Thinking of starting on a 600cc+ bike? look inside...

[RACER X]

Originally Posted by nate4CBRs

I don't plan on killing myself anytime soon.

me, i plan to crash in mid august............

nobody plans on crashing either, but i would guess 80-90% of sportbikes crash as well......

point is odds are against you.......why not do what you can to prevent it........like take the MSF...let alone the learning thing, you may also get an ins. discount for taking the class. ask your "mentor" person what he thinks of the class. i have riders in my beginner class who've ridden for 40+yrs, and they all admit to learning something.

[nate4CBRs]

nobody plans on crashing either, but i would guess 80-90% of sportbikes crash as well......

point is odds are against you.......why not do what you can to prevent it........like take the MSF...let alone the learning thing, you may also get an ins. discount for taking the class. ask your "mentor" person what he thinks of the class. i have riders in my beginner class who've ridden for 40+yrs, and they all admit to learning something.

I have been signed up for a 3 day MSF for 1-3 June. First thing I did when I bought the bike.
My friend was about to go to the instructor course so he could teach it legite but is being transfered.

Believe me, I have my opinions and stubborness, but I am always listening.

[RACER X]

well, sounds like your on the right track other then the wrong bike, lol

[Hclptrflr]

Racer X, how much experience would you suggest having before deciding to go to a 600? You're deffinately adiment about starting on a 250 or 500, but you gotta improve and upgrade someday, what do you suggest on knowing when that time comes?

[RACER X]

at least 6-7000mi.......i good riding season. and if you could fit in a trackday even better. 1 trackday will ad yrs to your riding........

alot is up to the person though, and a trackday will put you in check, when you think your really fast.......you do it, and realize how slow you really are.

going fast is more about the rider then the bike........people think buying a bigger a bike is going to make their favorite corner faster, and it prolly won't. BUT increase the rider skill and you def. will be taking that corner faster.

it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, then a fast bike slow.

[Hclptrflr]

Ok, thanks.

[702cyclejunkie]

Before reading this post, I was set on buying a 600cc. Instead I ended up getting a ninja 500r with no regrets. I came to realize that as you grow older, you tend to take less risks then you did when you were younger. I'm not one to judge, but if you think you can handle a 600cc, then by all means get one. Just make sure your getting it for right reasons, other than they look better.

[Brownilus]

Originally Posted by RACER X

90% of motorcycle deaths are peeps taught by friends and family...........

Ok I understand this, but the MSF course, despite being taught by professionals, does not give you NEARLY enough seat time if you have never before ridden a bike, to jump on the road by yourself even after passing the course.

I didn't ride til I took the MSF, and I now apply those basics with the help of a friend who has been riding for over 20 years, since he was a teen in Jamaica. He is also a bike mechanic, so far he has been indispensable...take the MSF first, yes, but when you are home practicing those things on your own bike, esp. if it's bigger than the MSF 125 and 250 bikes, it is probly NECESSARY to have a mature voice of exerience there to help you on some days, and also necessary, in my case, to practice what i have learned in peace and quiet without people for whom the entire thing looks very easy yelling instructions and corrections...I always need time by myself to just make my mistakes and analyze them on my own.

One thing I will say is I notice men have a tendency to turn things into an ego trip or a "who's d*ck is bigger" type of thing when dealing with other men, and since biking consists of mostly men, that testosterone thing to "prove yourself" might (on purpose or by accident) come into play. No man is trying to rub egos with me cause I am female, they are more worried about me getting the basics down pat every step of the way probly because their instinct to protect/keep women safe takes over...and that's fine by me. Maybe men who are new, whether on 250's or 650s, need to remind themselves that just because their teacher is rolling in loud and clear on a R1 does not mean they need to force the issue to prove they can handle their smaller bike.

I see a lot of accounts on this website of people whose friends tease them about their bikes, I can't believe guys would do that knowing someone is new, that is awful, cause then you ride around knowing that they are looking down their noses at your bike. Nobody I already know has my bike, they all have higher CCs, but nobody disses me about it either, and since I really like my bike, if they tried, I would cut them down to size with a few choice words. Once I have gotten attached to something, no fool out there who didn't help me get it can intimidate me out of liking it with his attitude towards it, cause I have attitude too and I'm not afraid to show it to anybody acting the ass. hmpf. Don't come on here and post about "well, it's just a small bike but..." It's YOUR bike, if you act like it's inferior, so will others.

[Brownilus]

Originally Posted by RACER X

at least 6-7000mi.......i good riding season. and if you could fit in a trackday even better. 1 trackday will ad yrs to your riding........

alot is up to the person though, and a trackday will put you in check, when you think your really fast.......you do it, and realize how slow you really are.

going fast is more about the rider then the bike........people think buying a bigger a bike is going to make their favorite corner faster, and it prolly won't. BUT increase the rider skill and you def. will be taking that corner faster.

it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, then a fast bike slow.

