Ok so I am looking at motorcycles something I would commute with to school which is just down the road from me. (UNC Charlotte) I have never driven a motorcycle and I plan to take a few different motorcycle safety and operation courses at the local community college. But what I wanted to ask here was what is a good starter sport motorcycle? Right now I am looking at the Suzuki SV650 ABS http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/SV650AK8.

 

Well, for the price, you can't beat the Japanese bikes. New for new, you won't find a domestic bike for near the price on an import except for maybe a used Buell. The Shadow is a good starter bike; cheap, easy to find, easy to learn on. The only drawback I've heard is they lack a little in the power department. And, and the classes are a must for any first time rider. They teach you everything over a 2 or 3 day period and you leave there with your permit. Plus, some of them are free! I'd say find a local (and reputable!) dealer and ask questions. Don't go to a bad rep dealer, though. Do your homework on who you buy from. Don't let them talk you into a R1 as a starter bike.

 

Don't need that power not really a need for me the more power I have the more likely I would be to kill myself you know? Who makes the shadow?

 

Honda makes the Shadow, a very good bike. It's not a sport bike if thats what your looking for. You will probably ride a 250 at the classes. IMO sport bikes are not the best starter bikes, it's too easy to get caught up in the bikes abilities.

http://powersports.honda.com/motorcy...odelId=VT600C7

This would be a good comuter bike with a set of saddle bags.

Hope this helps.

 

Check out the Buell, a buddy of mine at work has one and loves it for his commuter, and it gets 70 mpg!!


http://buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/blast/features.asp

 

While I've always had either German or Italian bikes, if you are looking for a good starter stick with Japanese bikes. Their reliability is great and services won't kill you like European bikes.

Do yourself a favor and make sure you can afford leather riding gear and a motorcycle safety class before you pull the trigger. They are both great investments in your future.

 

That Buell is looking pretty sweet. I am definitely leaning towards that. Kinda sucks that the only Buell place near me is almost 30 mins away looks like i have to plan a trip up there haha.

 

I had the 2005 shadow vlx (they call it 600 but i think
its like 580 cc give or take).

It's an excellent commuter. I commuted about 90% for
2 years on it to work.

It wasn't the first bike for me but I can recommend it as a starter bike.
In my opinion a sport bike isn't the way to go either for a commuter
or a starter bike.

Also, look at the maintainence on the sport bike. It's a lot.

I put 11k miles on this and the only thing I needed was a couple
of oil changes and a pair of tires. 55 mpg city. 50 hwy.
(yes it is reversed I think due to the wind resistance)

It was plenty fast (for me anyway).

Looking back I might have gotten the 750. Still in the same
size range, but more able to sustain a highway speed on a long trip.
I'm not saying the shadow600 can't do that. It easily cruised at
80 with one person plus gear. But not as handy for 2 ppl on a
long trip.

But it was also under 500 lbs and very agile in the city.

I do not recommend one of those 250 cc things (not sure if they
even still make them). The reason is you can't really keep up
in traffic. I rode one for about a month. I'm 170 lbs 55 mph was
about all it will do. You just can't keep up on the highway at all.

 

The 2008 BMW G 650 XCountry looks like a solid bike. The suspension would let you pop over curbs that would tear sportbikes up. 53 hp is a good place to start if you want a quick bike that you can ride hard within your limits. Plus, not a lot of plastic.

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/bikes/...eSection=urban

 

I have ridden cycles off and on for 30 years on dirt and street. As others have, I always recommend take the safety course 1st. Get your motorcycle endorsement and then rent a bike for 1-2 days which is a little amount of money compared to the big purchase.

Some will say no gear and you are fine, but they usually say that only once. I know several people who purchased bikes before the course, then found out they didn't enjoy the experience.

Good luck, stay with metric for the 1st bike, then once you know if this is for you get a different bike later.

 

Having worked in the bike business for 25 years....21 at the wholesale level with Honda, and 4 in retail, I have some thoughts..

There ares ome excellent choices out there. take the training before you make any decisions. That will be on 250cc machines which you will probably determine is too small. In the conventional arena, the SV650 you mentioned is really an excellent machine. Get the standard, Not the S. Very reliable, good torque from the V-twin, easy to learn on. Used ones are reasonably priced.

