GregStevens

I've been thinking about getting a sportbike and am looking for advice from those with more experience than I, so I thought I'd post and see who's out there.

A little background. The only bikes I ever rode were dirt bikes and that was a long time ago...like when I was a kid. I'm 38 now. I was talking this over with a friend and I mentioned a starter bike, something like a Ninja 250. He strongly advised against that...not enough power, get screwed on the resale, etc. He did suggest that I buy HIS bike, a GSXR 600, I think it's a 2000 model. I was a little surprised at first, since I have no real experience on sportbikes, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It's a good handling bike, good power, reliable, plenty of aftermarket support, etc.

Whatever I buy, I'm going to take classes before I even get one...there is a group here in Austin (may be other places too) called TRAK, I think, that provides instruction on their bikes, etc. I'll also take it to the track occasionally, too, so the GSXR is a good choice for that.

So, what do you guys think? If you have experience in this, what do you suggest?

I'm all ears...

evilcow

A GSXR 600 is probably not the ideal starter bike but if its a good deal.

justinh

My first bike was a CBR929RR, by most people's standards not an ideal starter bike. I had ridden my dad's suzuki intruder about 1500 miles before i swung a leg over the 929. it really depends on your comfort and logic level. I rode with my 2 best friends, one had a Honda RC51 (1000 v-twin ala Nicky Haden), the other had a CBR600F4. The kid on the 600 was the only one to ever lay his down and he did it 3 times. The moral of the story, ride smart and within your abilities.

Waterboy

This is my first season and my first bike is an 89 CBR F1. I wrecked it this summer and I'm still putting it back together. Since you have some background on bike dynamics and are older you have two things going for you. Ninja's are nice to teach people on but they get old really fast. However they are very forgiving to mistakes and are cheap to fix. Also what your friend told you about resale is wrong. The market for starter bikes is a sellers market and learning on one for a year will save you money in insurance plus you can resell it later for a 100 or 200 less then you bought it for.
My neighbor has a 2000 Gixxer that he let me ride recently, that thing is scary fast. It has no give for mistakes and does triple digits in a split second, plus it's expensive to fix if you mess it up.
Plus learning on a smaller bike will make you a better rider. I can woop the crap out of my neighbor and some of his friends in the twisties all of them on their super sport bikes with me on my 70hp bike.
Check out http://www.msf-usa.org/ they have links to training facilities in every state. Or you can check out your state's DOL site, they will usually have links to them as well. It's $100 in WA but definetly worth it. You get to ride Honda 125's around for two days and at the end you get a card to take to the DOL that let's you bypass their testing. It might be different in your state but most of them are like that.
Good luck and WEAR GEAR.

WT

I was in the same situation a few month back I decided I wanted something to have some fun on on the weekends and also be able to keep up in the future with other that I know that ride. I decided on this... 2004 Yamaha FZ6 (great price for a new bike and also what you get)
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...97346633iNPCJg
Its a cross between a sport and touring bike you actually sit upright not in the laydown position of a true sports bike but it also looks good
I too am no spring chicken and also did not ride anything but dirt stuff and fourwheelers in the past. This is my fisrt street bike and Yamaha had some good prices and financing going on. I also did not want to get a bike that was to small to start off with since I hate to have to sell it after only a few months and then buy something else. Classes are a good idea plus I would say as long as you take it easy and know that on a bike everyone out to get you you will be fine , Don't push yourself on it and know your own skill level. Good luck let us know what you end up with if you get one.
PS. Be sure to get a good helmet and riding jacket and gloves, I never ride without being all suited up, money well spend. Also you may want to call and do some price checking on insurance (call other places to not just your insurance company) on models and years of bikes your looking at so you know how much its going to cost at the end.
May also consider looking at a Suzuki SV650 good rattings and price too..
Here a pic of it on my trip to the deler the other weekend for its first checkup.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...97344299spLyOy

Scottiac

I'm also 38, and just picked up my first bike (no previous experience at all). I got a Honda Nighthawk 450 (older bike) for about $1,000.

