Well I made the decision to get into the whole bike thing. I will be taking my bike course in the spring and getting my license. I originally spent my money on a snowmobile but our winters aren’t what they used to be and ive ridin my sled for a total of like 3 days this season. Crap.
I have a really good idea on what bike I want but I don’t want to much bike for my first experience. I really want the new 2008 600RR in white, becuase I love white. But i’ve heard that all around performance on this bike is great. It is also in my size range. 5’8 160lbs. My friends all have the Suzuki SV650’s. Nice bikes but I reeallllyyy like the Honda. Any tips?
I had one as my first bike 4 years ago. I had a 2003 CBR 600rr and I loved it. 600rr’s are very light and nimble. They go pretty good too, not the fastest 600 out there but definitely for a starter its plenty of power. They don’t sit very high either like an R6. Some guys on here are going to tell you it’s a bad idea to start on something like this and I DISAGREE with what alot of people have to say about it on here.
I’d try finding something used if it’s going to be your very first bike. $9,000 is alot of loot to cough up on your first bike if you ask me. I got a really good deal on mine when I bought it. Good luck!
Ive rode a few 600rr and love them. All my friends seem to like the kawi 636 alot. I would look for a used 636 or 600rr if ur set on one of those. Dont drop big money on a first bike, good chance you will drop more than just money!
I will be that guy that would tell you to start out slow and small. You personal size has nothing to do with it, and a modern 600cc bike is no joke, and I would STRONGLY recommend not getting a new bike as your first bike… because you will most likely drop it in the first year and it’s not going to be cheap.
Here is how a mind set of a person who wants to get into motorcycling works. Trust me, I’ve been there.
“This one looks awesome, thats exactly what I want.”
then 20 people tell you shouldn’t buy that bike and 4 will tell you it’s fine.
you’re thinking, well 4 said it would be fine, and thats exactly what I want.
20 people once again will tell you should chose another bike.
you will be very inclined to disagree because you want to get into motorcycling on the bike you want like and that’s pretty.
Why do you think that motorcycles are considered dangerous? Because people crash them. Why do people crash them? Part because of other drivers on the road… that you can’t avoid, and the other part is rider error. Why the rider error? Because the learning skill is slower, the bike is too much and people can’t properly handle it.
Answer me this.
If you never climbed before would you climb everest as the first mountain?
If you never flew a plane before would you start out on an F22?
If you never ran a marathon before would you start out in the NYC marathon?
If you never drank before would you start out by drinking hard liquor?
If you never rode before would you start out on a race machine?
If you answered all of them No but the last one yes, I’ll prolly just leave this thread to let the believers help you.
If you answered all of them No, there is some hope yet.
I have had people thank me over and over again for telling them to start smaller, and my brother successfully started on a 250. Silver and slow started out on an SV here too.
If you want I can once again go into further detail of why I say the things I say.
And btw, very glad to hear you’re taking MSF :thumb
i bet money hes gonna say a 250 didnt you read his really really long thread up there? anyways when im gettin a bike im going to get an older (lmid to late 90’s) 500 or 600cc bike cuz the ninja 250’s are ugly as shit. yes anyone can flame me for this decision
I would consider an SV650 a decent beginers bike, but some people will tell you that even the SV is too much because of the very twitchy throttle and “instant on” Vtwin power. It is also no joke, upto a 100mph it will be right up there with any 600’s but it definitely lacks in top end and will be topping out at high 130’s, low 140’s indicated. And you can always gear it to get it to 100mph even faster (what I did).
Also I will throw out a few 600’s out there, but as a disclaimer, these will be 90’s 600’s, which is a whole entire different beast from new bikes and are much more forgiving. I do realize that you want to start out right, you wouldnt mind sacrificing looks of the bike to your own safety, but that dosn’t mean you have to have an ugly bike.
Basically the list breaks down like this…
1st Gen Suzuki SV650 S/N - upto 2002 - twin
2nd Gen Suzuki SV650 S/N - 2003+ - injected, IHMO better looks, twin
Honda CBR 600 F2 - early 90’s
Honda CBR 600 F3 - next gen, late 90’s
Honda CBR 600 F4/F4i - up at the limit of recommended beginner bikes, has more power then any bikes listed so far, but has a very forgiving stance, forgiving breaks, not as peaky/twitchy of power band, all around a more beginner friendly bikes.
Kawasaki Ninja 250 - some people consider ultimate beginners bike, buy dirt cheap (less then 2K), use for half a year to a year, sell for what you bought it for and go on an enjoy a bigger and better bike, and actually know how to ride it.
Kawasaki Ninja 500 - same principle, bigger brother
Yamaha YZF 600 - non r6 model, the Yamaha equivalent of the CBR F4/F4i… has plenty of power, but is a more forgiving and beginner friendly machine then the Race inspired R6 counter part.
Now don’t get me wrong all of these bikes are plenty fast and can get you into trouble, slowest bike here goes 14 seconds in the 1/4 mile (250) and could reach 100mph, and they only get faster from there.
