looking into getting a sport bike

I bought a '98 Triumph Daytona (955cc) as my first bike and have never regretted it. Many people say to start small. However, if you are mature enough and can exercise some self-control, you won't kill yourself on a bigger bike.

My wife has an EX250 Ninja and its the bike that everybody on most of the sportbike forums recommend as a first bike along with the Ninja EX500 and Suzuki GS500. The little 250 is still quicker (low-14 quarter mile) than probably 90% of the cars on the road and is very forgiving. It also turns quickly and has plenty of power for riding in town or on the highway. Also, it only weighs about 300lbs and can be manhandled in certain situations where you might drop another bike. The classic "dusty/oily parking spot"-scenario comes to mind as I rode her bike to work one day, put my foot down when I got it parked, and if it had been my bike, it would have been on the ground. Her's is a little easier to handle in situations like that.

My Daytona getting up there in years and is a portly 435lbs compared to the newer liter bikes that are below 400lbs. It turns slower (has a 190 rear tire), is far faster, and is much less forgiving than the 250.

Right now I also have an FZR600 that I bought off of a friend. It was a hell of a deal at $920. I've done some paint work and will be Ebaying it here in a week or two. I've ridden it and its like a combination of our two bikes. Its definitely peppier than her 250, but not over-powering. Its also very nimble as it only has a 140 or 150 rear tire so it turns quickly and is very nimble. The FZRs are great starter bikes because they built them from '89-'99 and replacement parts are cheap and plentiful.
 
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Nobody has any business exceeding the limits of a 600cc sportbike on a public road. Anyone who thinks they have should try a track day and reassess. Even the mid-size bikes will exceed your talents. If it's the mid-range (read "usable and streetable") torque you're missing, try a v-twin or triple. They have much more street-friendly powerbands that you can use without the threat of jail time.

The new generation of superbikes top out 1st gear right around 100 MPH. That puts the entirety of the powerband in the illegal range anywhere you drive. And on the track? Crap, the best racers in the world have their hands full with a liter bike. Take a 600 or 650 to a track day and lap some of the "big dogs" who are hanging on for dear life with cheeks clenched. Then watch Tommy Hayden take that same 600 and put laps on you.

I've done a few top speed runs on a 750 and my 996 twin and they were plenty. Faster than 120 MPH on any public road other than the Autobahn isn't just illegal, it's suicidal. 160 MPH (indicated) gave me tunnel vision and when I hit a butterfly my entire visor was covered in yellow bug juice and I couldn't see. Talk about some clenched cheeks as I coasted down to a stop! :jaw:

The decision is yours but I've talked to plenty of salesmen who say as soon as their clients ride off on that ZX-10 or GSX-R 1000, "That one's going down" or "That one's gonna end up cutting a car in half." The bottom line: is it worth the extra $2K and insurance premiums to have the meanest, fastest thing on 2 wheels (as ridden professionally on a closed circuit) when the next guy could also have one and neither of you can ever even use that 160 horsepower?

Take a safety class, no matter what you end up buying. It will help you a bit with insurance premiums and some tips on dealing with traffic or emergencies. You WILL have emergencies.
 
Man, I couldn't stress it enough... DO NOT GO LITER FOR YOUR FIRST BIKE!!! Anyone that says otherwise is a squid. If you want good advice on all of this, go to www.cycleforums.com . Look for the NSR forums under sportsbikes and they will tell you exactly what you need. I loved my F4I. It ran high 10's in the quarter and handled the twisties wonderfully. Liter bikes are downright dangerous on public roadways in the twisties. Anyhow, check out the site, and if you need more info on where the NSR forums are at, shoot me a PM.

-Peace
 
I can't believe some of you are actually pushing a new rider towards a liter bike as a first bike :rolleyes: ...Go to the new rider's forum on sportbikes.net and repost some of this stuff...They will probably laugh you off the boards...Most of them don't even recomend starting on a 600cc bike, let alone a liter bike.

