Want to get a motorcycle but have no idea were to start.....

[jred321]

That week of motorcycle class isn't to learn throttle control or how to shift

no, but those those skills are important to have as well as feeling comfortable with a couple hundred pound machine between your legs. a dirtbike can help with that in a relatively safe environment. a dirtbike also isn't going to get hurt if it's dropped. a dirtbike can also teach you slow maneuvering and good bike control.

then when you have your license or are in the course those pieces become second nature. you don't have to think "how do i brake? which lever is the clutch? which direction is upshift?" that stuff just happens and you then learn to ride a bike on the street - learning traffic, how to anticipate other people, even things like signalling or headlights. if you've never been on any type of motorized bike before i think it's a good idea to get familiar with a bike by playing with a dirtbike before taking the MSF class or getting a bike of your own.

riding a dirtbike is in no way a replacement for the MSF course. it is a good idea to use one to get familiar with riding a bike and then you can use the MSF course to learn how to ride on the street instead of using the MSF course for both learning how to ride on the street and learning how to ride a bike

 

[mx-p5]

I honostly kept the bike in the nieghborhood for the first few weeks before i ever took it out in traffic.

And, Russm, that is perfect!! Twisting the throttle is the easy part.

 

[jred321]

I honostly kept the bike in the nieghborhood for the first few weeks before i ever took it out in traffic.

that's the same theory behind the dirtbike first. the advantage of using a dirtbike is that if you drop it you're not going to dent, scratch or break anything. plus you can start on the dirtbike before having your license

 

[MSP2k3]

I honostly kept the bike in the nieghborhood for the first few weeks before i ever took it out in traffic.

And, Russm, that is perfect!! Twisting the throttle is the easy part.

Same here, i spent my first 2 weeks riding in my neighborhood and nearby streets.

 

[jeff4880]

If you have never rode a motorcycle of any kind the training coarse offered by your state is great. If you have any motorcycle experience at all I think they are a waste of time. The test in my state was to just ride really slow around a bunch of cones and stop in a box. This is all stuff that I never had to do again in the 25+ years of street riding experience that I have. the road racing coarse I took was great they showed not only how to avoid a crash but what to do when you do crash. Something I don't think any state offered training class will teach.

I do not street race and I never have. Belive it or not when you are on the street there are a lot of people that will not see you on a bike so you have to be ready to avoid them. There will also be times when you are just riding around a coner and there is a patch of sand or something that you cant avoid that will cause you to go down. Knowing what to to in theses situations is priceless.

Anybody that has rode a motorcycle on the street for any amount of time will tell you its not if you go down its when.

 

[mx-p5]

Correct, it is not an if

This happened doing less than 20. JUST picked my bike up from having the carbs sync'd and full tune up done.

Caught a patch of sand leaving the parking lot and started to slide, tires caught, and flipped over the other way

And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear your gear, especially your helmet

 

[lowpro35]

my only problem with the 250r is that if you get one of the newer sporty ones that has a 0-60 of ~ 7-8 sec, if you are riding in morning traffic from a light with a bunch of egotistical faster car owners you can easily get picked on and caught up in a bunch of idiotic cagers. with a 600 at least you could stay ahead of the pack if you need to. i swear i see a lot of smaller bike owners getting cut off and almost get put in more danger because they don't have the performance to stay afloat with everyday traffic........ just a thought.

 

[mx-p5]

if i can stay with traffic in a Pro5, a 250 is more than enough

The flip side to your thoughts are, you're now 600 feet AHEAD of that pack, 600 feet CLOSER to the guy who THINKS he has enough room to get out into traffic before the pack of cars get to em

It's not about how much power you have, it's about how smart you are to ride.

 

[lowpro35]

im not talking about 600ft. im simply talking about being able to get yourself out of situations quickly which without a little power you otherwise couldn't do. if you are a responsible person getting a 600 isn't going to do you any more or less harm. if you aren't responsible......don't get a bike. realisticly most sport bike riders don't start on 250's. realisticly most sport bike riders that start on 250s get bored of them and sometimes spend double the money to get something bigger. realisticly a lot of sport bike riders die every year.

 

[MSP2k3]

all this talk about bikes makes me want another one right now!

 

[mx-p5]

Yeah, i just finished watching the Daytona 200 actually too.....

Least i'll have my buddies F4I in my garage cause he can't keep it at his condo!! WEWT!!

 

[jersey_emt]

I've done some research on this before, as I've toyed with the idea of getting a bike several times in the past. One of these days I'll end up doing it.

Many, many, many sportbike enthusiasts say that a used Ninja 250R is the way to go. It's not all that fast, but that's the whole point when you are starting out. It is very light, and as such it is very easy to ride and handles great. Also, people who own much faster bikes often say that the 250R, despite being much slower, is a hell of a lot of fun to ride. Here's a short review by an experienced rider: http://www.epinions.com/review/2000_Kawasaki_Ninja_250R/content_161687834244. You can search on the web and find many other reviews and comments from experienced riders that state the exact same thing: "First sportbike? Get a used Ninja 250R".

