kris

I'm planning on getting my first bike soon and i've been looking at the yzf600. any other suggestions for a good starter bike. Also, does anyone know how many miles bikes usually last?

Hard8s

If its your first bike I'd suggest something a little smaller. The power to weight ratio on that bike is something novices need to get used to. However you will want to trade up quickly! Also like a car if you take care of it it will last a long time. Keep the maintenance up on it! and remember unlike a car you really need to look over your bike EVERY time you get on it, you never know when a bolt is going to come loose. Just about had it happen to me. Changed the rear brake, and 2 weeks later the lugs on the back tire were almost all loose when I got to work.

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ducati999

if you want a great starter bike i would get an ex500, i had one and they are awsome bikes to learn on....now if you want somethin with a bit more oomph get a sv650.....getting a big bike first is NOT a good idea, not because its way too much power, but the fact that you can get in trouble faster and it will take much longer to learn to be comfortable on a bigger bike than a smaller one....

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booyah1

Im in the same Boat! I want a bike so bad. I have ridden plenty of dirt bikes, which I know dont compare to a crotch rocket. Im getting a CBR600 for my first bike! Plenty of power and speed to kill me if I dont respect it properly. People say get a smaller bike first, but hell any bike will get you in trouble in a blink of an eye if you are not carful!

Gamefella

I would start with something smaller too...

Get a "beater" bike...

One that is used...cheap..not too pretty

So when/if you drop it, it wont hurt so much. Plus you get a chance to get the Motocycle basics down. Also take the MSF.

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Gamefella

"I live by a code of Honor, once you are on her, stay on her."

onetime2

If you like Yamahas, go with an older FZR600. Nice little bikes and a little more timid than the newer ones (but no by too much). They can be picked up fairly cheap nowadays.

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RemyLebeau97

My first and current bike is a 2001 Suzuki GSXR750. I'll admitt it was prolly a lil too much for my first bike but that's the bike I wanted so I got it, get what your gonna be happy with, granted you'll lay it down atleast once but get what you like.

kris

when starting out, does everyone lay their bike down at least once?

Splice

kris:
Yes. I have heard many stories of people dropping their ride. I dropped mine when I first started. I wasn't doing anything dumb, but just careless. Some because they were newbies, others because they were doing stunts. If you have never really riden a crotch rocket before, I would say to start out with something used, if you really want one of these babies. Once you get the hang of it, ditch the used one and spring for a new ride.

Kris, since you're planning on getting the Yamaha YZF600, here is some Helpful Info.. Another great article is from Motorcycle Online's 1997 600cc Sportbike ShootOut. The YZF600 actually WON this shootout and beat out the CBR600 F3, Kawasaki ZX-6R, and the Suzuki GSX-R600.

Remember, the YZF600 is listed at 416lbs DRY (although even without gas, they usually weigh much more in real-life weighing), after a full tank of gas, she'll weigh about 450lbs! In comparison, the Yamaha R6 is listed at 357lbs dry. That's 59lbs. LESS (dry) pounds of pork!! This is the biggest weakness of the YZF600. Otherwise it is a great bike. My suggestion is why not get a used Honda CBR600, like a 1996 or '97 model. It's MUCH cheaper and they are STILL fantastic bikes! Whatever you decide, wear a helmet and be safe. Good luck shopping and have fun!

P.S. The YZF600R has kept the same design for like over 6 years now. The 2004 YZF600R model is the EXACT same as the 1997 model, when it was FIRST Introduced to the public.

mystic511

Wow, I was just about to post a thread about getting my first bike too. Mind if we share kris? Don't see a reason to post two threads about the same thing.

What's the difference between cruising bikes and street bikes? I'm lookin for a bike that's decent to look at, mostly for city driving, but can handle an hour or so on the highway if I needed to do it.

I'd like to spend around 2000 bucks, give or take. I know nothing about bikes (i've only worked on cars), so if you guys could hold my hand and walk me through this, i'll be your friend forever.

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Tickford

Well I started on dirt bikes when I was like 4 years old. I have being riding bikes all my life. My first road bike was a CBR900, which is a pretty big bike for the first road bike. I had the 900 for about 4 years and never dropped it. For the first 6 months I rode very very slowly. And after a few months I started riding faster and faster. After 12 months or so, I could ride to balls off the thing. You have always gotta remember that you are in contol, and you decide how fast you are going. I dont think that a yzf600 is to big. But just remember that you are controlling to gas. Get atleast a few weeks practice where there is little or no traffic. Its hard enough when you are learning a new bike, let alone worrying about other cars etc. If you do get a smaller bike, you will regret it in a few months. So I think get the bigger bike and just easy in to it. Take you time and becareful. And chances are that you will fall off. The slower that you are going, the less damage to you and the bike. Take your time and you will be fine.....

