Mike951

I'm considering a sport bike, but don't know too much about whats good out there. I'm looking to get somethign used, as this will be my first bike, and don't want to spend tooo much money. Does anyone who knows bikes have any suggestions on what and where I should look?

Thanks
Mike

Devildog2067

How much are you looking to spend?

Mike951

I'm not too sure I haven;t done alot of researching prices yet, probably a few grand. What do used sport bikes usually go for?

Mike

87Porsche951

Honda makes some good bikes. CBR's have all the power you really would need and there well balanced and handle well.

Suzuki has redesigned there chassis to improve handling balance and handling.

Devildog2067

The problem with most 3-4k bikes is that a lot of them have been laid down. It's hard to find a nice $4000 bike with good bodywork and nothing bent. If you see a newer GSX or R1 for that price there's probably something wrong with it.

That said, you can probably pick up a late 90's VFR in that price range. I like those as a first bike because anything 98 or newer will be fuel injected. Carburated bikes are kind of a pta if you live somewhere where it gets cold.

If you're willing to consider a bike that's not a total sport bike, the Suzuki Bandit is a nice sport/tourer that's pretty reasonably priced. I've got a 2002 Bandit 600, it's comfortable and reasonably quick. I'm not looking to sell, but if I was I'd probably be asking $4000-4500.

v944god

Your looking at a price of $4500 and up. Ususually the cheapest is depending on the year, and some makes are usually cheaper than others. I found Yamaha to have the highest resell value out of Suzuki and Honda. So if your looking to spend little money go for a Suzuki, Honda, than Yamaha. Now if your looking for a bike with quality go with a Yamaha, Honda, than Suzuki. I prefer Yamaha's over the rest of the bikes due to the quality of the craftsmenship, and the looks. The R6 is a great bike to start off with. The front and color scheme are such a mean color. But your planning to get a bike, get something in the 600cc range to start off with. After awhile it may get boring, but you can always upgrade to a bigger one. Alot of people are going to tell you to start off with a small bike, or something thats a piece of crap, but don't even bother. Just aslong as you play it smart you'll be fine. Go out get a bike and have some fun.

Great choices for bikes, my choice best to worst:

Yahama R6, Honda CBR F4i, Suzuki GSX-R, than if your really broke than go with a Suzuki Katana.

ahofam123

Check out msf-usa.org. By taking their class, you can get an insurance discount, license endorsement, and will be able to determine if you really want a bike. I'd recommend looking at ebay and www.cycletrader.com for bikes that interest you. Dropping a sport bike can cost you hundreds of dollars to fix the body work, so in my eyes, an older sport bike, or a naked sport bike will be the best choices for a new rider that really has his eyes set on a sport bike. My brother had an '86 honda vfr 700 that he got off ebay. It had some cracked fairings and needed a tune up, so he paid only $1500. Although it still has more than enough power to get a beginner rider into trouble, it is a bit more comfortable and easier to learn on than a new sport bike. Other benenfits of an older bike are cheaper purchase price, not as high on the theft list, cheaper insurance, and price depriciation isn't as high (you can probably break even or make a little profit when selling them). As for the engine size, 250cc's are eas to learn on, but you can outgrow them quickly. I'd think that anythinng in the 500cc to 600 cc range would be good. Also, if you can do without the look of a sport bike, look at any of the older universal japanese bikes. You can get older honda nighthwaks for cheap and will not have any problems keeping up with traffic in the left lane.

CR

Mike,

I bought my first street bike 6 years ago after having ridden dirt bikes for about 10 years previously. I didn't want to start with something big, and I wanted something that was reliable and comfortable. I ended up with a 96 Honda CBR 600 F3, and I absolutely love it. I have never had any problems with it what so ever since I have owned it. I just change the oil when I need to and do regular tune ups, and it's been great. And it has almost 20,000 miles on it now and still runs perfectly.

I think you need to assess what you want the bike for. I myself just like cruising around, so I just wantd something that looked good and had decent power. And believe me, a 600 has decent power, it still scares the crap out of me sometimes. You will be able to blow away almost any car and get a great rush whenever you turn the throttle. I couldn't even imagine having a liter bike with more HP, that just scares me.

Some people do say to start with a smaller cc bike to start with, which personally, I kind of agree with. But no matter what size, you still have to be careful either way. A 600 can injure you just as fast as a 1000.

Just get something you like the looks of and you know is a clean bike, and have fun. They are a blast. I like all of the recommendations of bikes so far in this thread.

Keep the rubber side down.

CR

CR

Mike,

One other thing, if and when you do get a bike, make sure you get good gear, it is worth every penny.

Here is a quick pic of me on my bike. (the pantlegs were riding a little high though, ha ha.)

MPD47

CR, you dont ride with gloves? (Not that I ride, but I've kept track of some of the bike posts on here for future referance) When I do get around to buying a bike you can bet ill be in full gear with a good set of gloves. I still want to have hands.

Serge944

When i raced BMX for 3+ years (kind of similar), i never used gloves. Even though i had a full race uniform. Some pro's even went glove less. Sure, youre not protecting your hands, but you feel far more connected with bare hands.

awilson40

A Suzuki Katana 600 is a great bike and a lot lower cost than the CBR's.
I really loved mine

Peckster

You won't find a decent sport bike for 2 grand, because decent ones really hold their value. And you will never find a late 90s vfr for anywhere near 2 grand, unless it's been crashed or something. And carburated bikes run fine on cold weather.

Josh968

My brother laid his CBR down in a big looping freeway interchange, doing a "Superman" along the pavement. He lost a LOT of skin off his palms. I always wore gloves. You may need to fork over some $$$'s for a good pair, but it's a small price to pay for the protection. I never felt like I lost any feeling either.

josephsc

If you have never ridden before, no matter what anyone says -- go take a class. Then, go and learn to ride safely -- don't get caught up with all the idiots out there. Finally -- go take more classes. You don't want your bike to become a parts donor -- you also don't want to become a parts donor yourself, either.

As for the first bike, opinions differ but I'd say get a beater/learner -- simply because you will most likely be laying it down at one point. Just make sure what you get is safe to ride, though (take it to a shop). Once you've outgrown it, you can easily get rid of the learner to the next newbie. I started out with an older 500cc -- that felt just right for me for the first year. Moved up to a newer 600cc after riding for 5K miles. Good used bikes with low miles are easy to find -- a lot of people buy new and soon realize that they're over their heads -- which is great for the rest of us!

And definitely get good gear -- I'm personally guilty of not riding with enough gear -- usually just a leather jacket, jeans, gloves and hiking boots. I know I'm asking for it, but I don't like showing up to the office in full armor. I've gone bodysurfing on the Santa Monica Freeway once -- that was very scary. Here's a rough guideline: if you have to ask whether you need a piece of protective gear or not, then the answer is you need it.

The gloves also essential for keeping your hands warm. I spent a year in Boston and there's been wintry nights when I wished I had heated gloves! If you start riding at night/foul weather/long distances you'll definitely be wanting good pair of gloves.

There's a lot of benefit to bikes, especially in LA -- cheap gas, cheap insurance, easy traffic, easy parking (free parking at the airport), super easy to wrench on, and friendly crowd (more waving on bikes than in Porsches ). It's also alot of fun -- but you have to be extremely safety concious!