Learning a Bike?

[Clinical]

So next spring - I'm definitely intending on selling both the laser and the firebird and finding perhaps some cheap LT1 or a 1st gen DSM. Then I'd like to pick up a bike with the rest of the money - Ideally I'd like to get a GSXR 600 - I don't know a whole lot about bikes but I have tons of buddies who have them and 75% of them ride GSXR's and vouch for them being the best all-around bikes at the moment.

I figure a 600 would be a good starter bike but I definitely wouldn't want to learn from scratch on it and I really don't want to shell out 1k for a 250 or something and then have to sell it.

Was just wondering if there's anything where you can rent an old crappy bike to learn on or theres a place that teaches you.

Or if anyone has an old crappy bike that they literally don't care much about that they'd let me learn on in a parking lot or something - i'd pay for the time and whatnot of course!

Thanks guys!

[warchild145]

Since your down in Burlington SCC should have a motorcycle riders course. Also saves you from having to take the riding test when you get your license.

[Clinical]

i'm actually going to SCC right now and didn't even think about that

thanks I'll check into it!

[warchild145]

Also to add to that. You will learn on 250's and find out then that they suck IMO, anyway. Also a 600 on a cruiser is different then a 600 in a crotch rocket. Once you find out what riding style you like or style of bike you prefer you can go from their.

If you choose a crotch rocket a 600 is good enough, but if you choose a cruiser, then try to get atleast a 700 or higher if you plan to hit the major highways otherwise nothing below 500.

Again my opinion on the matter and weight also has some effect on the decision because you want a bike that can get you out of dangers way if need be because its not if but when someone about runs you off the road.

[ZacFields]

Don't forget the massive difference in insurance prices between a cruiser and a crotch rocket. A buddy of mine was pricing the difference between a 250 cruiser and a 250 crotch rocket, and the cruiser was under $40/month for full coverage while the crotch rocket was $150/month for him. No tickets or accidents. It was insane.

But I agree with warchild. 600 is plenty of bike for a crotch rocket. Lots of riders would tell you to learn on a 250 if you're going with a rocket, but I've seen a lot of people start off with 600s just fine. Just do yourself a favor and don't start with anything larger than that out of a rocket.

For a cruiser, warchild is on the money again. My cruiser is an 800 and handles the interstate just fine, but even with my 800 I don't like interstate cruising because I'm in my highest gear and constantly feel like I should be able to shift one gear higher, but it's not there. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my bike, but I'd say a 700 would be about as low as you'd want to go with a cruiser. A 500 will do the job, but you're not going to enjoy riding much faster than 60mph on it.

[K-ville]

600's are fine to start on 250's you dont feel so bad if you lay it down once or twice but when you get better at riding you will get bored with a 250 really fast... some/most people should never outgrow a 600

[Ricky]

start with at least a 600 for a crotch rocket. I have bought an R6 two years ago and love it. Part of me wants a 1000 now but the 600 is still a really fun bike and does everything i want it to do with my driving style. If 75% of your buddies have a GSX-R why to you want the same? Have they ridden any other bike? Most of the 600's are all about the same right now so brand doesnt matter too much. I love my Yamaha and i have had less problems then my friends (make that zero problems). Biggest problem bike was my friends Suzuki GSX-R 600....

I bought my bike with 4800 miles on it and it is over 16,000 miles now. The bike you should buy is based on personal likes and dislikes. ask yourself what you want to do with the bike and buy one accordantly

[K-ville]

your kinda making it out as gsxr's have problems but i would have to disagree big time!! they all break they all wear out they all have slight diffrences but they are all good any honda suzuki yamaha or kawasaki is going to be a great bike period. Most of the "differences" or dislikes and likes of bike are read out of a magazine or heard by someone who uses it as if they can tell the difference themselves! 99% of street riding guys couldnt tell what they were riding without seeing it while they climb on. but what do i know ive only been riding since 3 racing since 14 and worked at bike shops for the last 9 years.... :ranting:

