Is there a good starter bike I can get for under 3k?
Is there a good starter bike I can get for under 3k?
A good starter bike for under $3000? Hell, good starters can be found for under $1000.
...just to wrap off a list...
Kawasaki EX500
Suzuki GS500
Honda NT650 GT Hawk
Suzuki SV650
Suzuki Bandit 400
Buell Blast (Ultimate beginner's bike)
Yamaha FZ600 (I bought mine for $600)
...and so on.
How long do I need to ride before I can move up to a super sport 600?
That's all completely dependant on the rider. Some people excel faster, some require more time to learn riding techniques, while some others require even more time for their matureaty to catch up with their abillity to buy a "fast" bike.
Depending on what you start on, moving up to a 600 supersport really won't be that time consuming. I would suggest spending the year, riding extensively, before looking at supersports. I personally had between 500 and 750 hours of riding before I took to a 600cc sport...a very tweaked '86 Yamaha FZ600 (tuned nearly to modern R6 standards). I then spent the year on that bike before moving up to my current TL1000.
My first bike was a wrecked 02 Katana 600. I rebuilt it myself and learned a lot about bikes before I even rode it. I bought it for $1200 with 2000 miles and rebuilt it, rode it for 2800 miles and sold it for $3800. It was a little heavy but very forgiving with any throttle mistakes. Plus starting with something that heavy and then moving up to a lighter bike, like i did with my R1 makes it seem so effortless. I will always recommend the newer katana for a starter bike. In my opinion you cant get the power and styling that it has for the price with any other bike. The buell blasts, the ex500's are ugly. The SV650 is a nice naked bike if you like the look, plus its pretty quick. But you cant go wrong with a katana. check out katriders.com for some great deals and great information.
Ryan
ugly is reletive to the buyer and should never be a consideration when starting. Asthetics are the last thing on a long list of traits a beginner's bike needs.
I'm thinking of just getting an 01 R6 for a beginner bike. How steep of a learning curve is it?
Originally Posted by Khader K.
NOt only that but it's stupid.
^^^^^lmao now that was funny as hell! And reguarding the comment about ex500's being ugly...hell the kantana isnt that good looking to be a 600cc itself. If u choose your first bike based solely on its looks than thats first problem you need to sort out.
LMAO. i laughed for a good 10 seconds or so at that.
NOt only that but it's stupid.
thanks for all the info in this thread. ive been wanting to get into bikes, but never done more than think about it. something easy going and comfortable to accept daily driving duty so the supra doesnt have to.
I'll keep reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBrY9Xukrc ---------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFMlkfaGGg8
^^^^^Trackday videos. Watch me go zoom^^^^^
makenzie71 how do you feel about an Aprilia RS50 as a starter bike? I realize it would/could be only a in town bike.
An RS50 for a starter bike? I wouldn't suggest it, you need some moderate experience on a heavier bike before taking something that light onto the road. 30mph traffic can wreak havoc on an ill-prepared rider with wind and such. If you've got lots of open roads and stuff it'll probably be fine, but I would suggest something bigger/heavier to start on.
Besides that, you can find good running EX500's, GS500's, NT650's, VF500's, FZ600's and so on for the same, if not less, money.
An RS50 with an RM400 swap is a dream machine of mine, though...
You will only have the Ex500 or 250 for a couple years to learn all the basics so don't even worry about the looks. Then you can go for your dream bike once you are accustomed to riding a bike.
That's not entirely true. I've known people to start on the 500 and never move up. They're very well built, very capable bikes that a lot of us supersport riders don't appreciate...or we don't until a skilled rider blows by us on the track. The EX500, GS500 and SV650 are about the most "adequate" rides ever built.
The only people who move up to something bigger are those of us who want something more than "adequate", and you might be suprised to know how few of us there are. I will personally try to always have access to an EX/GS500.
hehe true, I guess I was generalizing to a degree. But the majority of people do move up.
I've seen you over at Ex500riders.com a few times so you are biased!
I'm also one every gix site, gstwins, suzukimotorcycle, every cbr site, r1 forum, sv riders, tlplanet, motardplanet, pocketbikes, buell talk, thunderalley, virago forums, thegsresource, cb forums, etc...
O Rly?
Well I can't follow you around to every site.
Ok, have not ridden in years, and then only on dirt bikes.
Had a Quad for awhile too, again, only on the road to drive down to the sand dunes that are about 3 miles from where I used to live. (Ok, so I know that sport quads and the street don't mix, but that dang thing would go 60+ easy, and other than the tire noise and some slight wheel imbalance, it was a pretty smooth ride at that speed...)
Just don't do it very long on tires with 4psi in them...
So, back on topic.
I'm looking at a BMW FS650 Dakar.
