[nathan600r]

I have seen many threads here about people getting brand new 600's as their first bike. Unless you plan let it set for 6 months or longer while you learn on a smaller bike, don't buy it. These bikes are not toys, they are serious power machines, and if you don't know how to control it you will crash it. Just because you saw some crappy ass Hollywood movie, doesn't mean you have experience. The scenes in these movies are very exaggerated, and a lot of them are done on computers due to the level of danger. If you are cocky and still think you can you're a bad ass then by all means go spend $7000 of someone's money on it and try a wheelie, or going fast. I really don't care if you live or die, I just don't want to see good bikes destroyed, and I don't want higher insurance rates.

 

[BradPeart]

I really don't care if you live or die, I just don't want to see good bikes destroyed, and I don't want higher insurance rates.

A true enthusiast. How sensitive. :roll:

 

[rlovrin1]

I'd have to agree with nathan600r, Just this weekend I've heard of a couple of local noobs wrecking their brand new R6's and GSX-R600's.

It's like, come on, why did you get an R6 for your first bike, and no riding expeience at all. Most of the noobs that I see doing stupid stunts also are still riding around on their permits(if they have one) and no license. They figure they won't get caught 'cause they'll try to out run the police.

Is this what the new motorcyclists mentality is now? No wonder motorcycle insurence costs are surging.

Maybe there should be new state laws that state that permit holders,no matter what their age, should not be able to register and insure any bike above a 250 or a 500, same should go for license holders under the age of 21.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

that's exactly what its going to come to i'm afraid-c.c. limits for younger riders
i don't absolutly agree with it even though it is standard practice in other parts of the world,
there are some very mature and skilled young riders out there that will be sort of punished
by this. but the gofast bike accident rate and # of citations issued by law enforcement
at least in my neck of the woods is sad proof that the ability for young inexperienced riders
to be able to purchase these very fast machines is causing some problems for insurance
company's,the familys of accident vitims,law enforcement,and the motoring public in general
i'm not bashing sport bike riders :wink: let's face it stupid people ride all kinds of bikes
but i haven't seen any roadstars doing wheelies on the interstate :lol:

the sport bike popularity is new when compared to conventional cycles from the last
50 years and they are experiencing growing pains as a result of the cocky hotshots
who THINK they can ride.once all bikers were thought to be criminals-not true
just as all sport riders are wheelie artist-not true
as time goes on the REAL riders will struggle with this problem until there is enough
responsible riders to overcome it or enough laws are passed to curb the problem

there is a general concensus of what size bike a new rider should start on based on the type of scoot-however its really not the how big?how small? of a bike-its the brain of the rider-the throttle doesn't twist itself :wink:

 

[DiverDown]

A friend of mine just went down to do his driving test. Met an officer who thinks the same way. Not sure how long he can get away with it, but this 16 year old that weighed about 115 lbs came to do his test with a new ZX-12R that he could barley touch the ground with his tip toes. His first bike. The officer looked at him, looked at the bike, walked over, took it off the stand, very gently laid it on its side and told the kid to pick it up. He fought with it for 10 mins, had no idea how or enough strength to pick it up. Officer went over, put it back on the stand and asked him what he would do if he dropped in the middle of the road. Kid just looked at him with a dumb expression. Officer told him when he could pick it up he could come back and take his road test. I about feel out, not sure what the kid’s parents did, but I shook his hand.

 

[grilldcheese]

I'm learning on a '01 ZX6-R. It's my first bike, and I see nothing wrong with it.

I have 5 years of driving experience, 4 of which have experience driving stick. I understand the roads, road conditions, unattentive drivers, the relation between clutch and throttle, etc.

With self-control, you don't do anything stupid, you just concentrate on keeping the bke up.

Now a 12R, that's ridiculous for a first bike. I think a 600 is about as big as i want to ride for the first year or two. I can't imagine riding a litre bike.

 

[Uncle Bob]

With self-control, you don't do anything stupid, you just concentrate on keeping the bke up.

And this ladies and gentlemen is the problem, self-control and throttle control are not directly related. New riders can get into trouble not because of lack of self control but rather lack of skill and/or experience.

Bikes get away fom you not because you intentionaly give it too much throttle or intentionaly hit the brakes too hard or at an inappropiate time. Bikes get away from newbies because in certain situations they do not have the acquiered reflexes that will insure a safe reaction to a given situation.

 

[heineken]

Not to be stepping on a moderator's toes, :wink: but I have to disagree. I took my first motorcycle ride whatsoever on a Ninja 900R. Granted it is an '85, but it's stage-two jetted with a header and pipe and some other goodies.

Even if you start on a little bike you can get hurt. To quote another newbie, it's not age, it's maturity. If you are mature enough and ready to handle a bike properly, you will.

I think another major factor is the bike itself. My buddy just bought a '98 FZR 600 for his first bike. If I had bought the same bike I'd have run into problems. The throttle takes almost no roll at all to rev through the roof. Mine is reasonable. I can pick an choose my revs. He really can't. I guess it's just individual bikes and how they are set up.

For any newbie I have this advice. Go with an older enduro or something that's cheap and a piece of crap, something you won't be pissed about when you put it down. After that, go to your nice, brand new crotch-rocket. If you can't wait, at least go with a 600R from the late 80's. They are a great, well-balanced bike, cheap, and they are easy to get parts for when you wreck. And you will.

