Buying my first sport bike soon...signed up to the forum to look around and get ideas | GTAMotorcycle.com

Buying my first sport bike soon...signed up to the forum to look around and get ideas

J

johnnnw

Well-known member
Hey everyone... buying a sport bike soon hopefully. Or one very close. (gs500, 500r, etc)

It'll be my first bike, not wanted a 250 as I will out grow it too quick and I'm 6'2", not a big fan of the 250cc.

I'm hearing a lot about the Suzuki GS500 and Ninja ex500 (500r) as being forgiving for a beginner but still fun and quick. Seems a great bike.

Anyways hello!
 
johnnnw said:
Hey everyone... buying a sport bike soon hopefully. Or one very close. (gs500, 500r, etc)

It'll be my first bike, not wanted a 250 as I will out grow it too quick and I'm 6'2", not a big fan of the 250cc.

I'm hearing a lot about the Suzuki GS500 and Ninja ex500 (500r) as being forgiving for a beginner but still fun and quick. Seems a great bike.

Anyways hello!
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I am on my 3rd season with the GS500, it was my first bike. It is a good platform for beginners.. very simple (mechanically speaking), and easy to handle. Mine came naked from the factory, so maintenance is crazy simple.

It has enough power for me. Any more, and my hooliganism would take over (which is why I've stuck with it so far). There are many modifications you can do to it too.. I've probably tackled (or thought of tackling) most, so if you have any questions then feel free to ask. I went down one tooth in the front sprocket, so at highway speeds I am usually in mid-6th gear, the top speed is probably somewhere up at ~180 km/h, so it is adequate.

If you find yourself more of a sport bike fan (as opposed to the more upright standard posture) then you can put aftermarket handle bars to give it a more aggressive feel. For me, it made the bike a lot more fun.

I would be happy to answer any other questions you might have
 
Thank you for the great answer. Nice to have some backup on the GS500 being a good first bike.

My question so far is what should I look to be paying? Let's say for an 08 to make it easy, what's a good value? Obviously I don't want to over pay or anything.

I'm definitely a sport bike fan, only thing is I don't want to start a 600cc sport bike, and 250 is out of the question. 600cc seems a little scary to start on from what I've seen. Also insurance is better for a gs500 than a sport bike.

My other question is what companies are good for insurance? I don't know much about motorcycle insurance. What's the overall opinion of people here for the cheapest insurance companies?

Thank you!
 
johnnnw said:
Thank you for the great answer. Nice to have some backup on the GS500 being a good first bike.

My question so far is what should I look to be paying? Let's say for an 08 to make it easy, what's a good value? Obviously I don't want to over pay or anything.

I'm definitely a sport bike fan, only thing is I don't want to start a 600cc sport bike, and 250 is out of the question. 600cc seems a little scary to start on from what I've seen. Also insurance is better for a gs500 than a sport bike.

My other question is what companies are good for insurance? I don't know much about motorcycle insurance. What's the over opinion of people here for the cheapest insurance companies?

Thank you!
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When I bought my 08 in 2011, I paid $3900. It was pretty much brand new, all stock in showroom condition with 3700 km on the odometer.

Now, I would say anything in good working condition and appearance should be above $3000, I would go as high as $3500 for one in really good condition. That being said, you could choose to buy one with a few dings and scratches and probably save some money. That is ultimately up to you. Make sure you know what to look for when buying, or bring someone with you that does (depending on where you are, I could assist).

In my opinion, you are making a really smart decision going for this bike class (500cc). When I changed the bars to something more aggressive, I had such a smile on my face. I then went even more extreme, and switched to clip-on handlebars. I am in a body position similar to a 600SS now. Loads of fun. I have really enjoyed making this bike my own. Every modification I've done has been to make it more personalized and fun for me, so I am really happy with it.

Insurance is really bad. Really really bad. The fact that you are going for a beginner bike will help, but it will still hurt for your first season. It is way to dependent on the factors, so your best bet is to call around (ASAP, before you buy!) and get quotes. Some people buy the bike, and then find out they can't afford the insurance. So call and get quotes.

I am with TD Meloche Monnex, they gave me the best rate by far, but you need to be a student at certain schools or part of a professional group to get a rate with them. You could try regular TD, or try a broker. Your best bet is to read the sticky threads in the insurance subforum.
 
