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9/1/2009 11:16:31 PM

I was just thinking.. "This thread should be named ' Motorcycles: how much retarded = instant death' "

I think you can pretty much get on any bike, learn how to ride it safely as long as you respect it... If you jump on that thing hammering on the throttle, of course you'll die! But do you think you will ever get to the skill of using all of that power?

I have a 600 and I still don't think I use the full potential of my bike no 1L bike for me, I think...

But good luck :-) any bike is cool in my book

9/2/2009 9:36:41 AM

Just because it is indeed possible to ride it without dying doesn't make it a good first motorcycle, or even not a terrible first motorcycle. I mean, "not killing you" is not a really ambitious place to set the bar.

9/2/2009 8:11:54 PM

hahah

I try to aim well above "not dying" in all my endeavors.

9/2/2009 9:19:51 PM

173 hp

10/15/2009 2:50:40 PM

I just took my motorcycle safety class, and I'm hooked. My wife is, too, which presents a problem.

She wants me to first buy a crappy-ish bike to learn on for a few months, then move on to a newish SV650, leaving her with the first bike.

Which bike would you choose to learn on for a few months, then pass on to your wife? We're looking for something in the $2-3k range.

10/27/2009 6:07:21 PM

If it's something you want her to hold on to for a while, I'd say something like a ex500. Most girls don't want huge power like guys eventually do, so if she fits that stereo type that could please her for a while and still be fun/safe for you to learn on.

10/27/2009 6:14:38 PM

just get an sv650 first, then give it to her when youre done

and you can get a cbr600rr

that's plenty after ~6 mos. on an sv650

plenty for the street really, unless your shaq sized

10/27/2009 7:28:19 PM

^^^ Well, if you're just going to end up passing it to your wife, get something your wife would like. SV650s are not as beginner friendly as most people would lead you to believe, and they're not much more comfortable than a super-sport. I'm guessing you learned on Nighthawks during the course. Buy a classic Japanese inline 4. No plastic to worry about in a lay-down, and they're easy to fix with a manual and simple tools. They also hold their value if you don't fuck them up (some even appreciate). Pre-85, you could go up as high as 900cc and not worry too much about killing yourself. A 600 supersport today has more HP than a 25-year-old liter-bike.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/1438826099.html
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/1432774609.html

I'd sell you my GS500, but it's not going to be ready for another 2-4 weeks (I need to adjust the valves)

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 7:55 PM. Reason : ^^^]

10/27/2009 7:39:46 PM

^ a naked SV650 (as opposed to the -S model with clip-ons) is a shit ton more comfortable than any supersport I've ever ridden (which is probably about 10 different models).

they're fairly forgiving in the handling dept, though, and while the power is certainly enough to overwhelm a beginner who tries to climb on and grab a big handful of it, it isn't anything like ANY supersport. All in all, I think it's a decent beginner's bike. It's at the upper performance end of what I think is appropriate, but they're super cheap for as much bike as they are, pretty reliable and economical, no plastics to break, and enough performance to keep you entertained at least for a couple of years (and really, forever if you don't crave monster, supersport performance).

Yeah, a GS500 would be better for a rank beginner, but it's probably about as expensive as an SV, and I'd rather see someone buy an SV and ride it for 2+ years than buy a GS500 and ride it for 6 months, then sell it to buy a GSX-R.

10/27/2009 7:56:44 PM

He's going to ride it for a few months then give it to his wife regardless. He can get a SV for his 2nd bike.

I'll probably look for around $1400 for my GS. If it weren't missing the side plastics, I'd probably ask $1700 tops.

10/27/2009 8:51:11 PM

You can get an SV for that price, though.


Of course, in this case, a GS500 or something similar makes total sense. I was talking about how, in general, I think there's a case for most people to start with the SV rather than the GS500 / Nighthawk / SECA /etc, even though those bikes are probably a little better for a brand new cyclist than an SV is.


What I will totally agree with you on is that a 600cc supersport bike is a TERRIBLE first motorcycle.

10/27/2009 9:12:36 PM

Boone, how big is your wife? I mean, if he's only going to be riding it for <1 yr, but she will be for much longer, maybe we should be considering her. I think, while an sv 650 is appropriate for a new rider with some familiarity with bikes (i.e. took the MSF), a 120 lb 5'6" woman is a bit different. That might really be pushing it, especially if she isn't a girl that has grown up being physically active in sports, etc.(i.e. good dexterity/ motor skills). It's always better to be cautious here I think. If you find a good deal, there's no reason you can't make your money back off any of the bikes mentioned in a couple years if she wants to move up.

10/27/2009 9:25:01 PM

She's smallish, so I'm looking at a newish Kawasaki 250R, now.

Thoughts?

