics from the last time I rode. I had my overpants on, touring boots, back protector, leather gloves, leather jacket, helmet. Woke up in hospital with the day's memory gone but otherwise, aches and pains that went away in a few weeks and a light concussion. Nothing broken or even twisted. No witnesses, but best guesses are I hit a bump going through turn and stood the bike up, target fixated instead of leaning back over, went off road, front of bike went into ditch and threw me off into a field.

http://www.kelvrick.com/crash1.jpg
http://www.kelvrick.com/crash2.jpg
http://www.kelvrick.com/crash3.jpg
http://www.kelvrick.com/crash4.jpg
http://www.kelvrick.com/crash5.jpg

Gear saves your life. Buy good stuff the first time or you're just wasting your money.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: ksheets
I just bought a shadow 600..taking the classes june 20....Im really looking to get a suzuki sv650 next year....

I have one. It's my second bike actually and I'm enjoying it very much. I bought it new about 7 weeks ago and I already have 1000 miles on it. I get 48 mpg city and I've seen 57 mpg riding out in the country. I don't take it on the freeway much because it's a naked and that means a lot of wind and noise...not very comfortable or fun on the freeway.

pic

I'd skip the sport bikes and get something a little more sedate. The SV650 is fast enough for me (meaning it's not stupid fast but can spank 99% of vehicles on the road), handles well and is light enough to really enjoy on twisty roads. It's also comfortable enough for longer rides.

BTW-You really have no business going 110 mph on a bike with your experience level.

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: MiataNC
1K bikes should never be an option for a new rider. 600cc Supersports are just as bad.

i think they should, it would help stop global warming from population growth.


Seriously though, I've had a bad habit of starting too big, first car was cranking out over 400ft lbs of tq, within my first week of driving it I had a close call from screwing around. My dirt bike is a 490cc single cyl 2 stroke, way more power than any one needs in the woods, my first streetbike was and still is a 4cyl 1100cc, 11 sec 1/4 stock bike. I've been lucky but I've also learned to control it, I've never bitten the dust on my bike but I know I WILL sooner or later it happens to everyone. If you first ride on a bike you went over 100mph, you shouldn't be starting on a big bike you need to learn self control or you won't ever know about it.

edit: to put that in perspective just think of a flat front tire at 45mph on a bike. a flat rear tire will cause you to fish tail lock to lock at 50.

 

[RiDE]

*SQUID ALERT* jk

+1 on a naked bike. You look set on a sportbike though.

 

[DarkThinker]

Knowing that a 23 year old Electrical Engineering student in my department that was one semester away from graduation died on a bike crash over here (and I heard he was very experienced too)...I am not going to recommend a thing, except you reconsider the risks involved.

Peace

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

zylander pay attention. There has been some good advice given here already. I've ridden for twenty years and my experience has been that inexperienced riders plus liter sport bikes is a recipe for disaster. EVERYONE who has ridden for a reasonable length of time has laid down their ride. The problem with sport bikes and inexperience is the amount of torque can and will put you vertical in any gear at the absolute worst time.

Kuryakyn makes adjustable riding pegs and shifters to make most bikes more comfortable for us larger riders. Start with a less powerful bike. The life you save may be your own.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: thegisguy
Like Corn said. 1000cc is way too much power for a first bike. Yes you will out grow a small cc bike, but you also will not kill yourself while you are learning. If I were you I would look in the 250-650cc range. Get something cheap that you can replace in a year. Then when you're ready get your big bad sport bike. Additionally plan on spending around $1000 on safety gear. Trust me road rash sucks, and I was wear body armor and only doing 45mph!

It is much smarter to simply buy the liter bike up front and have the discipline to learn to ride it properly and slowly grow into it's power. That is what I did over 20 years ago. I had always wanted a bike and one day walked into the Kawasaki dealer and laid down the cash for a Ninja 1000. He even had to loan me a helmet to drive it home. I rode over 2000 miles on that bike at low speeds without ever opening up the throttle. I set 2000 miles as the mark. Once I rode that many miles I tried out the bikes power on the highway. It is all a matter of discipline. If you ride stupid you are going to get killed on any bike that can go highway speeds.

