I am thinking about getting a bike permit/license. I wanted to know what kind of bikes would be good for someone that is inexperienced on a bike? I hope to work my way up to a Hayabusa Turbo :-D, that is in several years.

My buddy suggested on a R6.

Any suggestions?

- Nizhu

 

From the people I've talked to who have bikes and everything I've heard, you DO NOT need to go above a 600 as a beginner. Even then, that may be too much at first but I'll let some of the experienced riders speak up.

James

 

For the smallest and lowest-powered bikes, in many places you don't need a license or permit at all. However, I would assume here that you are talking about something more substantial, even to start on, than Mopeds and scooters, correct? I'm not a bike expert, but based on what I DO know, I would recommend a lower-powered Honda to start....perhaps 500cc or under. Hondas are the very definition of bike reliability and are designed to be easy to ride.

http://powersports.honda.com/motorcycles/

 

If this topic gets any action, it'll be a good thread for me to be subscribed to. I'm trying to figure out whether I want to buy a Miata/S2k/Solstice in a year or two or a bike. I imagine the thrill factor of a bike, even a super low powered one, would be more fun than any car, though.

 

SV650

V-Twin power and great to learn off of.


Josh

 

thanx for the input.

- Nizhu

 

My best friend has a Ninja ZX-6 (i think thats what its called). I skip heart beats when im on it.

 

R6 is a crazy bike for a first timer.... and your friend is crazy for recommending it to you right away. Do yourself a favor and start off with something you can learn on. One of my pet peeves is people who start riding motorcycles with something way out of their league

My best recommendation, Suzuki GS500. Plenty of power, forgiving, defiinitely a GREAT beginner bike. A lot of the reviews on this bike say so as well.

Awesome website for this bike.. http://gstwin.com/

Here is a link to their message board http://www.gstwins.com/forum/

Good luck on your motorcycle adventures

 

your icon is straight up pure comedy

- Nizhu

 

I was in the same boat as you about 2 years ago. I ended getting a 1989 Yamaha FZR600 (or YZF, I can never remember). Being as old as it was, it had about 17,000 miles on it, I was able to pick it up for under $2,000. Although it is a 600cc bike, it is MUCH more forgiving than today's 600cc bikes. I planned on using this as a learning bike, working my way up to an R6 but this bike ended up being plenty for me. It is very easy to handle at low speeds, but when I want to get in the 9,000-10,000 RPM range and haul some ***, it does that just fine.

So I would DEFINITELY not buy ANY new bike if you haven't had one before. Find something in the $2,000-$3,000 range, ride it for a year or so, then sell it for $1,000-$2,000.

There is my $.02

 

oh, definitely a great tip. As you are new and still learning you will for sure have one or two slip-ups. Doing that with a used bike is much less stressful than with a new one!

 

Speaking from experience ( working in a shop and riding) I would say to go one of two ways. Get a used older 600 96-02 for cheap and learn to ride/not sweat it if/when it goes down. Second option if you "need" a new bike is to get a kawi zx-6r 636. It is an easy 600 to ride and if you get bored with it, take it above 10,000 rpms. Good financing deals as well. And from a trackday/experienced rider wear you helmet and gear always. I laid my duc 999 down at NHIS in turn 3 about 50 or 60 and picked it back up and kept riding. A little bruise on me and a little scrape on the bike...thats all. Most importantly, HAVE FUN.

 

SV650 and an older (mid nineties) 600 are both excellent suggestions. Either way, get a USED bike to start, and take a riders safety class. Not a slam: if you are a showoff/immature, then start off on a 500cc or less. Otherwise, you will be fine on 600.

Oh yeah, bikes rule.

 

Great advice here
Its a great learning bike, its still quick and handles well and has plenty of aftermarket...

 

i was just reading about same thing in the vwvortex forum, they have a whole bike section with bunch of tips and leads and it pointed me to this article here which answers a lot of newb questions

from what i understand 600cc is about max for a beginner bike
i'm somewhat contemplating it too but no way in hell i'm gonna buy a new bike to learn on, i'll buy a salvage title bike off of copart or something, beat it to hell, and then buy a good bike