New 600’s are capable of high 9’s in the 1/4 mile, so they really are no joke.
Yea I like the way that 250 looks. Not to bad anyway and if it’s a good bike to get started on, ill be more than happy to spend the mere 3500 to get it brand new. When I get my license I will test drive the 08’ 250 and the SV650 to see how it feels.
I dont mean to disappoint you, but your really not going to find a dealer that will let you “test drive” the bikes. I went to like 4 or 5 different shops in the area and they all laughed.
I went and picked up a 600rr as my first bike. brand new. I got a really good deal on it. Have I dropped it? yes. Have I been down on it? yes.
was it because it was a 600 and not something smaller, or did it have anything to do with engine size/power? no.
Please tell me you meant to say a 1000 is a capable of a high 9 because there is nooooooo chance a 600 will run 9 seconds. I’ve seen some really good riders only break 11’s, maybe high 10’s! That’s total BS! I know your going to go and try to find a youtube video or something, but there’s just no way an average rider with a 600 with an exhaust (at most) is going to break 9 seconds.
I’ll stand corrected, but still by my statement. The R6 that ran a 9 second 1/4 mile had a strapped down front end and 1 tooth front sprocket change (200$ worth of mods).
Ricky Gadsen ran a 9.93 1/4
Today, in Palmdale, California, WITH A 25 MPH HEAD/CROSS WIND, in front of all the Cycle World editors and representatives of Ducati, Honda, Triunph, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha, Rickey G does the impossible.In a test for Cycle World for the best Middle Weight bike out, Dragracing has now experienced it’s first BONE STOCK 9 second 600 pass… Or passes!!! Guess what… It wasn’t on a Kawasaki. The Yamaha R6, ran a BLISTERING 9.93@135mph, backed up by a 9.98@135mph. The numbers were…
1.54 60’
4.17 330’
111mph 1/8mi.
9.93@135mph
I guess you over read the statement I said, “AVERAGE RIDER”. I know that there’s probably a few people out there that have broken 9’s, but very FEW. Capable of running a 9, with a really good rider, eh maybe. But on this forum I highly doubt anyone is capable of doing it. :
That little exerpt you included there it sounded like the people who witnessed it and wrote it were amazed. It RARELY EVER happens on a 600. 1000’s, definitely capable of it.
Not to get this way off the topic because this kid will probably never break 9 seconds on a street bike.
97VR4
Go for a 600rr, you’ll regret it if you don’t.
And you must have overlooked the post where I said the machine is capable of a 9 second 1/4 mile.
Should we not consider a Ferrari a supercar just because most riders will never take it around a track as fast as the factory with a pro driver got the car to go? Weither it’s an ammature or a pro on an R6, it’s still an R6, and on a machine thats capabable of 9’s and a rider that can’t even reach the potential of the bike but can just as easily hammer the throttle can get himself in trouble real quick.
Actually I didn’t over read it. I’m still trying to get over it that you found 1 guy that did it. You found ONE guy that has done it. Pat yourself on the back. Go waste more of your time pulling up a handful more that have done it to show me “more then one guy has done it”. Frankily, I don’t give a shit because that’s not with this post is about. Your still not going to see anyone on this forum doing it. :banana
You freak people out that a 600 is some wild bull of a bike and not to start on it. Sorry a handful of you guys on here had a couple bad falls or mishaps.
I think you said in a different post that my brother gives pretty good advice, well I can put my last dollar on it that my brother would tell this kid the same thing to just saddle up and jump on a 600rr.
Don’t ride out of your boundary, take a motorcycle safety course and ride with someone who can show you how to ride properly and their shouldn’t be a problem.
I don’t know why you said they wouldn’t let you test drive a bike anywhere you went. Iv’e gone with friends before and everytime they have let them take a bike out for test drive. I know i’n not about to buy something for thousands of dollars and not know what it is like. Either way I have to go used unless I buy the 250 which really appeals to me as far as learning goes, not to mention it’s not expensive at all for a new bike. I paid that much for my 2001 snowmobile. Used with 4500 miles on it :wow, which they let me testdrive ;D
So with that said my choice is really leaning towards the 250. I don’t care about top speed or stunts, I just want a bike to learn on that is still nice, and relatively safe. Plus it will be new and cheap and I can step up after my skill has improved.
Troy City, Phibbs, and Griffin DO NOT let people test drive bikes. I know people over their personally and have done business with all 3 shops and never have they once given anyone a test drive on street bikes. It’s a HUGE liability issue.
What shops do you know that let customers test drive street bikes?
Up here in Queensbury, Sportline and Wilson’s yamaha. Sportline has tracks for people to test out their ATV’s, Dirtbike’s, Snomobiles. And they alow people to test drive bikes. Wilson’s let me test drive my snowmobile and told me if I was every interested in a bike I could come take one for a spin to see how I like it.