10/28/2009 12:09:44 PM

Excellent bike for what it is. It'll be small and underpowered for you very quickly, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun. I rode around on a cb250(much less powerful/capable) and it was a blast. It's a high revving engine and super light weight make it a lot of fun from what I understand. Definitely the most capable 250 on the American market. They can be had for dirt cheap and parts couldn't be easier to come by(same bike from the late 80s to 07). Good, safe choice for the lady friend for sure. Have fun.

10/28/2009 4:48:13 PM

it can't be worse than a rebel anyway

10/29/2009 3:45:53 PM

^ at this point, i'd concur

10/29/2009 4:08:00 PM

ZX-14 should be tame enough

10/30/2009 4:00:37 PM

If you are looking at getting a motorcycle check out NCSportbikes.com

If you want, come out to the fairgrounds at the big sign on Thursday night around 645. Feel free to ask questions and talk to people. Everything from 250's to 'busas. I don't think there is anyone with NCS that won't be glad to discuss bikes and share experiences with you. There is no perfect bike. What works for me won't work for others. Any rider worth a damn will be glad to talk with you about pros and cons as we were all beginners at one point.

They also have a pretty good classified section.

Just my $ .02

11/2/2009 11:45:49 AM

ahahahahaha, lmao, funniest shit in here in a while

11/2/2009 5:10:07 PM

I was told past 1000cc is when it gets ridiculous.

11/24/2009 8:43:42 PM

haha, it gets ridiculous WAY before then, at least in the world of sportbikes.

11/24/2009 9:19:04 PM

I have the opposite problem it seems, I have a 01 SV650 that I can't give away here in Pensacola. I've had the damn thing on the market for 4-5 months.

11/25/2009 7:13:09 PM

how much are you asking for it?

11/25/2009 7:15:56 PM

started at 3500, but that was a raleigh price it sems, so I'm down to 2700 now

11/25/2009 7:23:21 PM

oh yeah, you can forget about $3500 unless it's in showroom condition with almost no miles. I have an '02 SV-650 with 19k miles (and Racetech front springs, fresh front brakes and fork seals, brand new BT-016 tires, bar end mirrors, slip-on exhaust, etc. Nothing exotic, but several hundred dollars worth of add-ons and upgrades). I would be thrilled to get $2700 for it when I sell it.

In fact, I'll sell it right now for $2700.

11/25/2009 7:38:09 PM

yeah, it has 14k, new Diablos, full two brothers exhaust ect. The only thing it needs is to be ridden before it completely deteriorates from sitting (and fork dust covers), The killer thing is that we were offered $2700 in the couple days we had it for sale in raleigh before I dragged it down here.

11/25/2009 7:48:38 PM

I'm buying a '99 SV650 for $2350 off of craigslist this saturday.

Can't freakin' wait.

11/25/2009 10:54:07 PM

Son of a bitch I've already dropped it.

I don't have it registered, yet, so I was just driving up and down the street, doing fairly tight U-turns at each end (parked cars means it's essentially a 1 lane street). My wife steps out to watch, I get stage fright, and I drop it mid U-turn (going like 2 mph). The only damage was a bent clutch handle. I tried to unbend it, and broke it. Son of a bitch. Now I have to wait on a new handle to be shipped.

On a scale from 1-10, how embarrassed should I be.

11/28/2009 1:19:22 PM

Everyone drops their bike when they're learning

EXCEPT FOR ME

[Edited on November 28, 2009 at 2:26 PM. Reason : You should be able to pick up one up at a Suzuki dealership Tuesday]

11/28/2009 2:25:07 PM

I didn't either. lrn2ride faggots.

3/10

You weren't trying to make her drip by doing wheelies and shit, so it's all good, just an honest mistake.

[Edited on November 28, 2009 at 2:34 PM. Reason : .]

11/28/2009 2:33:09 PM

I high-sided my first week on a street bike. Nothing serious since.

[Edited on November 28, 2009 at 3:24 PM. Reason : You know those smooth cul-de-sac U-turns make the panties hit the floor.]

11/28/2009 3:17:55 PM

Quote :

"I didn't either"

11/28/2009 4:15:47 PM

i've never understood peoples issues with u-turns. i had my sketchy areas to overcome when i was first learning, but that wasn't one of them



and ftr, i have dropped one bike. it was Igor's hawk when he was teaching me to ride back in '05ish. that was due to a low-speed countersteer clutch/throttle/break brainfart and i set it relatively gently on its side at the expense of the skin on my inner thigh. couldn't have picked a better one to drop, though



[Edited on November 30, 2009 at 5:52 AM. Reason : asdf]

11/30/2009 5:45:13 AM

I guess it just seems incredibly counterintuitive to take a U-turn at the speed one needs to to do it smoothly.

When I dropped it, it hardly had any forward momentum. I caught it with my foot, and I would've recovered it had I not been used to the much lighter bikes I used in the MSF class.

11/30/2009 8:55:26 AM

i've never dropped a bike or scooter so far...probably because neither are very fast

*knock on wood*

11/30/2009 9:05:03 AM