First Bike

[majidmaskat]

Hey there, My first bike will either be an R6 or a Fz6n this is for a reason. I know a lot of people are saying 600cc is too much for a beginner, aged 17 lol, but i have been waiting for this ever since. I know hoe to ride effectively yet, and thus i think that i will have no problem operating these machines. Hoever i would like to get a verdict on whetehr to buy an r6 or an Fz6n , please this is crucial

 

[04fizzer]

Hey there, My first bike will either be an R6 or a Fz6n this is for a reason. I know a lot of people are saying 600cc is too much for a beginner, aged 17 lol, but i have been waiting for this ever since. I know hoe to ride effectively yet, and thus i think that i will have no problem operating these machines. Hoever i would like to get a verdict on whetehr to buy an r6 or an Fz6n , please this is crucial

Do NOT get an R6. Period. It is NOT a beginner bike. Period.

No further questions needed.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Hey there, My first bike will either be an R6 or a Fz6n this is for a reason. I know a lot of people are saying 600cc is too much for a beginner, aged 17 lol, but i have been waiting for this ever since. I know hoe to ride effectively yet, and thus i think that i will have no problem operating these machines. Hoever i would like to get a verdict on whetehr to buy an r6 or an Fz6n , please this is crucial

At age 17, get a used one. There are a lot of riders who have gotten R6 or even liter bikes as their first bike, I would have to say the majority have been totaled or damaged due to their inexeperience or just simply the bike has too much power. Even many members on this forum have totaled their FZ6's.

Have you weighed on how much difference the insurance would be between the two bikes?

 

[majidmaskat]

insurance for the FZ6n comes to £6k that is a lot, i did not get a quote for the r6. looks like i will be going with the Fz6n then.

 

[Jez]

£6000 in insurance Or does that include the price of the bike? Either way, it's outrageous.

Agreed, do not go anywhere near an R6. Not yet. An FZ6 will be more than enough to handle. Reason is, and without wanting to sound patronising in any way, the older you are the more cautious you tend to be. If you let that caution lapse for a moment with a powerful sports bike, you don't get a second chance.

I think the FZ6 can make a good first bike, but it's a step up even from the Hornets or Bandits which are usually recommended. I posted my reasons for this here:

Partly this is due to the way we do the test in the UK. I can quite see that someone who takes a test on a 125 or 250 and then buys an FZ6 could quickly get out of their depth. But the way we do it in the UK is on a Direct Access Course on 500cc bikes - normally an ER5 or CB500. You spend around 5 or 6 sessions on the bike, each session lasting between 6 to 8 hours. At the end you take a 2 part test which is not easy by any means. The training is quite intense and as a result, by the time you pass your test you are going to have acquired reasonable bike handling skills, albeit at a basic level.

My FZ6 is my first bike, full stop. I did a DAS course over 5 days - from nothing to full licence in a week. I quite take the point that it's a whole new skill from car driving, but 18 years' driving experience and the IAM advanced driving qualification have given me good road sense in general terms. I've found the Fazer to be a steep learning curve, but one that's certainly manageable if you're sensible. I wouldn't want to be on a Gixxer, R6 or similar with such limited experience, but the FZ6 has been great, and is a joy to ride.

So if anyone's done the DAS but is scared off by some of the warnings above, I'd say don't disregard the FZ6. Yes, it's certainly a powerful bike, but if you are aware of your limitations and treat it with respect it can make a very good first big bike.

So despite all the above, it's a good first big bike if you have a great deal of self-control and ride very cautiously all the time, certainly for the first year of ownership. Unfortunately at age 17 that's a challenge not many people are equal to.

 

[MaxRyan]

My first bike was an 85 yamaha vmax, I know probably not the best first bike. However i bought it because i loved the way it looked and it needed work. I still have it but it will be going up for sale this spring, i would love to keep it but i mostly am into short touring trips and commuting and it got less than 200 km per tank. It is a 1300 now with marks pipes, i painted it, did a coil on plug mod, pulled and cleaned the carbs multiple times lol, upgraded the brakes to ss lines and 6 pot calipers. It was fun to work on and ride.

I bought the fz6 this winter as a replacement, wasn't really looking for it but saw a good deal and went for it. I have already did the pod lights, frame sliders and i have put in fx35 bixenons. I am looking forward to riding it this spring.

 

[Wavex]

CB500 bought when I was 18yo... these pics are from when I was 20yo...

My gf at the time (wife now), doing a "Tour de France" together... amazing times!!!

 

[dad24hungrykids]

the first bike I ever rode was a 1968 BSA...I was maybe 13 or 14...It was my dad's but he let me ride it around...it is pretty desolate in northern MN... I'd like to have a ride on it now...now that I could REALLY appreciate a classic bike like that.

 

[Juby]

My dad my mom and both my brothers all had cruisers so my first bike was An 05 yamaha vstar 650 classic. I rode it for a year, really enjoyed it but it was to layed back and calm for me. So the following year I traded it in for a suzuki gsf 500..

 

[Live4Snow]

Mine was a 1985 BMW K100RT aka "The Flying Brick"

My father gave it to me when he got a new beemer. That thing was comfy as all get out. Corbin seat, side hard cases, top case, no wind troubles. Great for two up riding because of the massive initial weight, another person hardly changed anything.

The bad? The heat tended to be sucked around the fairing and it baked the back of my legs. Oh, and the weight.



I loved that thing, put about 3,000 uneventful miles on it and sold it a bit ago with the full intention of getting an fz6 but.....well life happens.

Still saving up.

 

[K Rig]

First bike was made more for the dirt and trails. I believe that it was from the 2002 model year but I'm not really sure. The handling was pretty good and it cornered fairly well on the street but at high speed, leaning it over had its complications with the very skinny front and rear tire. It took getting used to and got a bit uncomfortable on longer rides (anything above say 30 miles), but did pretty well on hard dirt. The aluminum frame was a very nice feature. Nice and light, but it didn't have the gearing to go all that fast.
Sure lost a lot of weight from all that pedaling though lol

 

[Kaz247]

Kawasaki KE 100,

cute white, blue and pink!

Scrambler style but road legal, I only had it about a year and some thieving sod pinched it outta my garage.

I was gutted at the time!!!

 

[Erci]

And the winner of the crappiest first bike award is.. ME

1986 Riga Delta. 50cc, 2sp:

2nd bike wasn't much better. 88 Jawa 350:

 

[k.mcgeachen]

First bike i rode was a 2001 ttr-125 borrowed from a friend then onto a 1988 yz80 which i flipped in the first 15 feet i rode it =/ outgrew that and got a 2003 ttr-125L and on and on and on...