I want a motorcycle!! Need advice!!

[Nairb]

I got an 81' Yamaha XJ550 for $1000. Such a great bike.. only 14400 original miles when I got it.

I'm with the others. Head down ass up is not the way you want to be riding for your first bike. Get a standard riding position bike (like a bicycle) and learn slow and steady. If you ever want to go fast, take it to a track. You can always change bikes.. they're cheap and you can swap them like pokemon cards if you so choose.

[camshaftgsxr]

I got an 81' Yamaha XJ550 for $1000. Such a great bike.. only 14400 original miles when I got it.

I'm with the others. Head down ass up is not the way you want to be riding for your first bike. Get a standard riding position bike (like a bicycle) and learn slow and steady. If you ever want to go fast, take it to a track. You can always change bikes.. they're cheap and you can swap them like pokemon cards if you so choose.

love the xj550's man, they are way easier to bob/cafe because of the chain drive

[redsubdivisions]

I got an 81' Yamaha XJ550 for $1000. Such a great bike.. only 14400 original miles when I got it.

I'm with the others. Head down ass up is not the way you want to be riding for your first bike. Get a standard riding position bike (like a bicycle) and learn slow and steady. If you ever want to go fast, take it to a track. You can always change bikes.. they're cheap and you can swap them like pokemon cards if you so choose.

I'm with Nairb on this one. My first bike was a Ninja 600R and the riding ergonomics on it were from the 80's styled Ninjas and had plenty of power. It was comfortable and had a more upright riding position compared to today's bikes. If I could find a sport tourer for a good price, I would have gotten that instead of my CBR.

I have owned sport bikes the 5 years that I have been riding because it's what I find appealing. Every one has their own taste and when it comes to a motorcycle, YOU will be riding it, so YOU will make the final decision.

[e30BMart]

Thank you all for the advice! I do agree that the cluster should be made to be water resistant... so water damage is weird! Also someone said *5k for a layed down bike is a lot* ; as i said canada is weird and 5k is pretty much the lowest price ive found for even a 2003... i might be moving south somewhere in the states next year. Everything is cheaper for bike, aswell.

Furthermore, i will be wearing a helmet at all times and be following the motorcycle driving course, ot costs 700$ here.. dunno how that compares to your price? Also, how much are license plates for. motos over in florida? Here its 1100$ a year. As many people have asked, i have 0 seat time on any bike, but feel confident i can tackle a 600 as a first bike. I do get showoffee sometimes and that worries me somewhat, i would like to get the bike before my 19th birthday.. which is in april but this bike (5000km in almost ten years, water damage cluster) is sending controversial vibs.

[Cronopoulos]

^^ not meaning to thread jack but you have a clone in Idaho,

[matthilaman]

I started out on an 07 R6 as my first bike and was happy with the decision. I took the class BEFORE i bought a bike just to make sure that is what i really wanted to do. its one thing to look at them, but a completely different feeling to ride one. i will tell you though that you probably will be hooked haha. I took it easy for the first 6 months so i could get comfortable with maneuvering and just the overall feel.

i will tell you that i highly recommend taking some lessons at a track day once you feel comfortable, they will truly show you how to ride and corner properly..plus its the safest place to ride spiritedly.

i went down my first time at a track day (90 mph corner) and lowsided into the grass. bike was completely totalled but i left with a huge bruise on my knee(still partially numb after 2 years) and consider myself so lucky to go down there. the summer after that happened, a close friend went down in the same situation on the road but only going less than half of the speed of my crash and died on impact. let me tell you, i never rode on the street again and kept it on the track...motor blew 2 months after my friends death so i decided to pack it up forever..i think he was telling me something.

that wasnt meant to scare you or anything, but just realize that this bike can kill you in an instant if you dont treat it right and handle it properly.

also dont skimp on the gear. a good helmet, leather jacket, back protector, and boots is a great investment.

have fun and ride safe!

[Exodus_2pt0]

As many people have asked, i have 0 seat time on any bike, but feel confident i can tackle a 600 as a first bike. I do get showoffee sometimes and that worries me somewhat, i would like to get the bike before my 19th birthday...

That sentence is full of the reasons why you don't need a bike that has a power-weight ratio close to a Ferarri Enzo. Pull you head out of your fucking ass and take the advice you asked for. If you had years of experience on ANY 2-wheeled machine and could control yourself, then fine. However judging by your statement, you will be dead quick. DEAD, as in that place you were before you were born. That 600 will accelerate so fast that your lack of experience can easily mis-judge your braking space.

I'm not saying that I hope you wreck, I pray you don't. This is my brutally honest opinion. Inexperienced riders die all the time on motorcycles that surpass their capabilities. This is a fact, don't be so arrogant to think it won't happen to you. I'm sorry if I come off strong, but I have lost many friends in the past years, one who was pushing himself too far on "just a 600." This guy had a good head on his shoulders too, all the top-dollar gear couldn't save him from fatal head trauma when he hit a tree head on after a case of target fixation.

Don't know what target fixation is? Look it up, it is real, and it kills too.

