What do you recommend for a 1st time buyer of a motorcycle (sports bike)?

Answer 1

My first bike was a 1997 Honda Shadow 1100. The only time in the saddle of any bike I had ever had was a friend's 1986 Shadow 1100. He let me ride it for about an hour one afternoon and after that I was hooked.

There are many factors in determining which bike is best for you and many will argue that it's best to buy a small bike to start off with and trade up to a larger one once you're comfortable. I did not subscribe to this viewpoint because I weigh about 300 lbs and knew that an under-powered bike would lose its appeal very quickly once I was comfortable with it. Instead, I opted to get a bike with a larger displacement and take it very easily until my experience and comfort levels increased.

The bottom line is that nobody can really tell you what the best beginner bike will be for you. You have to decide many things including the following:

1) What do you want to do with the bike? Cruise around and take in the sights in comfort, or tear lickety-split down the road as fast as you can go? This will let you know what type of bike you want... cruiser or sport bike. Cruisers will go fast, but they aren't as fast and "flickable" as a sport bike.

2) How large of a person are you? As for me... a 300 lb guy on a sport bike just doesn't make sense. To me, sport bikes aren't comfortable at all... so that ruled them out.

3) How much experience with bikes do you have? Any type of motorcycle in the wrong hands (or inexperienced ones) can be detrimental to the health of the rider. Cruisers, while slower and heavier, are sometimes easier to handle than a high-powered sport bike because they aren't as prone to "getting out from under you". One look at insurance statistics will show what I mean. According to insurance statistics read on Progressive Insurance's website, the top 5 most stolen and most wrecked bikes are sport bikes. This also makes them very costly to insure... which brings me to another question...

4) How much do you want to spend on a bike and how certain are you that you will like doing it as a hobby? I opted for a good used bike, because I got a very good deal on it and I didn't want to be utterly heartbroken if I dropped it and put a dent in the tank. I also knew if I bought a brand new bike and then decided I didn't like the sport it would be harder to get my money back due to depreciation. When I sold my bike I actually got more out of it than I put into it (had to sell due to having a baby).

As you can see there are a lot of factors to weigh in buying a first bike. I would encourage you to take the motorcycle safety course first if you haven't already. It will teach you a lot of things including accident avoidance and evasive manouvers, and they usually always supply the training bikes for the course.

If you have already, go to http://www.msf-usa.org/ and read the manuals they have on their site. It will get you started in getting more acquainted with everything that goes into riding... and I also recommend reading the book 'Proficient Motorcycling' by David Hough.

Anyway, hope this helps... :-)

Answer 2

Whatever you get, don't start out on the open road. Going from a street bike to a sportbike isn't rocket science, but there IS a definite difference. I personally prefer it, but because the bike is more of an extension of your body, it's less forgiving of newbie mistakes.

Have someone take it to a large parking lot where you can ride around for a while to really get the feel of it. And don't just ride around in circles, be sure to practice turning corners as well.

This is assuming you already know how to ride, have gotten your license, and have spent some time on a street bike. If you haven't done any of the above, I recommend taking a beginner's course, such as the safety course. Don't buy a bike before you're sure this is something you can and want to do.

As for starting on a sport bike....I don't see why not. You're probably better off starting on a street bike, but I'm a firm believer in not wasting money on something you're going to be sick of in a few weeks. And if you're a beginner who's already dreaming of a sport bike, then it would be a waste to invest much money in something you're not going to want to keep for very long.

Perhaps you can find a small street bike for a very low price, keep it for a month or so, and then resell it to another beginner. Or borrow one, if you're lucky.

As for which bike - here again you're perhaps better off starting smaller. You can get a 250, a 500, or even a 600. I have a 6R, which is very light and nimble. Sure it's fast, but because I spent my time in the parking lot, I didn't hit the road and lose control because I was already familiar with the throttle response. So in spite of all the cautions, it's certainly possible to start that large.

You can go bigger than a 600, but the bigger ones weigh more and may not handle as well as a 600. But again, if you won't be satisfied starting small, be sure to start in a parking lot!

Answer 3

To be honest you should get something really small like a ninja 250 or something. I really frown on people saying that you will outgrow a 600 in a couple of months so you "should" start on something bigger (750 or 1000). OMG..that is probably the worse advice ever. When I hear someone give advice like that I want to scream! How does one "outgrow" a bike anyway? I ride with a group of guys that are professional racers (AFM/CCS/2 AMA guys) and they still have yet to "outgrow" their 600s. They do this for a living so you might want to consider that for any future advice you may get from a streetrider who thinks she/he can ride just because they can turn the bike on, pop a wheely, and make a turn at an intersection.

Here is my advice:

Take a MSF course (pass it)
Get a ninja 250(or 500)
Ride
Learn to ride
Ride some more
Take a track class
Do a couple of open track events
Take another track class (probably group B by now)
Ride
Ride some more
Take a track class (definitely group B or A if you get serious)
Ride
Ride past those guys/gals that have somehow outgrown their 600 sportbikes on your "little" 250/500

Buy that 600 you always wanted. Start the process over (take the advanced MSF class and continue learning as an "A" class rider.

Answer 4

kawasaki ninja 250. 500 is good but heavier and a little higher seat. Also yamaha seca 2 600, very nice. I rode all those as a beginner and had no problems, but I'm 5'7 so touching the ground is not a problem. if you are smaller female go for a 250 it will go 100 on the interstate if you need it, it could be all the bike you need. Good luck, two down :)

Answer 5

No smaller then a 600 because you will outgrow a 250 or a 500 too fast. It would be a waste of money. My first bike was a GSXR 750. I highly recommend the GSXR 600

Answer 6

How old ? If a girl or young boy, a Honda VTR 250 or Kawasaki EX250 Ninja. If a little older a 600 Honda or Kawasaki, but be careful The 600 will go over a hundred in just a few seconds..LOL

Answer 7

I believe that the Honda CBR series is the best "beginner" sport bikes. The bike is more evenly weighted for better learning of weight-shift. The bike is also has one of the lowest seat height to learn. The acceleration is steady and smooth and the shifting is also smooth. It was an excellent bike for me to learn from.

Answer 8

Yamaha R1, it has good handling and is all around good motorcycle for a beginner; however, if you have never drove a motorcycle then you shouldn't even buy a sport bike until you've had about a one year of good training and please wear a helmet.

Answer 9

Ducati Superbikes. Perphaps 1990 - 99.

Answer 10

I found this on the web. "It is too easy to get caught up in what is wrong for you and it takes time to find out....."