I have some dirt bike experience. Is a 600 too much bike to buy as a first sport bike? I don't want to waste money on a really small bike when I can just buy the one I want now.

5/12/2011 11:57:00 AM

R1 or dont get a bike

5/12/2011 12:19:52 PM

CBR1000RR or go home... Just kidding, I have no personal experience but have multiple friends that start out on 600 and are still alive today.

5/12/2011 12:32:27 PM

you'll be fine on a 600 but if you need torque you might want to go with a vtwin or something bigger

5/12/2011 12:39:20 PM

start out with something big so you can respect it. to many squids get 600s and think that since theyve been riding a month they know how to ride and end up ripping a leg half off

5/12/2011 12:41:09 PM

a 600-650 is a great place to start, and may be as big as you ever go

learn/take your test on a 250 if possible, though

5/12/2011 1:09:25 PM

My first bike was an EX500. Great starter bike...cheap, and quick enough to learn on and have fun.

I eventually upgraded to a 600rr and LOVED it. Dont think i'll go any bigger if I ever get another bike.

I think if you have some dirtbike experience you'll be ok learning on a 600...just be safe.

5/12/2011 1:42:33 PM

An older 600 supersport is doable; an SV650 (or 650s) is preferable and significantly cheaper.

I have owned 5 motorcycles over 12 years; I still find an SV to be a lot of fun.

5/12/2011 1:53:02 PM

Engine size is deceiving: A R6 will put you through a brick wall, but a V-Star 650 can barely make a pass on the highway.

I would keep the HP/lb ratio of your first bike to 0.2 or less. Also, don't buy anything that's been heavily modded.

5/12/2011 2:12:06 PM

get a rebel. Cheap, reliable, easy to ride.

5/12/2011 2:59:11 PM

a good, used, sportster.

5/12/2011 3:35:41 PM

Quote :

"Is a 600 too much bike to buy as a first sport bike? I don't want to waste money on a really small bike when I can just buy the one I want now."

if you never plan on getting particularly /good/ on the track and just want to ride within street confines a 600 is doable. if you want to be really fast on track, you are much better served going smaller and refining technique before increasing power. i've done a fair amount of track time and can safely tell you that power only complicates things and makes techniques harder to master. there's a reason just about every ama pro practices on an XR100.

5/12/2011 3:40:57 PM

My advice, start with something slower, controllable and cheap. In all liklyness your going to drop it, or screw it up. You wont be nearly as upset, or will you be nearly as injured if you buy something thats not the latest 160HP rocket.

5/12/2011 4:12:46 PM

Im going to start on a turbo busa in a gravel parking lot if i cant enroll in a MSF class soon

5/12/2011 4:28:51 PM

Quote :

"if you never plan on getting particularly /good/ on the track and just want to ride within street confines a 600 is doable. if you want to be really fast on track, you are much better served going smaller and refining technique before increasing power. i've done a fair amount of track time and can safely tell you that power only complicates things and makes techniques harder to master. there's a reason just about every ama pro practices on an XR100."

I have never heard better advice...ever. Doesn't matter if you're talking bikes or cages...refining technique before increasing power is the way to go.

Well, at least in my opinion. Y'all can all go to hell in your own way.

5/12/2011 4:46:52 PM

my second bike was a used 2004 vmax.

mistake.

5/12/2011 4:46:56 PM

Good Advice ITT

I'm almost set on a lat 90's zx6r if I can find one on the cheap. I've been told its a fact that I will drop my first bike.

5/12/2011 6:51:35 PM

dropping would be the least of my worries with a beginner on a 400+lbs bike that makes >90hp.

5/12/2011 7:28:32 PM

look for zx6e as well, little bit more comfy, same power. I picked up a 99 with scratched (but not cracked) fairings for $1200 last october. Its been a decent 1st bike, haven't dropped it yet, but if I do no big deal.

5/13/2011 8:13:10 AM

sv600
or one of the 500 vtwins
or even the 250 kawi are good bikes.

You have to know yourself.

I know people who've started out with 'busas and been fine (but to this day they still don't ride them fast.) If you know you'll respect your dream bike and aren't clumbsy and going to accidently crank down too hard on the throttle go for it. otherwise... work your way up.

