I want a rocket for my crotch...

[themediasoldier]

Since my youth I've been attracted to fast cars and more importantly fast bikes. Sadly my desire for a bike had been suppressed through my high school years, but this changed roughly two-three days ago, I was driving to work and some guys go passed me and they start hitting the throttle making the sweet sound that rockets make.

I got home and jumped on u-tube and started searching vids, after about ten-twenty minutes of searching I recognized the bikes as Suzuki GSXR1000s.

So, I really "want" a bike. I live in Ohio, so it probably wouldn't be that practical. Say 120 days out of the year? I've read for numerous hours on what bikes are best for beginners and it seems like there are a wide variety of opinions.

I would be interested in getting some experienced biker insight, as to what bike would be best, and what you personally started with. For reference, I'm seventeen turning eighteen this July, I'm 6'5 and weigh in at around 220lbs. and I play hockey so I'm athletic in build.

From reading and asking friends etc, I've heard two bikes mentioned a lot, first the GSXR600, and the NINJA250. Majority seem to say the ninja is a great first bike, and it is good to learn on... I guess my question is, will the learning curve be that great that I can't just hop on a 600+cc bike and learn? Obviously I don't want to endanger myself ( beyond reasonable measure ) or those around me. I guess my biggest hesitation in buying a 250 cc bike, is that in a year I'll be looking back wishing I got something with more throttle.

Anyhow any insight into a good crotch rocket would be great, I can't wait to ride.

And thanks in advance for the help.

[nig]

Nobody in their right mind would recommend a GSX-R. I understand why you want it, it's fast, pretty and sounds cool. Not very sensible though. I'd look at a GS500. Yes you'll want more power eventually, but that's beside the point. Learn to ride before you worry about going fast. It takes most people years before they have any clue what they're doing on a motorcycle, but they all think they have it down in 2 months.

[MINI NSX]

Originally Posted by themediasoldier

Since my youth I've been attracted to fast cars and more importantly fast bikes. Sadly my desire for a bike had been suppressed through my high school years, but this changed roughly two-three days ago, I was driving to work and some guys go passed me and they start hitting the throttle making the sweet sound that rockets make.
I got home and jumped on u-tube and started searching vids, after about ten-twenty minutes of searching I recognized the bikes as Suzuki GSXR1000s. So, I really "want" a bike. I live in Ohio, so it probably wouldn't be that practical. Say 120 days out of the year? I've read for numerous hours on what bikes are best for beginners and it seems like there are a wide variety of opinions.
I would be interested in getting some experienced biker insight, as to what bike would be best, and what you personally started with. For reference, I'm seventeen turning eighteen this July, I'm 6'5 and weigh in at around 220lbs. and I play hockey so I'm athletic in build.
From reading and asking friends etc, I've heard two bikes mentioned a lot, first the GSXR600, and the NINJA250. Majority seem to say the ninja is a great first bike, and it is good to learn on... I guess my question is, will the learning curve be that great that I can't just hop on a 600+cc bike and learn? Obviously I don't want to endanger myself ( beyond reasonable measure ) or those around me. I guess my biggest hesitation in buying a 250 cc bike, is that in a year I'll be looking back wishing I got something with more throttle.
Anyhow any insight into a good crotch rocket would be great, I can't wait to ride.
And thanks in advance for the help.

No, you DON'T want to start on a GSX-R600. Too much power, too many newbie things to try to get right and sportbikes aren't forgiving when you make a mistake like going too hot into a corner and getting on the brakes. Start smaller. Take the MSF beginner course, then practice a lot. Ninja 250s, Nighthawk 250s, Rebels, they're all good beginner bikes. As for living in Ohio, you can ride year-round. I do. Oh, and I started on a used '71 Honda CB350, which was a great starter bike way back when...

[Bobarino]

welcome aboard. all your questions have been answered a gazillion times in this forum. first and foremost, read the stickies at the top. then do some searching. then take the MSF course. then, get and wear good gear. then, get a ninja 250 or 500 or the GS500. ride it for a couple years, sell it and get your dream bike.

a few notes. your height and weight do not matter one bit. yes the learning curve is very steep on supersports. there is a very good chance you will wreck it. if you are taking up riding to satisfy your lust for speed, you're probably going to get kill't.

it's very inadvisable to start riding at your age. don't take this personally but you lack experience on the road, good judgement and most of your thoughts come from behind your zipper. in other words, young guy + fast bike - good judgement = excellent chance of being a dead or severly injured young guy.

now that i've been good and discouraging, if you still choose to ride, do it with your BRAINS not your balls. check your ego at the door when get on your bike and you'll live a lot longer.