I like this.

Unfortunately, I am now riding everything slow. lol. But I'm an infant, gimme a break.

(((makes note to self to make sure to note the mileage on the bike and add 7,000 to it before the summer, or at least the year, is out)))

[Outland69]

I think you missed out on one dangerous percption, I noticed it only because its the one I fir in, same result though, the returning rider, I got my 1st ride in 1985, a 78 GS750 (still have, but its in pieces for a complete rebuild.... on 2 years now) stopped riding around 90 and just got back into it, figured I would start again and was goning to buy a 600 if not bigger, luckily I happened to run across a good friend who had a 2005 Katana 600, while I survived the ride i came to the realization that the new 600'sa aint your Daddy's motorcycle, hell they aint even your older brothers, way to much bike to get used to riding again. So I went the correct route took the riders course, this did help me to decide that yup the 600 is to much, the 250's aint quite right either (for me anyway) So a week ago today picked up a nice deal on a GS500F (out the door @ 4600). Plan on keeping this one for quite a while as well as going back to my original plan and getting a nice 2 up touring bike (Looking at the Victory 8 ball)

[Krazy Hawaiian]

Originally Posted by RhythmsDJs

I guess stuck means something else in canada

LMAO +1 RDJ !!!

Hey! kawadef! If you wrote the "quote" Great Work!! Nicely written bit of info!! if you didn't good job bringing it along to SBN!

99.9% accurate excwpt in the car vs bikes performance portion but that may haxe changed recently as in the last year or two street cars have only now began to bypass bikes on the extreme end of the scales, and then only if your last name is Gates.

[chandra.hp]

Wow... great post. I was really set on getting a F4i or 600RR as my first bike. Mainly because that's what all of my buddies started on. Me, on the other hand, didn't like the idea of starting on a such a powerful bike. Yeah I get laughed at by my buddies, but that's no big deal to me.

Looks like I'll start on the Ninja 250R and work my way up to the 500, then finally the 600cc rockets. Now... I just need to find a good deal on a used Ninja 250R.

[molecular_man]

I think some may just have the wrong idea.

Just because it is a sport bike, it doesn't mean one has to be a racer wannabe.


Like the person posting in this thread "you don't start off driving f1, you start of on go carts.."


Yeah, of course, that is IF YOU WANT TO RACE!

And that is the point that a lot of you don't seem to get. There are many people that don't want to race, or ride like they are racing. Believe it or not, but some choose to ride as a mode of transportation and nothing more. Not to be out in 100* weather wearing a full body suit weaving through lanes looking like a jackass.


Same as all these idiots with their little ricer cars doing 30mph over the speed limit.

I'm just doing the speed limit, following traffic laws and trying to get from A to B as safely and with the least amount of hassle as possible. I'm not trying to see how fast I can take that corner or how quickly I can get to 100mph.


Now this isn't an argument for bigger bikes.. It is only a correction of some very stupid logic

[R.Brosnan]

Originally Posted by molecular_man

I think some may just have the wrong idea.

Just because it is a sport bike, it doesn't mean one has to be a racer wannabe.


Like the person posting in this thread "you don't start off driving f1, you start of on go carts.."


Yeah, of course, that is IF YOU WANT TO RACE!

And that is the point that a lot of you don't seem to get. There are many people that don't want to race, or ride like they are racing. Believe it or not, but some choose to ride as a mode of transportation and nothing more. Not to be out in 100* weather wearing a full body suit weaving through lanes looking like a jackass.


Same as all these idiots with their little ricer cars doing 30mph over the speed limit.

I'm just doing the speed limit, following traffic laws and trying to get from A to B as safely and with the least amount of hassle as possible. I'm not trying to see how fast I can take that corner or how quickly I can get to 100mph.


Now this isn't an argument for bigger bikes.. It is only a correction of some very stupid logic

The problem is, high strung, high horsepower bikes don't care why you're riding. Just ask Alex Hoffman. He's an incredible rider, one of the few men in the world who can ride a 250 horsepower, 300 pound Moto GP bike to it's limits day in and day out. Despite all of his skill and experience, he managed to high side his Kawasaki while making a u-turn at around 20 miles per hour. This is a professional motorcyle racer, who routinely does nearly 200 miles per hour in the premier class of motorcycle racing, and a split second of inattention during an everyday riding situation landed him in a hospital with a broken scaphoid.

[jim schmidt]

This is not a great example. A 250 will go 20 mph and is more likely to have a rear tire skid when doing it. The biggest disadvantage of 250s are their meager quality suspensions, brakes, and (of course) tires.

Its a mistake to derive too much meaning from this kind of story.