Sports Bike....I have questions.

[NastyNate]

the new cherry bomb red on the Firebolt looks very hot. maybe I'll paint my SV that color....
As far as starting on an R1, i think that's extremely stupid. Very very few people can do that. Yeah you have to know throttle modulation but man, more times than not that thing is gonna bite you in the rear. Those bikes do exactly what you tell it, even if you don't mean to.
That's why I was so excitied last group ride passing all the larger bikes in the turns. yeah they could hit throttle on the straights and be gone but the twistes is where the real skill is. It showed who could really ride and who couldn't.

I think I'm either gonna get a Firebolt or an RC51 for my next bike.

 

[Doward]

Um wow.

As someone that's just starting to ride, I'll tell you what worries me on a sport bike is NOT THE POWER.

It's the fucking BRAKES. You hit them harder than you mean, and you are STOPPED.

 

[dugums]

Although I am set firmly in the belief that it is better to start small, there are certain bikes that it doesn't much matter. I don't look at R6 or a ZX6 as starter bikes. If that is what you consider a starter bike, than go ahead and opt for the 1000cc variant. The ZX10 and R1 are so close in handling, that truly the only difference is how you manage the throttle.

A small 500cc(or lower) cruiser would be better to practice on. Also, if you have access to dirt bikes, many successful riders start there. Even though the dirt bikes are torquey, many people feel more comfortable riding off road first.

 

[iwannadie]

the new cherry bomb red on the Firebolt looks very hot. maybe I'll paint my SV that color....
As far as starting on an R1, i think that's extremely stupid. Very very few people can do that. Yeah you have to know throttle modulation but man, more times than not that thing is gonna bite you in the rear. Those bikes do exactly what you tell it, even if you don't mean to.
That's why I was so excitied last group ride passing all the larger bikes in the turns. yeah they could hit throttle on the straights and be gone but the twistes is where the real skill is. It showed who could really ride and who couldn't.

I think I'm either gonna get a Firebolt or an RC51 for my next bike.

I love seeing new riders on SS bikes going around a turn with the bike sitting straight up, riding the brakes and unable to stay in their lane. After the turn of course they twist the throttle and shoot away. They think because they can go fast in a straight line they have some master skill over the bike. Usually its those people that dont clutch when shifting(because it saves time of course). Never touch the rear brake(its only what 30% of your stopping power). Have no tread down the center of the tire yet brand new at the edges.

Or, the same guys who insist they steer the bike by leaning not by using the handle bars. The 'I dont counter steer' argument is endless as well, people refuse to accept they counter steer because they never learned what it is.

Whats the old saying, its easy to make a fast bike go fast but it takes skill to make a slow bike fast.

 

[Ckanderson]

^ahhh I love squid's

 

[Poodles]

I need to dig up the video of the ninja 250 destroying liter bikes on the track...

I'll be getting one when I get a bike. It's cheap, out accelerates most cars, and is fun to drive. Not to mention it gets about 70MPG...

Easy difference between a SS bike and a lower powered one? Litre bikes will do a wheelie on command, coming down after it with the way the suspension is set up it will cause tank slappers if you don't land right.

This is more about suspension and bike design than just motor size...

Oh, and dirt bikes are EXCELLENT experience, if you rode dirt bikes before you got into street bikes, don't say jack about getting on any bike! Or how about this question...did you fall off, drop, or crash on the dirtbike?

 

[Clueless]

A biker buddy of mine and I are going to go to the Yamaha bike store in about an hour...so we'll see what I'll find there.

 

[NastyNate]

I love seeing new riders on SS bikes going around a turn with the bike sitting straight up, riding the brakes and unable to stay in their lane. After the turn of course they twist the throttle and shoot away. They think because they can go fast in a straight line they have some master skill over the bike. Usually its those people that dont clutch when shifting(because it saves time of course). Never touch the rear brake(its only what 30% of your stopping power). Have no tread down the center of the tire yet brand new at the edges.

Or, the same guys who insist they steer the bike by leaning not by using the handle bars. The 'I dont counter steer' argument is endless as well, people refuse to accept they counter steer because they never learned what it is.

Whats the old saying, its easy to make a fast bike go fast but it takes skill to make a slow bike fast.

I love guys with huge chicken strips on the rear tire. It cracks me up especially when they've been riding for a while... My boss at work has been riding for close to 20 years and she still thinks you turn by leaning... But then I thought that too until I took the msf course. I had a blast. I had some cruiser and was scraping peg all the time on that thing. Even better is I had zero riding experience before then.

There is actually an up and coming female racer that's about 16. I saw an artile on her in sprt rider, I beleive, they were watching her race at a track on her 250 ninja and she was lapping guys on liter bikes and what not.
Oh and that guy that hit 214 on the straight he was an amazing rider. He was dropping knee on corners like nothing with that 'Busa. I really have a new found respect for the Busa's cornering ability.

