New Rider, First bike: Which one??? (Guide to choosing your first ride)

[ZimZima]

Perhaps look at a Honda VFR!!
Great ergonomics, you can tour for hours without a break, good power, not as sensitive as SS's and a good realiable motorcycle overall!!

As an ex-VFR owner, I'd say that VFR is quite heavier (top heavy) than most 600cc SS bikes. The seating position is better but for a newbie to learn slow speed maneuvers on a VFR could be quite a challenge. I myself laid my VFR down a couple of times, at ridiculously slow speeds on turns and slopes (And this was my 4th bike). Maybe its time I hit the gym..


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[funked_up]

I can't believe I read this whole thing. lol. It was very very interesting and gave me a wake up call on riding my bike. I like others bought a 600cc as my first bike. I do not recommend it at all, way too much power for someone that is starting out. Fortunately i haven't dropped it, considering i haven't raced or stunted it.

Going back in time i would've bought a GSF500 or maybe even a 250, but love my bike way too much now.

Any new riders out there one piece of advice DON'T BUY A 600!!!

[jack14]

hey i am jus starting to ride and im looking at buying myself a bike im looking at a 250 ninja do you think thts to small im 16 57 170lbs sry if it sounds rediculas but i realy dont know
thanks

[eieckro]

So, I ended up buying a 2002 SV 650S. I reallly like the look and feel of the VFR (in the showroom). Somehow I think I would like bigger bikes like that. I checked on insurance though, and for someone like me, it would cost $10k/year! Plus, that's one bike I don't want to drop. Maybe later on.

[lil red bird]

hey i am jus starting to ride and im looking at buying myself a bike im looking at a 250 ninja do you think thts to small im 16 57 170lbs sry if it sounds rediculas but i realy dont know
thanks

No it is not remember this is your FIRST bike not your last you are getting it to learn on. In a year or 2 sell it then get a bigger bike.

[saichaitanya88]

Very Informative for me. Thanks for posting this!

[CdnBiker]

No bike is going to be too small for you, unless you are extremely overweight, and you will know. I am 6'0 and 220lbs, I started on a GS500, and that thing still pulled me along quite nicely, very fun, and now I am moving on to a slightly bigger bike, start on a smaller bike and you won't regret it, you will be a much better rider! Be safe, research before you buy a bike.

[adri]

Looking at this from a noobie perspective, but also having been a ghost on this forum for years (yeah, most of my posts were before the big crash where we all had to re-register a while back), I've seen many of these questions asked, even asked a few myself. Funny that the article mentioned the old F1 Hurricane 600s, I was about an hour away from buying an '88 CBR 600F a little over a year ago. Now for personal as well as financial reasons I'm actually thinking of starting off on a scooter/moped... maybe a Jazz, Vespa, BW, that sort of thing just for ***** and giggles and to get used to being on the road (I don't drive), keep that for a year, ditch it, buy a bike by feb of 09...

[house]

informative threat... like many, I was advised to buy a 600cc as my first bike (R6 specifically).. albeit, many start out riding bikes because of the coolness factor, etc, if you want to look cool for years to come, start out small and upgrade as your skills develop..

cheers

[naturallgirl]

Thanks for the posting....my fiance tried to convince me not to buy my bandit 650 as a newbie bike, but I stubbornly had to have her. I laid her down at an intersection on Sunday...I stalled her going into a turn and got off balance and she was just too heavy for me to hold up. Only small damage and no damage to me, except my ego and feeling much humbled by these machines. I am sure having a smaller bike would have made a difference...

[ZimZima]

Thanks for the posting....my fiance tried to convince me not to buy my bandit 650 as a newbie bike, but I stubbornly had to have her. I laid her down at an intersection on Sunday...I stalled her going into a turn and got off balance and she was just too heavy for me to hold up. Only small damage and no damage to me, except my ego and feeling much humbled by these machines. I am sure having a smaller bike would have made a difference...

If only you read this before you got the bandit. Well you could always go back to a smaller bike and work your skills. I actually went from a 900 to 600 and noticed that my handling abilities have improved considerably. Before it was all about speeding down the freeway, now its all about handling twisties and commuting everyday. I'm actually debating if I should get a 400 grey market and use it for track.
So when you sellin the 650?

[Blackenese]

SOOOOOOO totally agree with this guy!!! my F3 scares the bejeezus outta me..

I can't believe I read this whole thing. lol. It was very very interesting and gave me a wake up call on riding my bike. I like others bought a 600cc as my first bike. I do not recommend it at all, way too much power for someone that is starting out. Fortunately i haven't dropped it, considering i haven't raced or stunted it.

Going back in time i would've bought a GSF500 or maybe even a 250, but love my bike way too much now.

Any new riders out there one piece of advice DON'T BUY A 600!!!

[naturallgirl]

Not sure what I am going to do yet. I really like my bandit but she is really heavy to move around, heavier than my fiances SV650S. We didn't know this before we bought it. If I had had the same thing happen with a GS500 say, would it have made any difference with keeping the centre of balance and keeping it from dropping? I don't know... Still tossing around what I should do now. I want to feel confident and competent on the bike I am riding.

