for all the people who think newer 600 sport bikes are great starter bikes you're nuts, the newer ones anyway, a 10-15 year old 750 will get blown out of the water by a newer 600, the technology and power-weight ratio of these new crotch rockets is insane, some able to reach over 100km/h in first gear....right, great learning bike
A sport touring (standard, traditional, naked) or a cruiser would a be a better starter bike than the 600cc crotch rocket, IMO anyway
If you really want a sport bike grab a 250-500
We're kinda lucky in AB not having GDL for every biker, such as other countries in Europe, where you have to start on a 125cc then take another test, then you can get a 250-500 (iirc) then a test, then a 600-1000, then a test and finally unrestricted after that, being lucky also means there are people owning and riding 1000cc+ bikes who have no buisness doing so
big ego's flame on! haha
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It is official, I'm an idiot.
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for all the people who think newer 600 sport bikes are great starter bikes you're nuts, the newer ones anyway, a 10-15 year old 750 will get blown out of the water by a newer 600, the technology and power-weight ratio of these new crotch rockets is insane, some able to reach over 100km/h in first gear....right, great learning bike
A sport touring (standard, traditional, naked) or a cruiser would a be a better starter bike than the 600cc crotch rocket, IMO anyway
If you really want a sport bike grab a 250-500
We're kinda lucky in AB not having GDL for every biker, such as other countries in Europe, where you have to start on a 125cc then take another test, then you can get a 250-500 (iirc) then a test, then a 600-1000, then a test and finally unrestricted after that, being lucky also means there are people owning and riding 1000cc+ bikes who have no buisness doing so
big ego's flame on! haha
Excellent. I will take my test with the $90,000 Ducati.
The instructor will say "alright, let's head out", I will breathe on the throttle and then be shot to the moon!
for all the people who think newer 600 sport bikes are great starter bikes you're nuts, the newer ones anyway, a 10-15 year old 750 will get blown out of the water by a newer 600, the technology and power-weight ratio of these new crotch rockets is insane, some able to reach over 100km/h in first gear....right, great learning bike
A sport touring (standard, traditional, naked) or a cruiser would a be a better starter bike than the 600cc crotch rocket, IMO anyway
If you really want a sport bike grab a 250-500
We're kinda lucky in AB not having GDL for every biker, such as other countries in Europe, where you have to start on a 125cc then take another test, then you can get a 250-500 (iirc) then a test, then a 600-1000, then a test and finally unrestricted after that, being lucky also means there are people owning and riding 1000cc+ bikes who have no buisness doing so
big ego's flame on! haha
I agree with this. It's definitely possible to start off on one and not get yourself killed, but the point in getting in starter bike is to develop your skill and learn to really push (i.e.; ride) a bike. I believe that the bigger the bike you start off on, the more concerned you are with just keeping the bike up.
A lot of people who start off on 600s will say they're great first bikes just because things happend to work out for them. That's fine, but the reality is that they're high performance machines that are not designed with rookie riders in mind.
In the end, the choice is yours, but there's a reason why they make "starter" bikes, and why a company such as Yamaha would even go so far as to discourage new riders from hopping on a 600 sportbike. ("The YZF-R6 offers a significant level of power and performance. It is not intended for novice or inexperienced riders." - Yamaha Canada website)
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
I have really enjoyed my 2002 Bandit 600 as a starter bike.
Yeah, I've heard the Bandit 600 is a great bike and just because someone labels a bike as a starter, it doesn't mean it's not a capable bike.
The 600s that are not recommended to start with are the 100+HP sport bikes. When choosing a first bike, it's a good idea to throw an over inflated ego out the window.
I think it goes by CC. 650 is the cutoff for one range for example.
I got a quote today, full coverage, 500 deductible, 574 per year.
__________________
But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
Lots of good advice in this thread. I've been riding for over 30 years (and commute every day on a motorcycle), so I'll just go ahead and impose my advice too
What you need depends on how / where you're gonna ride. I ride my girlfriend's '08 Ninja 250 for shyts and giggles every now and then, and it's fine for city riding, or tighter twisty roads. It's 1000cc smaller than my Bandit 1250S, so if I think it's good fun, you'd probably be ok. Wringing the snot out of a Ninja 250 on an on-ramp is more fun than blasting a Hayabusa down a straight line.
The CBR 125 is a flyweight, it's ok for commuting, but not a lot else. Though people who compare it to what is ridden in 3rd world countries don't have a clue... I was riding step-through motorbikes in Vietnam last week, and they are not at all the same thing as the CBR. The CBR is a real motorcycle, but not much power. Like I said, good enough for commuting though, but forget the highway.
A modern 600cc sportbike is too much bike to learn on. The 500 Ninja / 600 Bandit / EL6 type bikes are much tamer, and are a good option. Even the SV650 is fairly strong, but still much more manageable than a 600 pseudo-racer.
Take a course. You're a ###### if you don't. Yeah, it's actually that simple. Ditto for proper protective gear... helmet, jacket, boots, gloves at minimum. If you aren't down with that, hey, that's what they call natural selection.
How do you classify a bike, or how would the insurance? What's the difference between a full blown sport bike and a sport-touring?
It's up to the insurance companies to make the differentiation, and I don't think they're consistent. When I lived in Calgary, I got wildly varying quotes for my 1200 Bandit. Call around for multiple quotes.
Lots of good advice in this thread. I've been riding for over 30 years (and commute every day on a motorcycle), so I'll just go ahead and impose my advice too
What you need depends on how / where you're gonna ride. I ride my girlfriend's '08 Ninja 250 for shyts and giggles every now and then, and it's fine for city riding, or tighter twisty roads. It's 1000cc smaller than my Bandit 1250S, so if I think it's good fun, you'd probably be ok. Wringing the snot out of a Ninja 250 on an on-ramp is more fun than blasting a Hayabusa down a straight line.
The CBR 125 is a flyweight, it's ok for commuting, but not a lot else. Though people who compare it to what is ridden in 3rd world countries don't have a clue... I was riding step-through motorbikes in Vietnam last week, and they are not at all the same thing as the CBR. The CBR is a real motorcycle, but not much power. Like I said, good enough for commuting though, but forget the highway.
A modern 600cc sportbike is too much bike to learn on. The 500 Ninja / 600 Bandit / EL6 type bikes are much tamer, and are a good option. Even the SV650 is fairly strong, but still much more manageable than a 600 pseudo-racer.
Take a course. You're a ###### if you don't. Yeah, it's actually that simple. Ditto for proper protective gear... helmet, jacket, boots, gloves at minimum. If you aren't down with that, hey, that's what they call natural selection.
At the moment, I am thinking to buy a used bike around $2500-4000, then get my dad to teach me, then take a class just in case, then go get my license.
Crotch-rockets have been getting noobs in trouble for years. Just because it's an older model doesn't make it any less dangerous if it's in the wrong hands.