The only reason I would ever get a bigger bike is to get more topend. My SV just doesn't have it, but then you don't buy an SV for it's topend.

 

[Junior]

in my opinion, Ric isn't wrong. He's not right either, but he's not wrong.

a mature rider, will be just fine to learn riding on a big bike. so long as he has a couple of hours on a little one to get the controls and the "lizard reaction" in his brain figured out. Once your brain knows where to go for front brake, rear brake, clutch and throttle, there's nothing stopping you from riding a bigger bike to learn lines/learn to lean in faster, yadda yadda.

that said, I learned on a dirtbike, and I'd HIGHLY recommend that to anyone who wants any kind of road bike, on a dirtbike you learn how sliding the rear on power and brakes goes, what it feels like to wash the front, how the handling is effected by suspension compression. or in short, all the things you need to know for when the shit is hitting the fan on a roadbike.

actually I"d recommend a 1000 over a 600 to most new riders as the 600's power delivery is FAR more aggressive than the 1000's will be, meaning they're far more likely to be "surprised" by a sudden jump in power. Whereas the 1000's tend to build in a more linear fashion, and won't shock you.

that said, you only get to learn to ride a bike once, so it's difficult to compare one against another, and all evidence is anecdotal.

 

[Clueless]

here's my finding from the Yamaha store should I buy a Yamaha for a first bike...

Yamaha FZ1

...or...

Yamaha FZ6

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I love to have this bike...

 

[Clueless]

Me on the FZ6...

I'd probably end up getting a Yamaha FZ1 as it's quite comfortable, only thing I'm not too fond of is that seat can be a tad bit painful while standing up but it's more annoying then actually painful. I sat on a R1 and damn, that thing is hot! This same friend of mine will probably got to other dealer up in Indianapolis/Greenwood area to check out other manufacture.

Edit: I'm sitting on the FZ6 in that picture with the R1 to my right and the FZ1 to my left.

 

[NastyNate]

Don't buy new. You will drop the bike and it sucks when you do. Plus you can always find cheaper used so you don't take a huge loss when you walk off the lot with it. And the money saved could go to better safety gear as well.

 

[Clueless]

Don't buy new. You will drop the bike and it sucks when you do. Plus you can always find cheaper used so you don't take a huge loss when you walk off the lot with it. And the money saved could go to better safety gear as well.

Yea...I'm doing some looking around right now. Any good place to start looking?

 

[Big Wang Bandit]

craigslist

 

[NastyNate]

definately craiglist. The best, IMHO, is any military base. You can get killer deals from guys deploying or getting out. That's how I got my SV. Paid a few hundred under KBB, and it had every aftermarket upgrade I would have done to it had it been stock. It had exhaust, fender eliminator, flush mounts front and rear, alarm, double bubble windshield, rear sets, pegs, r6 throttle tube, bar ends, frame sliders, lower fairing, tank protector, and -1 tooth on the front.

 

[iwannadie]

Again, I still say go old and cheap as a first bike. If your state allows it dont insure the bike(liability only). Keep the bikes price around a grand, if you wreck it its not a huge lose. The money you save on insurance will be huge for the first year.

Have you actually got insurance quotes on a brand new r1 with full coverage? Im going to assume youll finance the bike and your state requires full coverage with a lean on the bike. Check out even used r1s for full coverage, it might be an eye opener ha.

 

[dugums]

Me on the FZ6...]

I'd probably end up getting a Yamaha FZ1 as it's quite comfortable....

Just a quick question - have you ridden at all before?

If not, why not take the class first? They provide the bikes, and you can get a better handle on if you are even going to enjoy riding. I know far too many people who own bikes just because it is something to have. They buy new bikes and end up only riding them a couple of times per year.

It's not like when you started driving your first stop was the dealership to buy a new car. You learned first.

 

[Clueless]

Just a quick question - have you ridden at all before?

If not, why not take the class first? They provide the bikes, and you can get a better handle on if you are even going to enjoy riding. I know far too many people who own bikes just because it is something to have. They buy new bikes and end up only riding them a couple of times per year.

It's not like when you started driving your first stop was the dealership to buy a new car. You learned first.

oh sure...I plan to take the msf class and probably won't buy a bike for a little while, just doing some pre-hand shopping so I'll know what to get when time comes.

 

[dugums]

oh sure...I plan to take the msf class and probably won't buy a bike for a little while, just doing some pre-hand shopping so I'll know what to get when time comes.

Gotcha :icon_bigg .... I was just making sure, because when I go to a motorcycle shop and see all the new shiny bikes, I usually end up buying something right away, lol :3d_frown:

 

[iwannadie]

Gotcha :icon_bigg .... I was just making sure, because when I go to a motorcycle shop and see all the new shiny bikes, I usually end up buying something right away, lol :3d_frown:

Thats why I stay away from those evil places, too easy to sign and ride away lol. Id love to ride off on the new gixxer750 or the new hayabusa(in orange!). I used to be a huge yamaha fan but suzuki has stolen me away no question.