Assuming you don't overly trash your "starter" bike, you can probably expect to sell it for what you paid if you get a used one, and only plan on riding a season or two on it. Give or take a few hundred, anyway.

Anyway, the 450 is really nice for me. I'm around 200 lbs. right now, so I was a little leary getting a 250 and not having it able to move my lardly carcass up to speed.

Check out beginnerbikes.com for some other opinions, but they're pretty conservative (like me on this topic!).

One piece of advice, if you take a MSF class, go get your license immediately afterward. Insurance companies set your rates based on how long you've had a license, not how long you've been riding!

GregStevens

Excellent advice guys...thanks!

I, too, thought a Gixxer as a first bike was a little nuts. I'm still not sure which direction to go yet. I'm DEFINITELY doing the school...too many things to learn and I know I need to know it so I will be safe. I've got a lot of track time in cars (Laguna Seca, Road America, Gingerman, et al), so my need for speed has been satisfied...plus being a tad older and knowing my limits is definitely a good thing.

And yes, PLENTY OF GEAR...! Very important...

I really like the look of the FZ6. I'm gonna look into that one, too. The thing about the Gixxer is that it's really not comfortable for anything over a couple of hours. And it would be nice to get out for some longer road trips. I'd like to keep it reasonable as far as price...so I'm thinking 2,500 tops. Would be nice to get below that. My friend's bike I could probably get for a tick over 3,000. That's another factor that makes me unsure about going that route.

I just found the name of the school that my friend did...it's called T.R.A.C. and their website is www.totalrider.com .... I haven't been there (yet), but this sounds like a good outfit. Anyone know of it?

What other bikes might you suggest? I don't need crazy speed, but adequate power and something not that heavy would be nice. I'm about 145 pounds, so a lighter bike would definitely suit me. I'll check the sites you mentioned...

Glad I posted this...and nice to see others my age thinking about getting into the sport. My parents always said as long as I lived under their roof, I'd never have a bike. Well, I moved out 20 years ago, I figure it's about time!

data

My first bike was an old Kawasaki 200cc dirt bike! Wooohoooo. Recently I got a chance to ride a Honda CBR954 RR. That thing kicked ass! I want one now, but I'll probably start off with something a little smaller. I was thinking Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R.....

ken.vs.ryu

sv650. cheap. cheap insurance. easy to track. light. plenty of power. cheap.

Ric

I use to race them, ride them, and sold them, everyday (when i sold them) someone would come into the shop wanting to by a bike, that has NEVER rode before, they always wanted the fastest or quickest, my reply was always the same, "did you learn to run before you could walk? " i always recommended something small, like a Kawasaki EX500 / ninja 500R. its small, cheap, cheap insurance, very easy to ride and most important, easy to learn on, id tell them to start on something small like that, ride it for a year, then trade it in on something a little bigger, ive know about 5 guys that went out and bought a 600cc sportbike, NOT knowing how to ride, that are DEAD now, PLEASE start out on something small, and like you said, take that rider safty class.
oh and YES i started out on a kaw. ex250R the "baby" ninja, lol but boy was that lilthing fun, i went from the 250 to a 400 (racebike) to my last the gsxr600 honestly, no need for anything bigger

PirateFins

My first and last was a 1987 Yamaha FZ6. Great bike to ride all day long. I always wanted a 88-91 FZR 400 Genesis, that bike kicked tail with a small package. Oh well thanks for the memories, they only way I can get a bike now is to sign divorce papers.

Waterboy

We need more sales people like you. When I was looking they kept telling me, "no don't get that one, you'll be tired of it in a month. Save your money and get the big one now."

Ric

Waterboy,
thank you

GregStevens

RicNkc, I think that's rock solid advice. Even though the guy selling it is a friend, he's still selling a bike!