[bobparry]

OK... I've read every comment and pondered. Now I see what I have got myself into here . I bought a Buell 1200 last week because it was ergonomically comfortable sitting on it in the show room. I have never ridden bike before.

As a retired OPP officer I have seen my share of roadway mayhem and mash and I know the need for the right kit, moderation in driving and awareness of other road users etc etc....

While I can clearly see where my handling limits are in a car after 30 years as a road warrior chasing idiots, I also know that I know nothing about this new adventure - and that is just why I jumped into recreational riding - for the adventure and learning something new.

After reading what you all have to say, I must thank you for your input. I am signed up for the M1 exit course and will look for the advanced courses too. All I can do now is keep my speed down and awareness up hoping I can survive long enough to learn a little.

Cheers!

[ZimZima]

OK... I've read every comment and pondered. Now I see what I have got myself into here . I bought a Buell 1200 last week because it was ergonomically comfortable sitting on it in the show room. I have never ridden bike before.

As a retired OPP officer I have seen my share of roadway mayhem and mash and I know the need for the right kit, moderation in driving and awareness of other road users etc etc....

While I can clearly see where my handling limits are in a car after 30 years as a road warrior chasing idiots, I also know that I know nothing about this new adventure - and that is just why I jumped into recreational riding - for the adventure and learning something new.

After reading what you all have to say, I must thank you for your input. I am signed up for the M1 exit course and will look for the advanced courses too. All I can do now is keep my speed down and awareness up hoping I can survive long enough to learn a little.

Cheers!

Just take it easy on the right hand and don't panic. Try to maintain fluid movements, no sudden acceleration, braking etc. Go to the parking lot the first few days and practice clutch control, slow speed riding, braking, turning etc. Get used to your bike, you'll be ok.
When you do get on the road, keep a 360 view around you and space yourself from others. Watch out for morons (I'm sure your used to that...) and keep cool.

Start with baby steps... practice in a parking lot first... If you're around the area, I wouldn't mind joining you as I gotta work on a few things myself.

[lil red bird]

OK... All I can do now is keep my speed down and awareness up hoping I can survive long enough to learn a little.

Cheers!

Hint when you are on the bike think of it as if you are on road side stop cars are trying to kill you. It is nothing personal they just do not see you or respect you sound familiar? Anyway welcome to the site ride safe.

[bobparry]

Hint when you are on the bike think of it as if you are on road side stop cars are trying to kill you. It is nothing personal they just do not see you or respect you sound familiar? Anyway welcome to the site ride safe.

I had this exact question occur to me yesterday after getting cut off for the first time -

"When traveling on 2 lane roads (One lane for each direction), is a motorcycle more obvious to oncoming traffic and to cars wanting to join that line of traffic (from a driveway for example) if you keep 2 seconds behind the car ahead than if you are ... say 8 seconds back?"

I found myself thinking that I would be more obvious to others if I were one more vehicle in a line than being alone. I would be interested in what this groups vast experience/reasoning has been.

Thanks

[lil red bird]

Be paranoid it helps they are trying to kill you . I find when riding alone during daylight hours it helps to have the highbeam on. I have had people flash the headlights at me but never been ticketed for it.
Yes riding closer to a car is safer but then you are hidden by the car as well.
Most horns on bikes suck get a loud one and use it. Yes group rides do help with safety find a riding buddy if you can.

[BusaBob]

..."When traveling on 2 lane roads (One lane for each direction), is a motorcycle more obvious to oncoming traffic and to cars wanting to join that line of traffic (from a driveway for example) if you keep 2 seconds behind the car ahead than if you are ... say 8 seconds back?"...

Bob, ALWAYS assume that other drivers don't see you. Often, they don't. You must know as an OPP officer that most drivers on our roads are in-attentive and have poor skills. I also believe that since there aren't as many motorcycles in Canada, compared to other parts of the world, people just don't look for them either.

I often worry that people see the single or closely spaced headlights of motorcycles and are not able to properly estimate distance and speed with a quick glance (if they glance at all), as people are more used to making these estimates from the relatively widely spaced headlights of a car.

For this reason, I feel perfectly justified riding in the day with my highbeams on. At least people will have a better chance of noticing it -- however, experience tells me that there are still some that don't.

As for your Buell 1200cc motorcycle as a first bike...well, that's a lot of bike for anyone, especially for a beginner. Frankly, my advice to you, sir, would be to put it in storage for at least a year and then buy a cheap, small, lower cc bike on which you can develop your riding skills on. I know it's hard to do, and may not be practical, but I believe that is your safest option.

[bobparry]

I often worry that people see the single or closely spaced headlights of motorcycles and are not able to properly estimate distance and speed with a quick glance (if they glance at all), as people are more used to making these estimates from the relatively widely spaced headlights of a car.

Ahhaa.. the light just went on for me (pun intended... sorry!) I can understand how the spacing of the headlights vs the single headlight would be confusing for those who give just a casual glance down the road and judge distance/closing speed incorrectly. Knowing that does not make us any safer but at least I understand why now. Thanks for that.