 

[ZX-2R]

IT's NOT just about size

I've seen old guys riding Harleys riding down the center of the highway lane...lots of kids doing hte same thing. SOME of you will say, "so what?" IF you had MSF and years of experience you would know that oil, transmission fluid radiator overflow and all sorts of things are in the center of the lane...KNOWLEDGE is the difference. When You get a light or quick rain...the roads release the oils and stuff in them and you are driving on what is equivilent to ice or at least a skidpad...only ther is traffic on it... Size is important, but experience and education is a must! I wish EVERYONE HAD to take an Advanced MSF course prior to turning in their Permit, to get a full License. Films, actual riding, even some track time that was constructive like the Advanced MSF course. Here in Kansas we just lost two guys because they were playing chicken...neither one of them flinched as they hit head on...the witnesses...lets just say they won't be as stupid!

 

[ZX-2R]

WHEELIES

WHEELIES ARE FOR DIRT BIKES! Not Sport Bikes!

 

[OmahaRider]

I rode for 7 years then gave it up-------this is my first bike in 17 years----I'd have to definitely say a 600 is too much bike for a noob. Esp. a young and fearless one.

Its all coming back to me---but still has me a bit rattled on just how fast this thing is.

 

[etbachli]

I started out on a 600, having never ridden on a bike before, not even as a passenger. I took a fall, within the first mile, a light fall mind you. A 600 is a lot of bike. After that i didn't touch her until completing the MSF course-a fantastic course. Since then i have had no problems whatsoever, and i ride rain or shine, 10 months of the year (we're talking Boston here). I would say that i'm i very mature, careful rider...and i still intend to take the advanced rider course. I would not, however, say that a 600cc bike is too much to handle as a first bike. I wouldn't go any larger. I just feel that if i had a smaller bike i would have outgrown it after a month. this bike has enough charge to last me years and years down the road. its just perfect. but its all about the individual, different people can handle different things. you've really got to weigh the traits and characteristics of the individual. You can hurt yourself on any bike, the important thing is to know what you're doing and what you're getting into and whether or not you can rationally handle it.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

the opinions here are all valid-it just shows how indiviual this question is.
i've said it before you have to consider the riders mentality and ability to deal with
the obstacles involved in riding.some peeps are just a born natural rider and some have to
learn and pratice the skills but can be every bit as capable as a natural rider.
its interesting to see the different levels that people start on :wink:

 

[Peter4117]

I bought a 250 ninja for my first bike and was suprised and also very satisfied by the amount of power it gave me. I'm 18 and want to learn more before I go and get a rocket......

If you're worried about impressing people Dont.
250s arent nerdy and I'm sure they have more than enough for all beginners to handle.

ride safe

 

[Tim-]

Re: re

there are some very mature and skilled young riders out there that will be sort of punished by this.

Yes, there are mature young riders that will get punished by this. Heres an expample: a 16 year old that has rode dirt bikes since he was 10. He's very skilled and has mastered riding on the dirt. He rides higher cc dirt bikes with ease, and is smart enough to take the MSF course, and he wants to start out on a 600cc bike. Which he can handle responsibly. It would hurt someone like that. But, a 600cc limit would be resonable. Someone 16, no riding experience, etc. shouldn't be going out and buying a Hayabusa or a Ninja ZX-12R. I think that newer riders would be fine with a Ninja 250R, 500R or a Katana 600. The Katana would be a lot, but a mature rider could go easy on it.

 

[Tim-]

Reasonable*

 

[nathan600r]

The problem with everyone's opinion about mature riders is, I have never met someone who got a 600 or bigger as a first bike that was mature enough to ride it. The first thing they want to do is learn wheelies, or see how fast it will go. *sighs* So many stupid people, so many bikes destroyed by them.

 

[ZX-2R]

SKILLS VRS MATURITY

I agree that Skills and maturity have not much in common. I know some 16 year old dirt bike kids with more riding maturity than some 50 year olds, on both off road and on road bikes. I still believe that sensoring bike size may be a good thing, like it is in foriegn countries. A 16 year old even a 12 year old when he reaches the age to get a road license KNOWS HOW to ride a bike but the streets are different than off road. His maturity is part of the reason that he may not be trying wheelies on the road and he rides within the limits of the bike and his own knowledge of riding, but cars even bikes stop in front of you, forget to use turn signals, fuel is dumped onto the roads, as well as oils, sand, and you have big heavy cars that will run over you and unlike the dirt bike riders they don't know how NOT to run over you...they just slam on the brakes...
On the other side of the coin I know kids getting out of high school that are 275 6'4"...I guess that a 250 would HAVE to work pretty hard for them. Still maturity and road knowledge after a year of permit may be something that may have to happen. I'm opposed to Government Socialism...government control over the people, but we have Laws in all 50 states and even Federal laws in place, to protect us...Is it Right or Wrong. IS the EPA doing everything it can? Why can't we have more models of the different bikes, especially in my case Kawasaki's available to us? Is it because I can't ride the bike, is it because it gets BETTER fuel economy, is it because we couldn't sell that many of them?????????

 

[Freakinout]

I think that its better for everyone to start on a smaller, less powerful bike, but I know people who started on R1s and have never had any issues controlling the bike. I also know people who buy 250s and 500s that nearly kill themselves daily.

 

[Tim-]

I think that its better for everyone to start on a smaller, less powerful bike, but I know people who started on R1s and have never had any issues controlling the bike. I also know people who buy 250s and 500s that nearly kill themselves daily.

Exactly. People can kill themselves on a scooter, and mature people can easily handle and learn on a 600.