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Moonduck

I would not suggest a yzf600, or any 600 for that matter. Maybe a Suzuki Savage 650, but they're pretty anemic and tame. Swallow your pride and desire for balls out speed and get something that won't kill you. You do not need to try to learn motorcycle dynamics on something with a far better power to weight ratio that a Corvette.

Personally, take $500 of your $2k and go find an older 250-500cc class bike. It sounds weedy, but they are plenty fun for a first time rider. Heck, if you are really enamoured with sport bikes, Kawasaki made a 250cc Ninja type that is actually pretty darn solid for a 250cc, but won't throw you around.

Much like someone above, I started riding dirtbikes when I was 5. Unfortunately, I did lay down my first streetbike (a Kawasaki 305, whee) and slaughtered it. I didn't have the time and money to rebuild, so I went without. It's been ten years since then, and I decided to get back into riding. I have experience, so I should go for something my size, right? Nah, picked up a 92 Nighthawk CB250 in beautiful shape for $500 and plan to ride it while I restore a '74 CB750-k4 that's sitting in my garage. Safer that way.

Another valid question is how big are you? If you are weedy lil git, then you want to look at smaller, lighter bikes. If you are a big brute, then perhaps a larger bike is a good choice.

Splice

Ok, here we go...Hehehe.
"Cruisers" are like this V Star 1100 Classic

"Sportsbikes" are like this Yamaha R1

And even MORE confusing are "Naked or Bikini" bikes like the Ducati Monster. Or the Triumph Speed Triple , which Tom crusie rode in Mission Impossible 2, the black one.

The "Naked bike" is the cross between sportsbike and cruiser, kind of like your "cross-over" athletic shoes. Naked/Bikini bikes are more athletic or sportier than crusiers. You'll "crouch" more on naked bikes than you would on a crusier (on cruisers, you sit w/ your back straight up).

If you have $2K to spend, the best bet would be to get a cruiser or naked bike. these are easier to ride and you'll feel comfortable longer. Sportsbikes are great, I had one, but I drove it 100 miles to my school once and I could barely walk afterwards (ouch!). But if you are just riding around in your town, sportsbikes are fine. Just make sure you learn how to ride properly. Start out with something small and light.

Tron121

Also realize that a sport bike has a turning radius that really is quite poor compared to a cruiser or lesser sport bike. I have a brand new '03 YZF-R6 (my first bike) and it turns like crap at slow speeds compared to my friends Ninja250 and my other friends Ninja600R, so it would be hard to ride in traffic in a big city.

And yes I have laid my bike down....just a stupid mistake, I missed my shift around a corner and it popped back into 1st gear when I let the clutch out, this locked the rear tire momentarily and down she went for her first 30 foot slide on the pavement. Its really didn’t hurt it very much, just took a strip of paint off the plastic. The next week I put frame sliders on it. I would say an older 600 is the best starter bike. Not a CBR or a GSXR or a R6, those I would classify as Super-Sport bikes. You should look for a late 80s to 90s Kawasaki Ninja 600R/ES500, Suzuki GS500, Yamaha FZR600 or SECA 600. The ES250 is very slow and you will no doubt get bored with it in a few months.

My Friends have a '02 Kawasaki ES250, and a '87 Kawasaki Ninja 600R, The 250 is really really slow. The 600R is almost exactly the same bike except is fast enough to be fun. I would say the 600R has about 55%-60% roughly the speed of my R6, and it’s plenty faster then any car, the R6 can be quite scary and will do about 105mph in 2nd gear in about 5 seconds or so. The coolest sensation on the R6 is flooring it and once it hits 6000 RPM it lights up like a firecracker…zzzzzzoooooooooooommmmmm!

My ’03 R6 $9200 after taxes
The ’02 250 was $4000 new after taxes I think
The ’87 600R with 20k miles was $1500 and is in great shape.

Allways!!! Wear a jacket and your helmet at LEAST. Take it from me i slid for 30 feet with my FirstGear SpeedJacket on and i did not have a scratch on my arms. I would have been in the hospital without it, and the jacket is still useable.. Best $300 i ever spent.

ducati999

I missed my shift around a corner and it popped back into 1st gear when I let the clutch out, this locked the rear tire momentarily and down she went for her first 30 foot slide on the pavement. Its really didn’t hurt it very much, just took a strip of paint off the plastic.
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no offense but this is why you shouldnt have a bigger bike for a starter bike..its very true any bike cna you in trouble but a big bike will do it faster and harder...on my 500 i dropped down too low but all it did was make the rear tire squirely and from that I learned, granted this person learned too but they learned harder....and anyone can ride a fast bike in a straight line....to see how someone rides go in the twisties...a good rider on a 250 ninja can beat the pants off of a decent r1 rider....ive seen it done...