[Ricky]

never said suzukis were bad bikes by any means.... I was just saying ANY bike can break or have problems based on how they were driven in the begining of there life. I was also stating the same thing as you are stating in that all the big 600cc or 1000cc rockets are all about the same. they only have very little differences... meaning dont concern yourself so much about what brand but more about what kind of bike and price rang.... maybe color :)

[K-ville]

never said suzukis were bad bikes by any means.... I was just saying ANY bike can break or have problems based on how they were driven in the begining of there life. I was also stating the same thing as you are stating in that all the big 600cc or 1000cc rockets are all about the same. they only have very little differences... meaning dont concern yourself so much about what brand but more about what kind of bike and price rang.... maybe color :)

i just didnt want him to feel like gsxr's are bad thats all

[Clinical]

Well to give exact figures - In the car/bike group we have here - we have 4 GSXR 600's - a couple 1000's. Two ninjas - one 250 and one 600. One Hayabusa, two CBR's - not sure of size. A couple others that don't have their bikes out enough for me to know what exactly they are.

It's mainly the fact that the GSXR's seem to be good all around bikes and if I'd need help working with something - I'd have more people available with knowledge of the bikes.

I could get a 250 from someone in town here for $800 but all the bike guys here have convinced me to try to find another way to learn so I can get a 600 and be happy - even if I may eventually want a 1000 - alot of them have said to me what has been said here that a 600 would be plenty for having fun.


I mainly just want to be able to tag along with the bike cruises here and have a cheap way to drive to work/school in non-shit weather :P

[FiFdYnUtZ]

ive seen people want bikes because everyone else has them a million times and they end up getting bored with it and selling it...but some people get them and ride them all the time and love them, idk i think you should start out slow and make sure its what you want before you dump a ton of money into a nice bike..

[krustindumm]

Honda's are the best all around bikes.

Comfort is key, if the bike is uncomfortable to ride, you won't ride it, uhh, 'correctly'. Honda sacrifices a little bit of performance, by making the ergonomics better. That little bit of performance isn't even within reach of 99.5% of riders. If you find a GSX-R, YZF-R, or ZX-R to be more comfortable then go for it. I doubt you will though.

I went with a standard bike. It's a compromise of sport, touring, and cruising, and results in a bike I can ride for hours, and easily keep up with most riders on sport bikes as long as the road is curvy.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd150/xci_ed6/cb600f6/IMG_1878.jpg

[warchild145]

If you take the riders safety course they should have some 250's of the crotch rocket style, some standard and some cruiser. t least I know kirkwood did. When taking the course you will be on the bike all day for 2 days so it will really open your eyes to what style fits you best.

[tylers88]

I learned how to ride a bike on a buddies old, like 94 Honda 600 ex-track bike, I was fine all I had ever done b4 that was sit on bikes and play with the clutch and brakes

[Ricky]

never said suzukis were bad bikes by any means.... I was just saying ANY bike can break or have problems based on how they were driven in the begining of there life. I was also stating the same thing as you are stating in that all the big 600cc or 1000cc rockets are all about the same. they only have very little differences... meaning dont concern yourself so much about what brand but more about what kind of bike and price rang.... maybe color :)

i just didnt want him to feel like gsxr's are bad thats all


I have a 03 GSXR 600 now lol

[Clinical]

Well I'm finally getting around to this idea :)

I'm scheduled for SCC's Motorcycle Safety class from May 14th-May 16th.

I'm trying to find a bike now.
Unfortunately the talon really sucked up a lot of money and I don't have what I was hoping to have to spend on a bike.

Looking at trying to stay around 2,000...

Unfortunately I still don't really know too much about bikes outside of the regular GSXR's / CBR's / Ninjas.

A couple I've found that have peaked my interest
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/mcy/1694034096.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/mcy/1696749179.html

The second is probably my favorite when it comes to looks wise.
However I'm curious, is a Katana GSX F 600 on par or close to on par with the mainstream 600 rockets?

I don't need something insanely fast, I just don't want to be like this one girl in the group of bikes here who when they get on the highway she and her 250 are hunkered down redlining it just to keep up with their 1/2 throttle.

Appreciate any info/help.

