New Rider...

[jonnyLA]

I've posted a few times about starting out on street but never got to serious about it. Overtime the urge to get on a streetbike grew on to me and its time to get on one.

So I’ve been riding dirt for about 5-6 years and I’m not too sure where to start off. I’m 17, had my class C driver license for a year, and in the next few months will be taking the MSF class.

After getting my M1 license what kind of bike should I ride? I'm not a big guy ( 5'11; 120lbs ) and I don’t know where to start off, a 250? 600? I want a bike that i would not outgrow fast. On dirt I ride a YZ250F so I think I would be able to handle a Ninja 250.

How much would insurance be for a rider my age? I have never got pulled over by cops during my first year of driving and I’m a 4.0 student.

What’s your opinion on me riding? Should i just wait until I am 18? 21? Am I taking the right course to begin riding? I’m not riding to show off or anything, I’m riding because I love to ride. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

[crazyrussian]

well, I'm still a noob, so I don't know how much it will help, but...here's my experience.

I bought a gs500, it was a little too much for me to start with, but I'm getting used to it. It was cheap, I dropped it while parking a few times at first, which wasn't a problem since it was cheap and has no plastics. It's plenty of power for highway/twisties/whatever, but not so much as to scare myself to death. I'm sure in a year or two I'll want to upgrade, but not anytime soon, I'm still nowhere near the bike's limits.

Everyone here will tell you three things:

MSF, and subsequently a track day or two/advanced rider course

Gear, full gear, it will save your ass (literally)

Small displacement older used cheap bike- you will drop it, might as well not spend the cash.

as far as insurance- I have no idea, but I do know that insurance varies depending on the type of bike, so smaller displacement older bike will save you cash there as well.

above all- just make sure you watch for all the retards in cages trying to kill you. I'm sure your dirt skills will help you immensely, but there are no cages on dirt tracks....

goodluck!!! :thumb

 

[Mortifer]

Get-

Your license.

A used 250.

The best gear you can afford, then borrow money and buy the rest.

 

[jonnyLA]

What kind of bikes do the MSF course use? Maybe after taking the course i can get a feel of where im at.

 

[crazyrussian]

they usually have a 250 cruiser and 250 sport-ish bikes to choose from...

 

[K-dog]

The only think I'd add to mortifer's list is Insurance. (it is CA after all.)

Sounds like you are on the right track, taking the MSF will help you get an idea of what you might like. Hope to see you on the road.

 

[thmastr]

take the msf first of all I was on a 125 yamaha dirt looking bike.

After I was on that is when I decided I would not be getting the 600 cc bike I wanted.

I am 6.3' and weight about 170 pounds with all my gear on.

I decided to buy a kawasaki ex500. This bike is 13 yrs old, the indurance on it is 980 for full (liability and collission)
I currently only have liability. So I pay about 500 usd per year. To add to that I am 21 and married, and no I dont have a the good student discount.

I love my ex500 it is definately enough power for everything. specially in the rain I will more often than not get some weel spin from my back tire. I am confortable enough to get some weel spin in dry conditions while leaning the bike. all this after almost 3 months of having it, and having riden about 1.4k miles.

This is my only vehicle so I ride rain or shine heat or cold!

Oh yeah one more thing. I do not have any driving history as a matter of fact I dont even have my c license. So my insurance rate is a bit higher because of that im sure!

I rather ride than drive no matter what!

 

[Wrong Way]

Get street riding gear.

I say buy a motard. Get use to the streets and a four stroke. Take the tard out to the track. Then after a while and talking face to face with people, find a two stroke sport bike. Learn how to listen to the front wheel. If you keep your eyes peeled you might find a good deal. Proll'y be able to sell it for close to the same you bought it for, if you maintain it.

 

[jonnyLA]

http://www.sportrider.com/ride/new_rider_guide/bikes/index.html

Of these bikes, which would be the top three choices for a beginner? Would a SV650 or a FZ6 be too much power?

 

[Stormdragon]

I'd go SV over FZ, consider the Bandit, and definitely look at the new Kawi 650 twin. I'd also call a few insurance companies and get their rates on all those before making a final decision.

 

[Enchanter]

http://www.sportrider.com/ride/new_rider_guide/bikes/index.html

Of these bikes, which would be the top three choices for a beginner? Would a SV650 or a FZ6 be too much power?

I see that you narrowed down your choices to the ones that you WANT vs. the ones that would be better for you.

The list of 17yr olds that are able to successfully ride a streetbike safely, is extremely small. Many people think that because they can operate a motorcycle without falling over, that they now know HOW to ride. Those are two totally different things. Most 17yr olds barely understand the 'big picture' of operating a vehicle on the street, let alone being able to handle an emergency situation. There is no talent (or pride) involved operating a motorcycle in 'perfect' conditions. Almost anyone can do that. The talent and experience come in to play when things start going bad.

Here on BARF we have already seen a couple of people who told us they were ready when the vast majority of barfers told them they were not. One of the more visible people was fr0ng. His "I know what I'm doing" attitude almost got him killed. Do a search for his name and take the time to read the threads. Here is one that I did to compile some of the more stupid things he said: http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1778152#post1778152

In the end, you will buy the bike you want regardless of the advice given by more skilled, more experienced, and better riders. Good luck on your decision.

