1st bike

The greatest first bike for anybody is the Kawasaki 250 Ninja, its a marvel of engineering excellence, how a 250 cc engine can go to speeds of 110 mph and how it can get 75 MPG.
It has an excellent resale value, easy to ride, if you dump it on the road its light enough you can pick it up yourself, super reliable, it will never break down.
f you don't like it you can sell it for what you paid for it!

 

So I went to a Suzuki dealership and and saw a brand new 08 gsxr650f for 3550. Is that a good price?

 

I would say so but I don't know much about them. PM NumbNuts I think that is the bike he had.

 

I timed to the best of my ability the wife's crf230m 0-60 with me on it. I weigh 200 lbs and push a lot of air. It was about 7-8 seconds and effortless. 0-45 was better. It will pull me at just about 80mph on the highway if I hunker down. 75 if upright.

That's 14 horsepower. Just for the "a 250 can't get up a hill crowd". this is a 230 carbed bike.

 

true but i am physicaly to big to ride it comfortably (6'2" 190ish)so for me atleast it was not an option. but the 500 ninja is an awsome first bike too. thats what i ended up getting.

 

I've been tossing around the idea of getting a bike...been wondering if a Buell xb9 lightning would be alright as a first bike. I grew up riding a 50cc dirt bike and I'm pretty cautious when it comes to riding. I just would like to avoid the trouble of buying and selling a beater bike if I could.

The reason I say a buell is that's what I'd like to end up getting even if I ride a beginner bike for a while...I love the way they look.

 

Get a mid to late 80's Jap cruiser like a Yamaha SECA or honda silverwing. something in the 500-750 range. Simple to work on, you WILL drop it and you can sell it for what you paid for it if you take care of it.

Had a silverwing 500, then a Triumph Trophy 1100. Do it right.

 

I've got both sport bike and Dual sport and find myself on DR 650 alot more

 

Get a 600.... forgiving when you make mistakes, but plenty of power to grow on some... Though, with your side, might want to think 750 as well.

 

Get one of these. Has a great riding position. Won't be riding so much forward. Has the horsepower same as a 600 but twice the torque of one. Dont have to rev it as much to make alot of power.. Used one are pretty cheap..... it's a 2000 Kawasaki ZRX1100 .. 2001 and newer are 1200's

 

So I got a bike on friday. (Finally). I ended up getting a 98 kawasaki ninja 500. I got it for 800 bucks with a helmet. It had 20000 mules on it. I am amazed at how cheap insurance is for motorcycles is.

 

lol

 

bottom line is personal responsibility. you can die on any bike. the problem is newbs think they are ok on their 600 and crank on it.most of the time dumping it because they freeze in the corners. The bike only goes as fast as you turn the throttle. My wife learned on my gsxr1000 just used your head. yes its easier to go to fast on a big bike but you dont have to. getting a 250 ninja just forces you to go slower. it takes the control away from you. People get just as f'd up going from a 250 ninja to a 600 or 1000 because they rode it for a while and think theyre ready. then they grab a hand full of throttle and expect 250 responsiveness. Its all in you to ride slower.

Speaking from experience being 6'4 280. I say no to a 600 because they have no torque and dont like to go slow, you gotta keep the revs up on a 600 unless you get a kawi 636 or honda F4i. Most new 600s have no power till you hit 10,000 rpms then theyre a twitchy rocket ship with no forgiveness. no in between. For new bikes the sv650 or dont be afraid of a 1000 like a FZ1000 or Kawi Z1000. something with good torque and smooth constant power delivery.

Also, 600 supersports (RR,R6,ZX6) have track inspired suspension. They arent forgiving on the street like a more street tuned bike. For instance the stiffer suspension on a R6 will tend to hop or want to walk unless conditions are right. Like if you hit a tar strip the rear will want to give out. or hit an imperfection while cornering (that you wont see on a track) and the suspension will want to hop rather than soak it up like a street oriented bike like a sv650.

So for a starter bike i say sv650 or similar for 3 reasons less maintenance, street suspension, and smoother power delivery

 

for some reason i missed this lol

good choice. better than a 250 since you wont have as big a step going to a different bike

 

Lol. I meant miles