Even if you do outgrow it quickly, it is not wasted money. First off, because it is such a good bike to learn to ride on, and second, because you can turn around and sell the bike to another new rider for just as much as you paid for it.

 

[lowpro35]

I've done some research on this before, as I've toyed with the idea of getting a bike several times in the past. One of these days I'll end up doing it.

Many, many, many sportbike enthusiasts say that a used Ninja 250R is the way to go. It's not all that fast, but that's the whole point when you are starting out. It is very light, and as such it is very easy to ride and handles great. Also, people who own much faster bikes often say that the 250R, despite being much slower, is a hell of a lot of fun to ride. Here's a short review by an experienced rider: http://www.epinions.com/review/2000_Kawasaki_Ninja_250R/content_161687834244. You can search on the web and find many other reviews and comments from experienced riders that state the exact same thing: "First sportbike? Get a used Ninja 250R".

Even if you do outgrow it quickly, it is not wasted money. First off, because it is such a good bike to learn to ride on, and second, because you can turn around and sell the bike to another new rider for just as much as you paid for it.

agreed

 

[sneeez]

I don't really have anything useful to bring to this thread, but I've been eyeballing one of the Suzuki SV650s for a while now. Anyone have feedback on these? A buddy of mine has a 2005 and loves it.

I HIGHLY recommend this bike. I started out on an '03 SV650S that I had bought brand new after getting my licence,and kept it 'til this pas fall, never got bored on that bike. Easy to learn on, cheap on insurance,and with some minor suspension tweaks once you're a more comfortable rider ,is a blast to ride. It may not have top end speed of a Supersport, but through the twisties, keeps up with most 600's and such.

 

[sneeez]

Im going to my test on the 30th!! i cant wait.
Then i will be shoping around for something in the 600 range. And a Sport Touring class. To avoid the insurance as much as possible!

Look into getting anSV650. I had one for 6 years, cost me like $160 a year on insurance ,full coverage.I'm in Gatineau Qc by the way.

 

[Rotary_Powered]

Did more research, now I'm confused hahah. Yeah I'm going with a 250 but which one?
Ninja 250R
Honda Rebel
Buell Blast
Hyosung GT250R
Yamaha Virago 250

I have no idea lol...Just got the permit and the course is in a couple of weeks, so I should have my license hopefully sometime next month.... Any advice on any of those bikes?

 

[1sty]

I started with a Katana 750 which was a bit much but realistically it was more of a problem that it was a sport bike then a large motor.

I eventually traded that in for an SV650 which was a bad idea, for me it was slower and less comfortable.
I tried to like that bike but honestly, it put way too much pressure on my wrists/hands, the seat made my ass numb within 15 minutes, and worst of all it pinched my nuts...you cant like something that pinches the balls, its just not possible.

I have come to be more at home on my Suzuki M50 which is a little 800 cruiser. Its fast enough, it turns very well and is a ton more comfortable.

From all this my advice is simple:
Don't buy a 250, they are just too damn slow to even ride with other people. Just avoid it. They are glorified scooters and don't belong on a real road. When a truck is barreling down on you while merging on a highway, your are going to want something that can get out of its own way and not top out at 65 mph. Don't think you have to go to a 250 to be safe. The mistake that people make is jumping on a 600 GSXR, R6, or something like that first time out. Its not the engine size that's a problem, its the purpose of the bike. If you jump on a super sport right off the bat it is likely to be too much.

Be realistic about the style and experience you want. If you want to really get into the corners and frankly do things that you really should not do on a normal road or you are going to do some serious track time, then get a sport bike. If you want to just take it easy and enjoy the ride, get a cruiser and then stick to something you can easily balance and keep up. These are a lot easier on cruisers. Anything 900 or less in the cruiser world is fine for a beginner in my opinion.

Don't buy a new bike. You are going to drop it when your foot hits sand, when you loose balance at a stop sign or on a weird road as you are getting used to driving. You probably aren't going to hurt anything except your pride so be sure you don't have a brand new flawless bike that will make you cry if you damage it a bit or a bike to heavy to pick up.

Having it all to do over, I would get something like a 3-4 year old Yamaha V-Star, Suzuki M50, or Kawasaki Vulcan 900.
All are easy going enough for a beginner but large enough to keep your attention.

 

[hazeXban]

Pressure on wrists and and hands means you are not supporting yourself by squeezing the tank with your legs and holding yourself up with your abs.

I'd start with something small and cheap.

My first bike was 100 bucks, a 1980 Suzuki 400.

Rode it for 2 years after taking the MSF course and upgraded to a SV650.

Currently saving to buy a Daytona 675.