all this talk about scraping your feet through turns, i thought we were trying to set a good example for this kid?
this will get you killed.
no offense. I don’t consider my self a pussy at all but when I bought my first bike I realized that I could easily split my self into 213 pieces so easily…
most people on this board will give you dumb suggestions because they have all done dumb things.
IE: don’t do this, don’t do that…I haven’t taken the msf course, but if you are new to 2 wheeled vehicles I suggest you take it.
Also, if you can, try not to get a bike…because once you ride/buy one…you will never want to be without one… hehe.
bobbyg doesn’t.
True story.
Graduating college. I’ve been through the hot headed highschool phase. I’ve cooled down since then and definitely want to be safe more than anything after being put in a bad situation where I ate the back of a SUV.
This is something I am coming to realize but probably still won’t want to believe until long after I start riding. Good advice though.
Both can get you killed if something goes wrong. As far as self-restraint and safety, it’s right around the same level. I think the difference is the environment. Theres only a couple planes in the sky in one area, but theres a crapton of traffic and otherwise that can cause a problem regardless of your own skill/self-restraint.
Thanks for all of the replies. I have a better idea of what I’m getting myself into.
You actually make sense.
OP: I was kind of in the situation you were. Wanted a bike since I was 16 but was in school and wasnt working enough to buy one or living at home and didn’t want to give my mom a heart attack.
I learned to ride from friends in parking lots who were very patient with me on their bikes. They understood that I am not going to go racing around town and stuck with me. Its good to learn the basic skills and low maneuvers in the parking lots becuase these are the ones that are going to save your life. Its not hard to get on a bike and cruise down the highway at 70. Also, buy some cones and check out the Ride Like A Pro dvd’s. A lot of very useful training.
After I got comfortable on a bike, I went out on main roads and followed another person who rode simple for me to follow. You can see lines to take in turns and everything. You can read all you want about how to take turns, how to corner, how to anything but you need to go do it.
Lastly, I have always ridden aware of my surroundings. Assume no car sees you when merging, passing, turning, etc. If I get the urge to showboat, I just think of when I was 10 and fell off my BMX bike going 10mph and how painful that was. Falling off a motorcycle going 65 would be even worse.
wait, are you that kid that fell off a car in a parking lot or something and got all fucked up?
No. Sounds like a good story, though.
not like u havent gotten enough advice already but the only thing i can say is dont buy a 250…trust me, i bought a 250 at the start of this summer for me first bike and within 900 miles i hated riding it and switched to a gsxr 600…best switch ever but you could say i lost a little money changing bikes out lol… if you are smart with the way you ride a 600 is fine but a 250 will make you bored as soon as you get some seat time on it
Only way to learn is to just get one. Put miles on it. Wear your gear when you start out, and make the choice to continue doing so later. When you’re riding with a group of people, stay in the back AND to the outside lane when going through a turn, unless you want a black eye.
Everything else is cake.
Can’t beat the MPG’s though :mamoru:
haha seriously in 900 miles on that thing i maybe filled my tank up a handful of times…but when your redline in top gear (5th on that thing) and your just over a 100 and its so light that you feel like the wind is going to blow you over…the last thing i care about is gas milage lol
My mom just picked up a kawasaki 250…
I drove that bitch home from Victor…I felt like I was going to die the whole time.
I almost wasn’t ok. It wouldn’t break 65…mostly because I’m fat though and it was real windy…
yea ive been there i had the new kawi 250… fun until i started riding with my friends who all had 600’s and 1000’s … then not so cool
That surprises me a bit. One of the beginner threads here talks about a 250 being a really good idea for a novice like myself. I wouldn’t mind going straight for a 600 though 
dont get me wrong man…i learned alot from starting out on a 250 it was a great idea… i think there were a few times if i had the 600 i could have gotten myself in over my head… all im saying is be aware of yourself and you income…im impulsive and impatient but i can afford to be… you may no get bored of the 250 but i sure as hell did and figured id give ya something to consider
Go with an SV650 :D, Bandit, YZF6 etc… maybe an older gs500/gsf500
A girl I know has a Kawi 250. I cant get it up over 65 in windy days so its deadly for me to take on a highway but they are very easy to maneuver in turns and stuff. You get the feel of a bike without the ability to really throw your self off if you let the throttle jump.
I learned on a 99 CBR which was lighter than most 600s and very easy to maneuver. It was fast but you really couldn’t throw yourself off it too easy if you are choking the throttle and hit a bump and rev it up. I now am on a 97 R6 and that thing seems like it has twice the power but I would still be perfectly find riding the CBR as my main bike.
neither do you, but iv also been riding alot less than you have. im getting there though, chicken strips are a thing of the past now…