Buying a smaller bike just to sell a few months later when the power is not there is a great way to waste money.

These days the 600cc class bikes are a nice cross between power and size. You should be able to ride one of those for years and enjoy it. I even traded down on my second bike. I bought a 750 to replace my 1000. It wasn't even that much slower but it was a hell of a lot lighter and handled a ton better.

 

[theApp]

It isn't hard to control a 1000cc, except when you panic. Then the margin for error is tiny; same with 600cc supersports. It's much better to start on a 250/500, they are a lot more forgiving. Sure you can kill yourself on any of them if you get out of control, but the lower cc bikes have a larger margin of error. Accidentally twist the throttle hard on a 500 Ninja, and you'll jerk back and accelerate off. Do the same on a 1000cc and you're watching 5000-10000 dollars worth of bike going down the road in front of you. Once you decide to move up, you can still sell it again to another beginner. You won't take some gigantic loss, you might lose 500 dollars, if you shopped around. Don't rush into it and think you'll be fine on a 160 HP beast, the odds are against you and motorcycles are a lot more fun if you aren't broken.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: thegisguy
Like Corn said. 1000cc is way too much power for a first bike. Yes you will out grow a small cc bike, but you also will not kill yourself while you are learning. If I were you I would look in the 250-650cc range. Get something cheap that you can replace in a year. Then when you're ready get your big bad sport bike. Additionally plan on spending around $1000 on safety gear. Trust me road rash sucks, and I was wear body armor and only doing 45mph!

It is much smarter to simply buy the liter bike up front and have the discipline to learn to ride it properly and slowly grow into it's power. That is what I did over 20 years ago. I had always wanted a bike and one day walked into the Kawasaki dealer and laid down the cash for a Ninja 1000. He even had to loan me a helmet to drive it home. I rode over 2000 miles on that bike at low speeds without ever opening up the throttle. I set 2000 miles as the mark. Once I rode that many miles I tried out the bikes power on the highway. It is all a matter of discipline. If you ride stupid you are going to get killed on any bike that can go highway speeds.

Buying a smaller bike just to sell a few months later when the power is not there is a great way to waste money.

These days the 600cc class bikes are a nice cross between power and size. You should be able to ride one of those for years and enjoy it. I even traded down on my second bike. I bought a 750 to replace my 1000. It wasn't even that much slower but it was a hell of a lot lighter and handled a ton better.

20 years ago, liter bikes had about as much power as 600cc super sports but weighed much more. Now, SV650s and Ninja650rs with their lighter weight (2008 SV650SF weight 200 lbs less than a 1986 Ninja 1000R) and better aerodynamics pretty much match up performance with the old literbikes.

 

[thegisguy]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: thegisguy
Like Corn said. 1000cc is way too much power for a first bike. Yes you will out grow a small cc bike, but you also will not kill yourself while you are learning. If I were you I would look in the 250-650cc range. Get something cheap that you can replace in a year. Then when you're ready get your big bad sport bike. Additionally plan on spending around $1000 on safety gear. Trust me road rash sucks, and I was wear body armor and only doing 45mph!

It is much smarter to simply buy the liter bike up front and have the discipline to learn to ride it properly and slowly grow into it's power. That is what I did over 20 years ago. I had always wanted a bike and one day walked into the Kawasaki dealer and laid down the cash for a Ninja 1000. He even had to loan me a helmet to drive it home. I rode over 2000 miles on that bike at low speeds without ever opening up the throttle. I set 2000 miles as the mark. Once I rode that many miles I tried out the bikes power on the highway. It is all a matter of discipline. If you ride stupid you are going to get killed on any bike that can go highway speeds.

Buying a smaller bike just to sell a few months later when the power is not there is a great way to waste money.

These days the 600cc class bikes are a nice cross between power and size. You should be able to ride one of those for years and enjoy it. I even traded down on my second bike. I bought a 750 to replace my 1000. It wasn't even that much slower but it was a hell of a lot lighter and handled a ton better.