I'm glad some of you are still here after starting on liter bikes, but their are a bunch more how are no longer with us that started on those. Now don't get me wrong...I'm not a 600cc lover/Liter hater...I'll probably end up getting a liter bike eventually.

Maturity and experience...I'm a 27 year old athletic, responsible family guy with dirtbike experience...should be a recipe for success right? I started on a 600cc and the difference between the performance of that vs a dirtbike is huge. Not to mention the big difference in riding a dirtbike offroad and riding a streetbike in traffic with a bunch of cages trying to kill you. It's more that enough bike that I or any "newer rider" will need on the street.

Once you take an MSF course and get some riding experience, you'll be in a much better position to judge what kind of bike would be best for your riding style...bigger/faster isn't always better. Honestly, if you're worried about "outgrowing" the bike quickly, you can get a late 90s or early 2k 600cc streetbike for about $3-5k. Take the MSF course and get some experience, then sell the bike and you can make a much more informed decision as to exactly which bike you wanna spend your hard earned money on.

Read this...http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/showthread.php?t=262785...I know it's long, but it's informative
 
That's a great read. I'm glad there are a few other smart, mature people here. I don't hate liter bikes either. They have their place and that place is not in the hands of a beginner.

If you do outgrow your "minibike" and have trouble selling it, a little advice: stop trying to get out of it what you put into it and sell it for what it's worth. Mods don't raise value, they reduce it and nobody cares about your emotional attachment.

Now please excuse me while I cry once again over having to sell my Super Hawk. :bang:
 
WANNA_BE_GT said:
Man, I couldn't stress it enough... DO NOT GO LITER FOR YOUR FIRST BIKE!!! Anyone that says otherwise is a squid. If you want good advice on all of this, go to www.cycleforums.com . Look for the NSR forums under sportsbikes and they will tell you exactly what you need. I loved my F4I. It ran high 10's in the quarter and handled the twisties wonderfully. Liter bikes are downright dangerous on public roadways in the twisties. Anyhow, check out the site, and if you need more info on where the NSR forums are at, shoot me a PM.

-Peace


Anything under a litre bike is a sissy bike. might as well get a P.O.S. Harley. You can get killed on a bicycle. on't waste the money on a sissy bike. What the **** is a squid? Lol.
 
Hornetsnest said:
I can't believe some of you are actually pushing a new rider towards a liter bike as a first bike :rolleyes: ...Go to the new rider's forum on sportbikes.net and repost some of this stuff...They will probably laugh you off the boards...Most of them don't even recomend starting on a 600cc bike, let alone a liter bike.

I'm glad some of you are still here after starting on liter bikes, but their are a bunch more how are no longer with us that started on those. Now don't get me wrong...I'm not a 600cc lover/Liter hater...I'll probably end up getting a liter bike eventually.

Maturity and experience...I'm a 27 year old athletic, responsible family guy with dirtbike experience...should be a recipe for success right? I started on a 600cc and the difference between the performance of that vs a dirtbike is huge. Not to mention the big difference in riding a dirtbike offroad and riding a streetbike in traffic with a bunch of cages trying to kill you. It's more that enough bike that I or any "newer rider" will need on the street.

Once you take an MSF course and get some riding experience, you'll be in a much better position to judge what kind of bike would be best for your riding style...bigger/faster isn't always better. Honestly, if you're worried about "outgrowing" the bike quickly, you can get a late 90s or early 2k 600cc streetbike for about $3-5k. Take the MSF course and get some experience, then sell the bike and you can make a much more informed decision as to exactly which bike you wanna spend your hard earned money on.

Read this...http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/showthread.php?t=262785...I know it's long, but it's informative


I wouldn't advise a dumbass to buy a litre bike. If anyone starts off smaller, buy a used 600. Otherwise when you go to sell it you will get ripped a new *******. My friend bought the 03 honda cbr 600. One year later, he tried to get rid of it and they wouldnt even take it on trade in.
 
03greygt said:
Anything under a litre bike is a sissy bike. might as well get a P.O.S. Harley.

03greygt said:
I wouldn't advise a dumbass to buy a litre bike. If anyone starts off smaller, buy a used 600.