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acpower

whatever you get, don't kill yourself!

skinbag

No offence, bones, but although fatboys are one of the coolest bikes ever made the power comes on much more smoothly than a rocket with 1/2 the cubes. I cut my teeth working at Buell Motorcycles and Erik convinced me (easily) that alot of rideability power wise has to do with the number of cylinders. Thumpers like to "pulse" with each thump which allows the tire moments in between firing to regrip. An inline 4 on the other hand, will just "squirt" you forward , which is fun as hell, but the back can slide out before newbie reflexes know what happened. This is why Honda has built an inline 4 that fires all 4 at once, then regrips when the other 3 cylinders would fire on a normal bike, and fires again. They call it a "Big Bang" racing engine. Not recommended on your bike! (Unless you like rebuilding motors.
So I recommend going with a twin. I'm biased, but aren't we all? The above-mentioned
SV650 is a "starter" bike with balls! I've seen guys pop up the front wheel at about 35 MPH. That's plenty o' power in my book. I haven't ridden one, but the numbers and a walk-around imply great handling as well.
My first bike was a Shadow 500 (cruiser) which I loved. By the way, after riding with the guys at Buell for a couple years I almost pasted a Ninja I assumed could hold a corner as I had about 10 MPH on him as he drifted in and out out the groove. Most of these rocket riders are great at wheelies but couldn't drop a peg smoothly if their lives depended on it. Only the rarest rider uses the bike to it's fullest potential. Most bikes will go faster than we should rightfully go on public roads anyway. Ask a seasoned rider (8-10 years) and he or she will tell you fucking around on the street is for assholes. Take the MSF courses (they'll lower your insurance too) and if you want to go fast, take a weekend racing class at your local track. Consider this when buying your bike, as there may be minor mods required. Mostly removing bulbs and taping guages.
I laid down the first time after riding 8 years.
Riding at night on unfamiliar roads while intoxicated is BAAAAD! (blushing) Most wrecks involve the overlapping of risk factors, so watch out for that...If you do fuck around on the roads, for god's sake do it in the country, away from road signs, trees, and poles. I met a gentleman who flipped off the curb into a sign and lost the limbs on one side of his body. Don't know why he didn't bleed to death.. Choose your corners wisely and check-ride them before running them faster.
Oh-yeah first bikes- I also have ridden a GS750, Buell Thunderbolts and S1's, GS1000, and currently ride an old 81 Yamaha XV 920. I
prefer the feel of twins, but really each bike has it's virtues. Start out cheap and after riding a while you may decide that you like a bike you didn't expect to. That's happened to me more than once.

Splice

Great input skinbag. To add to what you were saying...one other difference is in the manner in which you sit and "ride". The Harley-Davidson FatBoy is a cruiser. And as such you sit with your back straight up, like in a regular chair. With these "crotch-rockets" on the other hand, you sit leaning forward, way forward (with weight on your wrists). These crotch rockets also have a MUCH higher seat height giving the rider a higher ground clearance so your feet are not easily planted on the ground. It's this combination of (1)lighter weight (2)higher horsepower -- "Squirts" you forward (3)higher seat height and (4)seating position that will cause a rider to lose control easier than he/she would on a cruiser.

The throttle is MUCH more responsive on the sportsbike (you take off in a flick of your wrist) than on these cruisers. That's why for newbies, I'd say stick to something like the Suzuki SV650. There's plenty of power but it won't "jet" the rider off as a Gixxer or an R1 would.

Tron121

No doubt a smaller bike will get you in to less trouble. But save that one incdent i have been fine. You just have to maintain enough self contol not to try stupid things. I'm sure a 250 rider could beat an R1 in some cases but not if there were any hills involved. I would not want to ride a 250 the bike is made shottly compaired to my R6, but if you want to buy one just to learn on because its cheep and will not kick your ass when you make a mistake i think its great!

No matter what you get you just have to ride responsibly and ride within your limmits preferably a good ways below you limmits. All it take is one crash that goes badly to end your fun forever.

paj

Splice

paj: Great site. Beginners should definitely check it out.

Moonduck

Another term for the "naked" motorcycles Splice was referring to would be "streetfighters". It's a niche that is gaining some strong popularity, especially in Europe apparently, as all the really trick Streetfighter stuff is made in Britain, Italy, etc.