What's best for me? sportbike or touring bike?

[yafayu]

Hi, i'm new to motorcycle and cant decide which bike is right for me. So, first question is whats the difference between a sportbike and street/touring bike?

and what are the differences between zzr 600 and NINJA 650R

Which one is more suitable for a beginner?

thank you for your help!!

[daemon]

well, how much of a beginner are you???
first starting out would suggest you stick to a lower powered machine.
that is not to say that you can't have a 600.
just buy something used that you won't cry too much over when it goes down.

you will hear this alot from everyone here.
we are also firm believer's in ATGATT...all the gear all the time.

differences
sport-for those that like the speed and yet know how to control it to the point not being a fool in the public eye.
street- a suitable machine with power that gives a better riding position than a sport.

reiterate....a sport bike tends to make you lean forward to the bars whereas a streetbike has a more upright riding position for comfort on the longer rides.


sport touring- a bike with moderate power and yet is more suited for people who's intention's are to go for long jaunt's.

being as how you are new to the scene. you may want to look for street bike.....zzr600 or the 650r are not bad bikes for this purpose.
they supply comfort and are fairly good for a beginner.


good luck hunting and buy gear

[coppertales]

"speaks to you"? Go to the dealers and try them on for feel and fit. Even better, if there is a motorcycle show near you, go to it and see what is out there.....chris3

[JTpaintball70]

I was at the dealers yesterday to try on some bikes, and to me the ZZR and the 650R have almost identical ergos. Between those two, the ZZR I believe is a bit more powerful though.

It all comes down to you, though. Go and drool at the dealers some.

[Svetlana]

+1 to daemon's post. He's explained the intrinsic differences between sport bikes, standard street rides and sport tourers. The decision should be made in consideration of a few things, including:

- Your experience. If you're brand spanking new to the sport, you probably don't want or need a very powerful sport bike that will be difficult to control. Likewise, you probably don't want to watch $10k worth of plastic go down on pavement, which happens relatively often...

- Your expectations. If you don't plan on doing long distance riding anytime soon (consider your experience level, if you have friends that ride, etc) then there isn't much of a reason to spend the money on a nice sport tourer.

- Your comfort. This goes for everyone. Daemon said that the standard street bikes tend to be more comfy, and that is pretty true. You sit more upright than on most sport bikes. Go and sit on as many bikes as you can. Oh, and take the MSF course if you are new to riding... then sit on some more bikes and decide!

- Your dollar amount. Again, large sport bikes and sport tourers are going to cost you. They are well worth it if you've assessed your riding capabilities and desires and decide that's what you need. But if you're new to the sport and just beginning, I would suggest taking it easy. Start on a lower cc'd sport bike such as a Ninja EX500 (just as an example) that you can learn to master.

[bross]

Stick with the 650R if you don't have much riding experience. It is very easy to ride with a nice smooth easy power delivery. It still has enough power when you get the revs up that you won't get bored with it. Or have you considered the 500R or 250R? Best just start visiting dealers and sitting on bikes, you'll find one that fits you. Sign up for your local MSF course as well. That way you get to ride their bikes and you'll have a way better of idea what kind of riding you want to do.

and what are the differences between zzr 600 and NINJA 650R

Which one is more suitable for a beginner?

thank you for your help!!

ZZR is a an inline 4 cylinder engine, while the 650R is a parallel twin engine. Big difference in power even though the 650R has 50 more cc's.

[david8200]

Welcome to forum.
You have been given so great advice from the above posters. I will always beleive that you should take the MSF class first. Do that before you buy. There have been people that bought first, took the class and decided that motorcycle riding was not for them.
Go to dealers and sit on the bikes. Get on the internet and look at web sites. Get some kind of idea as to the type of riding you would like to do and go from there.

[RomSpaceKnight]

If you are not to big go with a 500R. A 650R is better choice than a ZZR.

[yafayu]

thanks guy! great advices!

I'm going to take the motorcycle course in my college and get my license(yes! I'm brand spanking new) first!

Now, i'm really into 2 types of bikes. One is sportbike like 600R, ZZR, 6R etc.., another is like those street bikes. I'll post a pic because i don't know how to call them

yea..how do you call those bike anyways? they aren't cruiser are they?

I can't really decide which type i should start with and i know they're totally different in turn of styling, purposing..etc By the way, i'm 5"11 and only 125lb( yea i know i'm skinny )so i guess i shouldn't have any problem to suit any bike right?

[JTpaintball70]

Those are standards... or sport standards, depending on the seating style. The Z750S :drool: is a sport standard, for example

[Svetlana]

That would be called a standard sport or a sport 'naked' bike. And yes, they are super cool looking and very nice and agile (or so I'm told).

As far as your measurements stacked up against the bikes- certainly your height will allow you to flat foot any bike (which is an issue for shorter riders). But, that doesn't necessarily mean you will feel comfortably on any bike just yet. Take the MSF course and get endorsed (btw are you in North America?) and sit on various bikes at the dealerships. You'll just know by sitting on a bike if it feels comfortable, and more importantly, once you learn how to ride you'll be better able to predict if a certain bike is 'too much bike' for you or if it's too little, etc.

[bross]

Kawasaki Versys, and it's based on the 650R motor so would make an excellent beginner bike. Just make sure you're comfortable with the height. It sits higher than the Ninja 650R. I too prefer naked bikes. I like to see the motor on a bike.

[yafayu]

yes, I living in Toronto, Canada and i'm hope i'll get my license by the summer. So how about used bikes? what are the certain models i should look for? I've heard bikes don't really have wide range difference on performance from brand to brand? is this true? ex. a 600cc bike from Kawasaki should have similar performance and quality as Yamaha or Honda's? Correct me if i'm wrong please!

I'm actually taking auto technician program in my college and many of my teacher also teaches the motorcycle tech. That's why i'm start looking into it!