I guess I'll never understand people who are getting their first bike BRAND NEW, and then try to sell it at a loss in 1 or 2 seasons to upgrade.

If you can wait a bit longer, prices will start going down as the season will be coming to an end. I paid ~40% less than Toronto spring prices by buying my first GS500F in the boonies (Belleville) in November. It was 4 years old with 23K on it. At that time bike was 4K in GTA.

GS500 is bulletproof, as design of the engine hasn't changed in like 30 years. I didn't care, which bike I'd get, as long as it was either GS500F or EX500R. EX500 is uglier (IMHO) with outdated design, whereas GS500F looks like a mini-gixxer. EX500 is liquid-cooled if I remember correctly, GS500 is air cooled. EX500 has twin exhausts, GS500 has a single can. Not much of a difference between those bikes. EX500 has 3-4 extra horsepowers.
 
I like new only because I don't wanna buy someone else's problems. You get to know the way it should sound so if that changes, you're more aware.
 
ViperZ said:
I guess I'll never understand people who are getting their first bike BRAND NEW, and then try to sell it at a loss in 1 or 2 seasons to upgrade.

If you can wait a bit longer, prices will start going down as the season will be coming to an end. I paid ~40% less than Toronto spring prices by buying my first GS500F in the boonies (Belleville) in November. It was 4 years old with 23K on it. At that time bike was 4K in GTA.

GS500 is bulletproof, as design of the engine hasn't changed in like 30 years. I didn't care, which bike I'd get, as long as it was either GS500F or EX500R. EX500 is uglier (IMHO) with outdated design, whereas GS500F looks like a mini-gixxer. EX500 is liquid-cooled if I remember correctly, GS500 is air cooled. EX500 has twin exhausts, GS500 has a single can. Not much of a difference between those bikes. EX500 has 3-4 extra horsepowers.
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Oh I wouldn't buy brand new for my first bike. That will come when I upgrade in the future. Then I will enjoy the luxury of a nice new 600. For now it's definitely going to be used.

I can wait, I'm still in research phase.
 
johnnnw said:
Thanks for the suggestion, I didn't even know about those!

Added two more to the watch list haha...
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Definitely have a look at the new cbr 500. Great starting platform. I've heard nothing but positive about them from people so far and the cbr looks great :thumbup:
 
Roomie said:
Definitely have a look at the new cbr 500. Great starting platform. I've heard nothing but positive about them from people so far and the cbr looks great :thumbup:
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Yeah, a friend of mine is demoing them right now and he's got nothing but great things to say about it.
 
Welcome!!
Wheelie.gif
 
May be a tiny bit biased, but a thumbs up for the CBR500 as a first motorcycle :) Worth it for you to sit on it at least, because I'm much smaller than you and it works for me.

Most people advise to buy a used bike as a first bike. I could've went that route but I went with new and have no regrets in doing so. Plus, I had an eye on the CBR500 anyways and since it came out this year I coudn't get it used.
 
carlos said:
May be a tiny bit biased, but a thumbs up for the CBR500 as a first motorcycle :) Worth it for you to sit on it at least, because I'm much smaller than you and it works for me.

Most people advise to buy a used bike as a first bike. I could've went that route but I went with new and have no regrets in doing so. Plus, I had an eye on the CBR500 anyways and since it came out this year I coudn't get it used.
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From what I hear, it's a great bike. I can't wait to buy it myself.
 
I would stay away from the 500 series Honda line-up as your first bike, only because it's a brand new 2013 model. Thumbs up for any other bike like a
-Suzuki GS 500F
-Ninja 500
-SV 650
- Or how about a motard haha:D?
 
Bagel09 said:
I would stay away from the 500 series Honda line-up as your first bike, only because it's a brand new 2013 model. Thumbs up for any other bike like a
-Suzuki GS 500F
-Ninja 500
-SV 650
- Or how about a motard haha:D?
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Why? My friend works for Honda and is demoing them in BC as we speak. He highly recommends it. He's been demoing the R and the F.
 
sykobish said:
Why? My friend works for Honda and is demoing them in BC as we speak. He highly recommends it. He's been demoing the R and the F.
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I think he's just saying that it's not the best idea to get your first bike new. (which I agree with)

I'll for sure be going used for my first, that's pretty much all I know right now.

Calling tomorrow for insurance quotes on the SV650, GS500 and 500r, then going from there.
 
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