I'm a new rider. What's the best sportbike to buy?

Question

I have narrowed it down to a Suzuki Katana or Bandit, Kawasaki Ninja or Honda CBR. I definitely am buying it for fun, NOT FOR SPEED so I have decided to go with a 600. I don't know anything about bikes so I wanted to get some feedback on which bike company makes the best and most reliable. Thoughts anyone? I start my cycle safety course on September 1st, help!

Answer 1

first of all stay away from katanas or bandits resale value sucks and you might get laughed at, a lot...as for the kawi and honda..... the zx6rr (636) would be an awesome choice very comfy and nimble. the honda is not as comfy but the little to no maintenance is awesome. SO go with the honda great ride looks good parts are cheap and you dont need to do alot of work to them to maintain them...

Answer 2

Like the guy above me said, the 600's ARE fast. I cut my teeth on the back of a ZX-11, so I KNOW what speed is. And my 636 is DEFINITELY fast enough for me!

Ok, enough CAPS! Anyway, the 600's are lighter than the big boys, so in that sense, they are (perhaps) a better choice for a newbie.

I have an 04 ZX6R (the 636). Because I'm short, it wasn't the greatest fit for me, but I had it lowered and bought Convertibars. Now it's perfect! I know nothing about the other bikes, sorry. I chose this one because a) I came across a lowered 6RR and it brought my attention to these; b) for no particular reason I've always loved Kawi's; and c) the 600 line in general was a good fit for me physically.

I'm feeling lazy today, so the only other thing I'm going to say is that, whatever you choose, don't hit the open road with it right away. Put in some practice time in an empty parking lot. Get the feel for the bike before you get out in traffic.

Answer 3

The 600's are around 100 horsepower, and will outrun virtually any car you can buy off a dealer's lot. I would recommend getting something a bit less powerful to start off with. It's way too easy to accidentally do a wheelie, or grab the brakes hard enough to send the bike out of control. You have enough to worry about being on a bike as a beginner without a bike that will do exactly what you accidentally tell it to do.

As you said you aren't going for speed, may I suggest getting a Ninja 250, Ninja 500, Yamaha Seca II, or Suzuki GS500? They will have enough oomph to easily keep up with highway traffic, but they're a lot more newbie friendly. With a light and low powered bike, it's easy to have more confidence and learn how to really push a bike to its limits. Should you feel the desire for something bigger later down the road, you'll be able to sell it for very close to the original purchase price. The SV650, air-cooled Katana 600, and Ninja 650 are somewhat possible choices, compared to a 600 cc supersport. I would not suggest starting off on a CBR600 or Ninja 636 to most riders.

Glad to hear you're taking a safety course. If it's the MSF BRC, they will have the bikes there for you, so you may want to hold off on getting a bike until you pass the course. And you'll definitely want a good set of gear too.

Answer 4

I take it from your post that you are new to motorcycles completely. So I will try to answer your question with the advice I would give anyone in this situation, based on my own personal experiences and with 20 years of riding under my belt, mostly on sportbikes (Honda, Suzuki, and Buell).

There are two kinds of motorcycle riders. Those that have fallen down, and those that will. With that in minf, I would not go with the CBR 600. For one, even though it is a 600cc bike, it is really fast and handles extremely well, two things that are a potent combination for a new rider not used to it. Yes, the Honda is reliable, but the 600 is for experienced riders. You WILL lay your first bike down, and if it is a CBR600, wait until you see how much it costs to get a fairing repaired.

Any dealership who sells you a CBR 600 as your first bike ought to have their franchise agreement revoked by Honda.

Instead, if you want to buy a new Honda, I would suggest the 599. It is very light, agile, much cheaper than the CBRs, and has a more upright riding position which is MUCH better for a new bike rider. is it sexy? No. But then again, road rash isn't sexy either. Ride it for a year, get some experience, and trade up.

Everything I wrote above applies to the Ninja as well.

For Suxuki, I would suggest looking at the Vstrom 650s and the SV650 in their Standard class of bikes. Both are cheaper, have plenty of power, and will allow you to learn how to ride without someone needing to scrape you up that first year.

Just because you are looking at 600cc bikes does not mean that they are not fast. I've ridden the Katanas and they are nice but kindy crappy and unreliable and their resale sucks. Just remember, think about the TYPE of riding you want to do, as well as your experience level.