Do you even know what your trying to tell people?
ATTENTION: IF YOU WANT TO BUY A LITER BIKE AS YOUR FIRST BIKE, THEN DO IT. 90% OF THE TIME IT WILL END UP VERY BADLY. GOOD LUCK, BUT WE TOLD YOU SO.
 
Here's a few suggestions I'm sure you heard but from my experience

1. Take the MSF course. Even if youu know how to ride it helps a lot + it counts as a defensive driving course and you get a insurance reduction.

2. You're going to wind up getting whatever you want regardless what we say. I presonally started with a small ninja 500 and my friend got a cbr 600 at the same time. He's already been down 3 times. However the ninja was too underpowered for me and I wound up selling it after a couple months and switched to a R6.

3. Just get an R6. It's plenty of bike for a beginner or serious rider. 11.6 1/4 stock lol. It's pretty much like an R1..looks very similar..some little things are interchangable. you wont be sorry. I picked up an 03 r6 with 2k milse for 5.5k. You'll want the extra money for gear and insurance.
 
03greygt said:
Anything under a litre bike is a sissy bike. might as well get a P.O.S. Harley. You can get killed on a bicycle. on't waste the money on a sissy bike. What the **** is a squid? Lol.

A squid is someone who rides a bike that is way outside their skill set. A squid is also someone that rides without proper riding gear. Railing on a liter bike can get a little hairy on the street. Once you get confident and you start pushing it, liter bikes have a tendancy to break loose mid turn and slide due to their power. If you aren't ready for it, you are going down. Also, riding wheelies everywhere doesn't constitute that you are a "well seasoned good rider":rolleyes: I have ridden liter bikes and they are fun. Very powerful and full of balls. But I can guarantee if you get a newer 600RR or even R6, you are going to be hard pressed to go liter.
 
A squid doesn't realize he is a squid. He calls other equally capable (in the hands of most) vehicles "sissy bikes".

He also prefers bling over function, like spinners and a DVD player on a Hayabusa.

Analogy lesson -

biker/rider : squid
driver/enthusiast : ricer
 
mrshl13 said:
A squid doesn't realize he is a squid. He calls other equally capable (in the hands of most) vehicles "sissy bikes".

He also prefers bling over function, like spinners and a DVD player on a Hayabusa.

Analogy lesson -

biker/rider : squid
driver/enthusiast : ricer

A squid can also mean someone who purchases a new bike, wrecks it, and then keeps it wrecked so they can practice their mad stunting skillz.
 
Hey guys,
I'm 18 now, planning on getting a bike in a few years, probably a used Ninja 250. Are all sportbikes manual trans? Or for that matter are all motorcycles manual trans? Is it just like learning to drive stick where you've got to modulate the throttle and the clutch? Easy to learn? And, do the safety classes teach you how to lay down the bike in an emergency?

Thanks,
~A.C.
 
imblown-ru said:
Do you even know what your trying to tell people?
ATTENTION: IF YOU WANT TO BUY A LITER BIKE AS YOUR FIRST BIKE, THEN DO IT. 90% OF THE TIME IT WILL END UP VERY BADLY. GOOD LUCK, BUT WE TOLD YOU SO.


Where do you come up with these numbers. I am talking from experience myself. It you haven't bought a litre bike and wrecked it yourself, then how in the hell do you know what you are talking about. If you have never ridden a bike before, then I think you have to get use to whatever bike you by. Wheter it be a 600 or a 1200. Again, I am talking from my own experience with what I bought and how I got use to it. I live in a small town and there are a few bikes around. The last two motorcycle accidents here where cruisers. Like said, you can get hurt on anything.
 
mrshl13 said:
A squid doesn't realize he is a squid. He calls other equally capable (in the hands of most) vehicles "sissy bikes".

He also prefers bling over function, like spinners and a DVD player on a Hayabusa.

Analogy lesson -

biker/rider : squid
driver/enthusiast : ricer


Is this your autobiography. I don't think it will sell.