beginners bike?

[Rebuilt]

i would also say that its not the rideing of any bike thats hard ... its the get used to the road and the way it works and other people use it first ... maybe a smaller / lighter bike would help for first
Also like others have said do a course first as it will help with all the above .

Once you cracked that most bikes are basicly the same to ride just the roads differ (ok n maybe the power )

 

[pookamatic]

Perfect bike for a mature beginner.

I put myself in this category. 34 years old - have ridden a dozen other friends/family bikes over the years, am confident and most of the crazy has worn off. Bought the 6 in April and don't regret it. Don't recommend it for most though. I believe Erci's bell curve is generally accurate.

One thing that might not have been mentioned yet - 250s sell like hotcakes. They're constantly being traded up, down, and all around. You can always scoop one up, learn, and sell quickly for little-to-no loss. You might even find that you love it. My dad has a v-star 250 that is crazy comfortable, simple, easy to operate, looks great, cost $4,000 brand new, and gets 80mpg. :thumbup:

 

[ChevyFazer]

i would favor cruisers as first bikes but theyre heavy. even the Vstar650 is like 550lbs. i have always flt that due to their weight they just aren't as user friendly to somebody just trying to get sime miles in the saddle. Another cruiser worth a look would be the Honda Magna 750, people seem to sell them cheap and the V4 engine is a tractor and indestructible. Ill also say that the 250's never did much for me either, since my dirt bikes have more spank to them than a CBR250 or a ninja250, but the new Ninja300 looks promising with 42hp (thats 60% more than the 250) and i believe its right about the same weight.

That's the only downside to starting on a ~650ish cruiser that I can think of, the weight. But other than that IMHO I thi k they are great starter bikes. They also can picked up fairly cheep and hold their value fairly well, very similar to the ninja 250s in that aspect. Another big reason why I like them as starter bikes is they do have some power and the beginner is not as likely to "outgrow" it as quick or get bored with it, maybe making them stay with the bike a little longer therefore learning a lot more about the basics of riding before trading up and getting a faster bike.

 

[FZ09Bandit]

I rode my brothers 250 two times before I picked my fazer up. Never had this magical clutch issue? I stayed in my comforst zone up untill well, I am still there.(only drop was in grass in a side stand issue) get what you want, take your classes. They do help. Mine has 12000 miles on it, and never an issue. It amazes me sometimes on how much balance I have lol.

actually my brothers ninja 250 sat up higher until he dropped it two inches. I am 5'8" and can flat foot it. But I did shave my seat down tho.

No sense in getting something you really don't want...,. Just don't be a jackass. Good luck!!!

 

[Yasko]

Another big reason why I like them as starter bikes is they do have some power and the beginner is not as likely to "outgrow" it as quick or get bored with it

How do you get bored with a bike that you can redline anywhere you ride in one season?

 

[Yasko]

You have to be secure in your manhood to ride a lil 250. :rockon:

A big tuff guy will never be on a lil bike like that.

 

[dpaul007]

I also put myself in the "mature beginner" category. I'm 30, never rode a bike before, so I took the MSF course last year, and bought my FZ6 earlier this year. You just have to respect the bike, take things slow and work your way up.

 

[SweaterDude]

Just thought of something else, that i think could be important anyway.

ABS: great in a car, weird on a bike (especially the linked honda system)

so i finally got to ride an ABS bike toward the end of the summer. i test drove a used VFR800 Interceptor ABS model (this is my favorite bike period by the way) and my conclusion is that people are way too gung ho with the ABS thing. Ive locked up my brakes 2x since ive been riding, once dragging my rear in a turn to avoid some crap in the road, and once fully locked up tring no to hit the guy who just highsided 20ft in front of me as well as the car coming the other way (scary as hell by the way) and neither time did the wheels locking up freak me out. However since ABS systems dont come on under easy braking, i took the VFR to a walmart lot to see what it was all about. when you try to lock up the wheels and expect it coming you're better off than when you're caught off guard, and it still kinda freaked me out. not that it was uncontrollable, it was just really weird. but even worse is when you try to just lock up the rear (with a little pressure on the front) and the ABS comes on BOTH WHEELS and the nose drops hard from what ive heard all of the honda systems are like this and it seems like a lot of people have been upset about the system since it came out over 15 years ago:spank: haven't ridden anybody else's ABS bikes but i dont feel the need.

so the overall conclusion is that ABS might scare a beginner and be more of a problem than it would be helpful/safer.

 

[FZ09Bandit]

I don't think I could handle abs. Not used to that crap. My instructor told me once that if you have to lay a bike over to avvoid an accident you are doing something terribly wrong.
However, yamahas new R1 has traction control. If you get used to that, you could be unstoppable. wish I had one. Engine BRAKE LOL.

