Kawasaki Motorcycle Forums - View Single Post - Would you recommend a 600cc supersport to a noob?

JimmyD · 11-27-2007

You're saying the 650 cruisers would make a good starter bike after saying larger cruisers are too heavy.

Rich is saying there are no middleweight cruisers that weigh less than 500 pounds, save for the Vulcan 500 which is a Ninja with a cruiser frame anyway.

I'm up on the air on this one. Most 250 cruisers (Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda) are severely underpowered in comparison to the EX250 powerplant. I think the Rebel is putting out 17 horsepower compared to the EX's 32?

There IS no true "middleweight" anymore other than the Vulcan5. And that bike definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea or there's be a lot more on the road. The next step up (now that the VLX600 is gone) is Honda's 750's. They're underpowered but they're also 500 pounds dry. That's a lot of bike for a newbie.

You have to understand, I rode in the dirt for years as a kid. My 80 weighed (maybe) 250 pounds wet. That thing was a total blast but it seemed like it was a HUGE deal when you're 13. I don't understand how someone can go into a dealership and plunk down cash for a 600 pound bike as their first ride.

I rode my friends KZ750 and it's probably in the range of 550 pounds. Holy **** is all I can say. It IS its own bike but it handled like a freight train compared to my EX.

It's funny to see the lightweight market continue to shrivel up with all these new riders coming into motorcycling. Kawi gets rid of the 800 which to me was a GREAT starter v-twin and did everything well, then Honda axes the 600 (which wasn't the greatest bike, it had NO power but it was an excellent foot in the door).

There used to be 400 shadows, 450 rebels, 454 LTDs, CB350s, 550 fours, all sorts of LIGHT bikes that weren't breaking much more than 50hp. Europe has all sorts of small displacement bikes because of tiered licensing. Those days are gone and it seems the bigger is better attitude is still rampant. I thought the industry was finally starting to smarten up.

I guess this is where the Chinese/Korean bikes come in. Hyosung has a very nice lineup of 650s, some cruiser style.

11-27-2007	#47 (permalink)
JimmyD really needs his bike D: Forum Supporter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Halifax, NS, Canada Posts: 1,512	You're saying the 650 cruisers would make a good starter bike after saying larger cruisers are too heavy. Rich is saying there are no middleweight cruisers that weigh less than 500 pounds, save for the Vulcan 500 which is a Ninja with a cruiser frame anyway. I'm up on the air on this one. Most 250 cruisers (Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda) are severely underpowered in comparison to the EX250 powerplant. I think the Rebel is putting out 17 horsepower compared to the EX's 32? There IS no true "middleweight" anymore other than the Vulcan5. And that bike definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea or there's be a lot more on the road. The next step up (now that the VLX600 is gone) is Honda's 750's. They're underpowered but they're also 500 pounds dry. That's a lot of bike for a newbie. You have to understand, I rode in the dirt for years as a kid. My 80 weighed (maybe) 250 pounds wet. That thing was a total blast but it seemed like it was a HUGE deal when you're 13. I don't understand how someone can go into a dealership and plunk down cash for a 600 pound bike as their first ride. I rode my friends KZ750 and it's probably in the range of 550 pounds. Holy **** is all I can say. It IS its own bike but it handled like a freight train compared to my EX. It's funny to see the lightweight market continue to shrivel up with all these new riders coming into motorcycling. Kawi gets rid of the 800 which to me was a GREAT starter v-twin and did everything well, then Honda axes the 600 (which wasn't the greatest bike, it had NO power but it was an excellent foot in the door). There used to be 400 shadows, 450 rebels, 454 LTDs, CB350s, 550 fours, all sorts of LIGHT bikes that weren't breaking much more than 50hp. Europe has all sorts of small displacement bikes because of tiered licensing. Those days are gone and it seems the bigger is better attitude is still rampant. I thought the industry was finally starting to smarten up. I guess this is where the Chinese/Korean bikes come in. Hyosung has a very nice lineup of 650s, some cruiser style. __________________ 1995 Candy Red Ninja 500 R.I.P.1997 Peacock (LOL!) Blue Vulcan 500 Last edited by JimmyD : 11-27-2007 at 08:48 AM.