All the write up's say it is a great handling dual sport bike, plenty of suspension travel for the fire roads and minor trails that I want to ride, and it has enough street ability to get me to those trails in releative comfort.
I've also looked at the KLX650, Suzuki's 400 and 650 dual sport/enduro's and of course the Honda XL650, but I really don't think I'm going to get another Honda. (Overpriced, and really it's the most antique of all the enduro bikes I've looked at.)
I'm really smitten with the BMW's design, style and ABS brakes. Fuel injection appeals to me, as do many of the design features. (It is more money however, even used they are not very cheap.)
Any advice?
I really don't want to do much street riding. Cars kill you. I can handle my own testosterone urges on the dirt, I don't jump, have no intrest in trials riding, or racing this bike, it is purely a way to get away from it all, and go see some places in Idaho that you really can only see on foot, horseback, or with an enduro type bike. (Or some ATV's can get there too.)
Thanks
You make the beemer sound like a good choice for you. It's not overpowerful and it's one of the best ranking dual sports out there and nothing beats EFI. I can tell you that it's an incredibly tall bike, though. Until you're on one you won't have any real understanding of what I mean by "tall"...
Well, I'm 6'2" and built like a lazy linebacker, so most tall bikes become shorter with me sitting on them... LOL
I was looking at the 950 twin dualsport from KTM, but it's 13k, too large, and talk about tall! Dang that bike is tall, yet rated very well for long rides and dirt ability.
There is a guy selling the smaller 650 KTM dual sport, but he wants 6k for a used one, and the difference between it and the new BMW is only a few grand at this point. (And that KTM has been laid down on both sides, and appears riden hard and put away wet.)
It is tempting to just buy a used KLX or KLR 650 and ride it for a few years, save my money and live without ABS or EFI, but a review of the KLX that I was reading mentioned that he was having trouble with the carb, and the dealer was getting him a new one.... Not something I want to deal with outside of warrenty, or on a regular basis. (I have to say, on my older Honda bikes, I NEVER messed with the carbs, and they always ran, and ran fine.) Heck, just changed the oil/filter and never even the spark plugs or anything on any of my Hondas. I hear that Honda is coming out with a updated 650 dual sport/enduro in a year. The one they have now is well rated on the dirt, but SUCKS on the road. (No fuel economy, the ride is not very nice, and the fuel tank is on the small side for such a thirsty engine.)
The beemer is in the same vacinity as the 950 KTM in the height department...they're just built that way. BMW thinks bikes should be HUGE.
The BMW will also be a far superior ride to the Kawasakis.
the guy who taught me how to ride told me as a rule of thumb... if you can't push the bike and manuever it around while your off the bike... its not for you...because it's too heavy
Wow, I'm glad I saw this thread. I was looking at the 600 bikes, but after reading through this, I will probably be leaning more towards the older 500's. Not to beat a dead horse, I rode dirt bikes for a while and had my fair share of spills, so I am at least a little familiar with bikes.
Anyways, my question is more towards the gear. What am I looking at getting for in town commutes (try to stay off the highway or big metro areas) as far as gear goes? I saw A_spec's post on the first page, but I wanted to know more about what to wear. I know that I will need a helmet, leather jacket (do I really need a full suit?), gloves, and steel-toed boots. How much would a decent leather jacket cost that is built for motorcycling?
Is there a good place to browse used bikes on the internet? Something like autotrader.com? I found cycletrader.com, is there anything else besides just specific forums?
Sorry bout all the questions :P.
I do all my gear shopping on newenough.com and ebay. Personally I prefer a 2-piece leather suit that can be had off ebay for under $300 (I've got a post about it further down). For the most part I only wear the jacket but it's nice to have a full suit on occasion. I also wear thick gloves with 6" gauntlets...also purchased from ebay...and a $100 dealer-bought full face helmet.
Ask all the questions you can, this is why we have this place.
Looking to get a Suzuki GSX-R 600 for my first bike. Only type of non "car" that I've driven is a ATV. A Banshee and a Kawasaki xxx 400. But before I even leave the lot with the bike, I'm definetly going to the MSF course and that'll determine if I get it mainly. I don't want to go out and get one and then be screwed because I don't know how to handle the bike. But from what I hear the course is a good stepping stone towards getting a bike. I want one because 1.) I live in Florida and the summers coming 2.) They're good on gas 3.) Would be a good means of transportation. I've talked to a lot of peole from the Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando area that says a 600 is a great bike to start off with. I even had a few say that the 750 is even better because the 600 just feels to weak. Most of those guys though had a lot of road rashes too. I'm crazy but not stupid. But would the 600 still be in good range for learning in a few months?
Last edited by Cerebral_Kamikaze; 01-29-2006 at 10:53 AM.
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