Motorcycles
04-16-2003, 02:26 PM
#16
Burning Brakes
I concur with eric on the Ninja 500/ex500. here's why.
1. (FAR) cheaper to buy
2. Cheaper to maintain - only half as many cylinders to work on
3. Cheaper to insure - under 500cc
4. much easier to learn to ride - lower to the ground and more upright riding position
5. Parts are cheaper
I loved mine - used it for 2 years in college before I got bored and and wanted something bigger...but you should be able to pick up a decent one for less than $1000 at this point.
Matt
1. (FAR) cheaper to buy
2. Cheaper to maintain - only half as many cylinders to work on
3. Cheaper to insure - under 500cc
4. much easier to learn to ride - lower to the ground and more upright riding position
5. Parts are cheaper
I loved mine - used it for 2 years in college before I got bored and and wanted something bigger...but you should be able to pick up a decent one for less than $1000 at this point.
Matt
04-16-2003, 02:38 PM
#17
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Another old biker votes for the 500 or 600, you will be fast enough to beat anything with four wheels!(I have an 1980 XL500 that can out drag a Corvette)
Although for safty my first vote is for something with doors and a roof.
Anyway recently on two different occasions I have been stuck behind some lame beginner on a 1000+ super bike on my favorite twisty road!
DON'T BE THAT PERSON!
IMHO a 500/600 is more fun because it is easier to throw around, you get a big 1000+ sport bike and you may end up waddling around corners with a angry 944 behind you!
I am tempted to look at a 600 bike or a V twin cruiser but for a fraction of the cost of either new bike I could get my Triumph trident 750 restored to like new condition. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />
Although for safty my first vote is for something with doors and a roof.
Anyway recently on two different occasions I have been stuck behind some lame beginner on a 1000+ super bike on my favorite twisty road!
DON'T BE THAT PERSON!
IMHO a 500/600 is more fun because it is easier to throw around, you get a big 1000+ sport bike and you may end up waddling around corners with a angry 944 behind you!
I am tempted to look at a 600 bike or a V twin cruiser but for a fraction of the cost of either new bike I could get my Triumph trident 750 restored to like new condition. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />
04-16-2003, 02:40 PM
#18
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what about the bmw funduro? i dont really have any bike experience, but they look like a good all-round bike and supposedly arent that slow....hey, you can even do trails with it! triumph has some good offerings too, in my opinion. you guys are making me think about bikes again.....noo...must..finish....914...
04-16-2003, 02:47 PM
#20
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today's sport 600's really aren't a beginner bike. sure, it's the lowest displacement in the repli-racer product line, but it will bite your *** just as quick as a larger 1000cc machine. if anything, today's 600's are harder to ride on a day to day basis due to the fact that you have to tap-dance on the shift lever to keep it in the powerband. a larger displacement bike will give you a broader and more usable torque curve.
any, and i mean any bike will scare the life out of you at least once. when you create a machine that weighs 370 pounds and churns out 100 rwhp, you're gonna get caught off guard sometime.
take a training course and borrow a friend's dirtbike. learn the controls and how to get out of a panic situation. experiment with different percentages of braking front and rear, and wear the appropriate safety gear. and don't shift at 3000 rpm like most people do on a sportbike, wait until about 10000. that will put smile on your face and a stain inyour underwear!!
have fun!
any, and i mean any bike will scare the life out of you at least once. when you create a machine that weighs 370 pounds and churns out 100 rwhp, you're gonna get caught off guard sometime.
take a training course and borrow a friend's dirtbike. learn the controls and how to get out of a panic situation. experiment with different percentages of braking front and rear, and wear the appropriate safety gear. and don't shift at 3000 rpm like most people do on a sportbike, wait until about 10000. that will put smile on your face and a stain inyour underwear!!
have fun!
04-16-2003, 02:49 PM
#21
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Ryan Z:
<strong>what about the bmw funduro? i dont really have any bike experience, but they look like a good all-round bike and supposedly arent that slow....hey, you can even do trails with it! triumph has some good offerings too, in my opinion. you guys are making me think about bikes again.....noo...must..finish....914...</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Yikes... yeah!
No way I'm going anywhere near a BMW motorcycle dealer, that bike looks way too cool. I don't think I would be strong enough to walk away with out buying one.
<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />
<strong>what about the bmw funduro? i dont really have any bike experience, but they look like a good all-round bike and supposedly arent that slow....hey, you can even do trails with it! triumph has some good offerings too, in my opinion. you guys are making me think about bikes again.....noo...must..finish....914...</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Yikes... yeah!
No way I'm going anywhere near a BMW motorcycle dealer, that bike looks way too cool. I don't think I would be strong enough to walk away with out buying one.
<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />
04-16-2003, 03:04 PM
#23
An excellent starter bike would be a 1991-1995 Suzuki GS500E. It is very sporty looking and plenty fast, but it doen't tempt you do be stupid, either. That is the problem with the GSX's, it is just too tempting to see what the bike will do (which is a lot!) and eventually, you find out that the GSX is probably capable of more than you are! The GS500E is very well balanced and lightweight enough to cruise around campus all day. It is still quick enough to have a little fun on when it is deemed safe to do so! Good luck!