Bobby

[acalliste]

Welcome to SBN. As stated above, you don't want to start on a gsxr of any size. MSF is the best place to start. You might also consider getting more experience DRIVING on the streets before you attempt to learn to ride a bike on them. Learning to deal with traffic and learning to ride a bike all at once might be overwhelming.

In any case, read the stickies at the top of this forum (New Riders) for more info. If you want to see what experience others here have, read the Rider Resume thread.

There is a lot to learn about this sport. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible to start with.

[Bobarino]

btw, am i the only one that feels old when a 17 year old starts out with "since my youth...."? i though 17 WAS my youth. when did i get old and who the hell let that happen?!!! i didn't get a memo!

Bobby

[Xyloft]

120 days? I'm from dayton as well, unfortunately. . .

but you really have a solid march to october. and if december is like last december you'll have a few weeks in the winter (remember 72F on december 20?)

you'll just have to wear full gear in early spring and late fall....but you should wear full gear anyway.

couple bikes to check out:

Suzuki GS500F
Kawisaki Ninja 500
Hyosung GT250R

i'm with you though, the 600's and above are the sex, but i'm not trying to leave a 30 yard flesh skid mark on the highway.

to get your licenes, you have to go to the BMV and buy the "motorcycle packet" ($19.50) then go to the testing facility and take the test. then I highly recommend taking the MSF course (honda in troy, or a few other places offer it). its 25$ and they give you a skills test waiver, so you just takte that waiver to the BMV and get your endorsement.

oh wait, your 17, i think the MSF course is actually free for you. man you can't beat that.

[acalliste]

Originally Posted by Bobarino

btw, am i the only one that feels old when a 17 year old starts out with "since my youth...."? i though 17 WAS my youth. when did i get old and who the hell let that happen?!!! i didn't get a memo!

Bobby

I thought that was funny too.

Yesterday I was looking for a plane ticket for my 17 year old son, and people up to 17 (or 18 in some cases) were classified as "youths".

[Bobarino]

ahhhhh, the gool ol' days when we were young dumb and full of......................................shit. i must say, i'm really glad i waited until 27 to get a bike. if had done half the crap i did when i was 17 on a bike instead of in a car, they would have had to use a mop and sponge to get me to coroner's office.

Bobby

[acalliste]

I started riding street bikes at age 22 or 23. But I couldn't afford a sportbike, so poverty kept me alive until I was old enough to develop some caution.

[themediasoldier]

Originally Posted by Xyloft

120 days? I'm from dayton as well, unfortunately. . .

but you really have a solid march to october. and if december is like last december you'll have a few weeks in the winter (remember 72F on december 20?)

you'll just have to wear full gear in early spring and late fall....but you should wear full gear anyway.

couple bikes to check out:

Suzuki GS500F
Kawisaki Ninja 500
Hyosung GT250R

i'm with you though, the 600's and above are the sex, but i'm not trying to leave a 30 yard flesh skid mark on the highway.

to get your licenes, you have to go to the BMV and buy the "motorcycle packet" ($19.50) then go to the testing facility and take the test. then I highly recommend taking the MSF course (honda in troy, or a few other places offer it). its 25$ and they give you a skills test waiver, so you just takte that waiver to the BMV and get your endorsement.

oh wait, your 17, i think the MSF course is actually free for you. man you can't beat that.

Sweet, can't beat free... Yeh, but most of our winters are pretty crappy, they put down salt for no reason, and I've heard that chews up bikes pretty bad. Plus I think I'll be limited were I drive it, I want to take it to work, but the people that drive on 70/75 in the mornings are all mentally-impaired.

Also the three reasons I'm attracted to bikes are, they are fun, fast and they look cool. It seems like most of the 250cc class bikes lack the fast and cool part.

However it's unanimous I need a 250cc bike, so which one looks the best?

[Kila-Beave]

A GS500 would be good, but expensive if you drop the faired version (broken plastics == bad.) If you could find a used one like 10 years old that's in decent running order it would teach you a ton about riding and a ton about bikes in general (stuff breaks on old bike's

Also, look into full coverage insurance rates for a 17yr old male on a new GSXR if you want a professional opinion on your chances on that bike. The more likely they figure they'll be to pay off the damage/medical bills in a accident, the more the insurance costs.

I'd wait a few years if it was me, but if you've just got to, start small. It's cheaper, "safer," you'll have a ton of fun (trust me it's plenty fast enough) and you'd be the only kid in school with one

BUT make sure you take the MSF class and buy FULL gear first!!!!

[themediasoldier]

Well, the GT250R looks good but it's $6,700 on their website only $1,000 less than a gixxer...