I know i had a gs500 for a while that i learned to ride on but i really wanted a vtwin sport bike.
I had a friend that had one too and decided to put an exhaust on it which was a huge mistake, it sounded like 2 gocarts racing.

5/13/2011 8:28:30 AM

respecting the bike is how to never be fast. start with something so low on power you don't respect it. beat the shit out of it and learn the real limits. when the limits are the bike and not your skill, then you can probly step up anything and be fast

5/13/2011 8:02:47 PM

And buying a fast bike only to ride it like a little old lady is pointless.

5/13/2011 8:57:18 PM

^^and^ Pretty much nailed it. If you want to be good at riding, don't buy something you have to baby so that you don't get killed. Buy something that you can wring the shit out of and go home confident in your abilities. Anything 600cc will be a gracious plenty for all but the most savvy track riders.

5/16/2011 4:17:19 PM

1.3L or bust

5/16/2011 6:04:07 PM

sv650

5/16/2011 9:27:54 PM

Quote :

"^^and^ Pretty much nailed it. If you want to be good at riding, don't buy something you have to baby so that you don't get killed. Buy something that you can wring the shit out of and go home confident in your abilities. Anything 600cc will be a gracious plenty for all but the most savvy track riders."

And this is why my vote goes for a Kawasaki EX, either 250 or 500. Either one is a bike you can beat the cowboy dog piss out of comfortably. Some of the most stupid fun I've had on bikes have been several Honda twins: a CM450C Custom and a CB450SC Nighthawk. Neither one of them was fast by a LONG stretch, but damn, I beat the pure-t shit out of them.

5/17/2011 1:18:49 AM

When looking for a first street bike, I would avoid sport-bikes altogether.

The bike you WANT is probably not the bike you should start on.

5/17/2011 9:00:21 AM

^^yeah, I ride a ex500 and it's great. Aside from long freeway rides, it has all the power I need and if you can push it to its true limits in the twisties(particularly a 2nd gen with 17" wheels and a rear disc) you are a better rider than me.

I think it's crazy that people pretend to need 1512512hp or they can't do shit because "their bike" is slow. Trust me, a non-RR type 500-600(Bandit 600, ex500, sv650, etc) is more than most riders can handle at the limits anyway, as far as sporting potential goes. Power is fun, sure, but make sure you don't fall into the oh-so-squidly mind-trap of thinking a mid-weight sport/standard "not being enough"

5/17/2011 10:48:46 AM

i just wish my 600 was as fast as new 600s at various track events and races I get walked in straights by newer r6s and ducati 848s. im down 15-20hp on those bikes and up 30lbs. i'd like an 06 r6 but i know i could be faster on my 03 636 with more practice

5/17/2011 7:17:53 PM

what do you guys think about the cbr250r?

5/17/2011 11:53:11 PM

I think it is a perfect starter bike for lightweight azn's with deep pockets
Also the recond R was absolutely uncalled for and it is altogether more baller without the B

5/18/2011 11:16:09 AM

it's really cheap. People want way too much for used 250s that arnt from 1980.

5/18/2011 6:01:45 PM

that bike has abs. that's perfect for learning how to really slam the brakes and where the limit of traction is.

5/18/2011 6:32:42 PM

does the size of the rider have much influence on what starter bike a person should get? I've been thinking about getting a triumph speed triple or street triple, and I keep hearing conflicting things. A couple of people at the gym tell me that a 280lb person might as well start on a liter bike, and they race R1s at VIR regularly. On the other hand, I see everywhere online saying to not even start on a 600R.

5/18/2011 9:31:39 PM

I'm 300...and the last bike I rode was an older 600. Had plenty of power for me, though if I was to spend time riding on the highway, I'd like something bigger and not as buzzy. And BTW, I've had a motorcycle license for almost 20 years.

A liter class sportbike just makes a bad starting point, no matter how big you are. Power to weight ratio is just stupid.