If you have a yen for the custom style (i'm not a fan as they're not as versatile as a standard), then the Honda VLX 600 or Shadow 750 are excellent. Easy to ride and learn on.

Stay far away from the Buel POS. It is a Bad piece of equipment with virtually NO resale in most parts of the country...Nothing good can come from taking a Bad v-twin motor (Sportster) and lopping a cylinder off of it..

Take a look at the big scooters too..some of the 400-650 models are a gas to drive and very versatile commuters. I've had 30 or so sport and touring bikes and now have a 650 Suzuki Burgman scooter. Almost as fast as my Mini S and a lot of fun to ride!

 

I used to teach people to ride when I lived in the UK and am working on getting my MSF instructor certification in the US.

First and foremost - go on the MSF basic course. You will learn to ride - albeit at a basic level - you will gain some experience on a low-end, low power machine that despite its 250cc and 10-15hp will feel like a rocketship when you nail it

You will get a feeling for riding that will help you to decide what you want.

The SV650 comes in multiple flavors - the 'N' model has no expensive plastic to damage WHEN you have a mishap. the 'S' has the plastic work. but also much lower, racer-style bars, called clip-ons. The S is harder on your back and your neck, but easier on the freeway as there is less wind.

Then there is ABS / non-ABS versions on the latest models - ABS on a bike is an interesting thing - I have ridden both and could not tell the difference. presumably ABS would be good in an emergency, but generally speaking you would be unusual if you ever managed to grab that front brake so hard it was even close to locking up....

For a first bike though ?

Buy (ab)used.

You will make newbie mistakes and you will scrape some paint and trash some chrome.

Also brand new bikes require a level of looking after in their first few hundred miles that you are not going to be capable of.

New tires and a new rider == potential disaster.......

I'd look at a 2-3 year old SV650, or an EX250/500 or GS500.

I would be wary of anything other than a 'standard' motorcycle and would push you towards the SV650N -

 

As a short person I say whatever bike you get just make sure you can get your feet down - tippy toes is not confidence inspiring for a new rider IMHO

Other then that I'd say everything has been covered well already - take MSF, buy used bike, buy good gear that fits properly.

 

I really appreciate all the thought everyone is putting into their responses its nice to see a whole bunch of different points of view. I did have another question what about the BMW F650GS? I like that bike along with alot of the other BMW bikes.

 

No worries there I am 6'2" lol

 

BMW's tend to be expensive to buy and service. They are also not exactly the best thing to learn on - they can also be rather quirky.

They are bullet proof, but really, truly, much as I love them, I would point you towards a used SV650N.

Cheap entry point - $2-3K, cheap to service, very, very reliable and above all else, easy to ride and FUN.


MSF course, decent gear, then go find one - craigsllist is a great place to start.....

 

If you're looking for a sports bike the new Ninja 250R is a NICE bike . 0-60 is about 5.5 seconds, top speed of around 115 MPH.

It's really a super easy bike to control, and I know plenty of people that are 250+ lbs and 6'0+ that ride them and love them .

They only cost about $3,500, and most people have been reporting OTD (Out the door) prices of close to 4k after tax, dealer discounts, etc .

Here's a good picture comparing the new 2008 model (Green) to the older 1988-2007 model (Red)



Good luck! Ride Safe!

 

Not sure what bike you rode, but the top speed on the 250 Ninja is over 110 mph. With a sproket change you could hit over 120 mph, do you really need to go any faster than that on a bike as a beginner?

If your justification is that you're too big for the bike, think again, I know people close to 300 lbs that ride these bikes with no issue. There's a reason it's the most popular bike Kawi sells.

At only ~300 lbs it's one of the lightest, most maneuverable bikes on the road, a good rider will run circles around ANY 600 on the new Ninja .

 

The SV650 is a good bike, I'm not a fan of the styling on it though, and it's expensive new. I'd rather have a Ninja . I don't like the look of "Standards". Very much into the full faired sport bike look .

 

Oh - guess you're safe regarding seat height as long as you are not all torso

 

I needed to clarify it was one of those
honda 250 rebel things. This was way back.
Not the modern ninja bike in the 250cc size.

I just wanted to make sure he wasn't talked into
getting something like that as a 'learner bike'.

 

A 250 Rebel has about 16 HP, the Ninja has close to 40

Also, he did ask for a good "Starter Bike". A 140 HP literbike isn't a "Starter Bike" and anyone that starts on one is out of their mind. The Ninja is a greater learner's bike, and it's VERY forgiving.