 

[racerXgirl]

given your dirt history, the sv and fz may not be bad choices for you. it's your first street bike so i would suggest buying it used if you can. your height says that you should be able to sit on it comfortably, but you might wanna sit on them at a dealership or something. the position of the tank, handlebars, width, and footpegs have a lot to do when it comes to picking out your bike. good luck with your choice

 

[Wrong Way]

http://www.sportrider.com/ride/new_rider_guide/bikes/index.html

Of these bikes, which would be the top three choices for a beginner? Would a SV650 or a FZ6 be too much power?

Sv or Fizzer would work. If you really get the hang of things, you will want to start changing things out, i.e. suspension. Get something to learn what it's like to ride in traffic, then when you do buy a well equipped sport bike you will handle surprises sooner than later.

Any finely tuned sport bike will not be as forgiving. Why back yourself against a wall when you still need to learn about the cages that want to see you run off the road? You will never have enough experience to avoid all traffic situations, but if you learn to be proactive on a ride you are familiar with (motard), later on your brain will be available for learning the Sportbike.

I still get nervous learning a different bike, even different sportbikes. Everything is different and each bike will talk back a different way. The SV would give you linear power delivery, nice to learn on, but why not capitalize on your assets? Maybe you can find a used SV someone has upgraded? I am not referring to blinkers and a smoked windscreen.

P.S. I say all this because I personally like the purest sportbikes with inline fours and I am assuming you will fall into the same desires.

 

[phrills]

Well, I'm not super experienced, but I was in your situation a couple of months ago, except I was 21 and never ridden dirt or street before.

First off, I want to say that I had about 5 years experience of driving in a car. I think that really helps you to figure out the general workings of the street. For example, what happens at stop signs and common actions of other drivers (not to mention you), etc. So, in my opinion, get another year or two of driving under your belt.

If you really jsut want to skip on those years of driving, to each his own. But if you do, I think its safe to say that most people here think its a good idea to take the MSF class. And dont skimp on the gear. It really will safe your life.

About the bike, I was looking into alot of different kind of bikes, ex250, ex500, and even 600+. I read that a lot of the 250 and 500 you tend to outgrow quite quickly. And i've heard just too many good things about the sv650. So that was the bike i got. I have to say, only riding a 250 (in the MSF class, and the only bike Ive ever ridden) really made the 650 seem a lot more powerful. In fact, my first ride was from Golden Gate Cycle (I know! They're terrible!!) on Vanness in SF to the Sunset district. And to leave GGC was on an incline.. even more scary. But, at least for me, it took me maybe a week to get used to it. And from there on, it was just learning to ride in the city. Like i said, it definitely helped me to have the 5 years of driving experience, cus i wasnt so worried about what I should be looking out for (cars doing stupid things, where cars are, etc).

Anyway.. i hope that helped some. And good luck with your adventure. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. I don't have much experience rding, but I sure did critically thought about the whole pre ride process, liscensing, if i should get a bike, am i ready for a bike, and the likes.

 

[Monkey_Boy]

JonnyLA, best listen to Enchater, lots of good advice there, same with the Crazy Russian.

And we're men and human, so we sometimes put the cart before the horse, meaning we're thinking more about what bike to purchase than to consider the big picture. Getting the bike is part of the fun, so enjoy it and don't feel guilty! Until you ride and gain experience, the big picture is hard to grasp anyway. That's why listening to those who've been around a while is such a good idea.

Many of us older farts started on Honda 50's and 90's. A 250 was a big bike back in the old days, a Triumph, BSA, or Harley was a monster and way too expensive to even consider. The dumbass noobies often "graduated" to the Kawasaki 500 three cylinder two-stroke. And proceeded to kill themselves. I was scared to death of that Kawa, I rode a 1965 Ducati 250 for 6 years, then my father let me ride his BSA 441. :cool

These days, many feel they outgrew the Kawa 250 very quickly. Not sure why, guys who race them learn to make them go very fast indeed. It is not a sexy bike, so maybe that's the problem.

With that said, it's hard to go wrong with an SV650, EX500, or the Bandit. Very mild-mannered all three and are a good compromise. You will drop it in the parking lot more than once in the beginning. That's part of the learning process. So buy used.

Don't bother worrying how many cylinders the engine has, there are far more important things to have on your mind as a new rider...

 

[wetpaint]

Im a new rider as well. Im studying the DMV handbook and hopefully will get my permit next week. I've only rode some ATV's before and some smaller dirtbikes, so this will be a new adventure for me.

Im planning on buying an older 600 (not quite as fast as todays 600's) because I've been driving for 4 years and feel I have ample driving experience and road experience. I know its alot and I dont think i'll even see the potential out of the 600 for the first 6 months or so.

I plan on buying the bike and hauling it to some empty lots during the night to learn to ride. Practice stopping and going, practice speed bumps, practice turns. Then start out small and go 25mph on the street for awhile, next jump up to 40. From there I dont plan on going much farther until I have the MSF courses under my belt.

I can register for the MSF courses but its booked until June down in San Jose and without that course I cant get my license. I think I'll benefit from the course as well, so Im looking forward to it.

I plan to spend about $2500 on a bike, an another $800 on gear. I priced out the gear at Road Riders down in San Jose and I got a pretty good feel for what fits me.

Im going with the scorpion EXO700 helmet and most likey a full 2 piece leather suit.

For u s newbies I feel the best way to learn to ride, and to learn to ride good, is pace yourself. Start small, start smart. Dont go out and think you can ride because you have a Class C license and you've rode dirtbikes. Keep your head up and think smart.