What makes you think someone who took a bike out for the first time and hit 110mph is going to have the discipline you are talking about? I personally am not going to advocate someone who clearly isn't going to be responsible get a bike they have no business riding.

 

[MiataNC]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
It is much smarter to simply buy the liter bike up front and have the discipline to learn to ride it properly and slowly grow into it's power.

There is a reason why insurance on 600/1000cc Supersport bikes is so expensive. Numbers don't lie. For every rider like yourself that is disciplined or lucky enough to not make a tragic mistake, there are far too many more that bin the bike and/or themselves.

The type of advice you are giving out is irresponsible.

 

[osage]

zylander, if you post this question on 20 different motorcycle forums, you will get pretty much the same answer. NO don't do it.
get a smaller used bike to start with. you will almost certainly drop the bike at some point in the first few months. a smaller used bike is cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix or replace parts on after you drop it. there is a good resale market for smaller street bikes, every new rider needs one.
take your time and learn how to ride, going fast in a straight line is not the same thing as knowing how to ride.

I have been riding bikes off and on since 1976, I made my living selling them for a time in the late 70s early 80s.

so what did I do last night ? ? yes I dropped my 750 in a parking lot. broke the clutch lever, and bent the shifter. $7.00 for a clutch lever, and a few min to straighten the shifter so I could get any gear other than 1st.
If I would have dropped a new sports bike with all the plastic radiator shroud, fairing etc I would prob be looking at a $300. repair bill

my .02

 

[imported_Section8]

I don't have experience with the bikes you are considering; however, as others have said get something smaller and used if possible. Later you can move to a bigger bike. Also, try to avoid the circus bear on the minibike look. /Waves at zylander

 

[LordMorpheus]

I've got some questions. I'm interested in getting a bike, but not really a huge fan of the sport-type bikes, or the big harleys.

Triumph still makes bikes, I really like the Bonneville and the Speedmaster (saw one in person the other day and really liked it).

Are these decent bikes?

 

[TBone48]

Triumphs are gorgeous bikes, and from the research I've done there doesn't seem to be any major issues. You can go to triumphrat.net for more info. I've been considering either a Sprint ST or a Tiger myself.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: osage
zylander, if you post this question on 20 different motorcycle forums, you will get pretty much the same answer. NO don't do it.
get a smaller used bike to start with. you will almost certainly drop the bike at some point in the first few months. a smaller used bike is cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix or replace parts on after you drop it. there is a good resale market for smaller street bikes, every new rider needs one.
take your time and learn how to ride, going fast in a straight line is not the same thing as knowing how to ride.

I have been riding bikes off and on since 1976, I made my living selling them for a time in the late 70s early 80s.

so what did I do last night ? ? yes I dropped my 750 in a parking lot. broke the clutch lever, and bent the shifter. $7.00 for a clutch lever, and a few min to straighten the shifter so I could get any gear other than 1st.
If I would have dropped a new sports bike with all the plastic radiator shroud, fairing etc I would prob be looking at a $300. repair bill

my .02

Probably more like a grand at least. You can't repair those fairings for the most part, you have to replace them and they aren't cheap.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Probably more like a grand at least. You can't repair those fairings for the most part, you have to replace them and they aren't cheap.

Not true at all. They are not hard to fix at all if you have some talent, patience, and experiment a bit. I rebuilt a 1985 Ninja 600 about 20 years ago. The fairings were all cracked and scraped up and some had holes in them. I was told they could not be fixed and the stickers were too expensive. I had the stickers made at a local sign company after tracing a good bike. I fixed the fairings and repainted the whole bike in a better color scheme. When I took it up to the Kawasaki dealer the guy stood there flabbergasted....and wanted me to paint bikes for him.

They are even easier to repair today as technology has come a long way and there are all kinds of products for bonding and filling all different kinds of plastic. I have a friend who owns a auto body shop who makes a large part of his income refurbishing plastic golf cart bodies to a gentleman who makes customs out of them.