Answer 5

Don't buy a sportbike as your first bike. Learn how to ride. It's real easy for an inexperienced rider to grab a handfull of throttle by accident. On any bike thats dangerous. But on a SS it's even more so. Buy a beater and earn the right to jump on an SS bike. You'll live longer and we wont have to hear about another new rider going down for the count.

All, in all you buy whatever you want. But if you've already made up your mind about getting an SS, nothing we say will influence your decision. So just be safe and make sure your around in your 60s to still be riding.

Answer 6

Here is honest advice, buy somethign that you can afford to drop. ei buy a small cc second hand bike until you get more seat time. Nice thing about motorcycles is they depreciate somethign fierce. I would recommend a 99 or so 600. Something with fuel injection thus you wont have to fight with carbs. Something nimble that will keep you honest. I dont' suggest getting a new bike for a newbie I have too many friends who started riding on a new bike and within the first two months the layed it down. Then they ended up just leaving it in the garage when they found out what woudl happen with regards to insuring it.

Answer 7

You shouldn't buy ANY of these bikes till you get some miles under your belt. They're too fast & powerful for a newbie & they will hurt you before you know it. Start out with a 250 or so until you get used to how bikes respond & handle in different situations. Believe me, a 250 will go fast enough to scare you right now.

Answer 8

Motorcycle shopping? This season’s top bike picks
Gregory Ellis
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

If the nice weather and the prospect of a weekend road trip on a motorcycle are enticing you to buy your first bike, or if you've outgrown your current ride, you might be wondering which bikes are some of the top picks by Canadian riders.

Picking the right motorcycle make and model includes not only shopping around and pricing a variety of bikes, but it also includes shopping around for the insurance you'll need to cover it. Nowadays, most motorcycle shoppers compare insurance quotes prior to buying their bikes. As a result, insurance quoting activity is a leading indicator of the top bikes people are looking to ride.

This season's online motorcycle quotes show Honda as the dominant manufacturer, followed closely by Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

A further breakdown of the information available from the quotes this season show how the bikes most preferred by a rider vary by their age and gender.


From an insurance perspective, the good news is the most popular models among younger less experienced riders tend to be cheaper, smaller engine sized bikes. In general, these bikes are easier to handle and less costly to repair in the event of an accident, therefore making them less expensive to insure.

Since your choice of motorcycle affects insurance premiums considerably, it is wise to compare insurance quotes from a variety of companies before purchasing your new bike. By comparing quotes through at kanetix.ca, riders can easily get a variety of quotes for different models to see how much they'll cost to insure.

http://ca.pfinance.yahoo.com/ca_finance_insurance/13/motorcycle-shopping-this-seasons-top-bike-picks

On that yahoo Canada home page it breaks down the top 5 bikes by syle for pople under 30, and the most popular for insurance reasons...etc. www.yahoo.ca its on the featured article right at the top of the page.

Answer 9

as a beginner you should ride a cruiser, easier to handle, plus it's a more comfortable ride. i've been riding since january but sadly we had to sell the bike. my dad said if we ever do get another bike though, since i've had 4500 miles of experience we'll go after a sport bike, and as crazy as it sounds, i want a suzuki GSXR-1000, of course i know it's an extremely powerful bike, and i probably shouldn't even look at one, but i want one anyway.

Answer 10

Honda and Kawasaki both make great bikes so go with the one that fits you the best. Don't buy any Suzukis ! My brother and I bought 2 new bikes for a summer vacation. His 1200 Bandit leaked gas and ruined the motor before it got 2000 miles. We asked Suzuki to replace the motor so we could go on vacation.
It took 2 months to get a rep, then he said it’s to expensive and would cost $3000. After 4 months and the vacation gone they got the motor rebuilt at a their cost of $3700. The dealer wanted to replace the motor but Suzuki Rep squashed that.
The gas stained cases and burnt exhaust pipes were not replaced. The bike got nicked and scratched all over from being apart for 6 months. The rep rode it and looked at it, then said it’ good as new. It ran like crap and looked worse.
We called Japan, and even wrote the US CEO all for nothing. We spent $15,000 for the bikes to get ripped off by Suzuki. We spent our vacation hassling with Suzuki, and not one person there gave a damn!
Beware Suzuki’s warranty is not worth the paper it’s on! Buy one of their lemons, get shafted, we did!
I’m a 30 yr garage vet and I know when a rep and a manufacturer have ripped off a customer. This one stinks to high heaven! RUN from buying any Suzuki!