another newbie question

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:06 PM

hello, this is my first post. quick background.....im 31, 6'1-230. ill be buying my first bike soon. after much research, ive decided on the suzuki gsxr750. ive never been a "regular" rider of street bikes, but ive ridden buddies bikes quite a bit and have spent a decent amount of time in the seat. ill borrow their bikes for days at a time and feel very comfortable on them. anyway, onto my question.....

when buying a new bike, are dealers receptive to "haggling"? none of my bros have "new" bikes, so they cant answer my questions. i know that car dealers very rarely actually go by the manufacturers msrp, but it seems that bike dealerships do this exclusively. the msrp on the gixxer i want is about 9500. will bike dealers typically reveal their cost in order for me to make an offer? if i walk in waving cash, or a sizeable down payment, do you think theyll budge? im planning on some heavy shopping around, and want to get the best deal possible, obviously. im excited about this purchase and want to do it right. im taking a rider safety course next month and already have my gear. any info is appreciated.

alaska cajun · 07-18-2004, 10:10 PM

What do you mean by lots of seat time,1000,2 or 3.......?

RACER X · 07-18-2004, 10:11 PM

http://home.earthlink.net/~thebradfords/startsmall.htm

ecir · 07-18-2004, 10:14 PM

new GSXR-750 as a new rider?? May god have mercy on your soul. Good luck

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaska cajun

What do you mean by lots of seat time,1000,2 or 3.......?

i just mean that while i am a newbie to the streetbike scene, i have ridden and feel very comfortable on one. am i as experienced as you guys? no. but thats why im here asking questions.

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RACER X

http://home.earthlink.net/~thebradfords/startsmall.htm

thank you. that was an interesting and informative read.

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbiker

new GSXR-750 as a new rider?? May god have mercy on your soul. Good luck

thanks for the well wishes.

i want a bike that i will grow into, not grow out of. i dont want a bike that i will grow bored with. i ride a friends '02 750 regularly and i feel very comfortable with it.

alaska cajun · 07-18-2004, 10:25 PM

Buy something more newbie freindly and you can thank us later.

With a lesser bike to learn on,when it comes time to move up then you'll have something to bargin with,as in a trade in.

RACER X · 07-18-2004, 10:26 PM

http://www.beginnerbikes.com/editori...lsfunction.htm

hits it right on the head......

Quote:

I'll take it easy and grow into the bike.

The purpose of a first bike is to allow you to master basic riding skills, build confidence and develop street survival strategies. You don't grow into a bike. You develop your skills on it. As your skills develop, so does your confidence and with it, your willingness to explore what the bike is capable of.

But you are also entering in a contract with the bike. It is two-way. You are going to expect the bike to act on your inputs and the bike in turn is going to respond. The problem is, your skills are still developing but the bike doesn't know that. It does what it is told. You want a partner in a contract to treat you fairly. On a bike, you don't want it fighting you every step of the way. And like most contracts, the problems don't start until there is a breakdown in communication or a misunderstanding.

In sportbikes, the disparity between a new rider's fledgling skills and the responsiveness of the machine are very far apart. That is a wide gulf to bridge when you are still trying to figure out what the best inputs and actions on the bike should be. Ideally, you want your bike to do what you tell it and do it nicely. You never want the bike to argue with you. Modern sportbikes, despite their exquisite handling will often argue violently right at the moment a new rider doesn't need them to.

Remember, riding is a LEARNED skill. It does not come naturally to the majority of us (save those like the Hayden brothers who were raised on dirt bikes from the moment they could walk). It must be practiced and refined. Riding is counter-intuitive to most new riders. It doesn't happen the way you expect. For example, at speeds over 25mph, to get a bike to go right, you actually turn the bars to the left. It's called counter-steering and it eventually comes naturally as breathing once you've been in the saddle for a while. But for new riders, this kind of thing is utterly baffling.

You want your skills to grow in a measurable and predictable fashion. You have enough to be fearful of riding in traffic. The last thing you need is to be fearful of what your bike might do when you aren't ready for it. It's never a good situation.

It is interesting to point out that only one manufacturer, Suzuki, explicitly states in their promotional material that their GSX-R family of sportbikes are intended for experienced riders. This also applies to several of their larger, more powerful machines (such as a GSX-1300R Hayabusa). If Suzuki issues such a warning for its top-flight sport machines, it is reasonable to say that the same warning would apply equally to similar machines from other manufacturers.

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaska cajun

Buy something more newbie freindly and you can thank us later.

With a lesser bike to learn on,when it comes time to move up then you'll have something to bargin with,as in a trade in.

so are you saying that they wont wheel-and-deal on a new bike with no trade in?

alaska cajun · 07-18-2004, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G L

thanks for the well wishes.

i want a bike that i will grow into, not grow out of. i dont want a bike that i will grow bored with. i ride a friends '02 750 regularly and i feel very comfortable with it.

You'll find very few on this site to be sympathtic to you wants for a bike.A lot of us have been around long enough to know what can happen to a rider that starts on a larger bike that is there own.

Rideing someone else's bike,one tends to be more carefull.With your own,sooner or later you will open it up at the wrong time and it's only 1000's of miles of seat time that will give you the answeres you'll need to correct your mistake.

Just so ya know.I started on an SL70 Honda in 1973.Point being.I've seen a lot and I ride a 600. A very powerfull and fast 600.

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RACER X

http://www.beginnerbikes.com/editori...lsfunction.htm

hits it right on the head......

very interesting and informative. thanks again.

alaska cajun · 07-18-2004, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G L

so are you saying that they wont wheel-and-deal on a new bike with no trade in?

No,not at all,but they will spot you as newbie and won't be as willing to deal with you.More than likely they'll try to talk you into buying the 1000 just as you are trying to convince us you want the 750.

Do this though,check around on the i-net for the best deals and use this info at your local shop.You can also find 03 models for a smoking deal if you shop around.This alone could save you $1000's

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaska cajun

You'll find very few on this site to be sympathtic to you wants for a bike.A lot of us have been around long enough to know what can happen to a rider that starts on a larger bike that is there own.

Rideing someone else's bike,one tends to be more carefull.With your own,sooner or later you will open it up at the wrong time and it's only 1000's of miles of seat time that will give you the answeres you'll need to correct your mistake.

Just so ya know.I started on an SL70 Honda in 1973.Point being.I've seen a lot and I ride a 600. A very powerfull and fast 600.

im not looking for sympathy. im in the early stages of buying a bike, and i made what i thought was a good decision. based on my admittedly and relatively small amount of experience, and what ive discussed with friends that ride, i thought i was making a decent choice of bike. thats why im here. thats why im asking questions of people that do ride but dont know me and arent biased by having a relationship with me. i appreciate and respect all of yalls advice and recommendations.

G L · 07-18-2004, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaska cajun

No,not at all,but they will spot you as newbie and won't be as willing to deal with you.More than likely they'll try to talk you into buying the 1000 just as you are trying to convince us you want the 750.

Do this though,check around on the i-net for the best deals and use this info at your local shop.You can also find 03 models for a smoking deal if you shop around.This alone could save you $1000's

lol, its funny you mention the 1000. i was looking around just yesterday at the suzuki dealer nearby. i was asking the salesman some elementary questions and informed him that i was looking for a first bike. i started to mention the 1000 solely for comparitive reasons, and he cut me off mid-sentence. he said that i need to forget all about the 1000. i laughed, being as i have never entertained any thought of buying a 1000.

but, in my own defense, i have yet to try convince any of you that i should buy the 750. i only mentioned that it was my choice based on my research and some riding experience thus far.