04-16-2003, 05:45 PM
#24
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Alex, if you're looking locally and want some professional advice (for some odd reason I'm a prefessionally trained and factory certified mechanic in Harleys, Suzuki and Yamaha... plus I have 8+ years of experience working on my own Hondas) ~ just drop me a line sometime.
Since my P-car was the first cage I'd owned or driven in 8 years in favor for a motorcycle (living where there was frozen rain, ice and snow blizards) - weather is NOT an issue so long as you're prepared with the right gear. Rain is nothing to even blink at.. For college, I'd recomend something that's low on the theft-list (i.e. no sportbikes, or at least nothing newer than 1990), high on durability and low on maintenance. Any motorcycle while you're in college will do you good on the social front ~ and remember that there will be expenses.
My first bike was an 1100 sportbike ~ somehow I survived. My second bike was a 500 and I learned to ride on that which led to 80k miles on my VFR 700 over the past 7 years. Not sure what I'm going to buy next. If you want something cheap to just get started on with some miles, I'm selling a 84 Yamaha Maxim (cruiser) ~ and I'll let you 'rent' it for a nominal price. I might even have a jacket that'll fit you which would leave you needing gloves and a helmet for the most basic of protection.
In anycase, if you want to talk to someone locally.. help look at prospective bikes or just bounce little questions off - I love talking about this stuff. It's my absolute passion in life.
Since my P-car was the first cage I'd owned or driven in 8 years in favor for a motorcycle (living where there was frozen rain, ice and snow blizards) - weather is NOT an issue so long as you're prepared with the right gear. Rain is nothing to even blink at.. For college, I'd recomend something that's low on the theft-list (i.e. no sportbikes, or at least nothing newer than 1990), high on durability and low on maintenance. Any motorcycle while you're in college will do you good on the social front ~ and remember that there will be expenses.
My first bike was an 1100 sportbike ~ somehow I survived. My second bike was a 500 and I learned to ride on that which led to 80k miles on my VFR 700 over the past 7 years. Not sure what I'm going to buy next. If you want something cheap to just get started on with some miles, I'm selling a 84 Yamaha Maxim (cruiser) ~ and I'll let you 'rent' it for a nominal price. I might even have a jacket that'll fit you which would leave you needing gloves and a helmet for the most basic of protection.
In anycase, if you want to talk to someone locally.. help look at prospective bikes or just bounce little questions off - I love talking about this stuff. It's my absolute passion in life.
04-16-2003, 05:49 PM
#25
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I'm sort of in the same situation, looking at getting a bike in the near future, and I'm a complete newbie. I've found <a href="http://www.beginnerbikes.com" target="_blank">http://www.beginnerbikes.com</a> to be a good source of information. Based on what I've read, for a beginner a 500 is about as big as you'll want to go. They can be had so cheap anyway that you can sell it for about what you paid for it, and then move up if you really have to in a few months for little cost.
04-16-2003, 06:32 PM
#27
This thread brings back memories of long ago... my first bike was a '67 H-D Sportster that I bought for $400 when I was 16 years old (in 1977). Learned a lot about wrenching on it, as it was in several boxes when I first got it, and it didn't run all that well after I put it together, so I tore it apart again (and again and again!) until I finally got it right. Those memories will run forever in my mind! I have owned at least one Harley ever since.
Everyone seems to be saying stick to around 500cc's for your first bike, I don't necessarily agree with that, but maybe its different on Japanese bikes. An underpowered, lightweight bike ridden on the highway can be far more dangerous, in my opinion. The bigger question is, can you treat your motorcycle with the respect it deserves? "Don't be an idiot" is rule #1, as most of the young guns with their bikes act like future organ donors. Please don't be another one, okay? And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE invest in a real motorcycle safety course! I have been riding for 25 years and have ridden somewhere around 250-300k miles on motorcycles, and I still take a refresher course every couple of years.
Regards,
Everyone seems to be saying stick to around 500cc's for your first bike, I don't necessarily agree with that, but maybe its different on Japanese bikes. An underpowered, lightweight bike ridden on the highway can be far more dangerous, in my opinion. The bigger question is, can you treat your motorcycle with the respect it deserves? "Don't be an idiot" is rule #1, as most of the young guns with their bikes act like future organ donors. Please don't be another one, okay? And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE invest in a real motorcycle safety course! I have been riding for 25 years and have ridden somewhere around 250-300k miles on motorcycles, and I still take a refresher course every couple of years.
Regards,
04-16-2003, 06:34 PM
#28
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Well, broad statements about displacement just doesn't do much good. For instance, look at the Aprillia RS250 and the Kawasaki EX250... the EX can top out at about 90mph, the RS at around 130.... the EX weighs 400lbs, the RS 300. The EX can run almost forever on just oil changes, the RS needs top-end rebuilds every 8~10k miles.