 

I wrote this FIVE years ago for a sportsbike web site - it is still a sticky over there, so I figured it was still relevant

After a rash of posts about what bike to get as a first bike, and a lot of posts defending the reasoning behind "only a 600" or "having respect", or "too big to ride a small bike"....

Why not a GSXR/R6/ZXR/CBR/996 etc?

Well, I am not sure that the fact that these are "only 600's" means a great deal, they are seen as "slow" by newer riders, and therefore easier to master than the 1000cc versions. Many people have said that they feel a 750 would be fine.

I guess that your idea of slow, is a fair bit different to mine. My idea of slow is something that accelerates like, say, a Geo Metro, not something that accelerates faster than a Dodge Viper.

Lets face it, the modern 600 is faster than a 750 of six or seven years ago, in a straight line, up to about 130mph.......

Six years ago the 750 class was in the middle of open warfare season, the (then new) SRAD 750 was the king of the beasts, trouncing the CBR900RR, and the FZR1000 or Chunderace) and destroying everything else in its path. Not just in a straight line either, but the 96 SRAD was a marvelous corner carver.

In its day, it was brutal - it still is, wild head shakes, inadvertent wheelies, and an utterly brutal rush beyond 10K RPM.

The latest 600's whilst just as fast, are only slightly more civilised, the power is not as brutal, but there is still a huge rush, and on the dyno they are only a couple of HP short of the benchmark.

So the power of the latest 600's is amazing, there is frankly more than 99% of people can use, and more than anyone can need on the street - on the track its a different matter, but we are talking street bikes here.....

Its not just the power either, its the power delivery. In order to be competitive in racing, where modifications are minimal, the engines are tuned to be very "racer friendly". The throttle response beyond a few thousand revs is instant, this is great if you are on a track, but merely OK on the road. If you are heavy-handed, it can be very dangerous. The MSF course teaches you to roll on the throttle in a curve, to a newer rider, rolling on is just that, add 1/4 turn maybe ? Well with a modern sports bike 1/4 turn is FULL throttle. Rolling on on these bikes means may 1/32nd of a turn - if that.

These bikes are race-bikes with lights, or at least they are very, very similar to race bikes.

This is not a nice trait - you have just gone from 20hp to 80hp in the blink of an eye, and you low sided - if you are lucky- into the scenery.

So, handling is the next problem.

These bikes are race bikes with lights, this means that they are super-fast handling. In fact they are astonishingly nervous, in order to make they turn fast, they are set-up to respond to minute inputs, and this is another major issue for a new rider. A new rider will not have the subtly of input that the bike needs, rather than push the bars, you apply a slight pressure, and the bike sails into the bends, push on the bars hard, and it becomes all nervous and unsettled, and again, the new rider may be lucky to get through the bend.

Obviously this will not be a good thing - to an experienced rider these bikes feel planted, and predictable, for a new rider, they feel horrible, and your confidence takes a hit.

Ok - Brakes

Again, these bikes are similar to race bikes. One of the few places that they differ is in the braking department. The brake pads have to last a little longer than race compound ones, so they are a little less brutal than those on a racer, also they have rubber hoses, which have a little "give" in them, making it harder to lock the fronts.

But, they are still eye-poppingly good, its possible to stand any of these bikes on its nose, at really, really high speeds, assuming you are hard enough on the brakes.

Then there is the rear brake, and again this is overly efficient, all too easy to lock it, all to easy to high-side as a result of the locked brake.

Repair costs.

As they are race replica's they comer covered in expensive plastic. Each side is $600 or more. A slow-speed drop could easily cost you over $1000 just in plastic bits. Add to that the normal "consumables" and you are in the $1300 range for a 10mph spill.

Combine all of these factors, and I hope that you see why a sports bike is not a good first bike.

It has exactly the wrong set of characteristics for a new rider to learn to ride. Its too fast, too responsive, too twitchy, too nervous, the brakes are too sharp and they cost a lot to fix.

I'm not going to tell you that you should not get one (I'm not your mother), just that you need to bear in mind that these bikes belong in the "expert class", not the "new rider" one.

 

"What he said"

 

Check out the new Ducati 696 Monster. Beautiful bike, good everyday performance, and only $8499. -And you won't see one on every corner.