What is a good beginner's sportbike?

Answer 1

Ninja 250, ex500, sv650, vtr250, bandit 400, cb1, hawk gt, seca II, fzr400, srx250, srx600 I'd stay under 600cc for a 4cyl and under 700cc for a twin.

Answer 2

Just about anything of 500 cc's and under is going to be a pretty decent choice if you have never ridden a motorcycle. They're much more forgiving and predictable than a 600 cc supersport, but light enough to toss around and with enough power to keep up with freeway traffic. You'll have to rev a Ninja 250 hard to do it, but it will get up to 100 mph. And a 500 is going to have no trouble whatsoever keeping up with highway traffic.

There's a saying I've often heard about 600 cc sportbikes and beginners - "The trouble with this as a first bike is that it'll immediately do what you accidentally tell it to do." This can get you in real trouble if you have a panic stop to make or accidentally give the controls the wrong input when you hit a bump. A less high strung bike will give you more time to react and let you sharpen your reflexes when you are still getting the hang of how to ride.

Some good choices include the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and 500, the Suzuki GS500, and the Buell Blast (which is also a 500). There's also the Ducati Monster 600 and 620 - while it is a 600, it's still not an unreasonable choice for a beginner (a bit expensive if you accidentally drop it, though!). The other 600 cc sportbike that's still quite beginner friendly is the now-discontinued Yamaha Seca II. Occasionally you may run across some obscure lightweight sportbike like a Honda VTR250 or a Suzuki Bandit 400 - these things can be harder to get parts for, but are also pretty beginner friendly. See which one you feel comfortable sitting on. Bikes are like clothes; it really helps to try them on before buying.

If you have a few years of experience riding other types of motorcycles, though, any of the 600 cc sportbikes can be an exciting choice. Pick one you're comfortable with and go.

PS I highly recommend taking the MSF Basic Rider Course or having some similar sort of instructions when you're starting out. This'll give you a good start at learning how to ride. See the second link in my Sources.

Answer 3

The 250 or 500 Ninjas would be fine for a beginner, even arguably for someone who's a complete novice, not just new to sportbikes.

Anything bigger than that wouldn't be a great choice for a novice, although if insistent on starting this way, a 600 would be better than anything bigger. A 600 would be an ok choice for someone with prior experience but who is new to sportbikes.

I would mainly avoid 12, 13 and 14's.

There are also less radical sportbikes that might be better for a newbie. I'm thinking of the ZZR 600 or even 1200, or the SV650, which I think is a Suzuki.

Answer 4

The answer I'll tell anyone who's new to biking: Ninja 250R or 500R. Anything bigger will get you into trouble fast, and has a good chance of allowing you to kill yourself. A Ninja 250R can keep up with a big sportbike in the twisties, and can still do 14.1 in the 400m with a decent rider. That's in the pony car realm. That's plenty fast for a begining biker.
This is your first bike, not your last, remember.

Answer 5

***Let me put it to you this way sport bikes aren't for begginers, I have almost killed myself twice from shear ignorance. I love to ride i just don't want anyone to take the same chances i did, most people only get one***

honestly start off in the dirt. buy a cheap dirtbike and ride it everyweek for 6 months. just about the time you think you know what your doing rest assured you don't. buy a cheep street bike (Katana) the ergonomics are completely different but at least the dirtbike taught you how to respond to certain situations. ride the street bike on the weekends and stay away from traffic for another 6 months. Then maybe go buy a sportbike!! I like honda! size depends on your weight and height!

I'm 6'4 200lbs and look like a retard on anything smaller than a litre bike.

P.S. - any bike can do 160mph just depends on how fast you want to get to that speed.

Answer 6

Hear hear! I was going to say everything that MadScientist did, but he beat me to it.

So instead I'll say that everyone that suggested a GSX-R600, CBR600RR, R6 or any other race-level sportbike is a SQUID! People that buy race bikes to start on can't actually RIDE. Every Squid that I've seen knows what the throttle is, but not what the rest of the bike is for.

Don't be a Squid. You want this to be your first bike, not your last.

Answer 7

HONDA CBR 600 F4i. Just bought mine and its perfect fit for 5'8'' 165. The bike has more power than you'll ever need if riding around the town is what you plan to do. If you haven't take the MSF course do it because if you can't be comfortable on those 250cc bikes then riding anything higher would be stupid.

Answer 8

For me I just starting riding in July had never been on a bike before. I purchased a 06 Honda CBR600RR. Depends on what you like? You may want to get a 750 since your a man.

Answer 9

I started on a 250 that was not mine. I only rode it for one day and it sucked. It has very little power. if you dont even know how to ride a bicycle then its ok.

I bought a honda cbr 600 rr right away. it was fast, but im 230 lbs and wanted more acceleration. so I got a 1000 rr. I lost $3000 becuase of my upgrade.

my point is...if you already have a basic understanding of two wheels then get the bike you want to avoid buying another one so soon. save the money.

if you are very but i mean very unsure...then get a smaller bike becuase they can be very dangerous (and expensive to fix) if you dont know what you are doing or are the kind of person who cant think fast or decide fast.

Answer 10

Anything with a 600cc engine. I couldn't imagine why these guys think they need the 1000s, 1300s. My Yamaha R6 does 160 mph.