And like I said, I was definitely taken aback by the suggestion of going full-bore right off the bat. During this whole process, I had really only considered the Ninja 250 since I'm such a noob. You guys are right though, lots of people have said, get something big at first b/c I'll grow out of it so fast...blah blah blah. Never really sat too well with me, actually...

So I've been poking around for a used Ninja...seems they are easily had well under 2K, which is really where I want to be...closer to 15 would be perfect. There also seems to be some good aftermarket for it...so that means repairs (hope I don't need them!) would be pretty easily had and not too $$$. beginnerbikes.com appears to be a great resource...thanks for the link.

So buying off season, even though it's never 'really' off season in Austin, would be a good way to go, I'm thinking too. May have Santa bring me a shiney new toy this year...!

I'm still all ears...love reading your stories of your bikes, too. Thanks!

WT

I also suggest sitting on different bikes see what you feel comfortable on and since your planning on the class I would wait to buy anything till after that then you will also have a feel for how comfortable you are on a bike (they usually train on like a 250 or so) .. And if price is a point which it sounds like it is go used at first then see if you really enjoy riding if so, look at something bigger perhaps. I know in VA if you take the class you will not have to take the ridding portion of the test at the local DMV just the written portion, granted you pass the test at the end of the class which I hear is hard to fail..
I have to agree never listen to a salesman push you into a bike, get what you know you will feel comfortable on new or used. I also think it depends on the person who is planning on getting behind the handle bars. If you don't respect the bike and what it can do its usually when people make stupid mistakes that ends up costing them. On the forum I am on there are several ppl selling almost new FZ6's if your interested I post up a link for you. very reasonable price for what you get.

shazaam

I think the gsxr 600 would be a good place to start if your responsible enough to control yourself until your ready to open it up. I bought a katana a few months ago, and it was a great starter bike, very easy to handle. But then after a few months, I was bored with it, so I just traded in for an R6. I lost some money on the bike, plus paying sales tax on two bikes, registration, etc. If I had just gone with the r6 the first time, I would have saved some money, and just taken it easy I think I would have been ok.

good luck man ... this is my new love

4Runner4Christ

A 1981 Suzuki 400. Now I have an 84 Kawasaki 700 LTD that I bought at a garage sale. Not the hottest thing around, but it gets me around. My wife got her mcycle license last year and now she rides too...

jrallan26

I had a FZR400 and it was an awesome bike. Great bike to take to the track or pound around in the canyons. When I started getting fatter, it was time for a new bike! I replaced it with a CBR900RR. The 2 bikes had the same weight stock!

jx94148

My first bike was an '84 GS450E, $500 in 1994. I hate the hunched over, chest to the tank riding position. Now i'm on an '82 XL250R which I love. I went from a '99 XR650L to a 250 HAHA! I'm just a nonconformist like that. I don't buy the "you'll get bored with it" arguement. I was looking for something in the 400 range but the 250 felt just right whan I rode it. The price was definatly right also, $800 in 2004. I ride it every day. The 650 was way more bike than I need. I'm hooked on old Hondas they fit me perfectly.

elripster

Those Ninja 500's as well as the other 500ish CC bikes are great learners. I had a 650cc 1982 Nighthawk S as my first bike. I actually learned on a 93 Katana 750 onto which someone had done major engine work. Yeah... wouldn't recommend that. I didn't crash but came so darn close so many times it took the fun out of riding. One time I hit second with a hand full of throttle. Pulled a fat wheelie has a rocketed to 90mph. Funny, when you are clinging by the tips of your fingers, you can't really roll of the throttle... I hit the back brake to bring the front end down so I could up shift and slow down. ( the motor was just about tached out) The Nighthawk gave me some time to learn to shred when one wrong blip of the throttle didn't produce much.

If you should decide to go with something newer, which won't be 2K, but still a great all around bike, I vote for the SV650. My buddy has one and it's great. It's easy to ride. It's plenty fast for the freeway. It handles great! Basically, you can learn on it and just keep it instead of buying another in 6 months.

I'd stay away from the 250 if you plan to get on the freeway with it.

Frank