Quoted again so that you will read your own words and hopefully see the lack of maturity needed for the motorcycle you want.

As many people have asked, i have 0 seat time on any bike, but feel confident i can tackle a 600 as a first bike. I do get showoffee sometimes and that worries me somewhat, i would like to get the bike before my 19th birthday...

Why are you so confident that you can handle a 600 when you have never even been on a motorcycle? You also admit you are a show off. I said in an earlier post that if you can control your EGO, you would be ok. You just said you can't control it.


This will end in tears with that attitude.

[thejimlab]

Ducati Monster 6xx

My first (and only) bike was a Monster 620. It's light, small, not terribly fast, and a ton of fun to ride. Plus, it's a Ducati (even if it is a baby one)! Great bike all around.

[Mako18]

My favorite bike so far is my drz400s (not "sm"). Yeah its not fast but I wouldn't trade a single sport bike for it. That's me though I prefer the on/off road nature (mostly off road) for where I like to ride. A Drz400s is a great bike to start with light and very reliable. You can learn the basics off road (less consequence if you get a little sloppy) also you'll ride everything from pavement, hard pack, mud, sand and it will teach you allot about road conditions and what to expect the bike to behave like in different scenarios most importantly it will teach you "your capability" on two wheels. It will honestly out handle most of the riders/bikes you'll find screaming around town which could be a bad thing if you get comfortable to fast. I would say my drz reminds me of my e30 in ways its not the fastest but its agile and easy to repair and maintain, overall a blast to own!!

Invest in the proper gear that is so important!!!

[priapism]

First off, it's not whether you can "handle" it, and it's also not so much the power to weight ratio. Yes, the power is an additional factor, but it's more the handling. A bigger bike is harder to steer, the ergonomics are more aggressive, and the whole package is designed to work at higher speeds. If you start on a smaller bike, you WILL be a better rider in a year. I felt like I didn't really learn to ride until I traded my 600SS in for a 500cc single-cyl supermoto. ("So THAT'S what countersteering is!")

Also, a helmet is just the absolute bare minimum of gear. All wearing a helmet means is that your noggin will be protected when you're sliding across the pavement at 60mph. You still won't have any skin left. I've watched people go down in a helmet, jacket, and gloves, and I've loaded them into Medevac helicopters afterwards. A $300 pair of pants would have saved them and certainly cost a lot less than that $15k helicopter ride to Glendale.

I've been riding for 15 years, you're saying the same things every other new rider says that wants a 600. The results are the same 90% of the time. Don't be dumb.

[mikeb23ft]

Advice: don't do it.

Other advice: if you must do it, don't get a 600 to start with. I did, I don't have or want a bike anymore.

[cabriodster87]

"It’s in pretty good shape, runs like its still new, but needs a cluster due to water damage."
Been in a flood? Ridden into a lake? How else can this happen? Plus low oil warning light comes on. It is to much to start with, Nighthawks are a dime a dozen and way easy to ride.

[Nairb]

Very good advice from experienced riders here.

I'll just say, if you're riding to go fast or riding to "look cool" then you are riding for the wrong reasons. People buy Ninja bikes because they "look cool" and because they go fast. Then they look cool to onlookers as their brain is being sprayed off the pavement by a crime scene unit.

Please read everything in this thread, and all over the internet about what people think about getting a Ninja 600 as their first bike.

And if all else fails, ask your Mom what she thinks.

[peytonracer4]

i wouldn't get a crotch rocket as your first bike. they look badass, but they're uncomfortable and not easy to ride or control. i would go for a more upright riding position and a more forgiving steering.
i have a honda 599. it's got the 600cc engine but it's very easy to control and a pretty good bike for someone coming only from dirtbikes (me)

[afrite]

I recommend you take the motorcycle safety class before you buy a bike

Oil light ON could be a simple sensor but it could also be something much more serious. 2000km for an 8 yr old bike is not bad at all.

If you're 6 feet or taller, you may not enjoy riding the CBR. They're too low. (that's my own opinion - not sure if tall riders agree with me) I'm 6 feet , been riding for 6 yrs now . Switched btwn R6 , CBR , GSXR and R6S and been on ducatis. now in my opinion, if you take the italian bikes out of the equation, R6 are the best but they also have a very forward riding position compared to the others. In other words, your back will hurt in long rides. but at the same time, a full tank will take you about 110 miles on freeway. so if you can withstand pain for about an 70 or 80 mins you'l be ok :)but again, you may only want a bike to ride in town . lol .


Also, i don't recommend you start on 250cc. you'll want to move to a 600 in a very short amount of time. just get a 600cc and practice in parking lots first.

note, you can't just buy based on pics. those plastics are easily changed. you gotta check the bike.

For those who know a lil about motorcycles : )

Good day to all! I want to buy this 600rr: http://qc.kijiji.ca/c-autos-et-vehic...AdIdZ356409530

But he says it needs a cluster... could that be sign of some other problem that you guys would know about? I mean like people unplug warning lights in cars so that it looks like everything is working...

I guess i wanna know if its easy to fix the cluster (replace it) and/if you guys think it looks like a good bike! Thank you all!!!


Martin


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