5/18/2011 10:48:16 PM

Quote :

"A couple of people at the gym tell me"

you got trolled, in real life

5/18/2011 10:54:25 PM

if your 180 or 280 it wont matter, you make one mistake with the throttle on a modern 1000cc super sport and you risk having to deal with with problems (wheelie, loss of traction, unexpected amount of acceleration, ect) very quickly, problems you don't know how to deal and also lack the experience to deal with.

I rode a new R1 the other day after 6 years or riding, the amount of power that thing has still scares me.

5/19/2011 8:09:13 AM

would an SV650 be a decent starting point then?

5/19/2011 9:37:56 AM

Perfect starting point...damn fun bike.

5/19/2011 10:08:53 AM

As long as it isn't the faired S version

5/19/2011 10:53:41 AM

I have been riding liter bikes recently... Although 600's are fun. I would never want to own another

5/19/2011 11:05:59 AM

Nothing wrong with a faired S version.. just slightly diggerent ergonomics, it may even work better for some people.

5/19/2011 4:47:24 PM

SVs are good, faired or naked.

Race-replica bikes are all the same physical size, whether 600 or 1000cc. Nobody needs 1000cc, no matter how big you are. If you are a beginner, you don't have any business with 1000cc, no matter how big you are.


My personal feeling on liter-classers is that their face-melting retard strength is fun as a novelty, but I have more fun on a 600. I tried to split the difference and get a 750 the last time I bought a true supersport machine, but if I buy another one, it'll be a 600 class bike.

5/19/2011 6:24:52 PM

Most faired SVs have clip-ons that drastically change the riding position. They're not for beginners.

5/20/2011 9:27:28 AM

in my opinion SVs have the perfect balance of being fun while not being too dangerous.

my gs500 was awesome to ride for a few months then boring enough for me to willingly give up the bike when i needed a couple bucks.

[Edited on May 20, 2011 at 9:33 AM. Reason : .]

5/20/2011 9:31:16 AM

if the goal is to ride sportbikes, why would you start out with a body position you're going to have to abandon?

5/20/2011 9:31:24 AM

they are not verly low mounted clip-ons and the sligtly forward position is not any worse for learning. In fact comparing my Lighting and my cousin's Firebolt (pretty much same difference as sv650 vs 650s), firebolt is more intuitive bike to learn proper handling on. Countersteering on that bike feels natural, while on mine it appears to be almost a forced move.

[Edited on May 20, 2011 at 9:40 AM. Reason : ^beat me to it]

5/20/2011 9:40:34 AM

Having had both on my SV, clipon bars make it considerably easier to handle and control. The "regular" bars are much more comfortable, but being back and up a couple inches lets you catch more wind, and combined with the additional leverage, makes it less stable at freeway speeds and above. Not something to worry about if you're prepared to deal with it, but there is no inherent disadvantage to the stock SV650S setup other than touring ergonomics.

5/20/2011 10:47:14 AM

My plan this summer is to fix up my old 700 Virago and try to get some cash for it, which I'll likely just put into another bike. I've been toying with the idea of picking up a sport bike. I want something quick and darty but I don't really care about balls-out speed in a straight line. I've got my vtx1300 for that and for long rides, what I really want is something that'll be fun stoplight-to-stoplight and through lots of twisties. Naked or faired I don't care, but keep in mind I'm 6'3" and 250...sat on my buddy's gsxr 1000 the other day and felt like I was on a toy. At least until I hit the throttle. Also ease of repair/maintenance would be a plus as I'll probably pick up something that needs a little work...probably lookin to spend around 1500 to 3k hard max

Anyway, I don't know much about sport bikes so what would y'all recommend?

[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 11:10 AM. Reason : chdhdksns]

5/21/2011 10:58:05 AM

1500 will get you nothing outside of a track bike with a suspect title. 3k you could get an /ok/ street worthy race replica but it'll likely be old, beat the hell up, or both. for 3k given your requirements I'd go for a supermoto like a drz400sm, klx250, ktm duke 660 if you're super lucky, and yamaha makes one as well but i dont know the model off the top of the dome.

[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 5:23 PM. Reason : or you can buy my rc51, replace the wiring harness, fuel pump, or both and be g2g ]

5/21/2011 5:19:03 PM