But that's a big jump in bikes too (one's a 2-stroke, one's a 4-stroke). Take a Katana 600 and a GSXR600 - both made by Suzuki, both good bikes.... only the Katana is much more forgiving on the throttle and on the brakes, will run dang near forver with just oil changes and valve adjustments and is cheap(ish) to insure. The GSXR is more high-strung, is water cooled (Katana is air-cooled), and will cost more to own/operate ove the same peroid of time. But, they're both 600cc sportbikes.....
What scares me are the sales people at dealerships... they find out someone has good credit, and all the see are dollar signs. I've SEEN them push new riders towards the most expensive (and usually least forgiving) sportbike in the dealership just because that's where the most money is to be made ~ and to hell with the customer (it's a one-sale mentality, not a customer for a lifetime ideal).
Depending on the cash you have to spend (after buying a helmet, gloves, jacket, and boots that come over the ankles with padding), I'd point new riders to bikes like the 600 bandit, 600 Seca II, 750 ZR-s... maybe the 400 bandit or CB-1 (400cc) if they were a little shorter in inseam. For someone who has riding experience and a solid head on their shoulders but is still essentially 'new', an SV650, GT650 (hawk), MAYBE a CBR F2/3, FZR600, ZX6D/E, YZF600R. Most of these bikes have half or no fairings so they tend to survive the typical tip-overs and parking lot accidents better. Because of that, they hold value better and you're more likely to get out of a bike what you spend on it.
For instance, my GF bought a 1995 Yamaha Seca II 2 years ago for $1050. 7k miles and 2 years later, we sold it for $2200 ~ which paid for all her gear and probably all other expenses (insurance/licensing) she incured. While this was a rare deal, you should be able to find a good bike that'll last you through college for $2000 and sell it for about $2000 when you're done so long as it's still in good condition.
Alex, you know I live right at 78 and 285.. right? Probably less than 10 minutes for me to get to your house (or you to get to mine... I'll let you ride my YSR and check out the Maxim).
But that's a big jump in bikes too (one's a 2-stroke, one's a 4-stroke). Take a Katana 600 and a GSXR600 - both made by Suzuki, both good bikes.... only the Katana is much more forgiving on the throttle and on the brakes, will run dang near forver with just oil changes and valve adjustments and is cheap(ish) to insure. The GSXR is more high-strung, is water cooled (Katana is air-cooled), and will cost more to own/operate ove the same peroid of time. But, they're both 600cc sportbikes.....
What scares me are the sales people at dealerships... they find out someone has good credit, and all the see are dollar signs. I've SEEN them push new riders towards the most expensive (and usually least forgiving) sportbike in the dealership just because that's where the most money is to be made ~ and to hell with the customer (it's a one-sale mentality, not a customer for a lifetime ideal).
Depending on the cash you have to spend (after buying a helmet, gloves, jacket, and boots that come over the ankles with padding), I'd point new riders to bikes like the 600 bandit, 600 Seca II, 750 ZR-s... maybe the 400 bandit or CB-1 (400cc) if they were a little shorter in inseam. For someone who has riding experience and a solid head on their shoulders but is still essentially 'new', an SV650, GT650 (hawk), MAYBE a CBR F2/3, FZR600, ZX6D/E, YZF600R. Most of these bikes have half or no fairings so they tend to survive the typical tip-overs and parking lot accidents better. Because of that, they hold value better and you're more likely to get out of a bike what you spend on it.
For instance, my GF bought a 1995 Yamaha Seca II 2 years ago for $1050. 7k miles and 2 years later, we sold it for $2200 ~ which paid for all her gear and probably all other expenses (insurance/licensing) she incured. While this was a rare deal, you should be able to find a good bike that'll last you through college for $2000 and sell it for about $2000 when you're done so long as it's still in good condition.
Alex, you know I live right at 78 and 285.. right? Probably less than 10 minutes for me to get to your house (or you to get to mine... I'll let you ride my YSR and check out the Maxim).
04-16-2003, 06:43 PM
#29
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excellent advice so far. My first bike was a CBR600 and I got myself into trouble numerous times. I also took the MSF safety course which gives you a discount on bike insurance and is an absolute must in my opinion. A bike really may not be the cheapest for you though....
MSF safety course: $165
Helmet(not some crap brand either): $300-$450
Gloves(more nerve endings in your fingers than anywhere else on your body...cheap gloves don't work...i can't even count the # of idiots who buy $30 gloves and watch them come apart on the race track when they crash) $100
jacket: $200-$400
This doesn't even include the bike. You're going to definitely want protection too. I can't imagine anything worse than skin graphs. I've been hit by a guy running a stop sign and crashed at 80mph at laguna seca...both times I walked away...not cause I'm a good rider...but because I insist on only the absolute best safety equipment.
MSF safety course: $165
Helmet(not some crap brand either): $300-$450
Gloves(more nerve endings in your fingers than anywhere else on your body...cheap gloves don't work...i can't even count the # of idiots who buy $30 gloves and watch them come apart on the race track when they crash) $100
jacket: $200-$400
This doesn't even include the bike. You're going to definitely want protection too. I can't imagine anything worse than skin graphs. I've been hit by a guy running a stop sign and crashed at 80mph at laguna seca...both times I walked away...not cause I'm a good rider...but because I insist on only the absolute best safety equipment.