I'm really looking forward to getting into riding.
I love just cruising no matter what I'm on/in.
I put 3,000 miles on the firebird in little over a month since I got it out of winter storage, and gas kills!
Getting 40+ mpg on a bike sounds great right about now :)

[Roosterk0031]

I had a zx600e for a few years, 2nd gear was broke the whole time, that's a weak spot, if you test ride it make sure it will stay in second while on throttle hard, expensive fix as have to split the cases. That said, motor was great, smooth engine no vibration, plenty fast. A sport tourer by today's sport bike standards, as is the Katana. I don't know my years of Katana that well, it was probably designed about same time as the ZX600e in the early 90, believe oil cooled but not sure. Pretty sure 750 engines drop in, and maybe even some of the 1100.

I'd say advantage zx600e, it was rebadged as ZZR in 2003 time range for a couple years, then in 2005 a zX6R was rebaged ZZR
Same bike with over 10 years of production, parts everywhere. ZX6e.net.

Edit: It's a zx600d, not an E model. E's had integrated turnsignals front & rear, I'd probably lean towards the Katana. Or try to find a ZX600e, I really enjoyed that bike, if it wasn't broken I would have kept it a long time. Traded for 04 250 Ninja, then sold for $1500, then bought current Concours.

Don't remember if Krustin ever rode any of those, I don't think I ever let him on the FZ1 either, VF750F he got to take for a little spin. I had to put the xr50 away after Colton got on it, he hasn't ridden anything of mine since.

40-45 mpg isn't hard to get, but factor in the $ for tires that only last 5-7k your actual cost of riding is closer to 20-25 mpg. Sportbike tires can cost more per mile than gasoline.

[Drifte]

I had a zx600e for a few years, 2nd gear was broke the whole time, that's a weak spot, if you test ride it make sure it will stay in second while on throttle hard, expensive fix as have to split the cases. That said, motor was great, smooth engine no vibration, plenty fast. A sport tourer by today's sport bike standards, as is the Katana. I don't know my years of Katana that well, it was probably designed about same time as the ZX600e in the early 90, believe oil cooled but not sure. Pretty sure 750 engines drop in, and maybe even some of the 1100.

I'd say advantage zx600e, it was rebadged as ZZR in 2003 time range for a couple years, then in 2005 a zX6R was rebaged ZZR
Same bike with over 10 years of production, parts everywhere. ZX6e.net.

Edit: It's a zx600d, not an E model. E's had integrated turnsignals front & rear, I'd probably lean towards the Katana. Or try to find a ZX600e, I really enjoyed that bike, if it wasn't broken I would have kept it a long time. Traded for 04 250 Ninja, then sold for $1500, then bought current Concours.

Don't remember if Krustin ever rode any of those, I don't think I ever let him on the FZ1 either, VF750F he got to take for a little spin. I had to put the xr50 away after Colton got on it, he hasn't ridden anything of mine since.

40-45 mpg isn't hard to get, but factor in the $ for tires that only last 5-7k your actual cost of riding is closer to 20-25 mpg. Sportbike tires can cost more per mile than gasoline.


:butthead: :biggrin:

[Clinical]

Well my buddy talked me out of the Katana, saying it'd still be hard pressed at times to keep up with everyone in a large cruise and I'd get bored of it pretty quick, although not as quick as a 250 but still said I'd outgrow it quick having a car that probably is faster in the long run.

I had found a 97 GSXR 600 SRAD and was really serious about trying to pick it up.
However it just sold, grrr.

If anyone knows of a good deal for around 2500 or less on a GSXR 600 preferably or a CBR 600 or something of the sort, let me know.

[Ricky]

I would let my 03 GSX-R go for 2500 how it sits. I will post up some more pics. runs great! i rode it around this weekend! just needs some paint and some little parts.


Having title trouble right now but it is mine and everything is legal. (kid before me never registered it and signed the title over to me. I tryed putting it in my name and they said no :( )

[Clinical]

I might of found one near Chicago, waiting for an email back otherwise I may be interested in that GSXR of yours.

One of my buddies is willing to ride a bike back for me from wherever as long as I buy him $20 worth of food at a Buffalo Wild Wings haha

[Ricky]

tell him no on the $20 and just the joy of ridding a bike should be enough :)