 

[ChevyFazer]

How do you get bored with a bike that you can redline anywhere you ride in one season?

Same way I get bored having the same sex over and over again :BLAA:

Me personally, I get bored very easy (ADD?) for only being 25 I've had 23 different cars and trucks, 3 different bikes, been to 4 differnt colleges and tech schools and had 5 different "careers" not including the petty little part time jobs, so yeah I get bored very very easy

 

[CowtownBiomed]

You have to be secure in your manhood to ride a lil 250. :rockon:

A big tuff guy will never be on a lil bike like that.

I dare you to say that to me on my 125...:Flip:..
What really makes folks mad (test THEIR manhood) is when you pass them on the outside in the corners...on your 12HP machine. (HD's mostly..)

I'm really only hanging onto my two because my kids will soon be old enough to ride, and they are a total blast to ride.
Redline in every gear, corner like they are on rails and because they are so light the stop on a dime..
They even have their own race class for us big old guys..

Did I say they were a blast to ride?
You quickly learn conservation of momentum..:rockon:

 

[ChevyFazer]

Did I say they were a blast to ride?
You quickly learn conservation of momentum..:rockon:

this is very true, it didn't take long to figure that out on my klr and on my buddies buell blast

 

[FZ6PURPLE]

Thanks for all your suggestions and comments and as FizzySix suggested for me to give more info about myself, well I am a pretty petite woman 95 pounds 4'10" and that is why I am so concern about been able to handle a bike, so I hope this would give you a better idea and understand my concerns!!!

 

[Erci]

Thanks for all your suggestions and comments and as FizzySix suggested for me to give more info about myself, well I am a pretty petite woman 95 pounds 4'10" and that is why I am so concern about been able to handle a bike, so I hope this would give you a better idea and understand my concerns!!!

Wow.. don't mean to upset you, but there's just about NO chance for you to get started on this bike without running into issues. At 4' 10", I don't think you'll even be able to tip-toe on both sides. The only way to mount and ride this bike would be to shift your butt off the seat to one side for starts/stops, which is NOT easy to do even for experienced riders (this is a standard technique for dirt riding). Your best bet is a cruiser (Viragos have 26" seat height), but even before that happens, see how MSF goes. I had a student in my last class who was 4' 10" and even our 125cc LOWERED bike was too tall for her.

 

[FZ09Bandit]

BOh...... k....... well it takes time for everyone to get a good feel of the bike. It is tall, it is heavy. Go to the dealer and sit on all that catch your eye. If you can, sit on it, put your feet down, and gently rock it back and forth. The biggest fear for beggoners in my opinion is the fear of dropping it . I can spot a new rider just by watching them drag their feet. Get a good feel, if you have a firend ask them to let you sit on it and see how it feels for you.

Good luck.

Not trying to discourage your, butdont buy something you will be scared of.

 

[Yasko]

I am a pretty petite woman 95 pounds 4'10" and that is why I am so concern about been able to handle a bike, so I hope this would give you a better idea and understand my concerns!!!

Wow.... You would think about a FZ6, or FZ6R as a first bike?

 

[Yasko]

This is not a real post. :BLAA:

I think this is just to get people to fight over bikes.:spank:

4ft 10in and 95lbs Yea right......:disapprove:


Lock this post down.

 

[oaks]

Wow.. don't mean to upset you, but there's just about NO chance for you to get started on this bike without running into issues. At 4' 10", I don't think you'll even be able to tip-toe on both sides. The only way to mount and ride this bike would be to shift your butt off the seat to one side for starts/stops, which is NOT easy to do even for experienced riders (this is a standard technique for dirt riding). Your best bet is a cruiser (Viragos have 26" seat height), but even before that happens, see how MSF goes. I had a student in my last class who was 4' 10" and even our 125cc LOWERED bike was too tall for her.

Motorcycle Ergonomics

to see how different bikes might fit for your height. I recall how tall the FZ6 felt after riding a Yamaha V-Star 250 in my MSF course.

 

[ChevyFazer]

This is not a real post. :BLAA:

I think this is just to get people to fight over bikes.:spank:

4ft 10in and 95lbs Yea right......:disapprove:


Lock this post down.

I don't think so, from some of her other post it seems she just wants to find out some more info about bikes in general. And for someone completely new to the world of motorcycles it would make sense to ask questions like she has. If she were trying to troll the forum I think she would have been posting a lot more in the thread to rile people up.

 

[The Toecutter]

This is not a real post. :BLAA:

I think this is just to get people to fight over bikes.:spank:

4ft 10in and 95lbs Yea right......:disapprove:


Lock this post down.

My oldest half-sister is 4'11" and 95lbs and 100% Coona$$ ..... how is that un-beleivable? She has rode all of my bikes by herself.